Christmas Cookies

December in the United States is often referred to as the Holiday Season or Christmas Season.  Activities, parties and other celebrations happen all month long and not just on Christmas Day which is December 25.  One of the traditions of the season is to bake cookies and share them with friends and family.  

I attended a special dinner event last Monday night so my mother-in-law (my husband's mother) and I made Christmas cookies to take with us.  By the way, Christmas cookies aren't one type of cookie.  It's really a term used to describe all cookies baked and served this time of year.  Some like gingerbread cookies and sugar cookies are made mostly around Christmas and some like the ones above are decorated with colored sugars and candies and others like chocolate chip cookies are baked all year round.  We used Christmas colors of green and red to decorate these.  (The chocolate stars are store bought from Trader Joes.)

In this picture I'm making the cookies using a cookie press.  A cookie press is that funny silver tube I'm holding in my hands.   It has a plate with a design cut out of it on one end and the cookie dough is placed inside the tube.  At the other end is a handle.  When I twist the handle it pushes the cookie dough out the other end.  It pass through the decorative part and on to the cookie sheet.  This gives the cookie a unique shape.  The plates can be changed to make different shapes.

This cookie press is very old.  It is made out of metal and you have to turn the crank by hand.  They make newer models that are plastic and battery operated.  

Americans will often exchange cookies with their friends this time of year.  If you are invited to someone's house for the holidays bringing a special food or holiday treat from your own culture is a nice gift.