The Ahldens have their favorite sugar cookie recipe and they’re stickin’ to it! I knew that Grandma Ahlden would be hurt and confused if I told her I wanted to make sugar cookies, but I didn’t want to use her recipe. To avoid any issues, I decided to modify the other sugar cookie recipe in our family cookbook, and make them into Snickerdoodle cookies. They actually turned out pretty good considering I completely made up the idea on a cinnamon-sugar whim.
Grams and I had a fun day at IWHS’s production of Grease. She wore her pink sweater, which is apparently the only item of clothing she owns. She thought my mom wasn’t with us because she was teaching at school that day. It was Sunday. Grams did remember that Adam and I were both in the school productions when we were in high school. Granted, I only had one line in the entire play, but still I was the star of the show to my Grams!
Grams and I decided to go home and back Snickerdoodles after the play finished. We followed the sugar cookie recipe, and then rolled the dough balls in a cinnamon-sugar mixture. I made the mixture with equal parts cinnamon and sugar using 3 TBS of each. I would suggest adding more sugar than cinnamon to the mix next time. For my preference, the cookies were a bit too cinnamon tasting. I think the cinnamon-sugar level is one that you can modify for your own preference. Overall though, I think it was a good idea. We checked off another recipe and tried making a new kind of cookie.
I generally avoid any “nursing home” discussions with Grams. It is definitely not her favorite subject for discussion. The topic of nursing homes often ends in tears or anger. While we were making Snickerdoodles, she brought up the subject, and I decided to “test the waters” with the touchy subject. She told me about visiting Prairieview recently with her Pastor to give communion to the residents. I casually said that I knew she had went with some of her kids recently to check out some of these homes, in case she would ever want to live there. She told me that they were really nice, and she would go to one when she was ready. She added that she wasn’t one of those “old people” yet! For now, she says she likes living in her own house, and that works since we are close by. According to Grams, she just does not need an old people home yet----Well, I guess that’s one opinion. Let’s just say I have a differing one….
Rebecca’s Christmas Cut-Out Cookies---Naoma Ahlden Recipe
1 ½ cups powdered sugar 2 ½ cups flour
2 sticks butter 1 t. baking soda
1 egg 1 t. cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ t. almond flavoring
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, cream together thoroughly the powdered sugar, butter, egg, vanilla, and almond flavoring.
Add the flour, soda, cream of tartar and mix thoroughly.
Rolls 1 inch dough balls into cinnamon-sugar mixture (4 TBS sugar and 3 TBS cinnamon)
Bake 7-10 minutes.
