Festive sweets? I love sweets any time!

At about age nine, I became interested in cooking and baking. More specifically, I wanted to make candy; and bake cookies!

There was the sugar cookie recipe my mother had always used. I remember helping to make those cookies long before I was old enough to try my own hand in the kitchen. I tried making ginger snaps; pinwheel cookies; and more.

It’s many years since I’ve been able to bake cookies; but I think I remember the sugar cookie recipe. It goes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (Fahrenheit)

Cream 1 cup sugar with 1/2 cup shortening. Add two eggs; mix well. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract. Set aside.

Sift together 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt (reduce or omit salt if desired).

Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition.

On floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Put them on greased cookie sheets, about 1/2 inch apart.

Bake 12-15 minutes, or until light golden brown. Loosen the cookies from the sheet as soon as they\’re baked. Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting them.

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When I was about 13 or 14, I learned this frosting recipe:

1 lb powdered (i.e. confectioner’s) sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup evaporated milk (regular milk is OK if you don’t have this)
Flavoring(s) (vanilla, butter flavoring, etc.) as desired; about 3/4 tsp total

Put all ingredients in a bowl large enough to allow the beaters of an electric mixer to operate. Mix well. Add colorings, if desired.

This frosting is great on cookies and cakes. Enjoy your festive sweets; at holiday time, or any time!