Old-Fashioned Christmas Cookies

Like the wartime song “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” some holiday classics remind us of a time when the basics were harder to come by. So it was with my grandmother’s Christmas cookies, the recipe for which dates back to about 1900. By the time the Depression was over and people could actually afford to buy the butter and sugar to make cookies, she said, along came the war, and butter and sugar were rationed.

Which may be one reason these cookies are best left to shine as is, with just sprinkles or nothing at all on top. Before it became the fashion to ice Christmas cookies elaborately à la Martha, they were less cakey and ultra thin, so as to showcase the crisp, delicious cookie itself – and how fortunate it is to have access to plain old butter and sugar.

Recipe: Christmas Sugar Cookies (from Emily) c. 1900

4 eggs
½ lb. unsalted butter, softened
2 c. sugar
4 c. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder

Beat eggs and sugar together, then in mix butter with your fingers. Add vanilla, salt and baking powder. Gradually mix in flour. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Roll dough out thinly, cut and bake at 375 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Makes about 275 cookies.