Snickerdoodles with Whole Wheat

Just looking at this photo makes me want to brew up a cup of tea and raid the now-frozen stash of cookies. If I didn't freeze them, there would be nothing left to give away!

It isn’t the holidays around the Homestead if there aren’t Snickerdoodles to be had. This year, I decided to play around with the recipe to include some whole wheat flour. We can all pretend together that this makes the cookies better for you, but really they’re still just a fun-filled festival of sugar, butter, and cinnamon with some flour there to give it shape.

Snickerdoodles with Whole Wheat
Makes 5 dozen or so

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbs ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

1. Heat oven to 400. Line cookie sheets with silicone mats, if using. Do not grease.
2. Mix 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, then set aside.
3. Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, butter, and shortening and blend until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition.
4. In another bowl, combine flours, cream of tartar, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add to butter mixture and mix until well combined.
5. Roll dough into 1″ or so balls, then roll in sugar and cinnamon mixture. Place on cookie sheet 2″ apart and bake 10 minutes or so, just until set in the center.

Oh Christmas Tree!

Thing 1 and Thing 2 pose in Santa's sleigh at our favorite tree farm.

Today we went out to our local tree farm and cut our Christmas tree. Every year we head out to this special spot to cut a fresh treeg from a responsible grower, and in a few weeks the town will haul it away to be composted. I can’t tell you how happy I am to learn that this is most likely the “greenest” way to get a tree, because I just could never be happy with an artificial tree. It isn’t the holidays until the house smells like fresh evergreen!

My family has been getting their trees from the same grower since I was three years old. The farm is located within shouting distance of my parent’s first house, and when I was younger we used to walk our dog through the trees all year round. We called it The Bunny Trail after the numerous rabbits little me would spy along the way. I know the farmer and his family well enough now to trust that they are responsible with their business, and I’ve seen year after year how the cut trees are quickly replaced with saplings, so that the tree we bought this year was a baby we stepped past a decade ago.

We get different types of trees year to year, depending on which variety is looking best. The past few years it had been blue spruces, but there were few adults of that type there this year. On the other hand, the Douglas firs were looking better than they have in years, so we cut one of those and have set it up in our living room, waiting to be decorated later tonight.

The relationship we have with the farmer who grows our Christmas tree is just one of the many local business relationships that we’ve worked to build for the Homestead. Having a local source for our Christmas tree, or a local music studio to teach us how to play, or a local grocer who will stock something new just because we asked for it–these community relationships are all a part of our extended home and we don’t take them for granted. Life is just something a little bit less when they aren’t part of it. I learned this about a year ago when our favorite pizza parlor folded overnight. One day we had a source for excellent thin crust Tuscan style pizza and the next day he was gone. Now, pizza may not seem like the foundation of a good eating plan, but this pizza was distinct and was part of our holiday tradition. We always ordered a pie for dinner on the night we were decorating the tree. This year, like last year, the pizza will be missing from our tree dressing night because we have yet to find another pizza parlor to fold into our family. Sure we have pizza, but it’s not Armando’s pizza anymore.

I hope the day never comes when we will have to go somewhere else for our Christmas tree. I don’t think there is another farm anywhere nearby, though I guess you never can tell. Most people in our area have no idea that my secret, special tree farm is right around the corner, and I’m ashamed to admit that I hope they never do learn of it. They have just about all the customers they can handle right now! Anymore, and I wouldn’t be able to get my own tree so easily there.

Compost Bin-December 4, 2009

This month’s link will be holiday themed, much like our lives. Gifts to buy, gifts to make, treats the share…that sort of wonderful stuff.

For this week’s links, I’ve gathered up some of my favorites from Etsy. For those of you not familiar with Etsy, it’s like Ebay for handmade goods. Since I prefer to give handmade and unique gifts, I do a lot of my holiday shopping through this site. These are just a few of the thousands of amazing things you can find on Etsy. But be warned: it is wise to shop early if you want to give these things away. Many of the Etsy vendors are smaller businesses, and they can be a tad slow, so don’t rely on this for last minute shopping. The good news is that many of the vendors tell you right on their front page what date you should order by to be sure to have your item in time.

• Artisan Bread Board by Knotty Knotty. I am a huge sucker for pretty wooden cutting boards, and these guys have my number. This one is great! It features purple heart, which is one of my favorite woods, and is just the right size of slicing up home baked baguettes.
• Peacock Pilsner by marywibis. This vendor has a collection of beautiful handpainted glassware and plates. These pilsners are among my favorites.
• Asian Windy Tree Branch Shirt by Ahpeele. I purchased a hoody for Hubby from these folks last year, and it still looks new though he wears it frequently. They have a lot of gorgeous designs, and this is just one of many I love.
• Black Onyx Intarsia Pendant by bmjewelrydesigns. This vendor had many gorgeous necklaces at good prices.
• Genuine Aspen Leaf and Coin Pearl Necklace by RockAndGold. More pretty jewelry pieces here. I am particularly fond of the real leaf pendants!
• Lips of Faith Beer Bottles Recycled as drinking glasses by nickpaul. This vendor offers many different soda and beer bottles transformed into drink ware.

Brown Sugar Oaties

Today I baked a batch of Brown Sugar Oaties. These tasty bits are Thing 1’s favorite, so I make them every year for the holidays. They feature oatmeal, but without the typical raisins that she hates, and have a decidedly butterscothy flavor.

Brown Sugar Oaties
makes 5-6 dozen

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/4 cup unbleached flour
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup or so powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 350. Prepare cookie sheet with silicon or parchment liner.
2. Cream together butter, shortening, and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat eggs in one at a time, then add vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, and salt. Mix into wet ingredients until well combined. Form dough into 1″ balls and roll in powdered sugar. Be generous…these should look like powdered donut holes.
4. Place on cookie sheet leaving 2″ between balls. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until just barely starting to brown. Cool on sheets for 4-5 minutes before moving to a rack.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Great December Cookie Marathon has officially begun. For the first batch, I whipped up an old favorite. These cookies are a little heartier than those made with regular flour, but the whole wheat adds a slight nuttiness that makes the addition of nuts redundant.

I also like to make these early because they freeze so well. I know when I bring them out in a few weeks, they’ll be just a perfect as they were going into the freezer.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes oodles (4-5 dozen)

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat over to 375.
2. Beat sugars together with butter until light an fluffy. Then add egg, beating until well combined, and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add to butter mixture, stirring well after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, leaving at least 2″ in between, unto ungreased cookie sheets. I always use a silicone liner, but it’s not strictly needed. Bake 8-10 minutes, just until starting to brown on the edges.
5. Let cool for 3-4 minutes before moving from cookie sheet onto a rack.