Christmas Cookies And Utah’s Top Pick

It has become a tradition in my family that my sister will bake a couple hundred sugar and gingerbread cookies and invite family and friends over to decorate them as a sweet and fun Christmas activity.

An event that inspires creativity and gives people an opportunity to get together and strengthen the bonds between them, and of course a chance to satisfy your sweet tooth.

A Sweet Holiday Tradition

According to grebesbakery.com the tradition of baked goods for Christmas was created in the middle ages by monasteries that had access to sugar and spices that today are now associated with the holiday season.  Germany even had a word for it:  Weihnachtsplätzchen, a term that refers specifically to cookies and broadly to holiday treats. But it was actually the Dutch that brought Christmas cookies to the new world in the 1600s. And interestingly enough the name of cookie comes from the Dutch word "koeptje" that translates to "little cakes".

A Few Cookie Ideas

There is no limit to the amount of ways to make ore decorate holiday cookies but here are a few to get those creative juices flowing.

Melted Snowman Sugar Cookies:

The recipe calls for sugar cookies, marshmallows, confectioners' sugar, egg whites, and lemon juice.

Carrot Cookies with Orange Icing:

A soft cookie made with mashed carrots and a delicious orange flavored icing.

Mint-Filled Cookies:

A soft chocolate cookies that is filled with a mint flavored cream.

Candy Cane Cookies:

A simple idea of taking half of your sugar cookie recipe and adding food coloring and twisting the two together into a cane shape. And according to evite.com and their list of every states favorite Christmas cookies this is the top pick for residents of Utah.  Another version has bits of crushed up candy canes added to the sugar cookie dough.