It's a cozy cookie baking day in the farmhouse today!
What's on the menu?
•Peanut Butter Blossoms
•Chocolate Chip
•Christmas M&M
•Sugar
And maybe, if there's time...a pan of cinnamon rolls...but we'll see!
Have you ever wondered where the Christmastime cookie baking tradition came from?
We all do it or buy them, but why?
This tradition actually dates clear back to the late 1700's.
There are two purposes behind baking cookies:
Cookies held much better than cakes or pies did. Naturally, even in our current culture, winter is a season to slow down and take time to visit. (Don't we all have that long list of places to be in December?!). And of course, guests would be welcomed into a cozy, warm home instead of chatting outside at the picnic table out back. To entertain and welcome your company, cookies were a friendly homemade treat that complimented a generous cup of coffee, tea and cocoa. And being that their shelf life was much longer than other indulgent treats that were baked during the holiday season and they could be made in large batches, cookies were the favored choice for any pop in visits that required a hospitable touch.
Second, homemade cookies were a perfect treat to give! Many homemade sweet treats and crafts were given as Christmas gifts years and years ago. It wasn't a common practice to go out and buy all your gifts, rather a home style present was a typical kind to share.
Do you have childhood memories of cookies being served after dinner or supper with something warm to wash it down? How about a memorable cookie jar always filled with the most delicious chocolate chip cookies? My husband frequently mentions a cookie jar from his childhood that always brings a smile to his face. When we were going through photographs before our wedding, we found one from his childhood that had that specific cookie jar in the background- you can imagine the stories it provoked! For me, it was a 9x13 metal container with a slide off lid in my great aunt and uncle's farmhouse. It was kept in the center island in the kitchen- front left hand side, first shelf. If homemade coookies were made, they were inevitably placed in this container. And on the off week, a package of Oreos could be found tucked inside instead. Needless to say, my sister and I frequented that cabinet quite often during our old farmhouse days.
Do you bake cookies during the holiday season? I'd love to know what your favorite kind is to bake! Maybe you have a family recipe you make every year- please tell me about it!
I think cookies are such a heartfelt treat for folks to share with family, friends, coworkers, neighbors - any person that has touched our lives. It's one of my favorite things to give this time of year!
Do you give homemade gifts? Or store bought? I invite you to consider sharing a plate of cookies with one family this year if this isn't a holiday tradition for you. Maybe you're not a baker? That's ok, I promise! The grocery stores have Pillsbury and Toll House cookie dough on sale and quite plentiful this time of year and I promise, homemade cookie dough or from the refrigerated section of the grocery store, your recipient won't mind either way. Throw your own special touch on the packaging or make a homemade, handwritten card and they will be surprised, appreciative and thankful for your generosity and thoughtfulness this time of year! Gift don't have to be fancy and come with a hefty price tag, homemade and from the heart is priceless! After all, a well balanced diet is a cookie in each hand!
Happy Baking my Friends!
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