Cookie Cutter

In which cabin fever brings on an attack of Desperate Housewives

With five inches of snow expected today, I barricaded myself into the kitchen and armed myself with sugar, flour and goodness knows what else to start baking for our Chanukah party on Sunday. Last year we spent ages running around trying to find things we had had in England for the holiday, but this year I have given in and we're doing it American style.
Which is why I have just spent three hours baking holiday cookies and they aren't even decorated yet.
After discovering English baking recipes just don't work in this country, I decided to use a family recipe given to me by Super Neighbor last year. I followed the instructions to the letter (not easy in a foreign language) and mixed up the dough, making sure I left it to chill in the fridge as required.
What I have learnt from this is if the recipe warns you it needs to be chilled, what it actually means is unless you completely freeze it, it will remain gooey and tricky to deal with.
Using more force than an Italian pizza maker, I finally beat it into submission and attacked it with the special star shaped cutter Super Neighbor had kindly given me.
When I say star shaped, on closer look it was slightly off shape - as if a child had drawn it. But I wasn't worried. I was baking cookies, so they would change shape a little as they cooked. They did, but only to grow three times in size.
After pacing back and forth to the oven for far longer than I expected, the cookies began to tan so I took them out to cool.
"Well, I suppose I'd better try a bit," I thought. "Just in case they aren't nice enough to serve."
All I can say is it's lucky they were so tricky to make or I'd have eaten the entire batch and made more. They are absolutely scrummy and I can't wait to share them with friends. But then again, I haven't iced them yet.....