Mmmm...cookies!

Mmmm…Christmas cookies!

It’s a true labor of love, but there’s really nothing better than getting up early, rolling up your sleeves and beginning to bake.

The butter is getting soft, there’s enough flour and vanilla extract in the house. The eggs are in a bowl making their way to room temperature, the recipes are good to go.

And, if you’ve been really good, you already know where you’re going to set up all of your cooling racks.

If you’ve been even better, the baking sheets are out, covered with parchment paper. The second pot of coffee is on, and you’ve got a whole stack of CD’s to listen to.

Have another cup of coffee, put your favorite CD on, and just enjoy making things for your friends and family.

Will you be covered with flour, butter, nuts and other sorts of cookie detritus? Of course you will!

Will you need to power clean your kitchen afterwards? Absolutely!

I truly believe that if the kitchen isn’t entirely trashed, you’re simply not having a good time, but that’s just me.

And, after all of your beautiful holiday cookies have cooled and packed away for the holidays, I suggest three things:

1 – A hot shower, to get all of the cookie dough detritus off of yourself.
2 – A nice bottle of wine, so that you can forget all of that work, and cookie dough detritus.
3 – The number to your favorite Chinese restaurant…you know, the one that actually delivers.

EDIT: Pictures of cookies to come tomorrow...Blogger isn't loving these huge pix files of mine right about now!