Ahhhh...all in a days work.

I found this recipe for Eggnog Thumbprints on www.allrecipes.com which is one of my favorite recipe sites. Normally I when I find a recipe I tend to change it up and play with it some, but this one was perfect as is.

Eggnog Thumbprints

3/4 c. butter

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Next add flour and salt and combine until a dough forms. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and make a thumbprint in the center of each ball.

Bake cookies in a 350 degree oven for about 10-ish minutes (I never set the timer) or until cookies are firm when you touch them.

For the frosting, combine 1/4 c. butter, 1 c. confectioners sugar, 1 tbsp. rum, and a pinch of nutmeg until smooth (I kept thinking that I would have to add more liquid, but it ended up being fine.) Using a star tip (#21) pipe rosettes into the thumbprint of each COOLED cookie. I had just enough frosting, but if you make your cookies smaller you probably will have to make a little more frosting. Sprinkle cookies with nutmeg and let sit until frosting is set up.

This is kind of a generic recipe for Peanut Blossoms, but I can't ever do anything plain and generic, so I had to change them up a little.

1 c. shortening (yeah, I know)

1 c. peanut butter

1 c. packed brown sugar

1 c. white sugar

2 eggs

1/4 c. milk

2 tsp. vanilla

3 1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

sugar for rolling

2 bags of mini peanut butter cups

chocolate chips for striping

Cream together shortening, peanut butter, and sugars until smooth. Add eggs, and then milk and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt until combined. Roll into balls and then roll in sugar. Place on greased cookie sheets and bake in a 375 degree oven for 10-ish minutes.

Make sure you have all of your pb cups unwrapped, and place one on each cookie as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave (add some vegetable oil if you need it) and stripe cookies. I was short some pb cups, but Emily had also been in the bag some, so I'm not sure how many (if any) I might of been lacking. =)

Ahhh, and here is a finished tray, ready to be wrapped up for Adam to take to work. I had also made Cake Truffles, a few variations of Almond-Marmalade Shortbread Thumbprints, one with coconut mixed into the dough, black cherry jam, toasted coconut on top, and striped with white chocolate (these were GOOOOOD!) Spritz, and some Chocolate-Peppermint Fudge.