Family Traditions : Holiday Cookie Baking for the Baking-Challenged

Now, I know some of you out there are the wizards of the oven, with a repertoire of 20 perfected recipes you can rattle off by heart. This one's for the rest of us—the burners, the overmixers, the confectioner's sugar is just a fancy word for regular sugar confusers (guilty!), and those who believe cookies are just as good from a tube or a store (totally valid choices).

I've never had a huge desire to bake. To my semi-relief, I was relegated to decoration duty for a couple of years after the "confectioner sugar incident" during our annual baking day with my BFF and her mother-in-law. I have a sister who's an incredible baker, so I’ve never felt the need to learn. Except that, for the last three years, Alex has asked me to bake holiday cookies with him a la “The Sweet Smell of Christmas”. (Remember it from your childhood?! Our favorite holiday book, and truly a timeless treasure!)

The first year our gingerbread cookies were an utter disaster. I mismeasured the butter and put WAY too much in, and then didn’t realize we needed to let it chill before cutting out our gingerbread men (meltdowns ensued). Last year was a success, though, and a much-needed win! This year, Alex requested sugar cookies after tasting our sweet neighbor’s divine creations.

Again, if you are anything like me, this resulted in an equal mix of excitement (my son wants to bake with me!) and dread (all the “easy” recipes I’ve tried in the past have proven to be everything but). But, excitement won over, so off to Pinterest I went. After looking at a few “simple” recipes, and reading oodles of reviews, let me tell you I stuck gold! We made “The Perfect Sugar Cookie” recipe along with “The Best Sugar Cookie” buttercream frosting from Cooking with Karli. I don’t know Karli, but I am forever in her debt! Check out her foolproof and delicious recipes here and here for yourself!

The end result? Not exactly Pinterest-worthy, but who cares when they taste like pure joy! If perfection isn’t on your menu either, just remember it’s all about quality time and enjoying a holiday tradition together. Flour on the nose, giggles in the air, and the scent of holiday magic wafting through the kitchen.

The heart of the holiday season is about making memories, not perfect cookies. So, grab your little ones, your favorite apron, and your water bottle rolling pin (just me?!). Let's make this holiday season a mix of laughter, love, perfectly-imperfect moments, and a sprinkle of deliciousness!