My youngest grandson has been coming to my house to bake Christmas cookies since he was three years old. He loves the holiday traditions and even though he received his acceptance from Wright State (Dayton, Ohio) this week, he’s happy to cut out and decorate sugar cookies once more. He says it’s one of his favorite memories and that makes it one of my favorite memories.
Happy memories to everyone during this holiday season, whatever your celebration might be.
On Friday, I pause and remember a single, wordless moment from the past week – inspired by The Warden’s Log.
Daughter and Grandchildren Bake Christmas Cookies
When my children were growing up, I don’t recall their ever being interested in helping with the cookie baking and I didn’t have the time or ingredients to waste, so I just made the cookies myself without any help from them. When my grandchildren started arriving in the 1980s, though, I thought it would be nice to have them come to the house, starting when they were about 3 years old, to make Christmas cookies. Granddaughter #1 loved mixing the dough, using all the different cutters, and decorating with sugar.
She is now married with two children and her husband is in Iraq this Christmas.
Grandson #1 joined his sister when he turned 3, and his specialty was piling lots of sugar on the cookies and cracking the eggs to mix in the batter.
Granddaughter #2 made it a threesome and her favorite cookies are still the cutout Butter Crisps. She has two children who are too young to help her with baking, but the 2-1/2 year old likes the cookies, too.
There was a hiatus of a few years between when the older grandchildren grew up and before the youngest came along. This year, Dolphin and Jellyfish came to do their best and Jellyfish takes it all very seriously.
Dolphin is also serious about her baking but takes a more fun approach.
All of the kids have enjoyed the baking but most of all, enjoyed taking home plates of their own creations.
Here is a gingerbread cookie that the older grandchildren liked to make.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cream sugar, shortening and molasses until smooth. Blend in egg. Mix together dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture and blend well. Form into a flat circle, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate dough at least one hour.
Roll out dough on floured board 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick. Cut out with floured cutters. Place cookies 1/2″ apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
These are great bar cookies if you like nutmeg. They are easy to make, chewy and delicious – if you like nutmeg! Then again, anything with macadamia nuts is good.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray or oil a 9×9 inch pan.
In a medium saucepan, stir sugar and butter over medium heat until butter and sugar are melted and blended. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder and nutmeg. Stir to combine, then add chopped nuts. Pour into prepared pan and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes.
Cool slightly in the pan set on a rack. Drizzle Glaze over the top of the bars while they are still warm.
Glaze: 1/2 cup of confectioners’ sugar plus 1/16 tsp nutmeg mixed with about 1 Tblsp. cream or milk, enough to make a drizzling consistency.
Cut into bars.
LILLIAN'S CUPBOARD 