We would each get a turn with the
rolling pin. Those who got to roll their
dough out first got a head start selecting
their favorite cookie cutter and making their
favorite shapes. I remember having to wait
until someone was finished with the cutter I
wanted before I could us it. Our cookie
cutters were those old-fashioned aluminum
cutters shaped liked a round biscuit cutter,
a round fluted cutter, a star, a crescent
moon, a bunny, a baby chick and a bell. The
were passed on to me and though I still have
them, I haven't used them in many years...
I'm waiting for grandchildren with whom I can
make memories.
In cutting out our cookies, it wasn't
unusual to have a bunny with a patched or
mended leg, a star with a crooked point, or a
whoppy-jawed bell with a clapper that got
stuck in the cutter and had to be re-joined
to the cookie. Because we were allowed to
roll out our own dough, sometimes the cookies
would be so thin that they were crisp and
nearly burned, while others would be so fat
that they lost their shapes as they baked.
Other times they came out just right. But
that didn't matter to us. We were sure that
each cookie was a work of art because we had
created it.
As we grew older, we got better at
cutting out our cookies, and we were able to
get them onto the cookie sheet without
tearing them up. It was a good learning
process - learning to share, learning to
plearning to cook, and learning to have
fun.
We nibbled almost as much dough as we
used in making the cookies. Eating cookie
dough wasn't known to be a possible source of
salmonella bacteria back then, so not only
was it allowed; it was expected! That was
probably more fun than eating the finished
cookies! And if we never came out with as
many cookies as the recipe was supposed to
make, it was because of all of the nibbling
we did on the scraps between the cookies.
In a recent Calvin and Hobbes comic
strip, Calvin's mother was making cookies and
wouldn't let him eat chocolate chip cookie
batter. Calvin told her, "One more nostalgic
part of childhood goes THBPPTH."
I'll never forget the anticipation of
waiting for the cookies to come out of the
oven to see what they looked like. I can
still smell the aroma of those cookies
baking! It was heavenly!
Next came the decorating…
Mother would mix up a big bowl of icing
and divide it into several bowls, tinting
each a different color. When the cookies were
cooled enough, we put icing on them, licking
our fingers all the while.
During those cookie-making experiences,
flour got all over the kitchen and all over
us, but Mother never seemed to mind, and the
memories we made have lasted a lifetime for
her and for us.
I let my children make cookies,
but not as often as I would have liked. If I
could go back in time, I would have more time
for them (I was a working mother). I would
take more time and make more memories for
them, too.
I heartily recommend that one cold,
rainy or snowy Saturday afternoon you try
baking memory cookies with your children. Try
creating some memories that they will cherish
for a lifetime.
This Christmas would be a good time to
start. Make some Christmas Cookies with your
children and they will turn into Memory
Cookies.
Here is the recipe, although you can
use any sugar cookie recipe. The instructions
for making the cookies and the icing are easy
enough for even non-cooks to manage. Besides,
who cares if they aren't perfect? Your
children will think they are, anyway.
MEMORY (SUGAR) COOKIE
RECIPE
1 Cup butter or margarine, 2 1/2 c.
flour, softened
1 t. baking soda
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar 1 t. cream of
tartar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla Sugar Sprinkles or
1/2 t. almond extract Icing
Cream together the butter and the
powdered sugar. Beat in the egg, vanilla and
almond extract. Blend in the flour, soda and
cream of tartar, mixing thoroughly.
Shape into a mound. Place in a bowl;
cover and chill for two to three hours or
overnight.
When ready to use, heat oven to 375
degrees. Use half of the dough at a time in
order to keep it chilled and keep the shapes
workable. Roll each half 3/16 of an inch
thick on a lightly floured board or waxed
paper. Cut the dough into desired shapes with
a cutter dipped in flour before each cutting.
Slide onto a slightly greased cookie sheet
with a metal spatula dipped in flour to help
the cookie slide off easily and hold the
shape of the cookie. (Try not to let the
dough get too warm or it will be harder to
work with and the shapes will break.)
If the cookies are not to be iced,
sprinkle with colored or plain sugar if
desired before baking. The best cookies are
the ones you frost, so save some for the
icing.
Bake 7 or 8 minutes or until very
lightly brown on the edges. Let cool before
removing from cookie sheet.
Makes about 5 dozen two inch cookies;
fewer larger ones.
SPECIAL ICING
2 C. Powdered sugar Evaporated
Milk
1 T. Vanilla Food coloring
2 t. Softened butter
(For chocolate icing, add 2-3 T. cocoa
to powdered
sugar before sifting)
Soften the butter to room temperature
and mix in the sifted powdered sugar.
Alternate with the vanilla and enough milk to
make a creamy, spreadable
consistency.
Color with desired color of food
coloring. You may vary the flavors by using
different flavors of extracts for each color,
or just use vanilla.
Spread on cooled cookies. When
finished, lick bowls and spoons. Let icing
dry before individually wrapping or storing
in air-tight containers with waxed paper
between the layers of
cookies.
