Christmas Cookies
Debra St. John
http://www.debrastjohnromance.com
For
me Christmas is all about tradition. From the decorating to the
shopping to the events to the gatherings, we do things the same way each
and every year. That's not to say that new things aren't added, but
it's those time-honored traditions that really bring warm, cozy feelings
to my heart for the holidays. It's definitely too hard to choose my
favorite thing about Christmas...everything about Christmas is
wonderful...but one tradition I love is cookie baking.
Growing
up, Grandma would always bake her cut out cookies (recipe below) for the
holidays. She's gone now, but Mom has carried on the tradition and
makes them every year. She even uses some of Grandma's original cookie
cutters, although she's added a few of her own as well. But even though
Mom is baking them these days, the first bite always brings memories of
Grandma. And there's nothing sweeter than that.
Until a few years
ago, the hubby and I left the baking of Christmas cookies to the Moms.
On Christmas Eve and Day, we'd arrive with empty cookie tins in hand and
fill them up. But for the last five or six years or so, we've been
baking our own cookies as well. I haven't been brave enough to tackle
Grandma's cut outs yet, but we set aside a Saturday, gather the
ingredients, and spend most of the day in the kitchen baking up yummy
treats. And while we have our favorites, both to eat and to bake, it's
fun to see what other people consider to be favorites. The sheer variety
of cookies out there never fails to amaze me.
Of course all of
this cookie eating can be hard on the waistline, so we always wind up
sharing some of our bounty with friends, who are always appreciative.
So from our house to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy Cookie Baking!
Grandma’s Old Fashioned Butter Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter - softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2½ cups flour
1 t baking powder
2 T orange juice
1 t vanilla
Directions:
Cream
butter, sugar, and egg until light and fluffy. Beat in flour, baking
powder, orange juice, and vanilla until smooth and well combined. Chill
2-3 hours or until firm enough to be rolled. Roll out dough, about 1/3
at a time, on well-floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out with
cookie cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 400 degrees for 6 –
10 minutes or until golden brown on edges. Frost if desired.
Yield – 6 dozen 2 inch cookies
Note: For a crisper cookie, roll to 1/8 inch thickness. For a softer cookie, roll to ¼ inch thickness.
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Hi Debra.
ReplyDeletehanks for sharing your holiday tradition. I love baking. Generally, I take a couple days off from work and have a baking marathon. I give them out to family, teachers, friends, co-workers, and neighbors.
The only trouble is making sure I don't make them too early and we eat them before it's time to give them away! Happy Holidays and baking.
Hi Maria,
ReplyDeleteThat's the problem isn't it?! You have to get the timing just right so your waistline doesn't get too tight...
I love traditions--and the sound of that recipe, too. I may have to brave it, even though I'm usually a failure at anything I have to cut out! Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteHi Liz,
ReplyDeleteYeah, I haven't been brave enough to try anything cut out yet. Soon, though... :)
Christmas wouldn't be the same without Christmas cookies. My mom makes the best cookies, and we always leave with a tin full. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays!
Hi Karen,
ReplyDeleteMoms definitely make the best cookies!
My grandmother made the best cookies, esp. at Christmas. No one could ever make them as well as she did. Before she died, she admitted it was the cookie recipe from the back of the Nestle morsels bag and she would just substitute whatever flavors she wanted. Still, no one could make cookies the way she did...until my mom figured out the secret. It was all in the sifting. Pre sifted flour is not the same as using an old fashioned sifter. For some reason, sifting the flower made all the difference. Now, I still get my grandma's cookies at Christmas. Thanks for sharing your g-ma's recipe!
ReplyDeleteLily, Gosh, I never sift my dry ingredients, even when it says to. I probably wouldn't have much success with your grandma's recipes. :)
ReplyDeleteChristmas Cookies and a good book and a cup of coffee or tea! Yum and Restful!
ReplyDelete