The day after Thanksgiving, my three children know what to do -- carry box after box of holiday village wonders to the library, the front room of our Highland Creek home.
Then begins the uncovering of houses, trees, carolers, animals, lights, bridges and trains that make up a two-tiered holiday village. It fills half the room, and lighting the village ushers in the holidays, as well as our annual Holiday Baking Party in the cul-de-sac.
My husband, thankfully, is our family cook; beyond the odd brownie mix I whip up for my kids once a year, I never bake. The holidays, however, bring out the baking goddess in me. This is when I dust off my rollers, cookie cutters, measuring cups, and get out the broom. This is one of the messiest events of the year.
Baking holiday cookies is a tradition that I borrowed from my children's first day-care mother. Linda Andrews cared for my children in her home, and she was the kind of mother Martha Stewart would envy.
I'd come to pick up my kids after a long day at work, and Linda would hand me a steaming cup of herbal tea and a plate of wonderful cookies she made from scratch while the kids napped. How she managed it all was beyond me.
In reach, however, was the recipe for the Peanut Blossoms she often made. A combination of peanut butter and chocolate, the Peanut Blossoms are the cornerstone of the Holiday Baking Party. I bake them in advance and have them ready to share when the neighborhood kids come. They are the party's hors d'oeuvres, and they are part of the cookies neighbors take home.
Next comes the messy part -- decorating the cookies. Again, key to this step is advance preparation. I make and chill the Sugar Cookie dough before the neighbor children arrive.
In store for those who participate is rolling out dough, cutting out shapes, and decorating hundreds of cookies. This year I've ordered three-dimensional cookie cutters from Taylor Gifts (www.taylorgifts.com/ prodetail~itemNo~25373.asp). Snowmen and reindeer will walk off plates.
Having a wide variety of decorating options is what makes the Holiday Baking Party fun. We line up bowls of green, red, and white frosting. I make buttercream frosting and put dye in it to make it festive.
There are also tubes of decorator's icing in a variety of additional colors, as well as many kinds of sprinkles: gingerbread men, red and green sugar flakes, chocolate sprinkles, multicolored sugar balls, and red cinnamon dots. Raisins make good reindeer eyes and cut dried apricots and pears create designer buttons.
I have a large number of paper holiday plates and green and red plastic wrap, so the cookies can be taken home. Over half of the cookies end up in bellies or on the floor, but there are still enough to take home, eat later in the day, or save for Santa.
The Holiday Baking Party in the cul-de-sac is a tradition that I brought with me from Kentucky. I can't think of a better place to continue this tradition than in Highland Creek in University City. Maybe next year we can start a University City cookie swap, so all our neighbors will get out their cookie cutters and brooms.
Linda Andrews' Peanut Blossoms
1 stick butter
1 egg
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees. Cream together butter, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar. And egg and vanilla, then add the flour, baking soda and salt. Beat the mixture well, shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in sugar. Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake them for 8 minutes. Then gently press candy Kisses into the tops of the cookies and bake for another 2-5 minutes. BAKE the cookies for 10-13 minutes without candy Kisses.
Sugar Cookie Recipe
1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring
1 cup butter
2 1/2 cups flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
MIX butter and sugar. Add egg and flavorings, mix thoroughly. Sift dry ingredients together and stir in. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Divide dough in half and roll out on lightly floured pastry cloth to 3/16-inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters, sprinkle with sugar, place on cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil (replace foil for each batch).
BAKE 7 to 8 minutes or until delicately golden. Makes 5 dozen 2- to 2 1/2-inch cookies.
NOTE: This recipe comes compliments of Sharon Kinman, owner of the store Gifty Gifts (5806 Prosperity Church Road; 704-875-7979) in Highland Creek Shopping Center. Gifty Gifts has a line of premixed holiday cookie mixes from Country Homes Creations, for those who are uncomfortable making their own dough.
Buttercream Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 stick margarine or butter, softened
1-2 tablespoons milk
MIX the powdered sugar and margarine or butter in medium bowl. Stir in vanilla and milk. Beat until smooth and spreadable.
NOTE: From "Betty Crocker's New Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today"
No comments:
Post a Comment