Nutmeg Cookie Logs - Christmas Cookies from Gram's Recipes

My grandmother's Christmas cookies all include multiple steps.  A variety of cookies that are either frosted, filled or rolled in something with lots of chopping and grating thrown in for good measure.  I think that might be why there is a little sticker on the recipe booklet she gave us that tells us to decorate our holiday with happiness. These extra steps are what make these recipes so special.  The Nutmeg Cookie Logs start out with a very simple butter dough fragranced with  nutmeg that is rolled to look like twigs. The baked cookies get a very light coating of frosting and a dusting of nutmeg.

The little recipe book that my grandmother made up for us back in 1989 is carefully tied with red and green yarn.  She wrote on the front "So that Gram's Christmas Cookies will live on Forever!"

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!  Monica

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

Sift and set aside: 3 cups of flour and 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Cream:  1 cup butter and 3/4 cup sugar

Blend in:  one unbeaten egg and 1 tablespoon rum

Add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Shape dough into long rolls like a pencil (scant 1/2" in diameter).  Cut into 3" lengths.  Place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.  Bake 12 - 15 minutes until very light golden brown (the bottoms will brown first so watch them carefully).  Cool thoroughly and spread with the frosting (recipe below).  You can score them with a fork to make them look like they have bark but I just run my knife so that is creates lines.

Frosting:  3 Tablespoons butter softened, 1/2 cup confectionary sugar and 1 Tablespoon Rum.  Put a very light layer of frosting on the top of each cookie and dust with additional nutmeg.