By Alexis Morgan
I think
for most of us, all it takes is one breath of the rich scent of cloves,
cinnamon, and ginger to put us all in the spirit of the holidays. I know for
certain that if I failed to bake my family's three favorite types of cookies,
I'd never hear the end of it. Our celebration just wouldn't be the same without
cream cheese spritz cookies, no-bake peanut butter and chocolate cookies, and
Russian teacakes. As we eat them, they always evoke memories of Christmases
past even while we build new memories together.
Of those
cookies, it's the cream cheese spritz that means the most to me because my mom
and I used to make them together, starting back when I was a little girl. Every
time I get down my old-fashioned Mirro Cookie Press and start cranking out
those cookies, I think of her.
I think
that's why when it came time to write a novella set during the Christmas
season, I knew immediately that I wanted to center the story around Something's
Brewing, the new coffee shop and bakery in my fictional town of SnowberryCreek.
For
Bridey Roke, the owner of the shop, this will be her first Christmas back in
her hometown. She's been experimenting with new recipes that she hopes to
feature over the holidays. Her attempts to perfect her gingerbread cupcakes and
pumpkin spice lattes perfume the air in her shop. It's no wonder that her
customers tend to linger a little longer at this special time of year. And if
she's especially happy to see a certain handsome man spending a lot of his free
time in her shop, well, that's her secret.
 |
| Coming January 2014 |
I'd love
to hear about what types of pastries and cookies are part of your family's
traditions. You know the kind I mean—the ones where a single taste reminds you
of all the people in your life that you love.
Alexis 
6 comments:
Hi, Alexis!
If I can get "Christmas on Main Street" on my Nook, I'll be downloading it today. I love a good Christmas story. My mom always made her mother's sugar cookie recipe and our Italian neighbors Christmas cookie recipe, Bow knots. My kids (all grown) love Great-Grandma's sugar cookies, Russian tea cakes and peanut butter cookies with a chocolate kiss in the middle! Happy Holidays to you and your family.
Hi Alexis, Thanks for joining us at Romancing The Genres!
What fond memories your post triggered. My mom also had a Mirro Cookie press and I remember how excited she was to get one (she'd had to save to get one). But the cookies she (and eventually) we made!
My Aunt Ruth was the candy maker and my mom the cookie maker. We loved Ruth's homemade rocky road (my dad's favorite which meant we each got 1 piece), her bourbon balls, fudge, peanut brittle, and a few others she rotated each year. The year my brothers and I were old enough to get our own small box was a special one indeed. I'm sure my dad was even more pleased because he didn't have to share with anyone except my mom! Fun memories for this holiday season!!!
The cream cheese spritz were my favorite. I lost my Mirro Cookie Press in a move, but hadn't used if for years. I remember the Christmas Mirro trees and the wreaths. They almost always came out perfectly.
Hi Alexis,
We made butter spritz cookies with a Mirro Press when I was growing up. Cookie baking smells don't take me back as much as candy making smells. My mom and grandma(who lived with us) were candy making fools. Divinity, cinnamon candy, and peanut brittle were Grandma' specialties and Mom made fudge, toffee, and candied walnuts.
I make mini quick breads and carmel corn.
Aaah yes - divinity. My brother's favorite...
And in our family, if you got your own box of your favorite you ransomed each piece extracting whatever favors you could convince the sibling that piece of candy was worth.
Memories can be lots of fun!
I want to thank everyone for stopping by! I love all the memories that stem from favorite recipes and how they make us think of the people who matter in our lives.
Alexis
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