Day One

Today is our first day of  25 Days of Christmas Cookies! We (my mother and I, who is typing this as I speak) have decided to bake our way into the Christmas spirit.  Christmas has turned into a time when people frantically rush around, doing too much and stressing out about all of the things they can't get around to. 25 Days of Christmas Cookies is our way to slow down, relax and get into a more traditional holiday spirit, not the mad anxiety of the rush.

The bakers: Sicily, 11, and Suzannah, old. The idea has been unabashedly stolen from Epicurious; we are planning on adapting a few of the suggested recipes and adding a few of our own.

We are an odd household - part Christmas tree, part menorrah, and all Buddhist. Our main Christmas tradition consists of lounging around in jammies for the better part of the day, noshing on overnight French toast, bacon and fruit salad, playing with our toys until around three, when we all put on shoes and go to a movie, then out for Chinese food. We are secular in most ways, and but we keep a tradition that focuses on being with family.

Although our baker's hearts are willing, our stomachs may be weak. We are a mere three-person household, and some of these recipes bake 80 cookies. We may substitute some cookies for Suzannah's burgeoning candymaking, but our intention is to make something sweet for the next 25 days.

Our first cookie is Almond-Oat Lace Cookies, dipped in chocolate. These might sound fancy, but they are very simple to make and take no time at all.

Our ingredients:

Tasting the batter:

Please note, however, that the recipe calls for dropping 2 teaspoons per cookie onto a cookie sheet. THIS IS A BAD IDEA, unless you want your cookie to look like this:

We broke them into pieces and brushed them with chocolate.

This recipe is absolutely a keeper, but cookie size was problematic. We wouldn't even drop a full teaspoon, as they spread out completely. Half a teaspoon, max, and be generous with your spacing. Definitely use a light-colored pan, and parchment paper is, indeed, your very best friend.

Tomorrow's cookie: Glittering Lemon Sandwich Cookies.  YUM!