Christmas Cookies

It's a cute addition to the Christmas cookie tray: Christmas Mice! Confected from maraschino cherries, Hershey's-brand chocolate kisses, chocolate coating, sliced almonds and silver cake decorations, these tiny edible mice will make a sweet statement this holiday season.

From Christmas Notebook list mom, Rhonda:

Rhonda's Christmas Mice

Kitchens are humming with the season's best cookie recipes! If you'll join the holiday baking fun, check out this gift from allrecipes.com: a free printable cookie cookbook.

With recipes, tips and lavish color photographs, Homemade Holiday Cookies is a fresh addition to the cookie recipe collection. Inside, you'll find cookie tips, decorating ideas, advice for packing and shipping cookies and recipes, recipes, recipes. Don't miss coffee pairing pointers from Starbucks!

This free printable cookbook is offered in .pdf format, so you'll need the free Adobe Reader to view and print:

Homemade Holiday Cookies Cookbook

Cookie lovers, heads up! Count down to the new year with an e-mail cookie recipe countdown from MyRecipes.com.

Beginning November 1, you'll receive a new holiday cookie recipe each day, delivered by email.

Check out the countdown here; the page includes a link to receive Christmas cookie e-mails--and don't miss this teaser recipe for Christmas Sugar Wafers with Vanilla Icing to get you started:

Christmas Sugar Wafers with Vanilla Icing

A Christmas cookie swap is a sweet way to build beautiful holiday cookie platters--and have fun with friends, too. A holiday party with a purpose, a cookie swap asks each guest to bring a large batch of their favorite Christmas cookie, usually a dozen for each party guest. After swapping with other guests, each visitor will leave with a stunning assortment of Christmas cookies.

If you're planning to host a holiday cookie swap this year, check out this free Christmas cookie swap party guide from C&H Sugar. They've got the how-to of holding a Christmas cookie swap, complete with Christmas cookie recipes--and they've sweetened the deal with a selection of colorful free printables.

Between the printable guest list, invitations, labels, name tags, and recipe cards, hosting your own holiday cookie swap will be ... a piece of cake!

Holiday Cookie Swap

On the lookout for great recipes for kitchen gifts? Download this made-for-giving recipe collection from Land O'Lakes.

The "Brownie Cherrie Bites" alone look like they'll make the link worthwhile:

Gifts from the Kitchen Recipe Collection

Tis the season ... for Christmas cookies!

Brush up your cookie-making skills with this illustrated "How To Make Christmas Cookies" guide from RecipeTips.com. You'll learn to make, roll and decorate Christmas cookies with ease. Don't miss storage suggestions and packing tips for sharing home-baked goodies!

Rolling pins ready?

How To Make Christmas Cookies

A pretty label adds a professional flair to home-baked goodies, so check out these free printable gift tags for baked goods from Land O'Lakes butter.

With fourteen colofurl designs from dreidel to sleigh to gingerbread boy, you're sure to find the right touch for kitchen gifts:

Free Printable Gift Tags for Baked Goods

A cookie a day makes for a sweet Christmas Countdown! Check out the 2006 Christmas Cookie Countdown from AllRecipes.com for tasty recipes and a cute online countdown calendar:

Christmas Cookie Countdown

Up to the elbows in cookie dough this week? Here are some great tips for storing and sending Christmas cookies, from the smart cooks at FineLiving.com:

Tips for Storing and Sending Christmas Cookies

You've baked your little heart out, but stacked on a paper plate, homemade treats don't show the love and care you've invested.

Punch up cookie gift recipes with these presentation tips from Hersheys.com. Check out the video clip for packaging ideas, and don't miss the link for free printable gift tags for cookie gifts:

Cookie Gift Ideas from Hersheys.com