A Taste of Love
By: Gretchen Yakaitis
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My Story
Growing up, my Grandma was a very influential person in my life. My Mom was very close to her, so as a kid, my brother and I would spend a lot of time at her house on weekends or after school. Anyone who had the pleasure of meeting my Grandma would agree that she was a very memorable person. Grandma Jinx had a lot of opinions that she did not mind voicing. If she liked you, she would not hesitate to explain her take on anything from politics to what type of fertilizer or cleaning product is the best. With these opinions also came her stubborn traditions. Even when chemo was kicking my Grandma's butt, she didn't let anything stop her from following through on the traditions that, for her, made life worth living. My Grandma's Christmas cookies were her biggest project each year. She would use the old tattered gingerbread cookie recipe from my Grandfather's mom. This may sound like a typical Christmas festivity, but nothing about the way my Grandma stressed over these cookies was normal. This cookie project took days from making to dough, backing and decorating. My Grandma would make enough cookies to feed a village and then take it upon herself to supply anyone she liked with weeks' worth of cookies. When my Grandma passed away a few years ago, my family decided that we would not let this laborious tradition die with her. So now it is up to my Mom and I to continue baking each advent season and pass down the recipe to the next generation.
Me and my brother with our Grandparents @ Round Hill Country Club (photo credit: mom)
My mom with my Grandma @ The Yacht Club (photo credit: dad)
The History of Christmas Cookies
Christmas cookies are not a new delicacy. Since the beginning of time, humans have prepared various foods before the winter solstice to sustain them for the upcoming months. Because the winter months were such a big deal for people during the Middle Ages, the winter solstice was often celebrated. Traditionally, humans have resorted to food to celebrate special occasions. Cookies were the perfect treat to have on hand because they would keep well through the winter season. When Christianity began to gain popularity in Europe, Christmas replaced the winter solstice celebrations, but the tradition of cookies and large feasts stuck. During the European Christian uprising, aromatic spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger were prevalent because not every family could afford sugars to flavor their cookies. That is why the traditional Christmas treats we enjoy today have such intense flavors. Another reason cookies have gained so much popularity over Christmas is that it is a time of giving, and cookies are the easiest dessert to transport.
Gingerbread cookies (photo credit: https://www.loveandlemons.com/gingerbread-cookies-recipe/)
The History of Gingerbread Cookies
The history of gingerbread cookies is very interesting because it includes the popular children's story of the gingerbread man. The story of the gingerbread man takes place long ago in the cottage of a lady who couldn't have a child. She baked up a gingerbread man because that was the closest thing she could have to a son. The gingerbread man came to life when she took her creation out of the oven. He went off into the wilderness, where he had to run from farm animals and workers and ultimately he was eaten by a fox. This story's popularity grew and taught kids worldwide to be careful who they trust. No one worried more about us than my Grandma. The first signs of gingerbread cookies have been found in pharaohs' tombs in Egypt, dating as far back as 1500 B.C. From Egypt, the combination of ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon in cookies spread through relocation and expansion diffusion throughout the world. Popularity peaked when Queen Elizabeth made them for her guests during Christmas. She, too, liked the idea of shaping the cookies into little men and decorating them with icing and sprinkles.
Variety of Christmas cookies (photo credit: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/75-christmas-cookies/)
Gingerbread cookies recipe (photo credit: me via Canva)
Attention to Detail
My Grandma stressed the importance of chilling the dough as this helped the cookie maintain it’s sharp edges in the oven. In researching for this project, I learned when dough is refrigerated, the flavors become more prominent and robust. The perfect time to let your cookies chill is 24 to 72 hours. If you let them chill for much longer, the dough may become dehydrated, and the cookies might dry. Depending on how long you leave them in the refrigerator, you can customize how thick and chewy your cookies turn out. You should chill gingerbread cookie dough and any other dough recipe you want to enhance. The King Arthur baking company did an experiment, and they made chocolate chip cookie dough and split it into two groups; one was chilled for thirty minutes before baking, and the other was not. The chilled cookies ended up being significantly better looking and tasting. There were diminishing returns when chilled any longer than 30 minutes in this experiment. The cookie flavor improves from chilling because the dough is dried out, which makes the flavor more concentrated. In addition, as Grandma knew, the fats have more time to solidify so the cookie spreads slowly and holds its shape.
My Grandmas celebration of life invitation (photo credit: mom via Google Docs)
Me and my Grandma at my house (photo credit: mom)
My Grandparents, my brother and I after dance class (photo credit: mom)
The gingerbread cookies (photo credit: me)
Value of Tradition
The definition of a gingerbread cookie is vague because it pertains to any cookie with spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, or ginger. So even though my Grandma omitted the cardamon, it is very traditional and similar to the most famous gingerbread cookie recipes. Using a wide variety of shapes and adding buttercream frosting added in the festivity and sweetness of these treats. For most, these cookies are rather firm and not sweet enough but for me and my family, they taste like love and childhood.
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