By Margaret Malsam
Christmas is just a couple weeks away, and it’s the season for mistletoe, holly, sugarplums, elves and cookies. Making cookies is a delightful way to celebrate the holidays. The wonderful smell of freshly baked cookies is part of the enduring magic of Christmas. Who can resist the taste and aroma of homemade Christmas cookies?
There’s something special about homemade cookies. The aroma can bring warm memories to us and to those who visit us during the holiday season. Homemade cookies look so appealing, taste delicious, and are satisfying but not too filling. It’s a delightful way to please drop-in holiday guests.
A few homemade cookies arranged handsomely on a platter or on a holiday paper plate can be an attractive treat to offer guests or give to friends. We can give them as a “thank you” for favors received during the past year. They also make delectable gifts for family and friends during the holidays.
I have tried to pass down the joy of Christmas cookie baking to my grandchildren. When my grandchildren come to bake cookies before Christmas, I make up a traditional sugar cookie recipe and let them cut them into fancy Christmas bells, stars and Santa cookies cutters. Sometimes they don’t turn out to be works of art, but they have lots of fun cutting, baking and decorating them. Because they have made them, they enjoy eating some while they’re still warm, and I send the finished cookies home with them to proudly show their parents.
Another way to celebrate the holidays is to host a cookie exchange party. Wouldn’t you love to have many different kinds of fancy Christmas cookies to serve during the holidays and not have to make so many different recipes? If so, why not consider hosting a cookie exchange party? My friend hosted a cookie exchange party for her friends for many years. It really was a festive and fun occasion as we gathered together. We brought extra cookies to sample and our hostess furnished us hot drinks.
For the adult-only cookie fare, it’s fun to make bourbon balls to add some extra holiday cheer. It’s time to start them soon as they need about a week to mellow in the refrigerator. Try using rum instead of bourbon if you prefer the flavor. Warning: nibbling on these cookies can give one a gentle, warm kick.
Bourbon Balls
1 cup vanilla wafer crumbs
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup bourbon whiskey or rum
1 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar for decoration
Combine wafer crumbs, finely chopped pecans, 1 cup powdered sugar and cocoa.
Blend the bourbon and the corn syrup together. Add the crumb mixture and mix well. Cool in the refrigerator until firm. Shape into 1 inch balls and roll in confectioners’ sugar. Store in a covered container for about a week or more in the refrigerator before serving to blend the flavors.
