It Is The Thought That Counts

In our house, our family has a new tradition that Ken and I started about 6 years ago...The Giant Christmas Cookie Tree. Every year we build a cookie tree from a kit that uses different size star shape cut outs. It is always sure to bring laughs, as our tree usually has some sort of disability by the time we are through creating it.

This year, I wanted the kids to be involved, so I took just the top five cookie tree cutters, and let the kids build mini trees. Thinking ahead earlier this week, I stumbled upon a new product Pillsbury has made - ready to cut cookie dough sheets. What a find! WRONG. Word of warning, these sheets are great for cookie cutting, but if you are looking for something that remotely TASTES edible, move on.

Before I realized how inedible the cookies were, I searched on my favorite recipe site for a really good icing. I landed on one with 5 stars and 150+ reviews, plus only 5 ingredients. I should have had a clue when I discovered that my shortening had a large crack running up the tub. How long had I had that in the cupboard?? But I scooped out 1/2 a cup and added it to the mixture. Meanwhile, our cookie sheets had come with a small pack of bright red icing, which I promptly told the kids probably tasted awful, and had loads of preservatives - "Mama was going to make REAL icing". Long story short, if our cookies were remotely digestible, they were completely disgusting after the icing was added. I purchased all of these nice little pretties to decorate with, but nothing stuck on the icing. In desperation, we did try some of the Pillsbury Icing, which to my humor and shame, was better than delicious.

So here are the childrens' cookie trees. They are more like "LOOK-kie" Trees, as that is all the children can do with them now. I imagine they'll look just the same 100 years from now, thanks to the petrified shortening and clay cookie sheets.