‘Tis the season for baking! One of my favorite traditions during the holidays was baking with my mom and Nani. Every Christmas we would break out the cookie cutters for our sugar cookies and the kitchen was constantly churning out various types of cookies. As a kid in our family, it was imperative that we had these cookies made so that we could leave them out for Santa with his glass of milk. Below are two of our recipes. We always helped a lot with making the sugar cookies, as it was easy for each of us to have our own station where we could roll out a small piece of dough with our miniature rolling pins, and then decorate our own cookies. We have many happy memories making cookies and baking for the holidays at Nani’s house and with our mom in our kitchen. This is a tradition I know will be continued in our family. I hope you enjoy the holiday season, and whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Chanukah, or any other holiday, these cookies are a perfect way to celebrate the season with family and friends.

Rosie Stinson’s Sugar Cookies

This recipe has been quintessential for pretty much every holiday. If there’s a cookie cutter for the season, we made cookies for them. Christmas, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, and Halloween are just some of the holidays that this recipe comes into play. It makes a large recipe and you will use more sugar to roll out the dough. Make sure you have a sturdy rolling pin. It’s a great recipe for baking with kids, as it gives them practice rolling out dough and it’s a lot of fun to decorate the cookies before baking them. 

• 2 cups butter
• 2 cups sugar, plus more for rolling
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 egg yolks
• 5 cups flour

In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and mix. Add the egg yolks and mix after adding each one. Then add the flour, one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Divide the dough in half. Cover one portion and roll out the other on a sugared board. Do no roll out with flour as this will cause them to be dry and crumbly. Roll to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters. Gather all scraps and re-roll on a sugared surface and cut again. Repeat until all portions of the dough are gone. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly golden. Let cool. They can be frosted after baking or sprinkled before baking with colored sprinkles. Watch carefully when baking as the last moment of baking can cause burning if baked too long. The thinner you roll out the dough the crispier the cookies will be.

Nani’s Chocolate Crinkles

This is an easy cookie to make for the holidays or any time. These quickly became one of Brett’s favorite cookies. He made these for his friends when he was in college.

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
• Powdered sugar

In a stand mixer, mix shortening and sugar together. Add the vanilla, eggs, unsweetened chocolate, baking powder, salt, and milk; mix until combined. Add the flour one cup at a time. Chill for 3 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Form into 1-inch balls and roll in powdered sugar. Place on a greased cookie sheet about 2-3 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.