Christmas Cookies with Kids

 As my little ones get older, it's become more fun to involve them in holiday cookie making.  They both have their aprons that they get to wear, just like Mommy, and they get to get up on the chair and cut out cookies.  I love being able to share this fun tradition with them, just as my own mom shared with me and my siblings when we were all young.

I LOVE kisses from my kiddos!  My oldest was taking the pictures for me.  Didn't he do a great job?!

I will show you how we decorated the gingerbread cookies in the next post.

Have a blessed weekend!

Mama Bear

Recipe: Best Ever Sugar Cookies

I think this is probably one of my favorite cookies from my childhood. My mom had a church cookbook that had a vinyl or plastic cover and was done with run off pages...the typed out kind. It had those fold over metal tab thingys to bind it. I remember it pretty well. There were a few pretty tasty recipes in a sea of cream of something-or-other casseroles. This recipe was the best thing to come out of that cookbook.

This is a light, crisp cookie that just melts in your mouth.

BEST EVER SUGAR COOKIES

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
3/4 cup cooking oil (preferably canola or vegetable)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs

4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Cream together the 1st three ingredients. Add salt, eggs, and vanilla.

Sift together flour, soda, and cream of tartar. Add to creamy mixture and mix.

Roll dough into 1-1/2" balls and roll in some sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and slightly press on the ball with the bottom of a glass. (It helps to first press on the cookie dough, and then dip in sugar each time before "flattening" the next ball of dough. This way, the glass doesn't stick to the dough with each cookie.)

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies turn a nice, golden brown.

Cool on aluminum foil or cookie racks.

ENJOY!

Mama Bear

Recipe: Crackle-Top Molasses Cookies

Archway used to make a Soft Molasses Cookie that was probably my most favorite non-homemade cookie EVER! They were BIG and soft and SO delicious!

The closest thing that I have found to those cookies, is this recipe
for Crackle-Top Molasses Cookies, found in a cookbook called "Cookies"
by Natalie Hartanov Haughton.

Here is the recipe:

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2/3 cup vegetable oil (I use canola)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses (I use about 1/3 cup)
2 to 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I doubled that)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
(I added about 1/4 teaspoon salt...for good measure.)
About 1/3 cup sugar (set aside in a bowl)

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). In a large bowl, combine oil and 1 cup sugar. Add egg, beating well. Stir in molasses, 2 cups flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger. If necessary, add a little more flour to make a firm dough. Shape dough into 1-1/4 inch balls. Roll in 1/3 cup sugar. Place 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown and tops "crack". Remove cookies from baking sheets; cool on racks. Makes about 45 (2-1/2 inch) cookies. (Or, if you're like me, and like your cookies bigger, it will make about 24 3" to 3.5" cookies.)

I hope you like them!

Mama Bear