Putting Our Best Spoon Forward

Amy is off from school for a couple weeks, and one of the things we enjoy doing together is our Christmas baking.  This year, though, we are finding it to be a bit of a struggle to enjoy ourselves while we do it. 

For starters, Amy is tired.  She has been working so hard in school, and now that Christmas break is here she just wants to rest.  She certainly deserves to.   And me?  I seem to have some sort of Christmas bug, and I’m not feeling good.  To top it off, there isn’t any snow in the forecast, and it looks like we won’t be having a white Christmas this year.  Outside, it’s just very cold and brown.  (Our kitchen barely has heat in it, so we were cold inside as well.  A kitchen redo is definitely on our old house “to do” list.)  Anyway, we thought we’d try to bake at least one kind of cookie.  We chose Russian Teacakes, also known as Snow Balls. Here is the recipe.  And when I say these cookies are good, I mean they are good.

Russian Teacakes

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2  1/4 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Powdered sugar

 

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix butter, the half cup powdered sugar and vanilla.  Mix in flour, salt and nuts until dough holds together.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls, place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet, and bake until set but not brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Roll in powdered sugar while warm.

Makes about 4 dozen

 

I thought I’d take a few pictures of the process.  Can you tell Amy was less than pleased with the idea?

 

There’s no doubt about her feelings on being photographed here.

 

The dough is done.  Can you tell I shouldn’t put food photographer on my resume?

 

Rolling the baked cookies in the powdered sugar. Why is it that sugar always seems to make everything ok?

 

The finished cookies, artfully arranged and professionally photographed. 

We did still manage to have fun, plus we have plenty of time to do more baking-like the sugar cookies I wrote about a few days ago, and my favorite quick and delicious fudge. 

And we’re still hoping for that white Christmas!