make your own magic: christmas cookies in hankiland

because the year has been anything but average in so many ways, this holiday season we are making sure to fit in all of our favourite traditions that make the season special and create a sense of normalcy for the kids. from our annual tree hunt to decorating gingerbread houses to baking all of our favourite treats, we’re fitting in as many much-loved activities as we can to highlight the best bits of the holidays and make things feel as festive as possible.

it really isn’t a holiday in hankiland if we aren’t making cookies, so we partnered with save on foods this month and were able to squeeze in some baking and decorating after school to add in some extra cheer at the end of a long week. while the sun may have left us halfway through, the magic sure didn’t.

EASY ROLLED SHORTBREAD COOKIES.

1 cup softened western family salted butter
2 cups flour
3/4 cups powdered sugar

• mix all ingredients in stand mixer until dough forms a ball.
• roll out to 1/3 inch thickness (hot tip: we use icing sugar instead of flour on our table and rolling pin!) and cut out using your favourite cutters.
• bake at 325 on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes.

THE BEST BUTTERCREAM EVER

1 cup western family salted butter
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4-5 tbsp heavy cream

• cream 1 cup butter until fluffy.
• add in icing sugar, 1 cup at a time, until fully combined.
• add in vanilla extract and pour in cream, starting with 4 tbsp and adding more until desired consistency is reached;
• use food colouring to create your favourite colours and have fun decorating! (we use piping bags when we have them but have settled for popsicle sticks or butter knives when we don’t!) 

baking with kids is never about perfection, but about having fun and enjoying time together, and celebrating the beautiful messes that ensue. this year we’ll be looking at the holidays much the same — things may not be perfect but as per our 12 days of magic list, you better believe we’ll be doing everything we can to make the most of these messy, beautiful days.

happy baking.