She spent the last two days making our traditional Thanksgiving cookies. These are a really delicious mildly spiced cookies that have a butter cream icing.
In my recipe book, they are called "Deborah Freeman's Snow cookies" because I first ate them at Deborah's house about 26 years ago. The official name Deborah used was "Mrs. Johnson's Snow Cookies" because the icing is typically white. and Deborah got the recipe from Mrs. Johnson, a little old lady at her church. I wonder what my children will call them in their own recipe book? In conversation we usually just say we are making "snow cookies".
Deborah made hers in the shape of sheep with white fluffy wool icing, in honor of her homestead livestock. I am not sure what shape Mrs. Johnson cut her cookies in. We make them in different shapes for different seasons -
Over the years I realized that you could color the butter cream icing and spread or pipe it onto the cookie. My boys used to put so much icing on their cookies it was hard to tell what shaped we used! As they got older, they did become more judicious in their frosting technique. My daughter, however, has taking the decorating to a new level.
As you can see, people may choose if they want a lot of sweet icing or just a taste on their cookies.
The icing on the pumpkin appears to be smashed from being stacked in the box to transport tomorrow - my bad.
If I were a more industrious blogger I would have taken photos of all the steps in preparation. However, since my kitchen was so messy I decided to skip that altogether and just show you the finished product.
Last night we were in Super Wal-mart looking for acorn and maple leaf cookie cutters and brown icing coloring. I do not recommend going to Wal Mart two days before Thanksgiving. There were about one million shoppers in the store, but no acorns or maple leaves.
The great thing about these cookies is that you can bake them up and freeze them for weeks, taking them out in small batches to decorate. That's what we'll do for Christmas.
Another thing that makes this a great recipe is that you must chill the batter before rolling and cutting. In fact, on the recipe Deborah originally wrote for me it says -- DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SKIP THIS STEP. Apparently Deborah knew me well. What is easier for me, since I can't skip this chilling step, is to make the batter a day or so in advance and freeze it in a wax paper roll. I can then take it out and cut off small batches as you roll, cut and bake.
In year's past I would keep a small batch in the freezer and at the first snow flake falling (a rare event in eastern NC) we'd roll some shaped as snow flakes and make them up. I'm not sure where I read this idea, but it brought a special meaning to the title "snow cookie".
Because my oldest son and his wife are coming today for Thanksgiving, Ginger made a batch of dough last night and baked them up today. She wanted to decorate them with her brothers, so she saved most of them undecorated and tonight both sons and their wives will be here decorating cookies again. The icing is ready and waiting in the fridge. We'll have a contest for the best decorated cookie in each category.
Making these cookies and decorating them are probably the one enduring holiday tradition we have. Our other tradition, as one of my son's once told his Sunday School teacher is:
"We pack all out clothes, have a big fight trying to fit it all in the car and then we drive all. the. way to Grandma's!"
So tomorrow we'll pack the car and drive to both my husband's parents house and my mother's -- two big meals in one day along with tons of family. Hopefully, we'll skip the fight this year. We are blessed!
Here are the only other part of our Thanksgiving tradition worth mentioning --
Its a little amazing that these Pilgrims and turkeys have survived three children for 30 years! This is the scene Ginger made this year.
The first year of our marriage, my husband and I purchased these terracotta pilgrims and turkeys and painted them. There were Indians we wanted as well, but our budget was limited so we thought we'd do the Indians the next year. Naturally, we have never again seen anything remotely like these figures in any craft store -- I've always regretted that decision to save a couple of bucks.
We also painted this turkey, though I always wanted my husband to repaint it more like a Fitz and Floyd turkey. Unfortunately, I accidentally pushed the box this one was packed in off the counter and broke his head. My sweet Ginger painstakingly pieced Humpty Turkey (as we now call him) back together, while I cried in the bathroom.
Here is my fall table -- the pitcher is from my husband's Aunt Mary. She bought it from the "five and dime" store the first year she was married, in the late 30's. She used it for iced tea until the early 80's when she gave it to me. I love this pitcher. My mom made the quilt table runner.
I am thankful for the people and the memories these decorations represent to me. For traditions and most of all for my children!
Blessings to you and yours -- remember to be full of thanks in this season. Enjoy every day you have your little children.
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