Adventures in Cookie Making

What started out as a simple desire to make some yummy spritz Christmas cookies the other night turned out to be a, well, interesting experience.

My spritzer broke after I had made TWO cookies. (The recipe's yield was about 120.)

I fought with the thing for a long time, trying to fit the itty bitty teeny tiny spring back in its place. After dropping and re-washing it three times I finally managed to fling it half way across the room and then heard it ricochet off the cabinet, never to be found again.

I was able figure out a rather uncomfortable way to use the spritzer successfully anyway, though because I used it nowhere near as it was designed, it was quite awkward.

It took forever, but it worked well enough for me to finish. Eventually.

Thanks to some fierce determination to have the gifts ready for Friday morning, not to mention some uplifting if not motivating Christmas music on the radio, I plugged through until I had used up all the dough.

The cookies turned out well enough I think, though I don't believe I will ever make the same recipe again. I chose a basic but highly rated butter cookie recipe, thinking that it sounded good. Then I tasted one and remembered that I don't like butter cookies. Thankfully I was making them for gifts anyway, but next year I'm going to ask my mom for her lemon spritz cookie recipe. She used to make them every Christmas, and I miss them. They were good.

Tomorrow or Monday I will make some more breads and some of my coworker's special fudge with cranberries. I still feel like something is missing, but I think it's because I don't really NEED to bake any more. Since we aren't traveling for Christmas this year my list of baked gifts has shortened significantly. Somehow I still feel like I must have more to do in the kitchen.