Sugary Goodness

Christmas is a joyous time of year! In my family, we don't shy away from big celebrations, and Christmas is no exception. It's one of the many exceptional qualities of my family. One reason that holidays are so special is spending precious time with loved ones and connecting over delicious food. CO-VID 19 has changed so much of the way we interact with one another, and while holidays may look a little different this year, there are still food traditions to be followed. One of our long-standing family traditions is making Christmas cookies and candy to share with other people. When I was younger, our rule was that we made Christmas cookies and candy to give my school teachers, and my parents would take some to work to share with their co-workers and bosses. Over time, the tradition has changed into blessing others that we hold close to us with delicious treats. Our practice most likely won't happen this year due to the pandemic; however, this sugar cookie recipe doesn't disappoint! It is a timeless recipe passed down through generations, one that we make over and over again.

Here are the ingredients required for this sugar cookie recipe:

2 sticks of butter

1 ½ cup of Powdered Sugar

1 tsp of vanilla

2 ½ cups of flour

1 egg

1 tsp of baking soda

1 tsp of cream of tartar

¼ tsp of salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. To make these delicious cookies, you first combine the butter, powdered sugar, egg, and vanilla. Once you mix these ingredients well, add the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Ensure these ingredients are mixed well, and then refrigerate the dough for approximately an hour for easier rolling. After an hour, take the dough out of the fridge and cover a rolling pin with flour and a clean counter or rolling board with flour. Utilizing various cookie cutters, cut the dough into desired shapes. As shown in the picture above, the last time I made sugar cookies, I used many different shapes, including candy canes, stockings, snowflakes, and Christmas trees. Bake each batch of cookies 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees, take them out of the oven, and they are now ready to decorate.

The best part is the frosting! To make the frosting, you will need these ingredients below:

¼ cup of shortening

½ tsp of vanilla

3 cups of powdered sugar

¼ cup of condensed milk

To make the frosting combine the shortening, vanilla, and one cup of powdered sugar. After mixing this well, alternate adding the milk and remaining powdered sugar and mix until the frosting is smooth. You can tint the frosting with food coloring if desired for fun colors! Add any toppings you like, such as sprinkles or M&M's, and you have amazingly delicious cookies!

We love this recipe for our family gatherings because not only are they fun to make and decorate, but families of all ages can help out with this recipe. Children especially love to help cut out the shapes and decorate the cookies. Year after year, these are a hit because of our long-standing family traditions and are the perfect Christmas dessert. Just make sure you leave the room after Christmas dinner to enjoy them. You can even leave out some of these cookies for Santa to enjoy. You can use this same recipe for multiple occasions by switching the cookie-cutters' shapes to cut out the dough. You can use this recipe to create delicious desserts for every holiday throughout the year. I hope you enjoy my family recipe as much I do!