25 days of cookies {Cookie 1}

In my desperate attempt to do something fun during the month of December for my kids, I am falling back to my natural inclination... cookie baking.  I am sad/proud to say that I was sort of known for being a good cookie maker in high school.  Now,  I guess that is okay and all, but it didn't put me high up on the social ladder.  I really wanted to have some wonderful talent, something athletic maybe, or perhaps be one of those girls that really fit into the music or theater crowd, but I was only mediocre at that.  Or be one of those girls that all the boys were after.  Well, I was far from that, BUT I was a fabulous cookie maker.  So I came armed to many social events with baked goods because that is what I liked doing.  My poor mother, I never cleaned up after myself, and she would wake to a kitchen that looked like a tornado hit it.

Thanks for putting up with that background story.  So every day until Christmas, I told the boys we would make a different kind of cookie and deliver them (the ones we didn't eat) to friends and neighbors.  They were thrilled and have argued all day who would be the helper and who would deliver them on which day.  This is all very exciting for home schooled boys.  My husband rolls his eyes, but WE are having fun with this.  Graham, Asher, and I went to Target and literally filled our cart with sugar and white flour in all different forms.  They were giddy.  It's always fun to have a good excuse to buy things like red hots, M&M's, peanut butter cups, marshmallows, and large amounts of butter (which we went to Costco for).  By the way, THREE sample people at Costco told me what wonderful manners my boys have, just because they said thank you, or cleaned up a mess they had spilled.  Is this not normal?  It made me wonder what most kids must do... anyway.

Cookie #1  Spritz Cookies
Ethel's Sugar Cookies.  This was from one of my grandmother Elsie's cookbooks.  I am sure it was Betty Crocker, because pretty much everything she cooked was from there.  I use this recipe for these cookies and for cutout ones (which I will make later).  This spritzer thingy is from Pampered Chef and I love it.  It is super easy to use and clean.  Graham was my helper for this one and he had a whole-lot-o fun with the gun.  And if my almost nine year old boy can use it, that means a three year old girl can use it too :)

So pretty on a plate.

To be honest, they are sort of a bland cookie, but refreshing on a cookie plate when everything else is so rich.  We brought these to our next door neighbors, a retired couple.  Graham said they looked surprised and said thank you.  I love that.

A whole lot of Christmas going on around here.

Ethel's Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup butter (original recipe calls for shortening, but I just can't do it)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp flavoring (vanilla or lemon)--both are yummy!

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Mix butter, sugar, eggs and flavoring.  Then add the rest.  Chill dough.  Bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes.