Serving cookies during the holiday season is a great expression of celebration and generosity. During the entire month of December at the Inn at Easton, we bake fresh Christmas cookies every night and place them in the parlor by the fire. You can do the same at home for visiting family and friends.
Another festive idea is to have a cookie decorating party. I did this for my 8-year-old daughter last year with great success. We sent out invitations to her friends, and on the day of the party, we baked plenty of Christmas cookie shapes, but left enough dough so that everyone could roll out a few more cookies on their own. I made stations with small dishes of colored frosting and sprinkles. After decorating the cookies and drinking hot chocolate, each guest was given a decorative box to transport their cookies home.
There are so many cookie recipes; I only picked some of my favorites here. If you find you have more dough than you need, you can store tightly wrapped cookie dough for several days in the refrigerator. This allows fresh cookies to be made daily. Now all you need is a cold glass of milk!
Chocolate Chip and Dried Fruit Cookies
Andrew Evans is the chef/owner of the Inn at Easton.
