It doesn’t matter which holiday, if any, you celebrate this time of year. There is something about the snow, the chill in the air and a warm home to really make you appreciate all that you have and all that you can give to the world.

My mom’s birthday is right around Christmas and every year we spend a day, experimenting with cookie recipes, decorating our houses together and enjoying being with one another.

Sometimes our cookies are delicious while other times, well, not so much. This year was fifty fifty in the cookie success department.

Mom’s Recipe: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (very delicious and perfectly made, obviously this was her recipe and not mine.)

Directions:

Cream ½ cup of shortening, 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. After this, beat in two eggs, two one ounce squares of melted unsweetened chocolate.

Combine 2 cups of all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt. Sift together. Add the mixture alternating with 1/3 cup of milk.

Chill the dough for three hours. When ready make 1 inch round balls, roll in powdered sugar and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degree for fifteen minutes.

These cookies look so festive on a holiday cookie platter!

Sara’s Recipe: Salted Caramel Cookies (very delicious, but made quite the mess! These may not make it on the cookie platter, but my husband will enjoy them.)

Directions:

I used the chocolate chip cookie recipe from the Tollhouse cookie package, but substituted caramel bits for the chocolate chips.

The caramel bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, despite greasing it, and were nearly impossible to remove. Next time I would try a drop cookie with a salted caramel center. The cookies we were able to save were so good, maybe it’s a good thing they didn’t all make it!

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