Baking Cookies
Nearly every year for as long as I can remember I've been making or helping to make Christmas cookies. I can't even really remember when I started doing this. When I was younger there was a full array of treats to be baked cut out decorated sugar cookies, Russian teacakes, dipped pretzels, cracker peanut butter sandwiches dipped in chocolate, chocolate mint bars and for a few years,fudge.
As the years went by the list became smaller. Now all that I make is cut out sugar cookies and the peanut butter cookies with the Hershey's kiss in the middle. Last year I did this alone. I still had fun and the cookies got baked, but it is more fun when you have someone else to help.
This year I got it. Mariah, I call her my daughter-in-law as she is married to my stepson, expressed an interest in helping me this year. She's never baked anything except the occasional batch of chocolate chip cookies. We set up a Saturday that both of us had off. I asked her and Jake if there were any certain cookies that either of them wanted to make. Mariah wanted to make gingerbread cookies. I found a recipe in my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook.
I spent a little time planning as they would arrive at 1 PM. I decided I would have the cookie dough already made so that when they arrived all we would need to be is start rolling out the dough and cutting the cookies. I made the dough for the gingerbread cookies first. It called for a cup and a half of dark molasses. I hoped they would taste all right. That's a lot of molasses and it is sort of an acquired taste. The dough needed to be refrigerated for two hours. Since there was no room I put it in what I like to call the cold room. It is the space between the front door and the door leading into the living room. We hardly use that entrance since we mostly come in from the garage. It gets pretty cool in there in the winter and makes a nice short term storage space for juices and things like the cookie dough. I made a triple batch of sugar cookies since they were so popular last year. I wished I had a larger bowl, when I creamed the sugar and butter some of it went flying around the kitchen. After I added the last few cups of flour I had to mix it with my hands.
I quickly vacuumed the living room and ate a quick lunch with C. Jake called to say they were going to be late so I decided to start cutting out the gingerbread cookies.
At first I was nervous as the dough was a bit stiff, after it had warmed a bit it got better. It didn't stick to my rolling pin and the unbaked cookies held up nicely. As a bonus the smell of the baking ginger bread filled the house.
Once they arrived Mariah and I got to work. As we worked we talked. I shared stories of doing this when I was younger. We talked about her family. I made a pot of tea for us. We finished the gingerbread cookies and moved on to the sugar cookies.
I saw that we has a small problem. I had not left the butter out to soften long enough so the were chunks of butter in the dough. I elected to just keep rolling and cutting out although the dough got a bit sticky and the cookies spread a bit more than usual. I took out some of the larger pieces. The cookies tasted just fine.
After they were all baked we took a break for dinner. C and I each made soup and people could choose which they wanted. C made chicken tortilla soup and I made an Italian pasta and bean soup. Both turned out well and I sent the bean soup home with them.
I made a three bowls for frosting and coloured one green and the other red. I had coloured sugar, sprinkles and new this year, a bag of plain M and Ms. Cutting out the cookies is only half the fun. The other half is decorating them. Mariah was a little unsure at first, but then really got into it and made some pretty cool looking cookies.
We kept decorating until, Peter, their three year old son, started to get crabby and tired. I found a container so they they could bring some cookies home with them. They picked out what they wanted and left.
I finished cleaning the kitchen and sat down down in the living room to rest. It was busy, but it appeared a good time was had by all. We had a nice stash of Christmas treats and a nearly full bag of Mand Ms.
As the years went by the list became smaller. Now all that I make is cut out sugar cookies and the peanut butter cookies with the Hershey's kiss in the middle. Last year I did this alone. I still had fun and the cookies got baked, but it is more fun when you have someone else to help.
This year I got it. Mariah, I call her my daughter-in-law as she is married to my stepson, expressed an interest in helping me this year. She's never baked anything except the occasional batch of chocolate chip cookies. We set up a Saturday that both of us had off. I asked her and Jake if there were any certain cookies that either of them wanted to make. Mariah wanted to make gingerbread cookies. I found a recipe in my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook.
I spent a little time planning as they would arrive at 1 PM. I decided I would have the cookie dough already made so that when they arrived all we would need to be is start rolling out the dough and cutting the cookies. I made the dough for the gingerbread cookies first. It called for a cup and a half of dark molasses. I hoped they would taste all right. That's a lot of molasses and it is sort of an acquired taste. The dough needed to be refrigerated for two hours. Since there was no room I put it in what I like to call the cold room. It is the space between the front door and the door leading into the living room. We hardly use that entrance since we mostly come in from the garage. It gets pretty cool in there in the winter and makes a nice short term storage space for juices and things like the cookie dough. I made a triple batch of sugar cookies since they were so popular last year. I wished I had a larger bowl, when I creamed the sugar and butter some of it went flying around the kitchen. After I added the last few cups of flour I had to mix it with my hands.
I quickly vacuumed the living room and ate a quick lunch with C. Jake called to say they were going to be late so I decided to start cutting out the gingerbread cookies.
At first I was nervous as the dough was a bit stiff, after it had warmed a bit it got better. It didn't stick to my rolling pin and the unbaked cookies held up nicely. As a bonus the smell of the baking ginger bread filled the house.
Once they arrived Mariah and I got to work. As we worked we talked. I shared stories of doing this when I was younger. We talked about her family. I made a pot of tea for us. We finished the gingerbread cookies and moved on to the sugar cookies.
I saw that we has a small problem. I had not left the butter out to soften long enough so the were chunks of butter in the dough. I elected to just keep rolling and cutting out although the dough got a bit sticky and the cookies spread a bit more than usual. I took out some of the larger pieces. The cookies tasted just fine.
After they were all baked we took a break for dinner. C and I each made soup and people could choose which they wanted. C made chicken tortilla soup and I made an Italian pasta and bean soup. Both turned out well and I sent the bean soup home with them.
I made a three bowls for frosting and coloured one green and the other red. I had coloured sugar, sprinkles and new this year, a bag of plain M and Ms. Cutting out the cookies is only half the fun. The other half is decorating them. Mariah was a little unsure at first, but then really got into it and made some pretty cool looking cookies.
We kept decorating until, Peter, their three year old son, started to get crabby and tired. I found a container so they they could bring some cookies home with them. They picked out what they wanted and left.
I finished cleaning the kitchen and sat down down in the living room to rest. It was busy, but it appeared a good time was had by all. We had a nice stash of Christmas treats and a nearly full bag of Mand Ms.
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