Christmas time is here...
Growing up I had a piano teacher that I loved named Sue Lin. She was so unbelievably sweet and let me learn to play piano by playing "Tale as Old as Time." One day, she told my family she was moving back to Korea and could no longer teach me. 5 months later we saw her at the Post Office and she pretended like she didn't know us. Was my piano playing as a 7 year old that brutal? Did she have something against Beauty and the Beast? Next year we hired a strict teacher. She focused way more on fingering, timing, classical pieces than my beloved Sue Lin. The only thing that made my new teacher Yu Chi flinch was when my cat would awkwardly weasel himself out from behind my piano. A grey cloud of dust enveloped his grey fur, making him a complete ghostly blur to poor Yu Chi. The other factor of Yu Chi is that to this day, my mother and I do not know if her first name is Yu, last name Chi, or if her name is Yuchi. We will never know.
One day, at the tail end of November, Yu/Yuchi brought in a book of Christmas songs for me to play on piano. I hated practicing piano, with every being of my body. I don't think I ever actually once practiced. After all, I was supposed to "practice" clarinet at the same time. Why are kids forced to be musical geniuses at a young age. Me, along with every single person on this earth, wishes they listened to their mothers and practiced. To be able to play the piano now would be unbelievable. That just wasn't what I was meant to do. But on that day, she pulled out the sheet music for Christmas Time is Here from Charlie Brown. The two first chords are forever imprinted on my brain. I dare anyone to listen to this song and not feel just a hint of joy. Even if you are a Charlie Brown character in life. Christmas Time is Here.
One day, at the tail end of November, Yu/Yuchi brought in a book of Christmas songs for me to play on piano. I hated practicing piano, with every being of my body. I don't think I ever actually once practiced. After all, I was supposed to "practice" clarinet at the same time. Why are kids forced to be musical geniuses at a young age. Me, along with every single person on this earth, wishes they listened to their mothers and practiced. To be able to play the piano now would be unbelievable. That just wasn't what I was meant to do. But on that day, she pulled out the sheet music for Christmas Time is Here from Charlie Brown. The two first chords are forever imprinted on my brain. I dare anyone to listen to this song and not feel just a hint of joy. Even if you are a Charlie Brown character in life. Christmas Time is Here.
With Christmas time comes Christmas cookies. As a self proclaimed "non-baker" this has become somewhat of a feat for me. Over the years, I have found recipes that work for me. Cookies that don't expand by 75% in the oven, things that don't need nuts, because those are expensive etc. One cookie that I love, and have not recreated, is the beloved Snickerdoodle. Despite its preposterous name, it is a staple for cookie lovers and bakers alike. It is essentially a sugar cookie dipped in cinnamon/sugar, but every recipe requires a hint of one ingredient that I do not have. Cream of Tartar. Now is it pronounced, "cream of tartar" like tartar sauce?" Or "cream of tartar" like...well, hm...what rhymes with this. Maybe "cream of tartar" like guitar, or sitar. There we go. Well, as you guessed it, cream of tartar, is crucial to this cookie to give it its that light and fluffy feel. I thought I could ignore it. However, a Snickerdoodle is not itself without some Cream of Tartar.
.Ingredients:
1 cup butter softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until soft and fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix for an additional minute, until all ingredients are combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda. Add the flour mixture into the butter and mix to combine. Form dough into one inch balls. Combine 3 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll the dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes until golden brown.
1 cup butter softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until soft and fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix for an additional minute, until all ingredients are combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda. Add the flour mixture into the butter and mix to combine. Form dough into one inch balls. Combine 3 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll the dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes until golden brown.
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