Christmas' Cream of the Crop

Christmas is a day away and I have been baking like mad! In the last 24 hours I have made Bailey's Fudge, Spinach and Artichoke dip, Bailey's trifle (do you notice the Bailey's trend here) and drum roll please...

SNICKERDOODLES and SHREDDED WHEAT BREAD

There are two recipes that when mentioned, you automatically think of Mary...

 

Snickerdoodles and Shredded Wheat Bread.

 

First, Snickerdoodles. These have to be one of my favorite cookies ever made by Mary. I can vividly remember making these with her; reading the recipe out of her old Betty Crocker Cookbook! The cover of the cookbook had been used so much, it had flour and dried dough all over it.

Around this time of year, Mary would always have the great nieces and nephews over to make sugar cookies and snickerdoodles for our school parties. We cut out the sugar cookies using angel, Santa, and tree shaped cookie cutters (this was when you could still mention the word Christmas in school without being scolded). After they baked, we painted icing on them and covered them with colored sprinkles. (Sugar Cookie Recipe). When these were finished, we would move onto the Snickerdoodles! Mary would continue to make these year round, but they taste the best this time of year.

I really wanted to make these EXACTLY how Mary made them, so I caved and bought shortening. I know, I know...weight watchers would NOT approve, but it is the holiday season!


Snickerdoodles
(From the Betty Crocker Cookbook)

1 1/2	cups sugar
1/2	cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2	cup shortening
2	eggs
2 3/4	cups Gold Medal® all-purpose or unbleached flour
2	teaspoons cream of tartar
1	teaspoon baking soda
1/4	teaspoon salt
1/4	cup sugar
2	teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 400ºF.
2. Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, the butter, shortening and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
3. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Now onto the shredded wheat bread. Mary was an excellent bread maker and she made shredded wheat bread quite often. Anytime I stayed over Mary's house, I would have toasted shredded wheat bread and imperial margarine for breakfast. The house always smelled liked this bread and it is the one scent that to this day, the minute I smell it I automatically think of Mary and her kitchen. This was her mother's recipe, with whom Mary was very close with so I know that preparing and baking this meant a lot to her.

Shredded Wheat Bread
Recipe from: Mother
Serves: 2 loaves
(written on fruit adorned recipe card)
2 shredded wheat biscuits
3 cups scalded milk or water
Pour over biscuits and let stand until cool
Add:
1 tsp salt
1tbsp shortening
1/2 cup molasses
2 packages yeast
Add about 6 cups of flour. Enough to kneed. Knead for 10 minutes. Put in greased bowl, turn, cover and let rise until double in bulk. Knead and put into two greased pans. Let  rise again until it reached the top of the pan. Bake in 350 oven for 45 minutes. Brush top of loaves with Shortening.

As I venture through this culinary endeavor, my family and I have been provided with many opportunities to reminisce and laugh about Mary, her recipes, and her knack (and sometimes lack there of) for cooking.  This is the first time, however that while reading and typing a recipe out I have been brought to tears. I don't know if it is the memory of Mary, the way that my kitchen smells like her house right now, or thinking about how much I miss her, but despite the tears I am so honored that she has left behind these recipes to remember her by and the hundreds of pictures to laugh over.
A few days after her passing, I came across this photo, which I look at often to remember the love that Mary had for life

To a season filled with laughter, love, cookies and cocktails.

Happy Holidays