Imagine Christmas in Texas, with decorations throughout the Mansion of the French Legation and stockings hung on the mantel. There is no more special time for families than Christmas, and no more special celebration than Christmas at the French Legation. Here are some ideas to get you in the mood for this special time of year.

Young Texians Special Recipe:
Sugar Cookies

This is a simple recipe in the style of pioneer days. Measuring can be approximate, and mixing is done with your hands. (Rub butter on your hands so the cookie dough will not stick to them.) You can add bits of lemon or peppermint candy, or chocolate chips, or raisins or nuts to make these cookies more festive.

Making the Cookies

Be sure to wash, rinse and dry your hands very well before you start this recipe. You will need a grown-up to help you do things around the stove.

To make a work space, clean off a place on a kitchen table or counter that is the right height for you to work at comfortably. Arrange the things you will need in your work space. Of course a good cook always cleans the work space after the cooking is done.

Basic Cookies

You will need:
1 mixing bowl
1 greased baking sheet
Potholders
Spatula
Clean cloth napkin or towel
All of the ingredients below.

With your hands, mix together in the big bowl:
* 1 stick of soft butter
* 1 cup of sugar
* l egg (uncooked, of course)
* about 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour.
(A little more flour makes the cookies stiffer, like roll-out cookies. A little less flour makes them softer, like drop cookies.)

Mix these things together well in the mixing bowl and put the cookies on the greased baking sheet. You can pat the dough into a sheet and use fancy cookie cutters on it. You can roll the dough into little balls with your hands and mash the balls with a fork to make round cookies. Putting the cookie dough in the refrigerator to cool makes it easier to make fancy shapes. Leave a little space between the cookies when you put them on the cookie sheet.

Have a grown-up help you warm the oven to about 350 degrees. DO NOT TOUCH THE OVEN WITHOUT A GROWN-UP TO HELP.

Bake the cookies in the warm oven for about 10 minutes. They will be done when they are slightly brown at the edges.

When the cookies are done, have a grown-up help you take them out. Both you and the grown-up need to use potholders to protect your hands from the hot baking sheet.

With the grown-up's help, move the warm cookies from the baking sheet to a heatproof surface covered with the clean cloth napkin or towel. Let the cookies rest there until they are cool.

Store the cooled cookies in a tightly covered container.

Welcome History Tour Events News Weddings Membership Gift Shop Resources Youth Visit E-mail Education Endowment