Well, my cakes and puddings were made a few weeks ago (yes! fruit soaked in Guinness!) so I'm on to the cookies now. I've done pfeffernusses (however they're spelt) which are to cookies what vindaloo is to curry. Crikey! Maybe a leeeeeeeedle bit less pfeffer next year? And I've done the shortbread and brownies and chocolate fudge with pistachios and welsh cakes (OK - they're not really Christmas, but they're good). I've got a new cookie cutter that cuts fluted rounds and then, with a spiffy little attachment, cuts out 'tops' with a Christmas shaped hole (I used the christmas tree one), so I'm making spekulaas and sandwiching them with dark chocolate icing tonight. I've also got some orange shortbread to roll out, cut in little stars, then sandwich with orange butter cream. And I want to make chocolate rocky roads, and butterscotch rocky roads, and some caramalized nuts. Tomorrow night (hopefully) I'll have time to make some little almond and chocolate meringues and some thumbprint cookies.

Good grief. What am I doing here? I have work to do ...

sian