Christmas is my favorite time of year. I highly identify
with Buddy the Elf as far as my level of excitement about this holiday.
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| IT'S CHRISTMAS! |
And of course, one of the best parts of Christmas is the food—not
even eating the food, but making it. So many families have customary Christmas
candies and cookies and make a whole day of it—I know mine does.
My Grandma McGraw would make sugar cookies, as well as a
plethora of other treats. I remember her little attic would be packed with card
tables set with wrapping paper and ribbons and garment boxes lined with wax
paper and filled with goodies.
As I got older, I started icing sugar cookies with my aunt, but I have
always made a slew of treats with my mom. We’d make various almond bark
confections, dip pretzels in chocolate, bake cookies, etc. There would be new
recipes we’d try every so often, but there are two cookies in particular that
my mom always makes: no roll sugar cookies and molasses cookies. Now I have made these cookies with my oldest
niece for the past two years. And in the spirit of adding some new to the old,
I have put my mark on the Christmas cookie tradition and added to the line-up
Oreo balls.
Typically, my nieces and nephews go for the Oreo balls first, but adults
(shamefully) love them just as much. These are the first to go. However, sugar
cookies are just so easy to grab as
you walk past the dessert table too many times. These are for your
traditionalists who love a good sugar cookie, and these melt in your mouth like
butter, so they’re winners. Lastly, the usually over-looked molasses cookie.
These are far more delicious than they get credit for. These are for your
friends and family who like something a little different—still very
holiday-esque, but not your typical cookie. They’re chewy and not overly-sweet—a
good chaser to uber-sweet Christmas treats.
Oreo Balls
These have been all over pinterest for quite some time now
(and you’ve probably tried them before at some point), so I’m just going to
leave you the recipe.
No Roll Sugar Cookies
(No roll, as in no rolling pin, though you do roll them into balls.)
Cream together:
1 c sugar
1 c powdered sugar
1 c butter, softened
1 c vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Sift together:
4.5 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
Add flour mixture to creamed mixture until blended. Chill
dough.
Now for the fun part! Roll into walnut size balls. You’ll
need a few bowls, a small glass with a flat bottom, and colored sugar crystals
for this.
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| Our Boulevard beer sampler glasses work great for this. |
Take your glass and dab a
little oil on the bottom of it (I just tap the glass on the dough a little
since that’s a bit oily). I use red and
green sugar crystals and keep them in separate bowls. You’ll dip the bottom of
the glass in the sugar, then lightly press a dough ball (don’t press it too
thin—it doesn’t need to be completely flat).
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| Remember: not too thin! These don't expand much in the oven. |
For each dough ball, you’ll want to get more sugar on your glass. You’ll
only need to re-oil a few times for the whole batch. If you need to clean your
class, dip it in water. And if you’re feeling really crazy, you can mix the red
and green sugar.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 9-12 minutes (for my oven,
it’s 10). These cookies don’t get golden brown—if they do, you’ve over-baked
them.
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| Ta-da! Buttery and crumbly (though even these are a hair on the thin side). |
Cream together:
1.5 c shortening
2 c sugar
½ c molasses
2 eggs
Sift together:
4 c flour
¼ tsp ginger
¼ tsp cloves
4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
Add flour mixture to creamed mixture until blended. Roll
into 1” balls then roll in sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. You
don’t want to over-bake these—chewy is good! Once they start to develop little
cracks and crevices, they are good.
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| Also good with coffee. |
Tips: Once done baking, let your cookies sit for 2 minutes before
removing them from the pan. When you store cookies (especially the molasses
cookies), include a piece of bread in your container. This will keep them nice
and soft.
Merry Christmas!
-Madison
