Your dietitian is actually going to share her favorite Christmas Cut-Out cookie recipe. It’s not sugar-free. No fruit or secret healthy ingredient is added.
So why would I do such a thing? I want to share. This is a great recipe that I have been making for over four decades. I love that it’s easy to roll out and work with. It holds my favorite memories.
It reminds me of my mother who taught my sister and I to bake. She didn’t love to cook but made dinner for eight every night. Meals were always balanced. When I didn’t know what to major in college she just told me to study nutrition. My undergraduate major is actually in home economics, which is what she studied. Thankfully they have updated that major so it doesn’t sound like cooking and ironing. My mother had to withdraw from college in Michigan during her freshman year because she fell ill with mononucleosis. My dad was sympathetic, but was actually thrilled she was home because it provided him with an unexpected opportunity. He asked her to marry him and that was the end of her college career. Instead, it was the start of a family of six children (in eight years!). I am the oldest. I was just 17 when I went to college and was used to doing what I was told so I majored in nutrition. Just like mom, I don’t love to cook but I do it to feed my family well.
But we’re not here to talk nutrition today. We’re talking Christmas cookies, and that’s a different story. They are not full of the nutrients we need. But they are good in other ways. They are fun to make with your family, especially your children, even when they are grown.
Here we are at my sister’s house last year. It’s the first time we’ve seen Dad decorate cookies.
Making Christmas Cookies
Annie and I have made Christmas cookies since she could walk and it’s always a highlight of the season. It can be relaxing, especially this year, to stay at home and focus on the recipe, measuring, mixing, and baking with the people that you love. Create something exciting or beautiful. Have fun! You might really enjoy the pleasure of giving to others.
For the past few years we’ve invited the neighbors’ children over to bake cookies. We parceled out the finished product and they darted out the door with plates for each house on the street. It’s so nice to see their joy in giving and know that it can be fun. If you have plans later in the evening, make sure you give yourself enough time to clean up. Sprinkles have a way of spreading like a blizzard when children are decorating cookies. Decorating on a plastic disposable table cloth really helps.
You also may want to reconsider if you ask your husband to help. My husband had never baked cookies and I made the mistake of putting him in charge of one group of intrepid young bakers. By the time we were through, it had taken twice as long and produced many “interesting” cookies. I thought he had aged twenty years, but realized it was just the flour in his hair.
Even if you have diabetes, or are watching your weight, you can still have Christmas cookies.
I am the same as everyone else and need to watch the amount I eat. Decide how many you will have and stick to it. Enjoy them! I’ve cut back on the amount that I make to reduce the temptation to overeat and make sure I enjoy every bite.
If you make some big batches, consider giving them away or freezing them for later in the year. Just don’t have too many around the house. If friends or relatives inundate you with cookies and you don’t have someone to give them to, you may consider throwing some away. I know this sounds terrible, but it only hurts you to eat too many and having them sit around calling your name is a problem. It’s just not worth the risk to your health.
Of course, if baking cookies is not “your thing” skip it altogether. Don’t ignore the holiday traditions that are most important to you. For me, one of those is making cookies with Annie. I would love to hear about your favorite tradition. I hope you can still find a way to do it this year and that all of you have a healthy, happy holiday season.
Spicy Christmas Cut Outs
1 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup dark molasses
3 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup quick oats, uncooked
Directions
Beat butter until creamy. Add sugars, blending well.
Add egg and molasses; beat until fluffy
Sift together dry ingredients and add gradually to creamed mixture, stirring well as you add.
Stir in oats.
Roll out on cloth sprinkled with confectioners sugar to 1/8 inch. Cut out shapes.
Bake on parchment paper covered cookie sheets in 350-degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely. Decorate as desired. We make a simple icing using confectioners sugar, a few drops of milk and a tad of vanilla. Stir it up and add sugar or milk until the consistency is right for spreading on and not too runny.
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