Mainely Martha

While bright cooper kettles and warm woolen mittens are among the list of a few of my favorite things, I would be remiss if I did not include the warmth and scents of the house from the holiday baking that is well underway. As the temperature drops, and the first snow has now fallen, it is feeling even more like Christmas. Plugging along in baking cookies and preparing dough for cookies to be made in the coming weeks, I continue to sample new recipes that I may add to my mix. There are my staples, the cookies I make every year;  the orange clouds, the chocolate marshmallow and Mary’s chocolate caramel treasures…but there is the struggle to choose which others to make and more importantly, which to share. Fortunately, I have my three sons, aka my own personal taste-testers, in-house to give me very direct and un-filtered feedback…which is sometimes given only by way of making a face and walking directly over to the to the garbage. But the true sign of a winner is not simply how quickly the cookies disappear but the battle that ensues over who gets the bowl and spatula.

This year one of my sons has shown an interest in baking with me and while I was pleased and tried to patiently endure the mess he was making while adding flour to the mixer, I quickly realized that it was not the baking itself he was interested in, but it was the first dibs at the finished product…smart boy. And once we completed his two favorite cookies and stored them in the freezer, the enthusiasm for baking ceased. But regardless of his motives or his untidy manner in “helping”, it enhanced the already enjoyable experience for me. And who knows, maybe he will make these cookies one day on his own?!?!? But for now, I will continue to enjoy making my regulars and testing out new ones…and share only the recipes on Mainely Martha that pass  the test of my critics.