A Cookie Recipe...Because That's Exactly What You Need At The Holidays

I have no fewer than 4975 cookie recipes.

No, really. My favorite dessert just might be cookies. I can turn down a good chocolate cake or walk away from brownies, but I cannot ignore cookies. I seem to hoard recipes...especially at Christmastime. And I don't think I'm alone, either. Everyone seems share their holiday favorites at parties and cookie swaps and neighborhood get-togethers and everywhere else...it's cookie overload!

So it seems kind of silly to post yet another holiday cookie recipe.

But this one is different.

This one will change your life.

Really.

Our fellow Huddle leader, D'Lynn, had been telling me about her gingerbread cookies that she and her now college-age girls always made at Christmas. She would talk about how yummy they were, and how pretty, and how much fun to bake and I would always think "yeah, yeah, it's just a cookie". Well, last year, at our HUDDLE CHRISTMAS PARTY, she brought a recipe to share. And my life has never been the same. These cookies are so good, I've added them to our Christmas Eve Cookie Decorating tradition.

The different thing about these cookies is that you decorate them before you cook them and the icing isn't sweet. The sweetness of the cookies makes up for it, though. Oh, and they are so stinkin' pretty!

Here's a picture of one made last year.



Here's another.



D'Lynn always tints her icing with neon food coloring, which I think adds to the charm and precious-ness of these cookies. She said she found the recipe years ago in Family Circle or somewhere like that.

Gingerbread Cookies
4 ½ c. flour
¾ c. butter, softened
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
¾ c. dark molasses
2 tsp ginger
½ tsp. cloves
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. salt

Combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and molasses. At low speed, gradually beat in dry ingredients, just until blended. Divide dough into quarters and flatten into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 350 F. Lightly coat 2 large cookie sheets with cooking spray. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 disk with floured rolling pin. Cut out cookies with 4-inch cutter. Transfer to prepared sheets. Decorate as desired with Baked-On Icing.

Bake 8-10 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Baked-On Icing
2/3 c. butter, (no substitutions)
2/3 c. flour
¼ c powdered sugar
Food coloring

Beat butter, flour and sugar in bowl. Divide into 3 bowls. Tint 1 bowl neon pink, 1 bowl neon green, one bowl neon blue (or turquoise), and leave 1 white. Put into pastry bags with a #3 round tip.


And here's my precious boy in a precious picture. Look at the concentration. Look at the attention to detail. I love this boy and I love these cookies!