Grandma’s here!!! All four of the grandkids pounced on me before I had a chance to get through the door. I guess they were happy to see me or because they knew it was “cookie time.” My husband and I went up north to New Jersey for our annual Christmas visit and I prepared all the desserts for their annual holiday party.
This was a favorite time for the kids. I have to admit, I loved it too. It was a chance for me to spend quality time with the children while baking together. I had brought all the special aprons for my little chefs to wear. Once they were tied on securely, we would begin our culinary adventure.
First we hauled out all the supplies…bowls, measuring cups, spoons, flour, sugar, eggs, chocolate chips, baking powder, salt, butter, eggs and of course, vanilla. Nothing tastes good without it. Of course, they all had to take a whiff before I could stir it into the cookie dough. We made chocolate chip cookies, cranberry oatmeal, ginger snaps, snowballs, crescents, etc. but their favorite was always the peanut butter balls. These candies needed no baking.
The tough part was getting them chocolate coated and sprinkle them before they dried. We started by taking 5 tablespoons of butter out to soften, added two cups of powdered sugar, one cup of creamy-style peanut butter and ½ cup of raisins. First, we mixed the butter and peanut butter together, and then added the powdered sugar. The kids took turns with the wooden spoon to stir the mixture. Then we added the raisins. Each one took some dough and formed the mixture into small even balls. They then placed them on a tray lined with waxed paper. We put them into the refrigerator to get firm. It only takes twenty minutes or less.
Meanwhile, over a double boiler, I would melt the chocolate chips until they became creamy, stirring it every couple of seconds. After the chocolate cooled, came the good part…for the children anyway. With a teaspoon, they would dunk a ball into the chocolate, lay it into a tiny candy cup wrapper and sprinkle with red, white and green sprinkles. Some of the candies made it that far, but most of them did not. Little eager fingers would “accidentally” get the candies into their open mouths. Luckily, they knew when to stop munching before getting tummy aches.
By the time the candies were all coated and decorated, the kitchen looked like a disaster area. Needless to say, the children were covered with both the chocolate and sprinkles, but having the time of their life. The candies were really festive-looking and made quite a presentation in a big Christmas candy dish. Between their laughter and giggles and the aromas emanating from the oven, I can’t say what I enjoyed more.
We lined some platters with doilies and set up the cookies, adding red and green candy kisses and candy canes around the edges. Tomorrow we would begin baking the pies. Oh what fun it is watching them rolling the dough, covered with flour from head to toe.
But first, it was time to clean up and get some rest before another day of baking, which would begin at the crack of dawn. The children would wake me up with hugs and snuggles to get me ready for another day of mayhem in the kitchen. But before cleaning up, I had to snap this photograph to make memories of Christmas and a love that can never be erased from my heart or my mind.
