Cookie Molds Around the Year: An Almanac of Molds, Cookies, and Other Treats for Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Other Holidays, and Every Season

by Anne L. Watson

Overview

SPECIAL NOTE! -- ANNE WILL PERSONALLY ANSWER ANY QUESTION OF YOURS AFTER READING THIS BOOK. ASK ON HER WEB SITE, AND YOU'LL NORMALLY HEAR BACK WITHIN HOURS!
 
In this companion to "Baking with Cookie Molds," Anne L. Watson presents cookies and molds for many holidays and all seasons, as well as for special interests and occasions -- weddings, kids, storytelling around the fireplace, and much more. With nearly 150 photos of molds, cookies, and processes, "Cookie Molds Around the Year" features new techniques and new recipes, along with a month-by-month diary of the seasons on San Juan Island, Anne's home. 
 
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Anne L. Watson is the author of "Baking with Cookie Molds" and a number of other popular books on home crafts and lifestyle, as well as many novels and children's books. In a previous career, she was a historic preservation architecture consultant. Anne and her husband, Aaron Shepard, now live in Bellingham, Washington. 
 
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"I would heartily recommend this. I had a lot of fun reading it, and a lot of fun making these cookies. If you want to get bitten by the cookie-mold bug, this is a great resource to start with . . . Anne has done all the work and research for you on how to make no-fail molded cookies . . . This is one of those cookbooks you can actually take to bed for reading." -- A Cookbook Collector (YouTube reviewer)
 
"As delightful as it is informative . . . Anne did her research, and it shows. Adding recipes alongside the showcase of molds takes [this book] to a whole different level." -- Lisa K's Bk Reviews
 
"A great reference . . . Will get you on eBay and Poshmark looking for molds . . . Excellent recipes as well." -- Poppy Marlowe, librarian
 
"Anyone who loves beautiful molded cookies will want to pick up a copy . . . There are recipes that will appeal to every cookie aficianado . . . A fun book to have on your cookbook shelf." -- Bella Online
 

Product Details

BN ID:	2940166466822
Publisher:	Shepard Publications
Publication date:	03/18/2022
Sold by:	Draft2Digital
Format:	eBook
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

Read an Excerpt

DECEMBER HOLIDAYS

It's cold now, here on San Juan Island. Snow is a possibility every morning, and frost is a certainty. The trees are bare, but we bundle up in layer upon layer of coats and sweaters.

And the days are so short. The sun comes up, far in the south, long after breakfast, and it sets long before dinner. This is the time of year when many cultures have celebrations to drive away the dark—Christmas, with all its lights and its star; Hanukkah, the festival of lights; Kwanzaa; Santa Lucia; midwinter festivals in several cultures; and many others throughout history.

Many homeowners on the island put up Christmas lights, of course, doubly welcome outside the town limits, where there are no streetlights.

There are decorations, too. I have a tiny model village I put on the mantel for Christmas, and it usually stays for most of the winter. The merchants of Friday Harbor help drive away the dark with a competition to decorate their shop fronts.

On December 5, we celebrate St. Nicholas Eve with molded cookies in the shape of the saint with his horse or donkey—some cookie molds show one, some the other. The story of St. Nicholas is not well-known, but he was a real person who performed great acts of generosity and kindness.

It was St. Nicholas cookies that originally sparked my own interest in molded cookies. My husband, Aaron Shepard, is a children's author, and his children's storybook The Baker's Dozen is about a baker who learns a lesson of generosity from St. Nicholas himself.

Near the end of December is the winter solstice, that turning point that tells us that the sun is coming back, even as we see only cold and darkness.

The month ends, of course, with its cornucopia of Christmas cookies! These include almost every secular and religious motif you could think of, from jolly snowmen to medieval manger scenes. Baking cookies for family and friends is a special holiday joy, and in the spirit of St. Nicholas, let's bake some to give away as well.

For this month, I feature both traditional and new recipes to bake and share.

Table of Contents

BEFORE WE BEGIN
Basic Directions for Molded Cookies
How to Tell When Cookies Are Done
Shaping Cookie Tartlets

JANUARY
New Year's, Twelfth Night, and Storytelling around the Fireplace
Recipe: Lemon Shortbread Cookie Tartlets
First Story: Journey to the Twelfth-Night Market
Recipe: Spiced Lemon Pecan "King" Cookies
Second Story: The Ropedancer
Tip: Matching Cookies and Molds
Tip: Layer Cookies
Recipe: Raisin Layer Cookies
Recipe: Spice Cookies
Tip: Removing Extra Flour
Third Story: The White Cat
Recipe: Chocolate Coconut Tea Cookies
Tip: Chocolate Backing
Recipe: Lime Cookies
Tip: Odd-Shaped Sandwich Cookies

FEBRUARY
Valentine Hearts, Flowers, and Chocolates
Recipe: Milk Chocolate Cherry Cookie Tartlets
Recipe: Dark Chocolate Cookies with Marzipan Topping
Tip: Working with Marzipan
Recipe: Cinnamon Cocoa Cookies
Tip: Trimming Cookies
Recipe: I-Love-You Cookies
Tip: Texture in Molded Cookies
Recipe: Chocolate Orange Layer Cookies
Tip: Preparing Cookie Molds
Recipe: Sweets-for-the-Sweet Sugar Cookies
Tip: Cookie Molds from Found Objects

MARCH
Saint Patrick's Day and Shortbread
Tip: Creating Your Own Shortbread Recipes
Tip: Molding Shortbread
Shortbread Pans
Recipe: Tropical Shortbread
Recipe: Chocolate Almond Shortbread
Recipe: Butterscotch Shortbread
Tip: The Perfect Traditional Shortbread

APRIL
Easter Baskets
Tip: Recognizing Kinds of Cookie Molds
Recipe: Coconut Sugar Cookies
Recipe: Cherry and Chocolate Layer Cookies
Tip: Honey and Sugar—The Pros and Cons
Tip: Honey and Sugar—Getting the Right Proportions
Tip: Strawberry Shortcake for Easter Dinner
Recipe: Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Tip: Another Idea for Cookie Tartlets
Tip: Creatively Combining Cookie Molds and Cutters
Recipe: Pecan Cookies with Chocolate Backing

MAY
Gardens, Flowers, Birds, and a Few Bugs
Tip: Where to Look for Old Cookie Molds
Tip: Using Antique Cookie Molds
Recipe: Soft Brandy Orange Cookies
Twentieth-Century Pottery Cookie Molds
Recipe: Cinnamon Almond Cookies
Kashigata and Moon Cake Molds
Metal Molds and Pans

JUNE
June on the Island
Cake Topper Molds
Tip: More on Marzipan
Recipe: Easy Wedding Cookies
Tip: Flavoring Extracts and Waters
Wedding Cookie Molds

JULY
Picnics in July
Recipe: Creamy Coconut Cookies
Modern Makers and Their Molds
Modern Wood Molds
Composition Molds
Pottery Molds
Silicone Molds
Recipe: Maple Orange Cookies

AUGUST
The Island in August
Tip: Kid-Friendly Cookie Molds
Tip: Kids and Flavors
Recipe: Your Own Animal Cookies
Plastic Animal Molds
Gingerbread Kids Molds
Recipe: Gingerbread for Kids
Horse Molds
Tip: Favorite Cartoon Characters
Hornbook Molds
More Molds for Kids

SEPTEMBER
September on the Island
Quilt Cookie Molds
Recipe: Quilters' Tea Cookies
More Quilt Cookie Molds
A Cookie Quilt

OCTOBER
Halloween
Halloween Cookie Molds
Recipe: Chocolate Chip Layer Cookies
Recipe: Orange Cookies

NOVEMBER
Late Fall—An Appreciation
Recipe: Apple or Pumpkin Cookie Tartlets
Recipe: Cinnamon Chestnut Cookies
Recipe: Cranberry Pecan Layer Cookies
Tip: Butter Molds for Cookies

DECEMBER
December Holidays
Recipe: Cinnamon Almond Treats
Recipe: Honey Cream Cookies
Tip: Good Prints from Extra-Large Molds
Tip: Handling Oversize Cookies
Recipe: Maple Gingerbread Cookies
Recipe: Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Tartlets
Recipe: Pecan Cookies
Tip: More on Trimming Cookies
Tip: Christmas Ornaments from Molded Cookies