Friday, December 16, 2011

Holiday Baking and Tree Decorating

It isn't Christmas until you have the tree decorated and you make some cut out cookies! 


Last weekend, I was able to complete both!  On Friday I hosted my first Christmas cookie exchange party.  All my best girl friends made their favorite Christmas cookies and brought them to my house.  We had fun evening of just the girls and then we gathered around the dining room table to eat and exchange cookies! 


All those delicious cookies!  So many different varieties!  I made the classic cutout cookies to share with my friends.  I love this recipe (from my mom) because you don't have to refrigerate the dough before rolling it out like many other cutout recipes require.


 Christmas Cutout Cookies

4 cups Flour
1 cup shortening
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice

Mix first four dry ingredients, as if making a pie crust so that all crisco is mixed into flour.  In another bowl combine all the wet ingredients and mix together.  Then add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together to form dough.  Refrigerate if desired, otherwise roll out dough and use cookie cutters to make cookies.  Preheat oven to 350F and place cookies in oven and bake for 10 minutes.  Once cooled then frost with your favorite frosting and decorate with sprinkles!


Saturday, Brian and I decorated our first Christmas tree together.  Between last Christmas and our wedding we have been given many ornaments to decorate our tree.  I just do not like the LED lights - I miss the old colored ones but they are hard to find.


Now all that is left is to get on that Christmas gift shopping! I have yet to pick up a single gift for anyone.  Looks like I will be quite busy this weekend.

Also, you may remember the Lamp Post that appeared in my foyer a few weeks ago.  It is still there and a Santa statue (a gift from my mother in law) has now appeared beside it.  I guess this is something I am going to just have to live with.


Happy Friday!

15 comments:

Robin said...

Yummy cookies.... Happy Holidays.

misszippy said...

Your table looked so pretty (and yummy!). It's fun to find time to do this stuff with the girls!

Marlene said...

Oh boy, that Santa is ... interesting! LOL

The tree looks great, though.

I need to host a cookie exchange party next year - that looks and sounds so fun, and TASTY! Thanks for the cutout recipe. The one I have required refrigeration, so I'll try yours next time!

Anonymous said...

Lol about the christmas lamp and santa. It sounds like your collection is growing by the minute!! Your tree looks great! And a cookie party sounds like a great idea. I should try that with my new army wife friends.

Molly said...

that is so funny that the lamp has a friend now!!

Being Robinson said...

well... the lamp isn't lonely. so that's a plus. good luck with that ;) brilliant on the cookie party, i went to one last week. SO YUMMY!

Kim said...

The lamp post is still there! LOL!

Your tree looks great. And the cookie exchange sounds so fun :)

Elizabeth said...

LOL on that lampost! Your tree is gorgeous. Enjoy your first Christmas together as a married couple!

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

LOL re: the lamppost & santa statue!!! That is hilarious!

Your cookies look delish and your tree is gorgeous!!

Christine said...

I kind of like the lamp and santa :)

Stephanie Anne said...

YUM! I have a cookie swap on Monday at work!

Rena said...

Cookie exchange party sounds like so much fun. Isn't it sad that I've never been to one, and also have never made cutout cookies? I was a deprived child.

kaydi327 said...

Your cookies look so good- thanks for sharing the recipe! Not having to refrigerate the dough is huge.

-Katie @ Legally Fit

Chelsea said...

So festive! Merry Christmas!

Lauren @ Sassy Molassy said...

Those cookies look so festive! I always like he idea of decorating cookies, but I never have much patience for it. :) merry Christmas!