KM Photo Studio: Holiday Baking

When I started writing this post, I was just planning to write a quick post with a recipe. As I began to write, my mind went elsewhere and the post is a lot longer than I originally planned. But it is sharing a little piece of my family history and why I love holiday baking so much. :)

One of my favorites parts of the holidays is holiday baking. Ever since I was a little girl, my mom and granny would make the most delicious cookies -and of course I was always there to "help" (eat the batter & cookies). As I grew up, I began to do more and more of the baking and really loved the quality time I had with my granny and mom. It was always an all day affair - we're talking starting by 8am and not finishing until late in the evening. My parents always made cookie trays for all of their friends & family, so we had to make double, triple & sometimes even more batches of each cookie. My mom and granny would bake up a flurry and then we would enjoy the cookies over the next few weeks. When my granny passed away due to cancer in October of 2006, the holidays were obviously very different that year. I was away from home graduating from college & working three jobs - all while planning my quickly approaching wedding. That year was one of the first years I didn't do the Christmas baking and probably one of the reasons why that holiday seemed so "off".

The next spring, I got married and moved to Dallas. I think I may have done one or two cookies that year, but I honestly don't remember. It certainly wasn't the same baking by myself. Fast forward to 2008 when my parents decided to leave the town they lived in the past 25+ years to move to the Dallas area. This opened up the door for my mom and I to continue our holiday tradition of baking all of our yummy treats together since I was living here! Although it is a little different from how it used to be, I love the quality time I get with my mom. Of course things are a little different since Luke is a very active toddler. Instead of both of us doing the baking, it has now turned into me doing all of the mixing while she chases around Luke. This year she was able to at least roll out many of the batches which was a HUGE help! When all was said and done, we made 22 (yes TWENTY TWO) batches of various cookies and my home smelled *wonderful*.

I had great plans to document all of it with my camera, but I am not known for being the neatest cook - so once the flour started flying, I put my gear away. Hah! Before the day began, this is what one small part of my counter looked like:

I wanted to share with you guys my favorite homemade cookie recipe! This recipe was handed down to me by my Granny. If you had the pleasure of knowing her, then you know she didn't mess around when it came to the kitchen. These are SO good (and the recipe makes a ton)!

Crunchie Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup shortening

1 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 egg (for egg free version - substitute 1T white vinegar, 1 tsp baking powder & 1T milk)

1 tsp vanilla

1 T milk

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 cup instant oats

1 cup rice krispies

1 cup coconut

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Cream the sugar, brown sugar, shortening, canola oil, egg, vanilla and milk together. Slowly add in flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar. Mix well. Then add instant oats, rice krispies, coconut and nuts. Roll into balls and flatten on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes until golden. Cool on cooling racks then enjoy!

And here is the finished product!

Don't they look yummy?