For those who were nice: lemon spritz, oatmeal scotchies, spiced molasses, Grandma Schuster’s snickerdoodles, oatmeal scotchies, and chewy coffee.For those who were naughty: Rice Krispies coal treats.
“Better late than never,” I always say, and in this case, it’s especially late. As if Christmastime wasn’t busy enough, I accepted a new job just after the holidays. After being a stay-at-home mom for the last nine years, there were a million and one things on my to-do list before I started work. Unfortunately, this post on my 2017 Christmas Cookies had to take the backseat. You’ve heard of Christmas in July events…well, I’m celebrating Christmas in July with cookies! Here is my post written—but never published—from back in December…
The most important decision I make every year around Christmastime has nothing to do with shopping and everything to do with baking: which cookies will win a coveted spot on my annual cookie platter? Each year, I churn out anywhere from 12-18 dozen cookies for Christmas; it’s my favorite holiday tradition. It has been twenty years since I first started giving gifts from my kitchen. Back then, I thought it was genius idea since I had little money for gifts. As the years passed–and I could actually afford gifts–I opted to keep on baking as a little extra something. My family gets excited about our cookie platter every year; the anticipation grows until they get their very own take-home box–it’s even more fun to see if their boxes are emptied before they make it home.
How do I choose the winners? After I pore over the pages of my favorite holiday cookie magazines and family recipe cards, I take a potential list to a vote with my husband and son. There is one rule–each of the five cookie “food groups” must be represented: something chocolatey, something oatey, something fruity, something spicy, and something nutty. I usually throw in some kind of candy for fun. Two cookies never up for dispute are my Grandmother’s Snickerdoodles–which are unlike any snickerdoodle you’ve ever had–and Oatmeal Scotchies.
