Bake a Batch of Cookies from Scratch
It's cookie-making time! For nearly 30 years, the cookies I associated with the holidays were those made by my grandmother. We would either indulge in her frosted molasses cookies, Brown-Eyed Susan cookies, sugar cookies, or her coconut cake (yes, not a cookie) when we were in Alabama for Christmas. Those years we were not together on Christmas day, meant that presents would be shipped to us with several tins filled with cookies. To me, they were the best ever, and I'm incredibly grateful for these memories.
For the first time since Grandma passed away, I used her cookie cutters. What a neat feeling to think of all the love and effort that put the cookie cutters to good use for all those years (and more before I was born, I'm sure!). We all want to be remembered, and I'm learning that the best memories live on in the small moments. I always associated the cookies with her, but they are not necessarily ∝a dominant memory. However, I feel connected just rolling out dough and using those little pieces of aluminum to enjoy the holiday season when she is not here (physically).
So, I look forward to new traditions, and challenge you to make even just one batch of cookies for yourself, your family, or your friends. When you do, try a new cookie cutter shape. Maybe you have some from a relative that have been hiding at the bottom of a rarely-used drawer, or maybe you'd like to go with your children to pick out a new shape from the store. Either way, you are making memories, and hopefully evoking some warm ones from holidays passed.
Above, you will see just a few of the fun shapes in Grandma's collection. I look forward to adding a few of my own - maybe my memory will live on in these pastry items and the kitchen tools that created them. With love and laughter.
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