Christmas Cookies Sprinkled with Joy and Magic!

I understand the pressure to bake a traditional Christmas Cookie…cut out and sprinkled with brightly colored sugars and candies.  But, when I am asked to bring a cookie, often I go with a sure thing sprinkled with joy!

I love to cook more during cooler months
than any other time of 
year.  It just seems right that our home should be
filled with spicy fragrances.  But, actually any season is right for magic
cookies. Yes, I am convinced these are magic cookies.  They have healed so
many wounds…scraped knees, broken hearts, mean girl comments, lost football
games, math tests, fender benders, and just overall bad days.  They also
celebrated victories…went on road trips…appeared at camp grounds…and joined my
children on school retreats.  They bring smiles…they are magic. 
 
 
In
fact, I think they mesmerized my husband into marrying me in the first place
once I began to bake and deliver cookies to his doorstep.  To this day,
there are adult friends of my children who stop by looking for these cookies.
 
I know
there is nothing really magical about a Chocolate Chip Cookie…but I tweaked and
worked with this recipe to get it just right….to bring on the power. 
Maybe the magic comes from the specific shortening details…or the dash of real
vanilla…or the abundance of chips…but wherever it hails from…there is
definitely a warm fuzzy feeling with each bite.
Let’s begin…You will need one stick of real butter, and one stick of PARKAY, softened.  Do not change this!  There
is something in the Parkay which makes a difference in taste and texture.
 I have tried many combinations of shortenings and butter and this is by
far the best one! I am just happy they still sell Parkay!  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Next , mix together in a bowl, 2 1/4 cups of all- purpose flour; one
teaspoon of soda; and one teaspoon of salt! And set aside.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cream the butter combination and add 3/4 cup of
sugar and one cup of packed brown sugar…pack it to the top of the measuring
cup!
Add, 2 eggs (1 egg if you want a thicker cookie) and one
teaspoon of vanilla.
 
 
 
 
Add the flour mixture a little at a time until
mixed well together.  Then add a small, 2 oz. package of chopped pecans
(no nuts is fine)…Texas pecans are the best!  Mix well
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Another important difference…Add 18 ounces of NESTLE Chocolate Chips.  It just is not the
same with another chocolate.. Nestle is the best and make sure it is 18 ounces
of chips!! 
 
 
Stir well, and then….

Watch the refrigerator
carefully…dough seems to disappear easily.  Do not let girlfriends know
it is there!

 
 
 
 
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and spoon cookies on to a cookie
sheet
 
 
Cook for about 10 minutes…we like our Magic
Cookies slightly undercooked and chewy!
 
 
Viola!  They are ready…I quickly prepared
them to go to my daughter’s house…not good to have them around on a diet
 
 
 
If you
think about it, a chocolate chip cookie represents our life….that’s what I’ve
taught my children…
Look
at the individual ingredients which taste awful on their own…
Raw
Egg
Flour
Vanilla
(smells so good, tastes kind of raunchy)
Soda
Salt
Then
mix with individual ingredients which taste wonderful alone…
Chocolate
Chips
Pecans
Sugar
Brown
Sugar
Butter
 
 
Think
of it as mixing the bad days with the good days, baking in some fire, and
coming out with one wonderful life.  We are all one big chocolate chip
cookie!
 
When you mix up a batch, you are sharing smiles, joy…and a little magic on the side!  What Christmas Cookie could be better than that!
 
Happy Baking!
 
 

3 Comments

  1. I just want to jump into those photos of your cookies and eat them all. YUM! I haven't heard Parkay in a long time – wow!

    I used to make tons of Christmas cookies and send them out to people. Haven't done that in a long time. Living in a small townhouse (temporarily) no baking for me this year. Perhaps next, and I'll have to refer to your wonderful post. Merry Christmas, Pam!

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