I first want to start my column by admitting that “I am not a baker”. And to be truthful, I am not a very good assistant to my wife, Sue, when it comes to Christmas baking. I think she humors me and lets me think I am an important cog in the process of baking hundreds of holiday goodies. However, until recently when it became important for me to be concerned about how much sweets I consumed, my main duty was to help eat the holiday goodies that didn’t get shared with relatives, neighbors and friends.
Over the years Sue has gradually decreased the amount of holiday treats that she bakes, which is good. That means there is a better chance that there will be less inventory, if you will, that is hanging around after Christmas. I have always said that those leftover Christmas treats talk to you, until you just have to give up and grab a couple to consume. If a couple were the end, it wouldn’t be such a big deal, right? But all those treats are like a choir singing “we’re ready and waiting for you-Hallelujah!” How can you not oblige them?
It doesn’t help that almost everyone does a little holiday baking, or if they don’t bake they can surely go to the local grocery store where a supply of cookies and bars and peanut brittle and chocolate whatevers are waiting on the shelf to ambush you as you walk by. They are a larger choir, and they are singing louder than the sensible choices in the fruit section. I can share that a couple of years ago I was watching as a young lady was removing grapefruits from a bin in the produce area and replacing them with packages of Christmas cookies. She was telling her friend “well maybe we’ll get their (the customer’s) attention now.
I am not throwing up a white flag and saying let’s not fight the battle of eating too many holiday sweets, but I would like to share with you a recipe for one of my favorites during the holiday season. The recipe is pretty simple. They are fun to bake and decorate as a family activity, and best of all they are easy to grab and quickly toss into your mouth without feeling too guilty.
The Recipe for Spritz Cookies
(or sometimes referred to as Cream Cheese Cookies)
1 cup butter
3 oz cream cheese
½ cup sugar
2 cups flour
Vanilla
When you have mixed the dough use a cookie press to form thin shapes on baking sheets
Bake at 375 degrees on lower oven rack for 4 minutes, move to upper rack for 3-4 minutes
Bake until they just start to turn brown
Remove the cookie and place on a cooling rack. Decorate to your heart’s content. Sprinkles of color sugar, frosting, or a simple hard candy work well.
Makes about 6 dozen
If you are trying to bake Spritz cookies for the first time and want to share your success…drop me photo at sentrysales@srt.com. A photo will suffice. Share your extras, if you have any, with your friends and neighbors.
Best Kept Secrets
It gets dark pretty early in December, which gives you plenty of time to drive around Minot and see some of the great Christmas light displays. Of course there is the Sertoma display in Oak Park. But don’t just stop there. Pick out an area and drive around. Not every home has a massive display, but there are certainly many that warrant stopping for a quick look.
Today’s Chuckle
In Hollywood, love at first sight usually only occurs when an actor glimpses his own reflection in a shop window.
