Calories are coming to town

A few weeks ago, we had a nutrition meeting at work.  The point of the meeting was to give us healthy tips for the holidays. The posters, which were hung up around the office building advertising the meeting said, "Calories are coming to town! Or are they?" (Spoiler alert: they are.)

The nutritionist who came to speak to us gave us all sorts of tips for keeping weight gain at bay during this holiday season. Tips like substituting oil in recipes for apple sauce. She even referred to oil (any kind of oil) as "liquid fat" and told us to avoid it at all costs. She's the one who got me on my apple eating kick too, describing apples as "so filling" that sometimes she "can't even finish one!" I've mentally rolled my eyes at that line many times since as I find myself craving a snack a half hour after finishing a whole apple.

But I digress. As the nutritionist predicted, the calories have come to town. And though I'm eating a record number of apples to help in avoiding the sugary alternatives, I'm also contributing to a serious cookie and candy problem around here. So far this season I've made:

toffee
molasses cookies
peppermint fudge
sugar cookies
brownie bites
shortbread cookies
apple crumble bread
peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

And later this week I'm still planning on making:

buckeyes
chocolate truffles
homemade thin mint cookies
sugar cookie swirls
more toffee

It's a serious problem. Luckily I've given most of it away - I don't trust myself to have self control with that stuff around. I made the mistake of keeping some toffee in a container at home to snack on between now and Christmas, thinking I could pace myself. Yesterday after church I was so hungry, I opened the tin and consumed enough to give myself a stomach ache. In my defense though, it doesn't take much of that toffee to give you a stomach ache (it's delicious but packed with butter and sugar).

What are some of your favorite holiday treats?  Do you have a recipe that you only make (or eat) at Christmas time?