Merry Christmas Amish fiction fans, friends, and family. I hope you have had the most blessed of days celebrating the birth of our Jesus with loved ones close by. Here at Steele Oaks we’re anticipating the children’s arrivals any minute. Warm ham mingled with fresh yeast rolls and sweets have flooded our humble home since yesterday. Its heavenly. I love this time of year. I am so glad you got to join us for our Christmas giveaway today and what better way to kick off a day of good friends, close family, and good food then to offer the first book in our giveaway. An Amish Christmas Bakery, four novellas by famous authors Amy Clipston, Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, and my dear friend, Kelly Irvin. You will be dreaming of pie, sweet sugary rolls, and cookies well into the new year.
If your curious how the Amish celebrate Christmas, you should know that each district has its own set of thoughts on the matter, but in my relationship with a few Old Order Districts, and knowledge gained from dear author friends, I can safely say they celebrate it much as we do, without all the adornments and over abundance, of course. They don’t light up their houses and hang Santa’s everywhere, but they often spruce up their modest homes with pine cones, spruce or pine boughs and I have seen a few walls adorned with children drawings much like my children enjoyed displaying during the holiday when they were younger. Few Amish communities spend the day as a day of reflection, of fasting, and of meditation, thus using the following day, December 26th, or Second Christmas as some communities refer it, to feast, visit with family and friends, and exchange gifts. My local friends with younger children wake up Christmas morning with wide eyed children ready to see what their parents have gotten them.
Sugar Cookies are just as traditional in the Amish home as the English. I am sharing a recipe given to me by an Amish friend.
Please remember to like and leave a comment on this post to be illegible for the drawing. Even if you participate each day, you must do the same to be considered in that days drawing. Again, thank you for stopping by on this day of days and may you have very Merry Christmas.
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Chilling your dough slightly before rolling and cutting works best.
Icing
- 1 and 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon light corn syrup*
- 2 – 2.5 Tablespoons room temperature water
- pinch salt*