Oh. That's nice.: cookie monster

If you know me and my family, it is no secret that we love to EAT! However, this passion takes on a whole new meaning at Christmas. My mom's Christmas cookies are one of the best things about the holiday season.

The festivities started off traditionally. I was craving gingerbread so we bought some treats at Disneyland including a Mickey Mouse shaped gingerbread with chocolate dipped ears. I felt guilty about eating this cute little guy.

Saltine Toffee Bars

Then I came home and was inundated with ooey, gooey, chocolate, sweet, delicious, fresh from the oven cookies galore. Now you have to understand that my mom's Christmas cookies aren't your average holiday cookies. She spends months preparing for her Christmas showcase and spends days planning and baking these treats. Her recipes are gourmet, her ingredients are divine.

Macadamia Nut Bars

Peppermint Brownie Bars...I don't know the official name for it, but that's what it tasted like!

These are a classic hit! The one, the only, ice cream cookies!! My mom pours a lot of love and labor into making and rolling the dough (which has vanilla ice cream, hence the name). They're delightful and addicting especially when you hit the little morsel of jam. I grab the ones with the little burnt edges.

This little beauty is MINE!

New to this year's Christmas cookie ensemble are Bakerella's cake pops! And guess what? My mom let me take the reins and make them myself! Well, Bakerella suggests using frosting and candy coating, but my mom decided to step it up a level and use ganache so she took care of that portion along with baking the cake.

It was my job to assemble the cake pops in all their cute and delicious glory! After they set, they tasted like truffles on a stick. Mmmmm. Next year, we're going to be more ambitious and make cute designs on them.

My relatives snatch up the cookies like vultures. We had 8 to choose from this year: Saltine Toffee Bars, Macadamia Nut Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Ice Cream Cookies, Cake Pops, Oreo Balls, Chocolate Cool Whip Cookies, and Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies.

By the end of the night, not a cookie was left in sight because they were happily sitting in our tummies or snugly packed away in Tupperware that my relatives bring in advance.

As you can see, I got kinda crazy from all the hard work. And maybe a little sugar high.

To wrap it all up, my mom made me a pie. She made this Pumpkin Caramel Pecan Pie for Thanksgiving, but I was unable to come home to enjoy it so she made it again for me for Christmas.