Still in "Deck the Halls" mode over at my house! To be honest, I've been working on my Christmas cards for weeks ... but I AM approaching the finish line!! YAY!! And over the weekend we had "Keebler Elf Sunday" at our house. The kids come over and we make cookies for our friends and neighbors ... about 1,000 of them, to be more accurate! They are then bagged and tagged and made ready for delivery! It's a busy process, but we have it down to a science and get it done in a few hours. We love this family tradition, during which we also watch "Jingle All the Way" ... the best worst Christmas movie of all time!
I used my Cricut to make these fun little tags too label all the bagged cookies. Aren't they cute??? I got a new Bosch mixer for myself as an early Christmas present (my old Kitchenaid bit the dust a couple of weeks ago after more than 20 years of faithful service!) and it was HEAVEN to use!! These cookies are honestly the tastiest, softest and most delectable little cookies EVER! You will LOVE them!
Stamps: NONE
Paper: Soft Suede
Ink: Sakura White Gelly Roll, Gold Metallic Cricut Marker
Accessories: Bakers Twine, Small Gold Ornaments
2 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. salt
3/4 C. (1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened)
1 C. firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 C. molasses
1 large egg
granulated sugar (for coating cookies)
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. In a separate large bowl, use a wooden spoon to cream the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the molasses and egg and mix until well blended. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until combined. Cover the dough and refrigerate it for at least 1 to 2 hours or until firm enough to roll into balls.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Use a spoon to scoop the dough out of the bowl, then roll it with your fingertips into balls that are about one-inch in diameter (I think we actually go up to 1.5" diameter). Roll the balls in a shallow bowl of granulated sugar. Place the balls on an ungreased baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between the cookies. Bake for 6 to 9 minutes or until the cookies are crinkled and set.
Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes. Using a metal spatula, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat until all the dough is used. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month and at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Special note: This is a recipe that does NOT double/triple very well. If you want to make LOTS of them, you should make a separate batch of dough each time.
Here's a blog roll just in case you get "stuck" trying to hop around ...
Just a few more things to pick up and I will be done shopping ... and HOPEFULLY Christmas cards will be in the mail Tuesday (FINALLY!!)! Gettin closer every day!
MonM
