Cookie Molds Around the Year

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, Watson's home.

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Anne L. Watson is the author of "Baking with Cookie Molds," as well as a number of other popular books on home crafts and lifestyle, plus many novels. In a previous career, she was a historic preservation architecture consultant. Anne lives in Friday Harbor, Washington.

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CONTENTS

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 Fire

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 Cookies

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

Cookie Molds from Found Objects

MARCH

Saint Patrick's Day and Shortbread

Creating Your Own Shortbread Recipe

Tip: Molding Shortbread

Tip: 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

Honey and Sugar -- The Pros and Cons

Tip: Honey and Sugar -- Getting the Right Proportions

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: Molding Marzipan and Fondant

Recipe: Dark Chocolate Cookies with Marzipan

Recipe: Easy Wedding Cookies

Tip: Flavoring Extracts and Waters

The Wedding Coach

The Bridal Arch

More Wedding Cookie Molds

JULY

Picnics in July

Recipe: Creamy Coconut Cookies

Modern Makers and Their Molds

Wood Molds

Composition Molds

Pottery Molds

Silicone Molds

Recipe: Maple Orange Cookies

AUGUST

The Island in August

Cookies and Molds for Kids

Tip: Kid-Friendly Cookie Molds

Tip: Kids and Flavors

Recipe: Your Own Animal Cookies

Plastic Animal Molds

Gingerbread Kids Mold

Recipe: Gingerbread for Kids

Rearing Horse Mold

Tip: Favorite Cartoon Characters

Hornbook Molds

Tea Party Cookie Stamp

Elves Dancing Mold

Triceratops Mold

Dog Molds

SEPTEMBER

September on the Island

Fall Quilting

Quilted Hearts Mold

Recipe: Cookies for Quilters' Tea

Heart in Hand Mold

Schoolhouse Quilt Mold

Tulip Basket Mold

Baltimore Album Wreath Mold

Homespun Heart Mold

Tip: Choosing a Recipe for Quilt Cookies

Vase of Flowers Mold

Pine Tree Mold

A Cookie Quilt

OCTOBER

Halloween

Halloween Cookie Molds

Witch Mold

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Layer Cookies

Haunted House Mold

Cat Mold

Recipe: Orange Cookies

Pumpkin Cookie Mold

Three Zanda Panda Cookie Molds

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 Cookies

Recipe: Pecan Cookies

Tip: More on Trimming Cookies

Tip: Christmas Ornaments from Molded Cookies

RESOURCES

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SAMPLE

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.