happy valentine's day!

Every year I am touched at the incredibly sweet box of valentine's day cookies that my parents send over. This year my dad baked heart shaped sugar cookies and he and my mom decorated them with all of our names. Needless to say the kids were delighted! When we called to say thank you my mom answered the phone and responded "well, that was your father's idea". Adam and Lauren's husband, Ben, share the sentiment, "I'll never live up to that!" 

aunt persis's cookie

These are one of my very favorite cookies...once they are cool they get sandwiched with raspberry jam and glazed with icing. Our friend Teddy first introduced them to our family in the 1980's and she learned the recipe from her aunt Persis. Now they reappear every year at Christmas when my parents bring their famous cookie platter to our house.

Not just for Christmas, my dad made this plate of them for our family for Valentine's day, last year. When I asked for the recipe I got a handwritten note in perfect script that said the following:

Aunt Persis's Cookies

3/4 lb. butter

3 cups flour

1/2cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves

Mix.

Roll thin and cut into hearts. 

Bake 375.

Put together with raspberry jam.

Frost with powdered sugar and water. 

 

I found both the handwriting and the simplicity of the recipe charming. Lauren and Lila made a batch of the cookies (seen cooling in the photo at the top of this post) this week for a family gathering to celebrate Lila's birthday. Lauren and Dad both agreed that a few notes might be helpful for anyone who wants to make the recipe: 

The butter should be very soft so all the dry ingredients can be incorporated.

Once the dough is made divide it into two disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 45 minutes before rolling.

The cookies take approximately 10 minutes to bake.

christmas cookies

Baking Christmas cookies is a big part of our family's holiday tradition. Every year my parents, and especially my father, make as many batches of cookies as they can during the month of December. They package them up as gifts for friends and always bring a big batch to our house on Christmas day. Everyone has their favorites but the kids especially love decorated cookies.

If we find ourselves with an afternoon after school, or a free day on the weekend, we also like to make a few batches of cookies and decorate them. Unlike at my parents house, when we make cookies they all get eaten so they don't make it onto the cookie platter on Christmas Day.