Christmas Cookies.

So much of Christmas has become commercialized -- the hustle and bustle of buying gifts, going to parties, putting up decorations -- we tend to lose sight of giving. The whole reason for Christmas is the gift of grace through the birth of Christ, so I encourage us all to focus more on giving than the above mentioned items.

This year I am giving, but in a different way. I made cookies and ornaments for my neighbors and my team at work, and I bought 30 meals for the homeless for my family. (Maggie, if you read this....HUSH!). I am so excited about that gift. Heavens knows we all have so much crap in our homes -- it's nice to know the gift to my family is providing warm meals on Christmas. I love so much that gift.

So, back to the Christmas cookies. I made a new recipe I found on Pinterest and they are yum. Icing is a recipe I've used for years.

I got the recipe here. But you can also find it below.

Ingredients:

Wet:
1 c. shortening {you can use butter but shortening produces a softer, chewier cookie}
2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. sour cream – I like to use full fat
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
Dry:
5 c. all-purpose flour, plus 1-2 c. of flour for rolling cookies out
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat your oven to 375 and prepare your cookie sheets with a light mist of spray oil.

- Beat your wet ingredients together.
- Sift or whisk your dry ingredients together. Cut and place on the baking sheets.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes…until the top starts to look baked and oh so slightly browned.