All Aboard the Cookie Train

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Yes, cookie baking season has begun. We went to Costco for our annual "baking trip." My pantry is overflowing with 50 pounds of flour, 20 pounds of sugar, 6 dozen eggs and 10 pounds of butter. I was a bit overzealous last year, and I am still working my way through the 7 pounds of baking powder we bought last Christmas.

Robby and I have been looking through many of the cookie magazines that pop up in the grocery store this time of year. In addition to our traditional staples, we are going to be experimenting with some new recipes this year. And, of course our holiday baking wouldn't be complete without Robby's gingerbread train.

Anybody who knows me knows that I love to bake. When Robby was born, I was devastated because I was certain I was having a baby girl. I feared that a little boy wouldn't enjoy baking with his Mom. Scott promised that, in the unlikely event that our new baby wouldn't enjoy making cookies, he would bribe Robby. I stopped crying in the delivery room and began to make plans for "boy themed" cookies.

I have been baking with Robby since he was born. I used to wear him on my chest as I whipped up batches of cookies and cakes. He has grown into quite a talented baker. He can now crack an egg better than his Daddy. Okay, that comparison really doesn't give Robby's talents a lot of credence, but trust me, he does a great job!

I have a five gallon plastic tub overflowing with colored sugars, sprinkles and small candy shapes. Robby's face lights up when I bring out the "sugar tub." He scrambles to retrieve his learning tower and begins his chattering of "Opey up Opey up" (open up, open up.)

Robby is methodical when decorating his cookies and it takes him a very long time to complete a cookie sheet. I typically put on a Christmas DVD (lately he has been partial to Thomas the Train Christmas) and let him have fun. Although he is very particular when working with his cookie decorations, he is anything but neat. He doesn't mean to be messy, but he is three, and it goes with the territory.

Typically, I try not to stress about the mess that is being created with the sugar that is landing on the floor instead of on the cookies. Messes are par for the course when baking and can be easily cleaned. My kitchen floor tends to be a little crunchy during the holidays from the sugars and candies that are "decorating" the tiles.

Last holiday season I became stressed out. I often spent an hour cleaning up after baking with Robby. I was trying desperately to keep a "Martha Stewart" image of what a holiday kitchen should look like: a kitchen filled with baked goods and spotless countertops and floor. This year, I vow that things will be different for me. Our kitchen, especially during the holidays, is a place that fosters happiness and fun. Much of the joy comes from crystal sugar. The sugar, by design, tends to land on the counters and floors almost as much as the cookies and some of it may remain there longer than I would like, but so be it. It will be cleaned--eventually.

Robby and I have been making cookies, and we are having fun. So, if you happen to visit my house, please enjoy some cookies. They will be expertly decorated and are guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit. Just please excuse the crunching sounds that you might encounter as you walk through my kitchen. If walking on sugar and candies offends you, try closing your eyes and imagining that you are walking through a field of freshly fallen snow. Only our "snow" is more colorful and slightly stickier.