Pomanders
Carl's mother never failed to make molasses cookies for Christmas. Her recipe is in "The Larkin Housewives' Cook Book" dated 1923, the year she was married. They are plain brown undecorated cookies but, to her, they were special. That means they are special to Carl as well.
A festive cookie recipe called Pomanders came along much later and immediately became part of the younger Atkins family's Christmas cookie tradition. When Scott married and moved to Atlanta, he didn't always make it home for Christmas. One year, on a whim, his mother packaged up a batch of Pomanders and mailed them along with his other gifts. Feedback arrived that Scott opened the cookies and exclaimed, "NOW, it's Christmas!" Needless to say, he has had Pomanders every Christmas since then. Because they're special to Scott, they are also special to Greg. The two youngest Atkins boys receive a batch of Pomanders every year on December 3, Greg's birthday, for both of them to enjoy till Christmas arrives.
Here for your enjoyment are the recipes for the Atkins Boys' favorite Christmas cookies:
SOFT MOLASSES COOKIES
Cream one and one-half cups brown sugar and one cup lard. Add two eggs and one cup molasses; beat well. Sift together five cups bread flour, one teaspoon soda, one tablespoon ground ginger, one teaspoon salt; add to other ingredients. Now add one cup boiling water very gradually and beat well. Drop by the spoonful onto greased baking sheets and bake in hot oven. Note: Crisco is an adequate substitute for lard.
POMANDERS
1 cup chocolate chips
½ cup sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
¼ cup water
2 ½ cups finely crushed vanilla wafers
1 cup pecans or walnuts, finely chopped
1 tsp. orange extract
Red and green sugar crystals
Melt chocolate chips. Stir in sugar and corn syrup. Blend in water. Combine vanilla wafers and nuts. Add to chocolate chip mixture along with orange extract. Mix well. Form into 1-inch balls. Roll in colored sugars. Makes approximately 4 ½ dozen. These keep for 3 to 4 weeks in a tightly covered container. Add apple or orange slices to the container if cookies begin to dry out.
Merry Christmas from the Atkins Boys! May Santa always bring your favorite cookies.
A festive cookie recipe called Pomanders came along much later and immediately became part of the younger Atkins family's Christmas cookie tradition. When Scott married and moved to Atlanta, he didn't always make it home for Christmas. One year, on a whim, his mother packaged up a batch of Pomanders and mailed them along with his other gifts. Feedback arrived that Scott opened the cookies and exclaimed, "NOW, it's Christmas!" Needless to say, he has had Pomanders every Christmas since then. Because they're special to Scott, they are also special to Greg. The two youngest Atkins boys receive a batch of Pomanders every year on December 3, Greg's birthday, for both of them to enjoy till Christmas arrives.
Here for your enjoyment are the recipes for the Atkins Boys' favorite Christmas cookies:
SOFT MOLASSES COOKIES
Cream one and one-half cups brown sugar and one cup lard. Add two eggs and one cup molasses; beat well. Sift together five cups bread flour, one teaspoon soda, one tablespoon ground ginger, one teaspoon salt; add to other ingredients. Now add one cup boiling water very gradually and beat well. Drop by the spoonful onto greased baking sheets and bake in hot oven. Note: Crisco is an adequate substitute for lard.
POMANDERS
1 cup chocolate chips
½ cup sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
¼ cup water
2 ½ cups finely crushed vanilla wafers
1 cup pecans or walnuts, finely chopped
1 tsp. orange extract
Red and green sugar crystals
Melt chocolate chips. Stir in sugar and corn syrup. Blend in water. Combine vanilla wafers and nuts. Add to chocolate chip mixture along with orange extract. Mix well. Form into 1-inch balls. Roll in colored sugars. Makes approximately 4 ½ dozen. These keep for 3 to 4 weeks in a tightly covered container. Add apple or orange slices to the container if cookies begin to dry out.
Merry Christmas from the Atkins Boys! May Santa always bring your favorite cookies.
