EDITOR’S NOTE: I have received information about #HowWeFamily from the makers of TYLENOL®. The opinions stated are my own. This is sponsored post.
As part of my partnership with Tylenol, we’re teaming up this holiday season to inspire conversation about how different people ‘family’. My grandma’s sugar cookie recipe is a little piece of personal nostalgia that has been an important part of how my family comes together to celebrate each year and it makes me feel good to share it with you…
This past weekend, we took the kids for a walk down Main Street in the middle of our small Virginia town. We wanted to check out the weekly farmer’s market, which had been turned into a little holiday festival with local vendors offering homemade wreaths made of cotton, fresh rhubarb pies and piping hot cups of hot chocolate.
The band was playing a mix of classic rock and Christmas tunes and the Chamber of Commerce had arranged for an original Lionel train display.
On the drive home, we passed a classic car meet and as I slowed down to gawk at late 60’s Camaro, a helicopter landed on the side of the road to my left – with Santa hopping out to run and greet the kids running across the field.
I love that small town vibe – especially around the holidays. There’s just something so simple and pure about it. It’s like an overwhelming electricity of kindness and good spirit.
This is how I remember Christmas as a kid.
My grandmother lived in a house on Broad Street in a small (then), Pennsylvania town for most of my childhood. Each Christmas, my brothers and I would visit on the weekend before Christmas to watch the parade from her front porch, but also make sugar cookies with mom, Gram and Aunt Bobbie.
Back in the 80’s, Santa seemed to really, REALLY enjoy a handful of sugar cookies with a glass of milk and a few carrots for his trusty gang of reindeer.
It’s funny how Santa STILL enjoys those same cookies in 2016.
A few years ago, I started to renew my childhood tradition with my own kids and this past week, it was time again!
I’ve bounced around on our family recipe and experimented with many variations, but this one is the most tried and true.
SANTA’S SUGAR COOKIES
INGREDIENTS:
• 3 cups of AP flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
DIRECTIONS:
• Combine flour, baking powder and salt (SIFT) and set aside.
• In a mixer (using a mixer OR some old-fashioned wooden spoon with elbow grease) combine the softened butter and sugar. Once blended, add egg, milk and vanilla.
• While the mixer is running, slowly add the dry ingredients in small increments until the dough starts to peel away from the mixing bowl.
- Roll in a ball, cut in half, wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for 1-2 hours
FINAL AND SECRET STEP:
- Roll out to ¼ or ½ inch thick.
- I vacillate between one of two ways to keep your dough from sticking to your cutting board or countertop. Most times, I’ll cover the surface with powdered sugar and it gives your cookie that extra roundhouse kick to the taste buds… HOWEVER – Aunt Bobbie uses a pillowcase. Yes, a pillowcase. I was always intrigued by the way she would stretch one (clean) over her cutting board, making it incredibly easy to peel up and…
• Lay cookies on a greased cookie sheet, silicone mat or some parchment paper.
• Bake at 375° for 7-9 minutes and place on a cooling rack before moving to the cookie jar.
The best part about the final result is that I can totally lie to you and tell you that only my kids decorated this batch, as well as ate most of the sprinkles…
My baking talent has yet to bloom!
It really never was about the beauty of the cookie, but more about the time that we got to spend together (me yelling at them to stop chugging sprinkles) as a family.
We like to celebrate the holidays with this special recipe, and that’s #HowWeFamily. Do you have any favorite holiday traditions that you share with your family? Share yours using #HowWeFamily!
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