Trees

Winter means putting on layers of clothing to go outside and taking off some of those layers when you are inside. Sweaters are so important that we have memorialized them by throwing “Ugly Christmas Sweater” parties this time of the year. Making cookies shaped like sweaters is my homage to this time-honored — dare I say “required” — article of winter clothing.

P.S.: Never shy away from the “puffy” look that results from wearing so many layers. Being warm trumps looking svelte!

Christmas trees! Christmas ornaments! Christmas Cheer! It’s time to bring out all the decorations and decorate everything in sight. More importantly, it's time to fill the house with the smell of fresh-baked cookies. Chocolate is one ingredient that’s at the top of my holiday baking list. And what could be a better treat to start the season than these dark chocolate sandwich cookies filled with white chocolate ganache. Yum. These pretty trees and ornaments are one of my favorite treats to bake and they’re a cookie that my whole family loves to eat.

Today is the twelfth day of Christmas. All the decorations will soon be tucked away until next Christmas. White Christmas Tree Cookies are a yummy treat to munch on while we take down the tree, write thank you notes, and eat turkey soup made from the leftover Christmas “beast.” It’s time to ponder the memories we’ve made and all the lives we’ve touched during the past several weeks. Let’s also lift a mug of hot cocoa to the new year. May it be filled with joy and may our hopes be realized beyond our wildest expectations.

I’m dreaming of the sea...the sand...the waves...the gulls... the shells. I don't think I can stay away much longer. Even a drive-by encounter might be enough to restore my sense of belonging to a world where nothing is more important than a cool breeze and the endless blue sea. Oh for the joys of finding a sand dollar that the tide has tumbled and tossed at my feet. A beach cookie might be a nice substitute for the real thing until the beach is open for visitors.

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.

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.

As a child, I was never very fond of gingerbread and when I started making Christmas cookies all those years ago, I didn’t give a thought to making gingerbread men — or women for that matter. Everything changed when I found out that my great nephew loved gingerbread! Who knew? So I set about finding the best recipe I could. Not having much experience with how they should taste, I just decided to experiment until I found one that I liked. And what do you know...I ended up liking gingerbread!

Christmas and cookies are a match made in heaven. There are so many possibilities...and so little time once the season begins. Every year I want to make every cookie cutter shape I have, from angels to zebras, and decorate them for the happiest time of the year. Although I like to use the traditional color scheme of red and green, other color combinations make for sweet treats, too. Like aqua and orange, pure white with eye-catching accents, even pink and blue! And the plate of cookies for Santa has to be extra special and delicious.

When it’s time to put up the Christmas tree every year, I must confess that it does not have a theme or a dominant color palette. And I don’t even hang the same ornaments every year. Oh, there are a few favorites, like those that remind me of special people and events, new babies, and beloved pets. The final touch always involves hanging a lot of long crystal ice cycles that twinkle as they reflect the tiny lights that wind around the tree. Each year the tree looks familiar, but slightly different. But there’s always a tree at Christmas.

A few Christmases ago, I bought a kit to build four small Gingerbread houses with my sister and her grandkids. Yes, I said “bought a kit!” I always make my own cookies but in this case I was not above letting someone else make the gingerbread for these houses. I was 99% certain that no one would want to eat the houses, especially after they sat around for a few weeks being admired and collecting dust. So I reasoned that I didn’t have to go to all that trouble of baking the extra-sturdy gingerbread and planning out the correct dimensions, etc.