Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Just looked at the end-of-year roundups, and whoa! My fingers lurking on SE! Just thought I'd mention that this meal got two thumbs up from me :)

No Kolachki anyone??? This year, running short on time...Lekvar, apricot and cherry Kolachki, russian tea cakes, hand dipped choc pretzels, spritz cookies (green trees w dragee "stars"), cranberry mini bread loaves. All this with the oven breaking the Tuesday before Christmas week... Eeeek!

I like to make sugar cookies with sprinkles in festive colors and I also like to make chocolate peanut butter balls.I do alot of baking and stuff as well.Alot of times in my family I bake gifts for Christmas and buy decorative tins and I wrap bows around them.Julie Lowe

Thanks iheartny22!

I swore I wasn't going to bake – I made double-layer pumpkin cheesecake, espresso chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, macaroons, brownies, wedding cookies and chocolate crinkles. And I've yet to make almond paste cookies and peanut butter blondies. I swear I have a disease.

i made chocolate and vanilla shortbreads...im baking them tommorow, and im scared i messed them up from overworking the dough...ack. stress.

not baked, but I have made bourbon balls (rum balls but with extra whiskey instead) and peanut butter balls (buckeyes, but totally covered and with a pecan on top) for the past 10+ years and don't think i can stop now as they are not only anticipated but somewhat expected every christmas season from our friends and family. Luckily both are super super simple and inexpensive.

coconut ice is traditional in our house, pink and white of course

I make very gingery ginger snaps - fresh grated, dry ground, and finely chopped candied all mixed into a dough with cinnamon and cloves. Spicy!

I'm relatively new to Holiday cookies/candies making. I made Andes mint chunk cookies that are really popular. I've also made so many sugar cookies that I cut into star shapes and also penguins. I decorated the stars with mini dragees (gold and silver) and the penguins I iced black and white with a silver dragee eye. All the cookies have been very well received. I'm taking a box full of penguin cookies to Cleveland for Christmas. I'm traveling by air. Wish the penguins good luck.

@honeybumper-thanks for that info...so my friends are not getting "hot flashes" it's the ginger? Kidding..I am sure it's our age ;-)

He's opening another BBP in Bergen County at one of the many malls in Paramus--he said he's keeping them close to home so he can go out and check on any problems.
One thing folks are forgetting is that it's not a chef making the burgers in back--it's someone who is making not much more than minimum wage who had maybe a week's worth of training before taking the griddle. I worked in a restaurant (Farrell's--many years ago) making hamburgers and I didn't know much of anything--we were showed how it is supposed to look before you flip it over for rare, medium and well. If we made a mistake, people sent their burger back and we tried again. I doubt if they are even hiring culinary students--if anything, they're hiring former McDonald's and Burger King employees--at least they have "experience".

I'm making it again tomorrow....seriously!