One of my favorite memories of Christmas is making cookies with my family. Admittedly, my memory was actually of frosting, decorating, and EATING the cookies. My mom performed the hardest part, making the cookie dough, rolling it with a rolling pin, cutting out the cookies, and baking them. As we children got older, we also helped with cutting out the cookies.
Making Christmas cookies has continued as a tradition with my children as well. There is nothing more fun, and snug, than frosting and decorating cookies together on a cold winter’s day. Just make sure there are at least 3 different colors of frosting, preferably white, red, and green. Cinnamon hearts and a variety of Christmas sprinkles are basics for décor.
Our favorite Christmas cookie recipe can be found in the long time classic, “The Joy of Cooking”. It is a recipe for Rich Roll Cookies and is as follows:
Cream:
1 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
Beat in:
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine and add:
1½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
Chill for 3-4 hours to make rolling easier. Cut out cookies and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Favorite Frosting
This frosting tastes good on anything from cakes to cookies to cupcakes. But it is exceptional on rolled cutout cookies. And it is so simple to make. You can find the recipe on a box of Domino Confectioners Sugar. Simply mix the following ingredients together, slowly at first and then on medium speed for 1-2 minutes:
3 ¾ cups confectioners sugar
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
3-4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Merry Christmas!