Cookie Worship
Marco’s churches share
Christ’s message and a cookie
N
o food conjures up thoughts of the holidays, hearth and home better than
Christmas cookies. Childhood memories of the sweet smell of cookies baking
and time spent with family serve as a reminder of God’s love and most
importantly the birth of His son Jesus. In honor of these traditional festivities,
Marco churches shared a favorite Christmas cookie recipe. But the request came with a
catch; it must include an inspirational message.
The cookies range from pretzel logs dipped in chocolate from a stay-at-home dad,
to a generations-old Norwegian cookie recipe; recipes are listed by denomination.
By Kathleen Tuttle
Photos by Leigh Tahirovic & Lexy Swall
MARCO | 15
Baptist
John Golec, member of the Family Church—Marco
campus makes Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Logs with his
three children; both for the holidays and as special treats
on school early release days. There is no real recipe, so the
family simply melts milk chocolate in the microwave, dips
the pretzel rods in the chocolate and then rolls them in
sprinkles and chopped nuts.
The logs also serve as a mini teaching moment. He
referenced Matthew 7:3 to illustrate his point, and prefers
the way it is written in the New Living Translation: “And
why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you
have a log in your own?”
“Oftentimes we get wrapped up in what others are doing or
thinking or exhibiting and we don’t have a clear understanding
of our own challenges,”said Golec, of the passage’s
underlying message. “I think of that often.”
MARCO | 16
Joey and Jenna Golec
Catholic
Nancy Fine
The San Marco Catholic Church cookies were a
collaborative effort from three members of the
congregation. Hilda Brosky, church liturgist,
shared the message, while Vera Carlucci procured
the candy cane cookie recipe and Nancy Fine
baked.
Brosky knew that she wanted a cookie that
pointed to Jesus, as without Jesus there would be
no Christmas. “The red is for the blood Christ
shed for us,” she wrote in an email. “The white for
His sinlessness and purity. The shape is like the
staff of the Good Shepherd and inverted it is the
letter ‘J’ for the name of Jesus.”
Candy Cane Cookies
¾ cup butter or margarine softened
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup flaked coconut
1 teaspoon red food coloring
Instant flour
Cream butter and sugar; beat in egg, vanilla and
extract. Stir flour with salt and baking powder; stir into
creamed mixture. Divide dough in half. Stir coconut
into one portion; blend food coloring into other
portion. Chill dough for 30 minutes.
Divide each section of dough into 30 balls. Dust
hands with instant flour and roll each ball into 5-inch
rope. For each cane pinch one end of the red and
white rope together; twist ropes together. Pinch ends.
For best results keep half of dough in the refrigerator
while forming the canes.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet; curve to form
cane. Bake 375 degrees about 10 minutes. Makes 30.
MARCO | 17
Church
ofGod
Nanny’s Date Filled Sugar Cookies
Filling:
1 cup dates, cut up
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup hot water
Cook filling while baking cookies. Mix in ingredients
while cooking until thickened. Cool then add
1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 cup chopped nuts.
(Nanny used black walnuts, but Mcculley thinks
English walnuts or pecans would work.)
Daryl Mcculley, wife or New Life
Community Church of God’s Pastor
Thomas Mcculley, submitted her
Nanny’s Date-Filled Sugar Cookies.
“Christmas and cookies just go
together,” explained Mcculley. Her
grandmother, whom she called
Nanny, always made delicious
cookies, but Mcculley’s personal
favorite were the filled cookies.
“They weren’t much to look at mind
you. They were lumpy and the fork
crimping was never perfect, but
ohhhhh sooooo yummy.” Cookie:
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup milk
3 cup flour
3 level teaspoon baking powder
Mix cookie ingredients together; then add a little more
flour and roll out. Make an equal number of circles.
Mound the filling on one circle and place another
circle on top. Crimp around edges with a fork. Preheat
oven to 350 degrees. Bake on greased cookie sheet
until slightly browned on edges. Cool.
MARCO | 18
Daryl Mcculley
Episcopal
Lana Fitzgerald
Holiday Sugar Cookies
Cookie dough
1 cup oil
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon cream of tarter
1 teaspoon soda
Mix oil and butter, add sugars. Beat in eggs and dry
ingredients. Mix well until smooth and fluffy. Roll
dough in balls. (She uses a cookie scoop.) Place
dough on greased cookie sheet. Flatten cookies a bit
with a sugared fork.
Bake in a 350-degree oven for 10-12 minutes; frost
with colored frosting. (Christmas: green with sprinkles;
Valentine’s Day: pink with heart candy; Halloween:
orange with candy pumpkins.)
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church member Lana
Fitzgerald shared her Holiday Sugar Cookies
recipe. “A melt-in-your-mouth, fresh-baked
Christmas cookie is a special gift to share with
family, old friends and new,” explained Fitzgerald
of her recipe. “The arrival of the first plate of
Christmas cookies is a tradition, it’s the beginning
of the Christmas season, and it’s the time to
celebrate the birth of baby Jesus with a little taste
of heaven.”
Fitzgerald shared the following verse from
Hebrews 13:16a “And do not forget to do
good, and to share with others...”
Frosting
1 cup butter
2 lb powdered sugar, approximate
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Food coloring of choice
Beat butter, powdered sugar and milk together until
smooth. Gradually add additional powdered sugar
and milk until light and fluffy and desired consistency.
Add food coloring of choice. Frost cooled cookies and
decorate.
MARCO | 19
Pat Jansem
Lutheran
Marco Lutheran Church member Pat Jansen shared an
authentic Norwegian recipe that has been in her
husband’s family for generations. “This recipe is really
simple,” she said, which her family bakes while singing
Christmas carols.
Jansen’s family says a Norwegian prayer before
eating the cookies, which is recited first in Norwegian
and then in English. Here is the translation:
In the name of Jesus we sit down at the table.
To eat and drink in accordance with thy words.
To God’s honor and to our blessing
Then we shall eat in the name of the
Lord. Amen.
MARCO | 20
Krumkake
3 ounces butter
¼ pound sugar
2 eggs
¼ pound flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream the butter; add the sugar, two eggs,
flour and vanilla. Put a teaspoon of the batter
on a special krumkate iron and allow it to bake
for 30 to 40 seconds and roll it up on a pencil.
A krumkate iron is similar to a waffle iron with
both sides of the cookie baked simultaneously.
Love Cookies
Jean Cholka
Methodist
“Who doesn’t love cookies, right?” wrote Wesley United Methodist
Church member Jean Cholka in an email. “I suspect you will love
these Love Cookies that are a favorite for Christmas or anytime in
our family.” They don’t look like traditional Christmas cookies, but it
wouldn’t be Christmas for her without them. Jean baked with her
grandmother every Saturday and her grandmother taught her a lot
about baking and even more about love.
“I always felt loved unconditionally by my grandma,” she added.
“Christ’s main lesson and message for each of us is about love; His
unending love for each of us — no matter what. Our ability to love
Christ and each other brings us more satisfaction than anything else
on earth.” She shared a favorite Bible verse from the New Living
Translation. “Three things will last forever — faith, hope and
love — and the greatest of these is love. Let love be your
highest goal!” 1 Corinthians 13:13-14:1a
1 cup butter
1cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2-1/2 cups oatmeal
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces milk chocolate chips
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
Cream butter and sugars; add eggs and
vanilla. Mix in flour, salt, baking soda
and baking powder; add oatmeal, nuts,
cranberries and chocolate chips, one
ingredient at a time.
Drop heaping teaspoon dough onto
an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375
degrees for six minutes. MARCO | 21
Bonnie
Seigfried, left,
Elaine Buch,
Jo-Ann Garvin
and Cheryl
Petrich
Presbyterian
Marco Presbyterian Church member Cheryl Petrich shared a
recipe from the church’s cookbook. They are a church favorite
for both its delicious taste and ease of rolling. Women in the
church have baked and decorated hundred’s of the Christmas
Butter Cookies for church events. Members of the Women’s Ministries leadership team
baked and decorated high heel-shaped cookies. They chose
high heels to go with this year’s Women’s Ministries theme. Petrich shared the following verse: Micah 6:8: “He has
showed you what is good. And what does the Lord
require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to
walk humbly with your God.”
“It’s really not the style of the shoe that’s important,” said
Petrich. “It’s the feet that wear them that’s important.”
And what are the lessons of the Christmas cookies? Don’t
get wrapped up in what others are doing. Focus on Jesus and
let your hearts be filled with the Holy Spirit as you do good,
share with others and give thanks for food and fellowship. Let
love be your highest goal as you walk humbly with your God.
MARCO | 22
Bonnie’s Christmas
Butter Cookies
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup margarine
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
Exactly 1/2 cup eggs (about 2 eggs)
3 cups sifted flour
Mix butter, margarine, sugar, salt,
vanilla and eggs together until smooth.
Slowly add the flour. Chill the dough at
least 2 hours or overnight. Roll out on
flour board until 1/8 inch thick. Cut into
desired shapes. Bake 350 degrees for
12-15 minutes on an ungreased cookie
sheet. Do not let the cookies brown.