Unfortunately I have been RIDICULOUSLY busy at work, sadly there will be no Christmas feast crafted by my hands, because I work every holiday this month. This is hugely disappointing for me because I have been stocking up on Christmas recipes since last year.
I did however have a chance to participate in a couple holiday parties, including a cookie party I hosted.
If you have never been to or hosted a cookie swap, I definitely recommend doing it at least once! It was super fun to have every one bring by their personal favorites, and sip a couple of nice winter cocktails (ahem, peppermint hot chocolate and whipped cream vodka is a winning combo according to my guests).
Besides contributing a lot of appetizers and alcohol, I also had my mother dig through the family cookbook to find our age-old family cookie recipes for my party. These are typically top secret recipes, readers, and it is only my guilt that forces me to take drastic measures and share this with you.
Great Aunt Louise's Spice Cookies are thin, crisp and delicious. They fill your kitchen with a mouthwatering scent that summons up cherished holiday memories. You know what I mean? Those same scents that every candle/air freshener company promises they can do but it's never quite right? Yeah, these cookies put that to shame. The secret to the crispness is... wait for it.... CRISCO. I know, I was shocked too. I hate everything about Crisco, and if it weren't for my mother's promises that this was the only thing Crisco could do that butter couldn't, I would have definitely tried to substitute it. After tasting it though, I reassure you, it is definitely worth it to put your standards aside and just go for it. So without further ado, cook away!
Great Aunt Louise's Spice CookiesIngredients:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 well beaten eggs
1.5 cups melted Crisco
1 tsp salt
4.5 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
In a stand mixer, cream your melted Crisco with sugar by slowly adding sugar to bowl at a medium high speed. Add your well beaten eggs and mix thoroughly. Lower your speed and mix in all the other ingredients.
Lay out a large piece of wax paper or plastic wrap and shape your dough into a log and roll tightly in the wax paper. Refrigerate dough overnight, then preheat oven to 350 degrees when ready to bake. Slice dough quite thin, about 1/4" slices and bake for 8-10 minutes.
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