12 Days of Christmas ~ On the Fourth Day

For a lot of us I am sure, it's just not the holidays without yummy goodies. Nothing like a cookie that Grandma used to make every Christmas to take you back! It's funny that there are certain foods that we wait until a particular time of year or holiday to eat, right? I don't know if it's because we don't want to indulge outside of the holiday or that the special treat is reserved as the stamp of that holiday. I love the tradition of treats, but I also love trying new things this time of year. But then there are also treats that are a trademark of others and I don't even attempt to make them myself - my mom's fudge is one of those things for me! Today I am sharing two cookies with you... well, the pictures and the recipes of them...

First, a very traditional Christmas cookie, but new for me this year. So simple and so festive, but I have never made Spritz cookies before. My friend and Pampered Chef Consultant Teri gave me the recipe and the cookie press to use. Lots of fun and very easy to make yummy cookies. (Or so I hear from my hubby and boys.... I can't actually eat the cookies because I am Gluten & Dairy free. They were fun to make though!) So, on to the cookies....

Here's what you'll need:

1 1/2 c butter (3 Sticks, softened)

1 c sugar

1 egg (not pictured above... he showed up late to the party!)

1 t vanilla

3 1/2 c all-pupose flour

Colored sugar (optional)

Cream the butter and sugar in mixing bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, one cup at a time and mix well. Fill cookie press and press cookies onto cookie sheet. (I tried to put them on the sheet with parchment paper, but they wouldn't stick enough to separate from the press. Best to put them straight on a cookie sheet or stone.) Sprinkle with colored sugar or sprinkles. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes until firm, but not brown. Cool on rack.

Makes about 6 dozen

The second cookie I am sharing today is one that I make often for my hubby and also for my father in-law. Every year for Christmas I whip up a couple of batches and one batch gets packed up and sent to Montana with my father in-law's gift. The recipe for the oatmeal cookies comes straight from the inside of the Quaker Oats tub. I've tried others, but this recipe is by far the best. The only variation I make is that sometimes I add Butterscotch chips and sometimes I add raisins. This batch is the Scotchies and next week I will make them with raisins for the Montana Christmas package.

Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 c butter (2 sticks, softened)

3/4 c packed brown sugar

1/2 c white sugar

1 t vanilla

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 t baking soda

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t salt

3 c quick oats

1 pkg butterscotch morsels or 1 c raisins (optional)

Cream together butter and sugars in mixing bowl. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Mix in oats and chips/raisins. Drop by small spoonful onto cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Finally, one tradition in our home is a Gingerbread house. We don't bake it, but rather buy the kit and have fun with all the sticky frosting and candy. This year, we got the pre-assembled house kit from Costco. It was a lot easier than years past because the house was built for us.

Enoy!