The Christmas Cookie

Tis the season for....BAKING COOKIES. And boy do I love cookies! I have a few favorites - not your traditional chocolate chip for me - no sir! My standbys are butterscotch toffee chocolate chip, oatmeal white chocolate cranberry and spritz. And while I learned to bake at my Baba's knee (side note, Baba means grandmother in Polish) and did things the old-fashioned way (hand mixers, greased cookie sheets, etc.) I've picked up a few personal preferences through the years that make cookie-making yummier and easier (like land-o-lakes butter and parchment paper, respectively).

But though I've experimented, practiced, and made delicious perfection  - I've also made mistakes along the way. Like the time I thought I'd open my own "baking" business and my first client  - who won the cake of the month certificate (the gift that keeps on giving) that I generously contributed to a silent auction - decided to ask for the most difficult cakes each month. Let's just say I called it quits after month 3 because not only were the cakes challenging, but somehow every cake I made for her went Wrong. Yes, that's a capital W. But hey, it's about the journey, not the destination right?

While that particular life lesson was more than 6 years ago - I still make mistakes. Case in point - this last fiasco where I accidentally bought self rising flour and used it for the spritz cookies. That plus the salted butter (which I use even though recipes tell me not too because I just plain think it tastes better) created an awfully salty cookie that, while not inedible, did cause eaters to pause and say hmmmm. And not reach for another.  But fortunately the other cookies turned out just right. And since Christmas Cookie Calories don't count, Bon Appetit!

 

And, the resulting mess. Hey - I never said I was a neat cook. As long as I kept batter off the camera, I was happy!