Sweet Holiday Tradition

Growing up, the month of December seemed to exist as a mere countdown to Christmas Day; a day when treasures were ripped open making life instantly better. And, what a downer 7:00 Christmas Day would be; the gifts were opened, the meal was eaten and life went back to normal.  Many years later, I still love Christmas for the excitement of the new and the comfort of old traditions.  In our house, few traditions have had the staying power of baking day.

I have always baked Christmas gifts, however this was the first year that I involved my three year old.  With an unexpected chill in the air and Christmas carols blasting from the stereo, the youngest and I took to the kitchen for an afternoon of mixing and measuring.  One of our first creations were Dorie Greenspan's Speculoos; a delicious brown sugar cookie that seemed perfect for small gift bags.  There was only one problem; I used up all of my dried ginger on some stir fry the week before.  Since caution had already been thrown to the wind with a three year old sous chef, I decided that allspice would work just fine, as it turned out, it did.  With warm spices these cookies had a distinct 'Christmasy'  taste.   My only disappointment was my decision to use a 3 inch biscuit cutter which did not offer a very interesting shape.  Later that week, I picked up a mitten shaped cutter from Sur la Table and made another batch for family travelers...perfect!  Encouraged by our success, my young helper and I added Snickerdoodles to the prep list which with their cinnamon sugar coating were the perfect companion.

I have tried many Snickerdoodle recipes over the years and prefer the following as it gives the lovely chewy texture.


Snickerdoodles
Recipe created by: Carole Clements


1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
3 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, finely chopped (I omitted these)
For the Coating
5 TB sugar
2 TB cinnamon

1. With an electric mixer, cream the butter until light. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue until fluffy.  Beat in the eggs, then the milk. 
2. Sift the flour and baking soda over the butter mixture and stir to blend.  Stir in the nuts, if using.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375,  Grease 2 cookie sheets.  
3. For the coating, mix the sugar and cinnamon.  Roll Tablespoons of the dough into walnut sized balls.  Roll in the sugar mixture.  You may need to work in batches.  
4. Place dough balls two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets and flatten slightly.  Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

These were amazingly popular cookies both among preschoolers and adults alike.  In the end, baking day not only gave the youngest and I a chance to indulge our Christmas spirit, but actually mark tasks off the holiday to-do list.  And, I must admit, watching our cookies being nibbled by family members throughout the week was a joy unparalleled.  Looking for a tradition to add to your list, or just an easy activity for last few days of Christmas vacation? Break out the flour and sugar... sweet tradition is waiting!