A Merry Christmas Wish with Bourbon Iced Cookies

The Traditional Julbord at My Parents

Each year on Christmas Eve, my folks hosted a smorgasbord with all the Scandinavian delights one might desire. Friends and family gathered at #MyOldKYHome for food and drink that lingered late into the night.

But the homeplace in Lexington's Western Historic Suburb was sold earlier this year and change is afoot. The Fiddler still works to muster the word, "Tradition," but things won't be the same. Year after year, the menu of smorgasbord has remained virtually unchanged. Our family never has taken change (particularly in the food arena) very well.

Tradition. And food. A dangerous combination.

But a few years ago, one small change was made to the Christmas Eve cookie lineup: gingerbread.

Maker's Mark Gingerbread Cookies. 

Not boring gingerbread cookies, mind you. At the 2010 World Equestrian Games, my wife picked up a cookie cutter at the Maker's Mark store shaped like a bottle of  Maker's. Her immediate thought was making gingerbread cookies.

And are they great. Sure, gingerbread cookies are, well, not the most exciting cookie in the world. (Unless you find a talking one a la Shrek. "Not my gumdrop buttons!") Find a recipe you like and go with it. But first, go buy the cookie cutter from Maker's online store or make the pilgrimage to Loretto. For the icing, we used:

2 cups powdered sugar

teaspoon Maker's 46

2 tablespoons milk

Red food coloring

Mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk together. Once dry add small amounts of milk and stir until the icing is runny enough to drizzle lightly from a spoon. Now add the food coloring, remember to do this a drop at a time as a little bit can make a dramatic difference.

Oh, the icing... my was it good!

Whatever your tradition, or whether you're changing things around some this year,

Merry Christmas!