The joy of creation can result from doing beautiful needlework, creating a lovely quilt or simply baking and cooking delicious treats for your loved ones!

Professionals from the Quilting and Needlework Industries have joined together to share their holiday memories, a glimpse into their businesses, and MANY irresistible recipes!

Please visit ILoveToBake.com and TheArmchairChef.com for more fabulous holiday creations!

Needlework and Quilting Pros HOLIDAY Bake Along!

ILoveToBakeCookies.com CHOCOLATE CRINKLES

“Chocolate Crinkles” meant Christmas! These were the special cookies that were made in our home only once a year. Mom made lots of others during the year, but when the bowl of “powder sugar” came out, it was time to make Christmas cookies and that meant Crinkles. My job was to grease the baking sheets when I was little. Then I could roll the dough in the sugar after Mom dropped in each spoonful. I then carefully placed each snowball exactly the same space apart on the sheets. It was such a treat to sit in the living room that night and have a plateful of cookies with milk before the storage tin was hidden away until the holiday. The only thing that made them taste even better was if “Rudolph” was on TV that night!

Ingredients

1/2 c. vegetable oil 4 squares unsweetened chocolate (4 oz.), melted 2 c. granulated sugar 4 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla 2 c. flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1 c. confectioners sugar (at least), in shallow dish

Step by Step

1) Mix oil, chocolate and granulated sugar. 2) Blend in one egg at a time until well mixed. 3) Add vanilla. 4) Stir in flour, baking powder and salt into oil mixture. 5) Chill overnight. Preheat oven to 350 F 6) Drop by teaspoonfuls of dough into confectioners sugar and roll into balls. 7) Place 2″ apart on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 10 - 12 minutes. 9) Serve and Enjoy!(Makes about 6 dozen cookies)

The Wooden Needle

The Wooden Needle is a charming cross stitch and needlepoint shop located at the foot of the Green Mountains, near New England’s ski capital, Stowe, Vermont. Stitchers will marvel at the rainbow of threads — the full lines of overdyed cottons from The Gentle Art and Weeks Dye Works as well as Paternayan Persian wool, DMC and Anchor flosses. A lovely variety of Watercolours, Wildflowers, Waterlilies and Impressions from The Caron Collection will dazzle the needlecrafter’s eye. Also tucked in is a good selection of Pearl cottons, sizes 3 and 5, Kreinik metallics as well as fun fibers from Rainbow Gallery. This cozy shop boasts 150 bolts of cross stitch fabrics in a variety of counts — linens, cottons and blends. A splendid selection of needlepoint canvases and cross stitch charts will entice stitchers of all levels. Exclusive to The Wooden Needle are handpainted canvases of Vermont themes designed by a local artist. http://www.wooden-needle.com/