cookie cooking

rounds one and two of x-mas cookie baking are complete. those of you who know my family and me know that we don't take christmas cookies lightly. we used to honor the annual christmas cookie WEEKEND, but now that kelly and i are all grown up, things have changed and it's even tough to find a single day where all of our schedules align. this year we had x-mas cookie day, where the little ones have become the head chefs and artistic directors.
aidyn is already a master at the roll and cut:


and so is bella! (check her out in the smock i made her!)


notice that the cookies with sprinkles on them are crushed; that's because aidyn put them on, and bella took them off (and into her mouth).


awesome.



and then last night, i baked up the traditional bats and rats. oh yes, bats and rats. i realized that this is year three that i have been posting my bats and rats on this blog! hole-y! (here is year one and here is year two.)

the decoration of the bats and rats this year is decidedly more cutesy than the previous couple of years.
the bats got all dressed up in hearts and sparkles:


and the rats got hearts for eyes:


hey, wait a minute -- what's that blue-scarfed rat?
it's the hanukkah rat! (by request of my friend jay.)


i also tried hands and hearts -- or loves and gloves, but my royal icing wasn't the right consistency...



there are more cookies to be made.... so, more later.