sharing with santa

December 14, 2012 at 6:00 am · Filed under stories and tagged: AllRecipes, Christmas, December 25, family, Holidays, santa, Santa Claus, Sugar, Sugar cookie

< by Katie of veggieandthebeastfeast.com >

The idea of Santa completely enchanted me as a child. I say the “idea” of him because every picture of me on Santa’s lap shows a screaming child with a face as red as a chili pepper. I felt no need for an actual Santa interaction. In fact, I needed nothing more than to have Santa sneak into my house once a year to give me stuff, and in return he would enjoy the overwhelming spread of cookies. It really was just your standard magical symbiotic relationship.

To keep this relationship strong, I spent every Christmas morning pretending not to be upset about the cookies that disappeared over the previous night. One Christmas Eve, I suggested that we set carrots out for Santa, like we did for the Easter Bunny. After all, he must get tired of the sugar overload from all the other houses in the world. My brother and sister saw my sound logic, but my mother refused to let a lesson on sharing pass her by. My little logical self never won the battle.

Instead of a carrot feast for Santa, my siblings and I helped mom make extras of our favorite sugar cookies so Santa’s hefty sweet tooth wouldn’t interfere with our cookie needs. These cookies are still a staple in our house around the holidays. They’re soft, fun to make, and literally dripping with holiday goodness in the form of frosting and sprinkles. It’s no wonder the big guy can’t resist their charms.

Glazed Vanilla Sugar Cookies

Adapted from AllRecipes.

Makes about 30 cookies, depending on size.

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk (plus more as needed)

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Mix together the butter and sugar until fluffy, then mix in one egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until all ingredients are fully combined.
5. Place the dough on a well-floured surface, and roll out to ¼-inch thickness. Cut out holiday shapes.
6. Bake the cookies for 6-7 minutes on a greased/parchment-lined cookie sheet. Allow to cool completely.
7. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, milk, and ½ teaspoon vanilla. Whisk well. For a thinner glaze, add additional milk ½ tablespoon at a time.
8. Spread the glaze on the cooled cookies, and top with sprinkles.

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