Hello and Happy Christmas Week!

It’s the week of Christmas, and I hope you’re enjoying this time. I’m secretly wishing for lots of snow, but I don’t think that’s going to happen – at least this week.

There’s something we need to discuss.

Butter. Butter is great, and it’s really great for baking. A few of you asked me why in the world my holiday cookie recipes included shortening. (Read that with a shudder). Well, here’s my best explanation. I don’t know why. The recipes I’ve shared are very old family recipes, the kind that are on tattered note cards with little notes in the margins. They were handed down from my great grand mothers and who knows who made them before that. And maybe when shortening become cool, my grandma swapped it out to be hip. I have found several shortening pamphlets and simple cookbooks in her collection. Who knows? The recipes use shortening. Truth be told, I think it’s a little weird too.

Here’s the thing. For the most part, fat is fat. Different fats have different tastes. Generally, they’re soft at room temp and firm when cool. If you change the fat, you can change the taste. Better? Maybe.

The best fat is the one that tastes the best to you and produces the result you like. Memory has a huge play in what tastes good to us. Would butter taste better if I were eating this cookies for the first time? Probably. For me, these recipes taste great. They evoke memories of learning to make them standing beside my grandma or my mom. I remember like it was yesterday getting to make the batches of cookies all by myself. When I make them now and I critique the outcome, it’s the memories and the taste that combine for the satisfaction of a job well done. I’m sure that one day I’ll try with recipes with butter, and I’m sure they’re taste great. And if you’d like to try them with butter, please do, I promise I won’t be the least bit offended. In the meantime, for these recipes, once a year, it’s shortening.

Now on to the recipe for the week!

I know some of you have made these a tradition for Christmas morning. Thank you! I like to make them in a deep pan and cut them into squares, then use the frosting as a condiment! They’re big & fluffy, and just what Christmas morning should be. You can make the dough the night before and let the rolls rise in the frig (gently cover with plastic wrap). Bring them up to room temperature and bake.