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Even the smallest family members can begin to share in the holiday baking traditions of your family.

I find the best recipes to use with toddlers have no egg, so you don't need to worry about them putting dough in their mouths.

The Candy Cane Cookie Recipe I share below is one that I made as a child, and that my granddaughter first started "helping" with at 7 months old.  Her first Christmas, she pulled little pieces of dough off that we rolled into balls - last year at 19 months, she actually rolled out strips of dough and helped form the cookies.

The other job she had last year was in sorting mini M&Ms by color to use for gingerbread men's buttons.  She actually really enjoyed it - and it is a task that I hate, so it was a win win all around.

Best,

Susan

Candy Cane Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups butter

3/4 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

3 3/4 cups all purpose flour

Red food coloring

Description:

Cream butter and sugar

Add milk and almond extract

Add flour, and beat until smooth

Remove half the dough, wrap and refrigerate

Add a few drops red food coloring to the rest of the dough and mix until color is even. Wrap and refrigerate the red dough

Refrigerate at least 2 hours

Heat oven to 350

Roll a rounded teaspoon of each dugh into a strip 1/4 inch wide and 6 inches long

Lay the strips next to each other on a floured board, and twist around each other.

Curve the top of each twisted into a hook, so the cookie has the shape of a candy cane.

Repeat until all dough is used

Bake 10-12 minutes on a lightly greased baking sheet

Save 20% on our on Blunt Edge Dough Scraper this week - it has the same measurement markings as our traditional bench knife, but does not have a beveled edge, so is safer to use around little hands.  Save 20% with code BLUNTBKNF through December 19.

1. Emily from Oregon shares, "Every Christmas, my children and I bake gingerbread cookies. We have a tradition of decorating them with colorful icings and candies. My youngest always tries to sneak in extra candies while my oldest loves drawing intricate designs with icing. It's a messy but joyful affair, and our kitchen becomes a canvas of creativity and laughter."

2. David from Texas recalls, "My fondest holiday memory is making tamales with my daughter. We would spend hours in the kitchen, her tiny hands trying to spread masa on the corn husks. She was more interested in playing with the dough than making tamales, but those moments of pure joy and togetherness are unforgettable."

3. Sara from New York reminisces, "Hanukkah was always special in our house. I remember my son, barely four, standing on a stool beside me, his eyes wide with excitement as we made latkes. He loved grating the potatoes, even though they were almost as big as him! We'd laugh, fry, and enjoy these golden treats together. Those simple moments of connection mean the world to me."

4. Mark from Florida tells us, "Baking fruitcake with my twin daughters is a holiday ritual I cherish. They would compete to see who could stir the thick batter the fastest. It was a playful yet tender moment, watching them learn the family recipe passed down through generations. Their giggles still echo in my mind every holiday season."

WOULD YOU LIKE A COOKIE TURNTABLE?

Our December newsletters will focus on (SURPRISE!) the holidays.  We'd love to feature some of YOUR holiday food memories. How did your family celebrate Christmas Eve?  Do you make the same breakfast with your kids on Christmas morning? Is there a secret family recipe for latkes you make every Hannukah? Please let us know!  You can send your contributions to support@cestarikitchen.com with the subject "Newsletter-Traditions."  Every subscriber whose contribution we use will receive our mini turntable as our thank you gift.
 

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