Home Alone, Love Actually, Elf…
I have a giant stack of Christmas movies all ready to watch. One of my favorite parts of December is watching as many Christmas movies as I possibly can. (Another is listening to holiday music on the radio. Does anyone else think “I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” is the funniest song ever?)
And, of course, holiday-themed food.
The last two days have been a whirlwind (which is why I didn’t post yesterday or the day before). My friend Andrea drove in from Colorado, and she brought her adorable—but super-energetic—daughter, Kristin. It’s still hard for me to believe that my friend has a five-year-old child!
Before their arrival, I’d made up a big batch of my favorite gingerbread butter for myself, so I could eat gingerbread cookie dough balls! The girls were hungry when they got in, and so I used some of the gingerbread butter to make Christmas PB&J sandwiches. (After a quick photoshoot, I cut Kristin’s sandwich with a giant gingerbread cookie cutter!)
I’ve posted the gingerbread butter recipe before, when I did my post on cookie dough balls. Here it is again, so you don’t have to click on any links:
Gingerbread Butter
- 6 tbsp peanut butter (or other nut butter)
- 1 1/2 tbsp molasses (I used blackstrap, but regular is fine)
- heaping 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- scant 1/8 tsp each ginger and nutmeg
- Optional: cloves, sugar (I didn’t use either)
Mix together the peanut butter and molasses, using a blender or fork. (I just used a fork to mix.) Add the spices and mix again.
See cookie dough post for Nutrition Facts.
Cookie Dough Balls: If you add enough of the spices to the Gingerbread Butter, the dough is dry enough to roll into cookie balls. However, gingerbread butter is also delicious on a spoon, mixed in oatmeal, or as a sandwich with apple slices or grilled strawberries or banana. Or thin it out with a little almond milk, and make a pancake topping!
What are you looking forward to this holiday season?
Watching holiday movies? Baking cookies? Wearing ugly Christmas sweaters à la Colin Firth?
Lindsay @ biking before bed says
I love watching corny Christmas tv specials and doing Christmas art projects. I will always be a 5 year old at heart:)
tiffany says
yum gingerbread butter looks good!
By the way, was a winner chosen for the Luna bars? 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
not yet
sarah says
you should post your xmas movie list! i make a mix cd every year and just finished the one for this year. i’m a bit more lost with movies though
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
all-time faves include the three mentioned, as well as holiday inn and white christmas, the grinch, it’s a wonderful life, christmas carol… i’m sure there are a ton more!
Kira says
Funny you should post this today because I found this recipe yesterday in an old post of yours and I just made it this morning!! So gooood.
Megan says
I love Christmas spices and how the whole house smells like cloves and cinnamon! Your gingerbread butter sounds so good- it is my favorite Christmas cookie! I think I am most looking forward to hanging out with my family in Colorado for Christmas. I love family-time and you certainly can’t have a white Christmas in Texas!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
wha?? we had a white christmas two years ago in Dallas! 🙂
Megan says
I missed it! I was in Colorado then too! Now that you mention it, I do remember hearing that…
Maria @ runningcupcake says
I LOVE gingerbread things so much! I saw this title and had to come and look right away! 🙂
Also I tried boatmeal for the first time today- will blog about it later- amazing! 🙂
Jamie Stolarz says
Great idea! Looks beautiful and tasty, too! 🙂
GetSkinnyGoVegan says
Oh yum. I miss bread, am GF now and haven’t eaten real bread in years, but grew up baking whole wheat bread, from scratch, and nothing beats it!!
The butter looks great and love the combination of flavors!
Sarah @ blueeyedbarbie.blogspot.com says
Every year my mom and i tivo pretty much every Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movie and watch them all! We’ve seen about 12 so far and have like 18 on the list still. I love watching holiday movies!
And “I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas!” is one of my favorite songs! You cant help but smile when you hear it!
Kim says
The hippopotamus song is my favorite!
katie @KatieDid says
I look forward to decorating the tree (which my roommates and I did yesterday). I have missed out on it the past 3 years since I’ve been away at school but this year we decided to get one ourselves so we didn’t have to miss our home traditions. After that we had a big potluck dinner party and secret santa. Love actually is one of my all time favorite movies and I definitely plan to watch it soon. Along with the holiday, elf, and miracle of 34th.
Jamie @ Don't Forget the Cinnamon says
Just bought molasses today–perfect way to christen the bottle!
Qi Ting @ A Dessert Diet says
I’m looking forward to Christmas songs, and Christmas trees lighting up the city! I enjoy the festive mood and delicious looking sandwiches you have by the way!
Jeanna says
I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas is one of my favorites!!! I actually bought the cutest little stuffed one and put it in my husbands stocking one year as it was the one Christmas song he couldn’t stop singing!! This gingerbread butter sound fantastic. Going to make it right now!!!
Aja says
Wow that sounds yummy, but I still need to make pumpkin peanut butter. I’ve been behind on my treat making this year, which is why I’m really excited for the holiday season because it means I have no excuse not to bake!
Val says
looks yummy! I recently made something similar… except with white chocolate!
Catalina Maya says
Oh yum – this’d be perfect for school luches, seeing as I’m going to taking up vegetarianism next year! But, would it taste nutty at all? I’m not too keen on peanuts.
I’ve never heard “I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas”!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
depends on what type of nut butter you use 🙂
Kit-Kat says
I’m looking forward to all the Christmas music and cheer, tons of yummy baking and cookies (especially roll out and frost ones), decorating, and see-shopping at stores!!!
Anna @ The Guiltless Life says
That sounds adorable – a sandwich cut with a giant gingerbread cookie cutter! Such a great idea, especially for kids (though I wouldn’t mind a gingerbread man sandwich myself ;))
Elle says
I sing that Hippopotamus song all year round… love it!
Cute sammies.
Heather @ Run Eat Play says
I love the Hippopotamus Christmas song! Half the people I ask, I have never heard of it. That gingerbread peanut butter looks great!
Colleen @ Jimmy Choos on the Treadmill says
I love watching as many Christmas movies as possible and I love that song!
Emilia says
This looks absolutely amazing! I’ve held off on buying peanut butter for a little bit now (too expensive for my poor student budget) but I think I might have to make a trip to the grocery store tomorrow. I’m looking forward to pretty much everything this holiday season (music, baking, movies, baking), but the thing I most look forward to is spending the holidays with my family in New York!
Alexandra (Veggin' Out in the Kitchen) says
I’m definitely going to have to make your gingerbread butter soon! YUM! 😀
I love EVERYTHING about christmas – movies, baking, decorations, songs, shopping, my reindeer head band… Christmas is definitely the best time of the year! 🙂
Oh and I made your brownie batter pancakes again this morning only I subbed 1/4 cup of the almond milk with chocolate mint So Delicious coconut milk. Perfect for the season! 🙂
Have a wonderful Sunday, Katie!!
<3 <3
Katie @ ohshineon.wordpress.com/ says
Hi Katie, for some reason the link to your calorie information isn’t working… but every year I love watching White Christmas and It’s a Wonderful Life…. classics are ALWAYS the best!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Oops, thanks for telling me. It’s fixed!
Claire says
Cute photo shoot 🙂 I just got some blackstrap, so I will be making this! And random but, what type of bread is that.?… it looks awesome and so much better then plain grocery store bread! Thanks Katie!!!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
LOL it actually IS grocery store bread. Rudi’s!
Claire says
Thanks for answering my Q, you are great! I guess I will have to buy some next grocery trip 😀 Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous pictures to make a sandwich look amazing. The idea of a pb&j always appeals to me since I love its contents and it is super easy and portable but not being a bread lover is tough times 😉 But I must give Rudis a shot along with this delish nut butter. Have a great day!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Hey Claire!
I just wanted to leave a word of warning in case you’re a vegan or are allergic to animal products: the bread was my roommate’s bread, and I just noticed it has egg whites in the ingredients. (I didn’t actually have any… but I do like to keep even the photos on my blog completely vegan. I wrongly assumed Rudi’s was a vegan company!)
Anyway, I hope you like the peanut butter!! 🙂
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
I’m looking forward to 2 weeks from today when fInals are over, I’m on a Plane home and I can actually relax and ENJOY the season!
Lou says
I love Colin Firth, even in a reindeer jumper. Yum, PB looks awesome, molasses is so yum.
Julie H. of Spinach and Sprinkles says
I love watching Christmas movies— oh Hallmark channel, you get me all December long! 🙂
Genevieve says
Those are probably my top 3 favourite Christmas movies – I just watched Love Actually the other night! I also just made gingerbread almond butter yesterday and ate it like cookie dough…so I guess I’m in the same holiday frame of mind as you 🙂