Christmas Cookies

I have a vivid childhood memories of making Christmas cookies with my Mom. We lived in Rochester, Illinois from the time I was kindergarten until mid-way through 4th grade. It was a rambling, old house on Main street. I remember it as having a rather large kitchen where we stood on a stool or chair to help wash dishes. My Mom painted the kitchen ceiling bright red. The ceilings were probably fourteen foot ceilings. And I remember sliding around the wooden floors in our socks.

I remember my Mom making Christmas cookies one year. It was such a big production that the cookie dough and shaping was done in the kitchen, and the warm cookies were dried in the dining room and iced there. I have my Mom's stained recipe for those cookies made with eggs, sugar, butter, and sour cream. Mom credits Mary Ann as the one who gave her the recipe. The recipe calls for five cups of flour. The instructions are simple: roll out. 375 degrees, 15 minutes.

I remember star shaped cookie cutters, and reindeer shapes. I am sure we got more flour all over the kitchen than in the cookies. Mom rolled the cookies thin, and the icing was made with confectioner's powdered sugar and milk and food coloring.

Thanks, Mom for a wonderful memory.