The Nellie tradition is to bake my Christmas presents for friends, from giant decorated gingerbread men in high school, to chocolate-peanut butter whoopie pies last year. This year, despite submersion in baby prep and the notorious pregnancy brain, I managed to decide upon and make time to bake a Reid family holiday favorite: Swedish heirlooms, aka "moon cookies," which we shaped and rolled in powdered sugar as kids and left out for Santa on the hearth Christmas Eve.Our neighbors were the chief recipients of these goodies, which required two batches one after the other and wore me out more than usual. (However, as you can see, I managed to keep up my stamina by consuming large amounts of cookie dough. And of course I couldn't eat in front of Peanut without including her in the splurge.) The courtyard in our condo complex breaks off into 13 red and blue doors behind which we and our neighbors reside, so that meant 12 bags of cookies. When I thought there might not be enough for our friends too, I thought "our friends deserve them more than our neighbors," many of whom were friendly wh
en we first moved in but we see them rarely, and some of whom, like the lady above us, we haven't even seen or met in the five months we've lived here. But then I realized that Christmas is about giving to the least deserving, as Jesus did for us, and this was our "service project" for the year (a family Christmas tradition I am trying to start). As it ended up, there were enough for friends as well.In taking our goodies around, Steve and I had varied experiences, from many not-homers, or those who were home but did not come to the door, to a few hasty thank you's (granted, it was a very cold night) and one chatty couple who expressed true appreciation. However, a couple of neighbors have reciprocated with baked goods of their own (always welcome!) and increased warmth. Furthermore, just last week I got some quality time with the two elderly sets of neighbors near us and was truly blessed by their hospitality, stories, and good humor.
Yes, I will divulge this recipe, as I'm sure you were hoping. The melt-in-your-mouthers are also known as Mexican wedding cookies and something else I can't remember, said the girls in my Bible study.
Swedish Heirlooms
cream together:
1 c. butter
1 c. confectioners sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
add:
1/2 c. ground almonds (or pecans)
2 c. flour
1 tsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix, then shape into crescents. When shaping, roll thin and small so they don't get too big while baking. Bake on ungreased sheet, 12-15 minutes at 375 degrees. When almost cool, roll in additional confectioners sugar. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.
