The Christmas season is a time for celebration and for family, and so, this month, my wing of the Keller family would like to share a few of our favorite sweet treats with you. One of Ingrid’s favorite cookies is GRANDMA’S SUGAR & SPICE COOKIES, which is on page 65 in our Family Cookbook. I understand from James Keller that when he was young, Marie Keller’s cookie jar was always filled with these cookies. This is the perfect cookie any time, but especially at Christmas!
One of our go-to Christmas cookies every year is EASY MACROONS, a contribution and favorite of Heather’s. You can find the recipe on page 64. If you like coconut and don’t want the richness of the chewy version, you have to try this cookie! Ingrid, Heather, and Peter used to help me make these when they were little…very easy and very fun… and they are still a favorite now that they have children of their own!
From Peter comes the very delicious SPRITZ cookie! This is such a great cookie, both to make and to eat! The almond extract is the star! Most Spritz presses come with various-shaped discs, such as stars and trees. You can color your dough first and make your Spritz cookies all the same color, or you can decorate them afterward with colored sugar and frosting…you are only limited by your imagination! This is such a perfect cookie when you have children helping you. The recipe is on page 67. 🤗
No Christmas cookie platter is complete without Larry’s favorite BOURBON BALLS! This recipe, which you will find on page 62, comes from his mom. Bourbon Balls were a tradition at their home at Christmastime, and it is there where I tasted my very first Bourbon Ball. Bad influence, those Kellers! 😄 If you find that bourbon is too strong or the flavor is not to your liking, you can use rum instead. The rum version is just as delicious and a bit gentler. If you prefer the non-alcoholic rum ball, rum extract will give you the flavor without the extra kick.
Last but not least, I urge you to try one of my absolutely favorite cookies, SURPRISE PACKAGE COOKIES! This recipe is on page 68. The image below has a chocolate squiggle on the top. I didn’t include that in my recipe, but you might want to decorate your cookie this way for a little extra pizzazz. This cookie takes a little bit of time, since you’re going to chill the dough before you assemble and bake it, but oh, the yumminess of the melted chocolate mint inside is so worth it! This Christmas, I’ll be making Surprise Package Cookies for both my neighbors in a cookie exchange and for my family, and I can hardly wait! There’s a short description in the Family Cookbook about how I came across this recipe. This was my favorite cookie of all the cookies the Girl Scout parents brought to our meetings. I never thought to ask my mother if she had the recipe… it turned out she didn’t…and I never even knew the cookie’s name. So, many years later, when I was on the hunt for this recipe, it took not only a lot of research of my own, going through pictures and cookie recipes in my cookbooks and online, but it also took reaching out to my friends. That’s when I finally hit the jackpot! A friend from Oregon – a fellow Sourdough Bread baker – happened to find the recipe on a retro-cookies site and sent it to me. What a thrill! If you like chocolate and mint (that’s you, Kathleen), this is definitely your cookie for the holidays!
Larry, Ingrid, Heather, Peter, and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. May this New Year bring comfort and healing to both our spirits and our hearts. Love to you all, Kari 🎄
GOD JUL!
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