Snowy trees are one of nature’s most beautiful sights. Although that beauty can never be entirely captured in a cookie, it most definitely inspires the effort. An added bonus is that if you don’t quite match Mother Nature’s artistry, you can always eat your attempts and share them with a friend..or two or three.
“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields that it kisses them so gently?” Lewis Carrol
This Christmas I made a lot of different cutout cookies...angels, snowy trees, ornaments, animals, clothing. But the shape that kept calling to me was the snowflake. So-o-o I made a lot of snowflakes: big, tiny, with holes, without holes, elegant, simple, even some dipped in chocolate! I just couldn't seem to get enough.
These delicate and crumbly cookies are light and buttery. They are similar to Mexican Wedding Cakes, but these have their roots in Minnesota. When I was a child, Mom made these every Christmas. I thought they looked like little snowballs and tasted like heaven. I still like to add them to my Christmas cookie list because they bring back memories of happy Christmases past. Their unique shape is a beautiful addition to any plate of holiday cookies.
This year, Hanukkah and Christmas occurred about the same time. Hanukkah was from December 22 through 28 and Christmas, of course, was December 25. To celebrate both holidays, I made cookies for each. I wanted to try something new and discovered Melt-in-Your-Mouth Hanukkah Gelt Cookies on the Overtime Cook blog, which turned out to be both pretty and delicious.
Sometimes I just have to have someting that’s totally chocolate, with no distractions. This fudgy, dense, decadent cookie topped with dark chocolate frosting is the perfect answer to my question: “Where’s the chocolate?”
Many of my neighbors put up their Christmas lights and trees the day after Thanksgiving. I admire their enthusiasm and love seeing the holiday lights glowing up and down the street. Unfortunately, I’ve never been that organized. Usually my tree doesn’t go up until well into December and one year it didn’t make an appearance at all. I’ll never live that one down.
Thanksgiving is the perfect time to celebrate the decorated cookie. No one really expects cookies for this holiday. They’re too busy looking for the pie, right? At least that’s the way it is in my family. This year, I just had to give in to the call of the turkey-shaped cookie cutter. The only reason I’ve resisted for the past few years is because of the color brown...yes, the color brown. Up to now, I haven’t been able to achieve the perfect shade of brown for the noble bird.
Halloween marks the beginning of the holiday cookie-baking season for me. Ghosts and black cats, Jack-o’-lanterns and bug-eyed bats...all those spooky shapes need to be turned into sweet treats. I always prefer to tone down the “creepy” and pump up the deliciousness. So that’s what I did.
Turkeys and pumpkins are the classic shapes for Thanksgiving cutout cookies. They can be crazy or elegant, but decorating them reminds me that this is the time to think about all the people I’m thankful to have in my life. My favorite way to let them know how much they mean to me is to give them cookies. On the “big day” the dessert table may be loaded with pies, but when it’s time to go home, everyone leaves with a cookie or two for the road. There’s always room for a cookie. Right?
When you’re a small child, dressing up for Halloween is so exciting. You get to hide in plain sight. Before putting on the costume, you’re just you, but after putting it on you’re Cinderella or Spiderman, or a pirate or a bumblebee. Come to think of it, cutout cookies are like that in a way. They regularly take on a new identify the minute you dip them in glaze or pipe on a coat of royal icing. The more embellishments you add, the better the “cover up.” Hooray for the cookie in disguise!
