Home Beckons

Image by DeeCee

”How do you put the stuff in the middle?” my niece asks, turning the sugar cookie round and round and upside down, trying to find a clue to the mystery. I just smile and say, “It’s Christmas magic!”

Beverly, my co-worker from many moons ago can claim ownership to the original, but non-magical recipe for these soft, savory sugar cookies. Her writing still scrawls across a yellowed calendar page with Monday, May 14th, 1979 dated on the back. Recommended cups, tablespoons, degrees, and minutes have miraculously survived vanilla stains and Crisco smears from many Christmases past.

In a moment of holiday good will toward all, please accept this gift from my house:

2 C sugar 4 ½ C flour
1 C Crisco 2 t baking powder
2 large eggs 2 t baking soda
1 C milk ½ t salt
1 T vanilla

Cream sugar and Crisco together in large bowl. Add eggs, milk and vanilla. In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Mix dry ingredients into sugar mixture. Roll out on floured surface and cut into shapes. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350° for ~12 minutes or until edges turn light brown. Yield: ~ 4 dozen

Adding magic is painfully time-consuming, but transforms these sugar cookies from very tasty to melt-in-your-mouth, when-are-you-making-more, don’t-give-them-away, most-favored cookies! The magic:

Roll the dough a bit thinner. Cut out pieces and place them on the cookie sheets. Spread jam (raspberry is our favorite) on each circle, leaving ¼” around the edges without jam. Put another cut dough piece on top of each jam-covered piece and seal the two edges together. Bake at 350° for ~16 minutes or until edges turn light brown. Sprinkle colored sugar on top while still warm. Yield: ~ 2 dozen

So, try the cookies – you’ll be a hit with all who taste the magic!

Merry Christmas,

DeeCee