Traditional Christmas Cookies

Each year we've done it -- baked the Christmas cookies and decorated them. Many times I've invited the neighbor boys to come over and do it with us. The cookies are great, but the decorating doesn't turn out like the pictures on the recipes!! That was fine all these years because the kids had a great time.

This year I made gingerbread dough and the cookies look great!! So dark with stunning white icing. Only thing is that the cookies are SO HARD!! It takes a good crush of the teeth to break off a piece to munch on!! As I was cleaning up the decorating stuff this afternoon I had a little conversation with myself about next year's baking, especially after Kelsey announced she preferred to give her friends and teachers chocolate chip cookies instead. Not gonna make the Christmas cut out cookies; it's disappointing. We'll make chocolate chip cookies instead.

The girls and I are suggesting the gingerbread cookies be eaten with tea or coffee so you can dip them. They taste great, by the way. Oh, and after they've had all that decorators icing on them a few hours, they've soften up! I should tell you that the recipe was for gingerbread houses which we are going to make on Sunday. They'll be great for that - and sturdy.