Cookie Time

Last night was my annual Holiday cookie exchange. It's quickly become something I really enjoy. Especially since I've been reading the Ann Arbor based The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman. The book is about a group of 12 women who have been getting together and exchanging 13 dozen cookies each for decades. The story details the changes in their relationships and lives throughout all those years. While I'm not sure my exchange will have that sort of staying power (or strict rules) that the book does, I do so enjoy getting everyone together for festive appetizers, drinks and cookie merriment. While I unfortunately don't have many pictures of my guests this year (it's tough to be the hostest with the mostest AND capture all the moments digitally), I DID manage to take a few pictures of our munchie spread and the cookie tables.

Appetizers banquetCookies, CookiesAnd more Cookies!

Santa's little helper (yes, YOU Stephles), came to the rescue as always, and she did manage to capture a few good moments.

Silly ladies love partiesMrs. Claus and her little helper

Now about those cookies. I've been asked by a few of you for the recipe for the molasses cookies I made. So without further ado:

Chewy Molasses-Spice Cookies (modified from Martha Stewart)

2 cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, just softened
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses (I used Brer rabbit mild brand I found @ Hillers)
1/2 cup demerara sugar for sanding

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a shallow bowl, place 1/2 cup demerara sugar (set aside).
2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and white sugar until combined. Beat in egg and then molasses until combined. Reduce speed to low, gradually mix in dry ingredients; just until a dough forms.
3. Pinch off and roll dough into balls, each equal to 1 Tbsp. Roll balls in reserved demerara sugar.
4. Arrange balls on baking sheets lined with a Silpat, about 3 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time until edges of cookies are just firm. 10 to 15 minutes. (Cookies can be baked two sheets at a time, but they will not crackle uniformly). Cool 1 minute on baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Store in airtight container for up to four days.

Mmmmm. I was a major cookie monster, and ate SIX of these babies as they were coming out of the oven (side note; recipe as prepared supposedly makes 36 cookies. I made mine much smaller, and it yield about 54 cookies).
That was the cookie party in a nutshell. Thanks to all my ladies for making the drive out to my house and attending. Your presence at my home during this time of year is all the present I'll ever need. Also, I'd like to give a very hearty hug and thanks to Kristal, who was deathly ill at home with bronchitis, and STILL made her husband bring over a few goodies and her tray of cookies prior to the start of the party. That's dedication! My mother-in-law Patty was also Johnny on the spot, and I don't think I could have pulled off a lot of this party's success without her. Thanks again! So now that the cookie party is behind me, I can finally get around to writing all my holiday cards. Whew!