This post is sponsored by the American Dairy Association North East
Christmas is full of magical memories for me. As a grown up I’ve realized that all the Christmas magic I felt as a kid was just a mom who loved me so darn much! My mom was the queen of Christmas and the one creating the Christmas magic throughout the season. The smells, the tastes, lights, the everyday moments turned into magical memories. Throughout my childhood the Christmas season was full of special traditions and memories and so many of my simple, joyful holiday moments included nutritious and delicious milk. Hot cocoa after playing in the snow. Baking cookies, upon cookies, upon cookies. Eating those delicious cookies with a glass of milk. And the most magical moment of all – putting out milk and cookies for Santa, and discovering they’d been eaten the next morning!
Now it’s my turn to create the magic and #MakeMilkMoments with my kids, which is why I’ve partnered with the American Dairy Association to share how we #MakeMilkMoments. Read on to find out how you can enter the #MakeMilkMoments sweepstakes for a chance to win $500 and a nostalgic gift basket!
Making Memories Christmas Cookie Tradition
I spent so much time as a kid baking with my mom and I am over the moon that Arabella shares my love of baking! We’ve been whipping up our favorite Christmas cookie recipes leading up to the big day. I’m not sure which part is our favorite; baking, or sitting in front of the fire with a glass of milk to taste them fresh from the oven.
Tips for Stress Free Baking
- Prep ingredients ahead of time. If we’re making cookies that need to be chilled, I like to prepare that dough ahead of time. Then, we make an easier dough together and bake both.
- Prepare for a mess. Take a deep breath and go with the flow. Our baking usually involves clothes covered in flour, or a little extra cinnamon in the mix. It’s all good and will result in lots of laughter and precious memories.
- Find age appropriate tasks. We’re still working on egg cracking. Arabella loves dumping and mixing so I usually measure the ingredients and she adds them to the mix. Anything involving rolling, cookie cutters, frosting and sprinkles is always a win for the littles in our house.
My Moms Gingersnap Cookies
We’ve made lots of sugar cookies with fun frosting and sprinkles this year, but my mom’s Gingersnap recipe brings back all the feelings of childhood for me. We love anything cinnamon and these cookies pair perfectly with a warm glass of milk! They are easy to make with a few simple ingredients, taste like Christmas and Arabella loves to roll them in sugar at the end!
¾ cup butter softened (12 Tablespoons)
1 cup of brown sugar
2 1/4 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ginger
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1 egg
1/4 cup of molasses
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream together the egg, butter, molasses and brown sugar. Add flour and spices, stir on low just until dough comes together. Turn dough out onto plastic wrap, wrap it and refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Divide dough into heaping teaspoon portions and roll dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in sugar to coat. Evenly space dough balls on prepared baking sheets, 20 dough balls per sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes depending on the size of the cookie.
Healthy Nutrients Kids Need
Arabella loves drinking a cup of milk in the morning with her breakfast. We also try to incorporate milk into other toddler-friendly recipes throughout the day for added nutrients including our favorite pancakes, mac and cheese, pastas and mashed potatoes. Calcium, vitamin D and potassium are three essential nutrients found in milk that kids need to grow, but many of us– including children — fall short of these nutrients in their diets. Milk also makes a great creamy base for all our favorite drinks from our daily green smoothies to our holiday favorites like hot cocoa (and peppermint lattes for mom)! Milk is a simple way to help kids get nutrients they need to grow strong – with 9 essential nutrients and 8 grams of protein in each 8-ounce glass, incorporating milk into our daily routine is a simple and easy way to support my family’s health.
Milk Sustainability
I am a huge proponent of finding and using sustainable ingredients and products. Not only is milk nutritious for the whole family, dairy is locally driven and responsibly produced. NY dairy farmers, including my grandfather (told you those milk memories run deep) are consciously operating to best support sustainability, their surrounding communities and the environment. The latest research shows that the U.S. dairy industry accounts for only about 2 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Dairy farmers are working on ways to reduce that figure even more, bringing in new advanced technologies. One of these amazing technologies are methane digesters, which help convert methane to electricity that can power the dairy farm and other homes in the community – an environmentally friendly solution that turns food waste into energy.
Enjoy Your Cookies and Milk & #MakeMilkMemories
Enjoy your freshly baked Gingersnaps (or any cookie of preference!) with a glass of milk and make sure you snap a picture to #MakeMilkMoments.
From now through January 3, you can enter the #MakeMilkMoments sweepstakes for a chance to win $500 plus a nostalgic gift basket filled with classic cereals, board games and more, plus an instant camera. Entering is easy. Simply capture a photo or video of your family enjoying a special moment with nutrient-rich milk, tag @AmericanDairyNE and share it on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #MakeMilkMoments.
You can enter the #MakeMilkMoments sweepstakes as many times as you’d like through January 3. So be sure to capture and share all of your everyday real enjoyment milk moments and your special winter and holiday milk moments for multiple chances to win!
For details about the #MakeMilkMoments sweepstakes, visit americandairy.com/makemilkmoments.
The sweepstakes is open to residents of New York and Pennsylvania.
What are your favorite holiday memories and traditions?
