taking a breath

Have I mentioned that I love Christmas?  This time of year really is my favorite.  Not only is it the best birthday ever (Christ’s, of course), but I get to see most of my family in one place for a few days of cooking, laughing and eating.  There will be 16 of us under one roof this year, eight of those being children which translates into lots of late-night giggles, shrieks of delight and probably the occasional tantrum.  But there is one problem with such festive plans: the planning.  I have a backup of photos waiting to be shared and recipes to be tasted, but making a large family gathering fun requires planning.  So I am off to make the Brunswick Stew (Dad’s southern request) and the sticky buns (photos to come).

Have a Merry and Blessed Christmas spending time with the ones you love.  And if you get snowed in (we can only hope), here’s our favorite cookie recipe to sustain you.

Molasses Sugar Cookies

from foodie plus 4’s recipe book (I don’t know from whence it came)

[print recipe]

Note: This is a fabulous recipe for little hands!  My children love to shape the dough then roll the balls in sugar for baking.  Make sure to CHILL the dough.  I make the recipe in the morning then chill and bake in the afternoon.

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (omit salt if using salted butter)
• 1 1/4 cup sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.  Grease cookie sheets.
2. Melt butter; let cool in a large mixing bowl.
3. When butter is cool, add 1 cup of sugar, the molasses and the egg.  Beat well.
4. Sift together dry ingredients and add to the wet mixture.  Mix well.
5. Chill dough at least an hour.
6. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and roll in remaining sugar.  Place on prepared cookie sheets.
7. Bake 8–10 minutes.  The cookies should be crisp on the edges but still soft in the middle.  Let cool 1–2 minutes before removing to cooling rack.
8. Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.