Candy Cane Cookies

I made these a few days ago, but I have not posted about them yet.  As I said in my previous post, I am giving myself permission to not make everything "just so" for the holiday's.  I am taking deep breaths, making what I have time for, and letting go of what I don't have time for.  But, saying all that, I did make these family favorites the other day.  

The much loved candy cane cookie.  My mom made these every year.  They are my brother's very favorite Christmas cookie.  My oldest now looks forward to these each year.  They aren't hard, just a little time consuming.  

This is our 5th Christmas without my mom, but I can still picture her so clearly standing at the counter making these, rolling them into perfect candy canes and storing them in the freezer for us to sneak out when she wasn't looking (frozen cookies are delicious, by the way).  I have carried on the tradition of making them for my family, and I think of her each time I make them.  

So, here you go....Candy Cane Cookies

Mix all ingredients until all the dough comes together.

Separate the dough into two balls, and add red food coloring to one ball.

Take a 1 inch piece of white dough and a 1 inch piece of red and roll them into "snakes" (or worms, or ropes, or sticks...there's really no wrong term for this step).

Roll the two "snakes" together to form your candy cane.

Place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Sprinkle sugar on them while they're still warm from the oven.

Recipe:

Candy Cane Cookies

Mix:

1 C. Shortening

1 C. Confectioner's Sugar

1 Egg

1 1/2 t. Almond Extract

1 t. Vanilla

Stir in:

2 1/2 C. Flour

1 t. Salt

Divide dough in half and mix in 1/2 t. red food coloring in half of the dough.  Make 4" long ropes & twist  to make candy cane.  

Bake 375 degrees for 9 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Remove.  While warm sprinkle with sugar.

A Christmas Without The Chaos.....Yes, Please!

I have had an epiphany!  Some of you may have already had this realization, but I'm a late bloomer. Here it is:  It's okay to not make everything "perfect" at Christmas.  There, I said it.  Take a deep breath and stick with me here....

We sat down to dinner tonight (a meal I threw together quickly after an afternoon spent baking more cookies), and I was stressed, overwhelmed, tired - you name it, I was feeling it.  As I sat at the table my girls rattled off what they wanted me to make for their class Christmas parties on Friday. What we still needed to purchase for their class gift exchange, and what we should make for their teacher's.  I just sighed and mumbled something about not being able to make the homemade caramel corn that I intended to, and perhaps store-bought cookies weren't a bad idea after all.  My husband looked at me, then turned to the girls and said, "let's give mommy a break." A break!  Yes!  That's it!  I want a break!  I want it so bad I can taste it.

After dinner I went to the basement to collect the last load of laundry for the night and it dawned on me...why CAN'T the kids take store-bought cookies to their parties on Friday?  Kid's don't care.  Kid's love Oreo's. So, if the cookies for school can be store-bought, why can't the cinnamon rolls that I've been wanting to make for Christmas morning be store-bought, too...like the Pillsbury pop-out-of-a-can and bake type?  Why can't the gift's for the kids teacher's simply be a hand-written thank you card from each child expressing their gratitude to their teacher?   Why not?  I really don't think the world will stop spinning if I send in Oreo's instead of homemade candy cane cookies.  I think I will still be welcome at my family get-together if I take brownies from a box instead of a tray of beautifully decorated cookies.  Christmas morning will arrive whether I've made the perfect breakfast casserole, and homemade cinnamon rolls (cereal's good enough for the other day's of the year, why not Christmas, too).  

So, here it is...I am giving myself permission to not create what I think is the perfect Christmas.  I have been trying to function as a person who does not have a 6 month old baby to care for, that decided not to nap well this afternoon, and was a little extra fussy.  Instead, I AM a mom with a fussy 6 month old (and sometimes a fussy 10, 7 & 5 year old) that didn't nap well.  Trying to get two batches of cookies done, because I was feeling behind on my Christmas baking, only added to the stress of a fussy baby, instead of being a fun project.  What I needed to do was rock Sadie more, do my best to ease her fussiness, and not worry that the cut-out cookies haven't been made yet.

I posted a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to keep it in perspective this holiday season.  When I feel stressed I need to turn my eyes on Jesus.  The best way I know to do that is to tell myself that it's okay if I haven't made every recipe that we ALWAYS have every year.  It's okay if I scale back on how many cards I send this year, and if they don't get sent until January, that's going to be okay, too.  It's okay if I send Oreo's to school, and don't make the caramel corn.  It's okay....my kids are growing up too quickly, and I don't want their biggest Christmas memory to be that I was always frazzled trying to make everything just so. Remembering that I never sat down and just snuggled by the tree and read books, watched movies, or talked about the true meaning of Christmas.

So, I am giving myself permission to let it go this year.  I already feel better just knowing I don't have to do it all.  I was the one setting the bar high, no one else was.  Let's do ourselves a favor and cherish our family and friends a little more.  Snuggle those little ones that are growing too quickly, and turn our eyes on Jesus.  Christmas without cut-out's is still Christmas.  :)

Christmas Cookies

I am not a food blogger, but I am a food eater.  Since it's Christmas, I will be baking several different types of cookies.  Some will be taken to parties, while other's may go to teacher's and neighbor's.  And maybe, just maybe, some will be eaten by my family....okay, too many will be eaten by my family.  I've decided to showcase on my site the different cookies I am baking this season, the recipe, as well as maybe a little information as to why I chose to make that particular cookie.

I've got to be honest...I love to bake, but I am not a "fussy" baker, and I am not going to make something that requires umpteen steps to complete, only to have it devoured in seconds.  I bake things that we all love, that are traditions in our family, or were traditions in my home growing up.

With an infant at home, I am not baking up a storm all in one day.  My goal is to make one batch a day, for several days, and freeze the finished products as I go.  If I get too many cookies going at once, I risk having a baby decide to go off-schedule that day and remind me that she comes first.

What I made today is not fancy, but they're yummy, and probably made in every other home around the country this time of year.  But, I make them because I am in love...I mean the so-help-you-if-you've-eaten-the-last-one, kind of love, with all things peanut butter.  My children know that my favorite thing is Reese's PB Cups.  So much so that when they dig through their candy bags after Halloween, they automatically surrender a PB Cup to me as a way to prevent me from raiding their candy bags.

I make this cookie because of my love for peanut butter, because my family loves them, and because my mom always made them.


Kiss Cookies

The mixed ingredients - Don't you just want to take a big spoonful and hide in a closet away from your children and eat it?  No?  I'm the only one?  I doubt that, you're just lying to yourself.

Once the cookies are mixed, shape the dough into 1-inch balls, and roll in sugar.  Place dough on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Since I love peanut butter so much, I make half of the cookies with Hershey kisses, and half with PB Cups....then I hide the ones with PB Cups in a separate container and keep them hidden from the rest of my family.  Okay, not really, but that is an awesome idea!

(P.S. Having your kiddos unwrap the chocolates is a great way to involve their help, but you may have to allow them to eat 1, 2 or 10 during the process)

As soon as the baked cookies come out of the oven, place a kiss or PB cup in each warm cookie.

After a few minutes I remove the cookie from the baking sheet, onto a cooling rack lined with wax paper.  Once they are set I place them into a container and freeze them until needed....which is like five minutes after I place them in the freezer.  :)

Here's the recipe I use:

Kiss Cookies

(Makes 4 dozen)

1/2 C. Shortening

3/4 C. Peanut Butter

1/3 C. Sugar

1/3 C. Packed Brown Sugar

1 Egg

2 T. Milk

1 t. Vanilla

1 1/3 C. Unsifted Flour

1 t. Baking Soda

1/2 t. Salt

Sugar

1 (9oz.) package chocolate kisses

Directions

Cream shortening and peanut butter.  Add sugar and brown sugar.  Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour, baking soda & salt; gradually add creamed mixture and blend thoroughly.  Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes in 375 degree oven.  Remove from oven immediately and place an un-wrapped kiss on top of each cookie.  Remove from cookie sheet; cool.

Whenever Possible, Shop Alone

I am trying to finish up all of our Christmas shopping this week.

Let me give you an example of why I prefer to shop alone:  Yesterday.  WalMart.  10 a.m.  I had some returns to make.  We needed milk.  Joel was in Pre-School, so it was just Sadie & me.  I thought it would all go fairly smooth.  Four kids later and I still think a shopping trip with a young child will go smoothly.  I'm a slow learner.

The returns went well, then Sadie started to fuss.  Now, shopping in the winter with a baby is not simple. There's the infant car seat.  Then the heavy coat or snow suit, then a blanket, hat and some type of cover over the car seat to keep the baby extra snug & cozy.  So, I undid all of these winter necessities, picked her up, pushed the cart one handed and off we went.  Then my arm started aching, and I switched arms several times.  I decided to create a make-shift cradle in the front of the cart with my coat, and I laid her in it. Awesome, she was happy....for 5 minutes.  I picked her up and did the switch arms several times, pulled the cart one handed and contemplated whether most of the items on my list were really THAT important.  After all, toilet paper is over-rated, right?

I had all my items and headed for the check-out.  Lots of people, and only four lanes open.  Yay!  It's Christmas time, but who shops at WalMart around Christmas anyway?  Only every single person in the greater Erie area.  So I wait, switch arms over and over, and wait.  FINALLY, another lane opens.  I move into the new lane and wait behind one other person.  I lay Sadie in the make-shift cart cradle and try to unload items. She screams....and screams...and screams.  I pick her up, continue to unload one-handed and then I have to pay.  I try again to lay Sadie down.  She screams....and screams....and screams.  I pay, pick her up and attempt to load my cart with the bagged items (meanwhile I'm feeling over-heated and just a bit anxious because the gentleman behind me looked less than excited to be waiting.  The cashier was kind enough to ask if she could help load the items in my cart.  Yes, please!

Now I begin the re-bundle the baby for the elements game.  This is not a fun game, and is not for the faint of heart.  She's my fourth. I can handle this wiggly screaming baby, with poise.  I will ignore the stares of others, bundle her, strap her into the car seat, put my coat on, and be on my way.  She was fussing, she was fighting, but I was determined to be calm....THEN....then....as I get her all strapped in, another cashier smiles and says to me, "she's not too happy mom."  Really?  What makes you think that?  Okay, I was good until this point.  I prayed for patience, gave the cashier my best smile-under-stress face, and walked out.

I came home, texted Dave and said something like, "I'll give you twenty bucks to bring Joel home from pre-school for me today."  He graciously complied, and when he saw my frazzled state he knew better than to ask about the money.  He's a smart man...

So, today Sadie is sick with a bad cold, and this is probably what was causing her fussiness yesterday.  However, I have decided that if I want to keep any cheer in Christmas shopping, I will shop alone.  I may try again when she's 5.  We'll see....