Christmas Gifts for Students

My first few years of teaching are really a big blur in my memory. I still say that before taking Madilyn Hunter type courses I am pretty sure I did not teach very much. So that means from 1970-1986 I must have been doing a pretty good job of babysitting. And to get the good salary that I did after I started teaching in The Netherlands, I didn't do so badly!

I always "treated" and spoiled my students with sweets. Back in the really early years, I made cookies for them. My last Christmas in Alex, I made spritz cookies for the kids. My mom had a little apparatus for making them, and we iced and decorated the cookies. (I think I also made felt bookworm bookmarks for the students, but that was a disappointment when the kid on the front row ripped his into two pieces before I had even distributed them all. Maybe that is why I hate bookmarks!)

Here is Memaw's recipe for spritz cookies. Wonder if she still has the little spritz press?

Butter Rich Spritz (Memaw's)

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 egg yolks or 1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Sift together flour and salt. Cream butter and sugar. Blend in eggs, almond extract, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients gradually. Mix thoroughly.

Press a small amount of dough through a cookie press onto ungreased cookie sheet, using any design plate to make desired shape.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 6 to 8 minutes.

For Christmas cookies: Add a few drops of red or green food coloring and make wreaths, bells, and Christmas trees.

(We are down to the last two cookie recipes. Get out the molasses for tomorrow's recipes.)