Unique Cookie Cutters for the Holidays

At this festive time of year, it's important to share some of your old family and ethnic traditions with your children, as well as creating some new traditions of your own. Why not start your own tradition that you and your family can continue for many years to come? Here is an idea-begin by collecting several unique cookie cutters. Ask any relatives (grandparents are a good place to start) if they have any cookie cutters that they don't use and might like to give to your family for a new holiday tradition.

Cooking, baking and working together in the kitchen is always a wonderful family tradition. Many different foods are associated with the holiday season, and teaching your children about your ethnic foods is a wonderful gift you can offer to them. Whether it's pitzelli cookies, marzipan or baklava that's a tradition with you, it's delicious to explore and sample many of these favorite family recipes.

When you have a good selection, you're on your way to beginning a new family holiday tradition with cookie-cutter art. Every year you can add to your collection, so that by the time your children are grown and on their own, you can continue this tradition by offering them some cookie cutters. They in turn can continue the cookie-cutter collection and tradition with their own families.

Using a basic sugar cookie recipe is a good way to begin. This way, you can experiment with decorating and coloring the cookies. By adding food coloring to the mix, your children can conjure up some colors that they think look the best. It's amazing what color combinations children will come up with. Try adding some sprinkles, raisins, chocolate chips, coconut and whatever else you and your children feel would make the best cookies for your family. Shop with your children at the grocery store so that they can really feel that they are an integral part of the cookie preparation process.

Now comes the fun of decorating the cookies. This can be an exciting family adventure and tradition, as is the mixing and cooking of the cookies. My children always feel that you can never have too many decorations on a cookie. I remind them that if it's too overloaded with goodies, some of the top decorations may burn, but they have their own ideas and like to experiment with the decorating.

Notice that as your children grow, so will the amount of cookie batter that you need to mix up. I always double the recipe so that we have enough not only for our family, but also to have some extras to give away to grandparents and special friends.

Another great cookie twist tradition to do with your children is to make extra batches of cookies and deliver and donate them to a senior center, local soup kitchen or homeless shelter. In this way you and your family have taken your holiday cookies a step farther and are offering joy to others. Who knows, your children may inspire others to follow their example.

This is our favorite family sugar cookie recipe. I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as we have over the years.

Sugar Cookies Recipe

Ingredients You Will Need:
¾ cup of butter
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla or lemon extract
2 ½ cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt-optional

Thoroughly mix the butter, sugar, eggs and flavoring.

Blend in the flour, baking powder and optional salt.

After everything is mixed in smoothly, chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Now you're ready to use your rolling pin (this part is always a big favorite in our house) and to experiment with all the cookie cutters, both new and old. Remember to first cover your table with a thick sprinkling of flour so that the dough won't stick to your working surface. Once the dough is rolled out, you can start stamping out cookies with the cutters. Try combining them to make intriguing new creations.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees and cook your cookies for six to eight minutes on a cookie sheet.

Once the cookies are cooled you can start the decorating. Mixing your frosting and laying out the ingredients is a good way to pass the time while the cookies are cooling. You might even want to put on some favorite holiday music to sing along with as you create your cookie-cutter art.

Use small, separate bowls to mix up different colors of frosting and to lay out sprinkles, chocolate chips and raisins. The more organized you are the smoother your family cooking adventure will go.

Relax and enjoy your family cooking together. There's nothing finer than homemade cookies for any holiday, particularly when they're made with love.

Article provided by Homesteader.