I have finally finished baking for Christmas,
- Toffee Bars - that I make every year at Christmas
- Sugar Cookies frosted with vanilla candy melts and a Peppermint Hershey's Kiss
- Pie Crust cookies filled with my homemade strawberry preserves and dusted with sanding sugar
I wasn't the only one in our house baking for Christmas.
Our holiday tradition includes baking Christmas cookies on the "Eve of the Christmas Eve" as my oldest daughter, Brittney always says. She now has a home of her own now, but we still continue our tradition with our younger children.
I love taking pictures of the kids making cookies and the joy on their faces as they anticipate Santa coming and eating their cookies....
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| Gracie and Kai in 2005. (It was Kai's first Christmas since we adopted him. Gracie has always had a tendency to hold his ear now and then - not sure why ;-) |
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| Christmas 2007 |
Now, Kai and Gracie are getting older, but they still love to bake Christmas cookies, as does their older sisters, Rachele and Ruthie.
This year's Christmas cookie baking day brought some new participants....
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| 7 kids, cookie dough, frosting and sprinkles....the perfect combination. |
My younger sister just moved here from California and they live just down the street from us. So my two nephews and niece, Sofie (also adopted from China as my 3 youngest), joined us.
My daughter, Rachele, rolled out the dough, but the kids did all the other work on their own...
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| Ruthie had fun making stripes with the royal icing. |
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| My sister stopped by to help us frost the cookies. |
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| My husband and son were the official taste testers (pardon the messy kitchen - I seriously haven't had time to clean) |
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| Checking out some of the finished cookies. |
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| Here are more.... |
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| The aftermath..... |
You know what?
I think the enjoyment you get out of making Christmas cookies is directly proportional to the bigger the mess afterward, don't you?
I use a special recipe for my sugar cookies that stays chewy and moist....
1 (17 oz) package sugar cookie mix
4 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 egg
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
Add all ingredients and mix together (the dough will be thick).
Roll out to 1/4" thickness on floured surface and start using your cookie cutters (I find it helps to dip my cookie cutters in flour before cutting into the dough).
Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 10 minutes.
Decorate with icing and lots of sprinkles :-)
I use a special recipe for my sugar cookies that stays chewy and moist....
1 (17 oz) package sugar cookie mix
4 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 egg
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
Add all ingredients and mix together (the dough will be thick).
Roll out to 1/4" thickness on floured surface and start using your cookie cutters (I find it helps to dip my cookie cutters in flour before cutting into the dough).
Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 10 minutes.
Decorate with icing and lots of sprinkles :-)
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I wish for you all a very
Merry
Christmas!
12 comments:
Yummy!! It looks like you had a blast. Would've loved to have been there to help you all.
Have a very wonderful Christmas.
Esther
What fun you all had and what a great tradition.
Have a lovely Christmas and a wonderful 2012.
Love and hugs to you ~ FlowerLady
What a fantastic day.
I totally agree on the mess factor - absolutely worth it!
Noelle, you're right, it's impossible to bake Christmas cookies without making the kitchen look a little festive ;) Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas, and a joyous New Year!
and the messier the kitchen the better the cookies taste too! Have a merry Christmas Noelle and family and best wishes in the new year.
Looks like a fun and a tasty day. LOL!
Merry Christmas to you and your families Noelle.
Hi Noelle! Wishing you a Merry Christmas! You all look like you are having a fun and festive time. Have a wonderful holiday. Peace/Carol
Those cookies are beautiful and what a wonderful time it looks like you all had making them. I have such fond memories of making cookies with my mother. It was so wonderful, making cookies and listening to Christmas records. When my boys were little we continued the tradition. But as they got older I had to make them myself. Now they have friends that are girls and this year two of them and I made spritz, peppermint and oatmeal raisin cookies. It was wonderful! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Merry Christmas to you, too, Noelle!
What a wonderful time you had making more Christmas Memories!! :-) Merry Christmas to each of you.
What fun watching them grow up through pictures. It looks like a good time was had by all. I hope your Christmas was Merry and enjoy the rest of the holiday.
Balisha
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