Cookie Monsters

The girls are on Christmas break and I have no clue what to do to occupy our time.  We had a few playdates, a birthday party here and there, but I was counting on them having some quality time with my parents.  Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans. So what's a girl to do?

I broke out the cookie press, most certainly assuring my place on the "nice" list this year.

The cookie press promised to make cookie baking a breeze, of course, you can't always believe everything you read.  Last year, I called myself being smart and used some Pillsbury Slice and Bake sugar cookie dough that I squished into the pressing chamber. The results were pretty decent.  This year however, I whipped up some sugar cookie dough on my own. I mashed it into the chamber, affixed my chosen cut out and began squeezing to my hearts content.

The cookie press, when used correctly, makes a *click* noise when enough dough has been dispensed per cookie per place on the cookie sheet.  My press was going,*clickity*clickity*click*click*gimme a break, lady!*  Yeah, not fun.  Still, I managed to get my two trays filled and in the oven.  Then I unscrewed the cookie press and with a kung fu grip that would have made G.I. Joe think twice, I shot the unused dough back into the bowl.  Totally satisfying.  The remaining dough I just scooped up into drop cookies, flattened with my palm and sprinkled with some Christmas sprinkles.  There's no way I'll ever be on Top Chef desserts; my sprinkling technique looks like they were done by a blind person with Parkinson's disease.  Still, the cookies tasted pretty good.

When the cookie press cookies came out of the oven, they looked okay, but they were a bit crispy. More like Christmas crackers than cookies (don't worry, they'll get eaten).  The drop cookies were exactly how you want your sugar cookie to be: kind of round, kind of warm, plenty soft and plenty sugary.

So after the first go-round of cookies, I made some more dough and then I turned Mo and Co loose with the rolling pin, cookie cutters, and sprinkles.

 

 Now you all know that I have a Type A personality. I like a clean kitchen. I can't stand a mess.  I like it when people follow directions.  This Christmas cookie endeavor tested all my reserves.  Thankfully, I could quell my nerves with my aforementioned Christmas crackers! I figured it my mouth was full, there was no way I could shout, "Keep the sprinkles on the cookies, not the floor!" or "Cut out the dough, don't eat it!" or "Stop beating your sister with the rolling pin!"  Ahhh, the holidays.

I did have to intervene in order to explain to Morgan the concept of "sprinkle" since she decide to clothe her cookie cut-outs in red sugar.  "But it's her Christmas dress," she said to me.  Clearly.

The majority of the cookies were way thicker than the recommended 1/4 inch thickness the recipe recommended.  We haven't covered units of measure in preschool or first grade yet, so whatevs.  It was a risk we were willing to take.

When they baked, they puffed up like Lisa Rinna's old lips.

 Despite my hesitation, it turned out to be a great afternoon for me and my girls.   The Christmas tree glowed softly in the living room while we had tea and cookies followed by some serious lazing about on the sofas.  Sometimes, having no plan is the best plan.