Starting Traditions

For Valentines Day, I thought it would be fun to bake cookies with Holden and let him decorate them. He's a sucker for sweets, (as I am) so I couldn't wait to begin the tradition! I think it's important for children to grow up with tradtions. Traditions are comforting, don't you think? I'm a pretty sentimental person, myself, and I can already see that in Holden, even at the age of 2. So far, most of our traditions revolve around holidays, but I'm anxious to start adding more.

Don't they look yummy?!

Here's the recipe for Cutout Sugar Cookies from the 1940-200 Texas Co-op Power 60 Years of Home Cooking cookbook:

3/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup butter

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbl. milk

2 cups unbleached white flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

(It says to also add 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, but I'm not a big fan, so I left it out).

Cream sugar with butter & egg, vanilla & milk until ight and fluffy; add dry ingredients & mix until uniform. Divide dough into thirds and wrap in waxed paper; refrigerate at least an hour, or until nice & firm. With lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough out on a floured countertop & cut with floured cutters. Arrange cookies on a greased baking sheet, allowing at least an inch between cookies all around. At this point cookies can be sprinkled with sugar or other colored sprinkles, or they can bake as plain. Bake at 375 until they are lightly browned around the edges, usually 8 minutes or so. Cool about a minute on cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling racks. When they are cool, they can be decorated with icing and sprinkles. Makes about 2 dozen, depending on size of cutters.

Recipe for icing:

Milk, Powder sugar, & Vanilla. Add food coloring for a pop!