Thoron's Favorite Yule Sugar Cookies

So get that star up on the roof,
And bake those cookies, too,
Cause Christmas time is really Yule
And Santa’s Pagan too.

--Larry Morris, circa 2000, Santa Claus Is Pagan, Too.
The song is recorded on Emerald Rose's humorous CD
Rants and Rambles (2004). Check out Emerald Rose's website
www.EmeraldRose.com

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ cup butter (1½ sticks), softened (do not use margarine)
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 1½ cups sugar
• ½ cup favorite brand of store-bought eggnog (more may be needed to get the correct consistency)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Extra flour for rolling dough
• Topping: white sugar or colored sugar or light brown sugar
• Optionally, a sprinkle to ¼ teaspoon of any or all of the following spices: ground cloves, ground nutmeg, ground allspice.

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In large bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Also add any optional spices to the dry ingredients. Actually, we usually add the sugar at this point too.
3. In theory, beat softened butter and sugar in a separate bowl until blended. Supposedly, you should beat until light and fluffy. We usually just add the sugar directly into the dry ingredients.
4. If you haven’t beaten the butter in a separate bowl with the sugar (it's already in the dry ingredients), add the butter and canola oil to the dry ingredients. Set mixer on low.
5. Add in eggnog. Add in vanilla extract.
6. Mix until blended, occasionally scraping the bowl with spatula.
7. In theory, you should now shape the dough into four equal disks. Then you wrap each disk and refrigerate overnight. If you are in a hurry, freeze for two hours until firm enough to roll. We never use this step.
8. If you have omitted the refrigeration of the four equal disks of dough, take your no-stick cookie pan and roll the dough directly onto it, using the extra flour to flour the roller. Use cookie cutters to shape cookies. Wiggle each cookie cutter to separate it from the dough. Cut all cookie shapes into pan which are going to be baked in this round. Peal up excess dough; throw it back in the bowl with the other dough. The cookies will expand as they bake, so leave at least 1/4 inch between each shape.
9. If you haven’t done so already, as you should have been all along, taste raw dough. Don’t worry, you can’t get salmonella--there are no raw eggs in this dough. (By the way, if it needs more spice, mix a sprinkle of spice into the dough in the bowl.)
10. Take white sugar or colored sugar or light brown sugar and sprinkle onto cut shapes. Using your thumb, squash the sugar down into the top of the dough.
11. Put this round of cookies into the oven. They will bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden around the edges.
12. While the first round of cookies are baking, roll another round onto the second cookie sheet. Repeat procedures. Do not let the first round of cookies burn.
13. By now, the first round of cookies may be close to finished or may be past finished and burning. Quick, check the oven and remove if done. Set aside to cool and harden. Remove from pan with a pancake turner when cooled. Repeat process with other rounds until entire batch of cookie dough has been baked or sampled.
14. Store cookies in cookie tin.
15. Clean up kitchen.
16. Makes about 32 large cookies. You may get more, depending on the size of your cookies and how much dough you sample.

Youtube: Santa Claus Is Pagan, Too.

Lyrics for Santa Claus Is Pagan, Too
by Larry Morris of Emerald Rose from Rants and Rambles CD (2004).

Oh, Santa Claus is Pagan, too. Just like all the rest, And if you are a merry witch, He’ll bring you all the best. So get that star up on the roof, And bake those cookies, too, Cause Christmas time is really Yule And Santa’s Pagan too. He’s got that Buddha belly, And his top's the Holly King; You’ve dressed him in that British coat; The caps a Nordic thing. You took the horns right off his head, And stuck them on his deer, But he still flies high like Jupiter With a belly full of beer. Hey, Santa Claus is Pagan too, Just like all the rest, And if you are a merry witch, He’ll bring you all the best. So get that star up on the roof, And bake those cookies, too, Cause Christmas time is really Yule And Santa’s Pagan too. Now history says Christ was likely Not a Capricorn-- But if you want to share our Yule, We don’t care when he’s born. Come celebrate the dawning Of the Sun King’s bright rebirth, And if you practice what you preach We’ll all have Peace on Earth.

Hey, Santa Claus is Pagan too, Just like all the rest, And if you are a merry witch, He’ll bring you all the best. So get that star up on the roof, And bake those cookies, too, Cause Christmas time is really Yule And Santa’s Pagan too. Now, Santa’s way more jolly Than most Christians would require, And if he weren’t so busy He’d be dancing ‘round his fire. Yeah, you can call it Christmas; You’ve got us way outgunned, But just you wait ‘til Beltane-- Then we’ll see who’s havin’ fun!! Hey, Santa Claus is Pagan too, Just like all the rest, And if you are a merry witch, He’ll bring you all the best. So get that star up on the roof, And bake those cookies, too, Cause Christmas time is really Yule And Santa’s Pagan too. Hey, Santa Claus is Pagan too, Just like all the rest, And if you are a merry witch, He’ll bring you all the best. So get that star up on the roof, And bake those cookies, too, Cause Christmas time is really Yule And Santa’s Pagan too.

Practical Celebration Recipes & Preps
Wicca home page