Time for Christmas Cookies!

Baking Christmas Cookies is one of my favorite things about the holidays. Ever since I was a little girl, it's been the thing that's made December extra sweet in so many ways. But it's always more fun to have a helper in the kitchen with you. Look at the Keebler elves. Are they ever baking alone? I think not!

My youngest sister used to help me bake cookies, right up until the point where the dough was all blended together. She'd eat some of the raw dough and then disappear, with no interest in finishing the baking or decorating. She just liked the dough.

When my boys were small, they liked to help - they'd even invite friends over to bake cookies! It was messy but a lot of fun. My oldest has a December birthday and had a Gingerbread Man theme party for his fourth birthday (his idea, I swear!) I made ginormous sugar cookies shaped like gingerbread men for the kids to decorate with oodles of candy and frosting... we played pin the giant M&M nose on the giant gingerbread man and threw cookie-shaped bean bags into Cookie Monsters mouth... there were other games, but you get the idea.

He's 14 now, so this year he and his friends are going to play lazer tag instead. *sigh*

My daughter still likes to bake with me, so there's hope. We can play the Christmas carols with the stereo volume turned up to 11 and get out the flour and rolling pin... One of our favorite cookies to make are the Holiday M&M cookies. Dangerous for me because I love M&Ms, but she doesn't like them at all. Go figure. But she does like to decorate cookies with them, so it all works out...

Holiday M&M cookies

2 sticks butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 large package of M&Ms, divided

Cream first four ingredients together. Add eggs, stir until smooth. Add dry ingredients, mix together until well blended. Stir in half of the bag of M&Ms, save the other half of bag in a bowl for decorating. Spoon dough out onto cookie tray in dollops, press at least 4-6 M&Ms in top of each dollop. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.