Christmas Cookies

Instead of battling crowds and traffic to go shopping on Black Friday, it is our tradition to make cookies. It started when I was a child, and Gran has kept the tradition alive. Caleb has been doing it every year since he was old enough to, and today, Eli got to do it, too. The boys had fun rolling out the sugar cookie dough, cutting out different shapes, and decorating them. Their favorite part was eating them, though.

Step #1 - Roll out the dough

Step #2 - Use cookie cutters to make different shaped cookies

Step #3 - Consult Gran, the expert cookie maker

Step #4 - Smile at Mommy taking pictures of the whole process

Step #5 - Begin decorating the cookies

Step #6 - Meticulously create patterns on the cookies you decorate.

Step #7 - Admire the decorated cookies before cooking them

Step #8 - Eat your yummy handiwork

Chefs in Training

We made homemade banana muffins this morning. We all love muffins and make them at least a few times a week. Today, both boys wanted to help. They took turns putting ingredients in the bowl and stirring. They worked together to put the muffin cups in the tins. It was fun seeing them enjoy baking with me.

Time to Make the Doughnuts

With some help from Caleb, I made some baked doughnuts today. SouleMama recommended the recipe which looked very yummy. We all love sweets around here but have been trying to eat healthier. This looked like a great alternative to traditional doughnuts which are fried and full of artificial ingredients.



I made the dough and rolled it out.


Caleb helped cut them out and coat them with cinnamon sugar.

Both boys helped taste test the doughnuts.


Caleb and I both thought the doughnuts tasted okay but not great. Even though we knew that they would not taste like traditional doughnuts, I think our taste buds still expected them to. Daddy, Eli, and the Riveras, though, said that the doughnuts were good.

If I try to make these again, I will do a few things differently. I don't think the dough rose as much as it was supposed to because we keep our house pretty cold, so I will have to find a warmer place for the yeast to work. I will also make the doughnuts thicker and bigger so that we can cut a hole out of each. Overall, it was a fun experiment in the kitchen.