The Spirit World

It’s the time of the year when our thoughts turn to keeping warm and cozy - and that includes while we are outside enjoying holiday activities. Whether it’s a trip to the mountains to cut a tree, a spin around a frozen pond or skating rink or enjoying traditions in your area, such as the Christmas Ships here in Seattle we are all looking for something to keep us warm during the activity or to warm us up when we come in from the cold.

A drink that can be easily customized is Peppermint Hot Chocolate. For the kids, use just a bit of mint flavoring in your favorite chocolate (whether made from scratch or from a mix), for the adults use a bit of a mint flavored liqueur like Creme de Menthe. If mint is not your thing, think about using a bit of coffee liqueur or Chambord or Loganberry Liqueur. Or perhaps one of the nut liqueurs would suit your fancy. Really your options are unlimited. You can even do something totally different like Ina Garten’s (you may know her as the Barefoot Contessa) Holiday Hot Chocolate, made with white chocolate and flavored with Grand Marnier!

Since the chocolate is a sweet choose a cookie or cookies that are not too sugary. An excellent option is my grandmother’s Star Cookies, made mostly with walnuts. This recipe is fairly easy to put together and makes a huge batch - perfect for all your holiday needs!

Star Cookies

• Beat 3 eggs and 5 cups powdered sugar until very light
• Mix in 1 tsp. cinnamon
• Add by hand (or in the mixer if you have a powerful mixer) 7 cups of finely chopped walnuts. (Make sure they are very finely ground.)

Chill for several hours. Roll 1/4″ thick and cut in star shape.

Place on greased and floured cookie sheet. (Each time.) Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes.

Instead of greasing and flouring the sheet you can use a silpat or permanent parchment lined sheet.