Lucy's kitchen is buzzing with excitement as each family member adds their special little touch of Christmas to the cookies hot from the oven. Pictured from left to right are granddaughter, Charlotte (2-1/2 years) who is the official taster, Lucy and her daughter, Linda holding Audrey (6 months) who can't wait to join in the fun!
"Our annual Christmas cookie bake is the centerpiece of family memories," says Lucy Drury of Wildwood, Missouri. "Cooking has always been the primary bonding activity in my family. It started with my mother, who was a very traditional cook. Every Christmas she would bake chocolate chip cookies and her mother's cutout Christmas cookies.
"In 1984, when my parents moved from our family home in St. Louis, my younger sister Robbie, then in graduate school, bemoaned the fact that we wouldn't have the family Christmas cookie bake. I said that was nonsense and invited her to my house to bake cookies.
"That was 27 years ago. My daughter Linda was 3 and my son Ted was 2 months. Just like at my mom's, we baked chocolate chip cookies and Grandma Morgan's Christmas Cookies—the cutouts that Mom always let us help decorate as kids.
"We also made Cutout Cognac Cookies which called for piped icing decoration. They were beautiful and really good, but fragile. We added a thumbprint cookie that's been part of our standard offerings since. Kids love using their thumbs to make a depression in the middle for the cherries or nuts.
"We try to add one new cookie each year, but there are about five kinds that are a must. Our chocolate chip cookies are even more awesome when I add hickory nuts from the trees on our property. They only produce nuts every other year and I have to fight the squirrels and deer, but when I get a good crop they are really worth it.
"For the most part, it's been my sister Robbie, her 13-year-old twin daughters Paige and Morgan, my daughter Linda and me baking the cookies. My 2-1/2-year-old granddaughter Charlotte will be 'helping' this year, too. We bake all day and then divvy up the 25-35 dozen cookies.
According to Lucy, "This is a cutout variation of the Greek cookie Kourabiedes." The dough is delicate and can be difficult to work with but the rich buttery flavor is worth it.
According to Lucy, "This is a cutout variation of the Greek cookie Kourabiedes." The dough is delicate and can be difficult to work with but the rich buttery flavor is worth it.
Cream together the butter and powdered sugar until fluffy. Spend at least 5 minutes doing this on medium speed. Add the VANILLA and cognac and mix well. Slowly beat in the flour. Divide the dough into 3-4 discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, until the dough is easy to handle.
Preheat oven to 350°. Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness on a surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Leave the dough you aren't working with in the fridge as the dough softens quickly. Cut with your favorite cookie cutters and place on cookie sheets. Bake at 350° for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the pan very carefully as they have a tendency to break; let cool completely. Decorate with icing as desired or dust with powdered sugar. The cookies will be a bit fragile, so handle with care.
Nutritional Information: Servings 24;
Serving Size 2 cookies (48g); Calories 240; Calories from fat 140; Total fat 16g; Cholesterol 40mg; Sodium 110mg; Carbohydrate 22g; Dietary Fiber <1g.
