Emma Alter
READ MORE ABOUT:
We have an old friend who originally came from Egypt. He lived in Canada for many years and became a citizen, but then returned to Cairo to care for his ailing father. I don't think he missed the Canadian winters when he went back, but he missed the friends he had made here. My mother baked him a batch of cookies and mailed them to him to give him a little taste of home. The cookies were pretty stale by the time they reached him across the world, but that was totally unimportant to him. He was so moved by the gesture and the care with which she had packed his parcel, that he talked about it for ages.
When my daughter left for her first year at university, she got one of those cookie parcels from her Grandma as well and it made her feel a little less homesick. What a wonderful gift to give your child, away from home for the first time, or relatives who live elsewhere. Imagine being the recipient of a "Cookie of the Month" package. It would make me pretty happy.
There are plenty of benefits to a gift like this. It gets you out of the mall, where there is so much pressure to buy, buy, buy. It removes the stress of spending more money than you should. You don't have to worry about whether it's the right size and colour. You don't have tons of packaging garbage left over after Christmas day. But best of all, baking for others is an act of love, and it reminds your family member that you are thinking of them all year long. Make up a batch of Christmas cookies and design a handmade card and promise eleven different kinds of cookies over the year. These sweet little gingerbread people were baked and decorated by my daughter Emma, as a Christmas gift to her roommates.
Gingerbread People:
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large organic egg
1/2 cup molasses
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and spices.
- Beat butter, sugar and egg on medium speed until well blended. Add molasses, vanilla and lemon zest and beat until well combined.
- Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until well blended and smooth. Divide the dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a cookie sheet.
- Place 1 portion of the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Very lightly sprinkle flour over the surface of the dough and dust the rolling pin. Roll out to a scant 1/4 inch thick. Cut the cookies out using cookie cutters. With a spatula, transfer them to the cookie sheet, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Roll the dough scraps and continue to cut out cookies until all the dough is used.
- Bake until the cookies are barely dark, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the sheet to a rack and let stand until the cookies firm slightly. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool.
If you want to decorate your cookies here is a recipe. Food coloring is not something I normally use, but once a year is maybe okay.
Royal Icing
1 large organic egg white
1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- In a microwave safe bowl, stir together 2/3 cup of sugar with the egg white. Microwave on high until the mixture reaches 160F on an instant read thermometer, 30 to 60 seconds.
- Add the rest of the sugar and beat on high speed until the icing is cool and holds stiff peaks. If the icing is not smooth enough, add more sugar.
- Color, if desired with food colouring. To pipe, use a small pastry bag with a fine tip, or cut off the corner of a sealable plastic bag.
From The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker
Difficulty Level: Easy
Related Posts:
Bake Some Dough Christmas Tree Decorations
Make a Gift Basket for Someone You Love
Go Green: Holidays
-
- {}
