Grandma's Christmas Spice Cutouts — Bernice’s Spirit Lives in Every Batch

Christmas Day. My 56th birthday, baby. Christmas and birthday on the same day, the way the Lord arranged it for me. The full table came. CJ and Shanice from Huntsville. Destiny from Center Point. The grandchildren — Caleb (2), baby Naomi — were a small loud army at the table. Calvin said grace and named everyone. The empty chairs held those who could not come. We ate.

Calvin preached Sunday on the loaves and fishes. The church said amen. A new face at Bernice's Table this week. A young woman with a baby. I gave her two plates. She thanked me. I told her, baby, come every Tuesday.

Sweet potato pie Friday. Bernice's recipe. The crust by hand. The filling by feel. The pie was the pie.

Bernice was here, baby. In the smell of the chicken. In the hum at the stove.

Calvin Jr. called Tuesday night. He was tired. He had been at work twelve hours. I told him, baby, eat something. He said, Mama, I will. I said, what did you eat last. He said, a granola bar. I said, baby, that is not eating. He laughed.

The kitchen smelled like garlic and onion all afternoon Wednesday. Calvin came home from his Bible study and stood in the doorway and said, Loretta, what are we eating. I said, baby, you will see. He said, that is a yes from me. He has been saying that for fifty years.

I made coffee at five Tuesday morning. Strong, with cream, no sugar (the diabetes). I stood at the kitchen window. The yard was still in dark. The day ahead was the day ahead. I went into it.

I had a small cry Wednesday morning at the kitchen window. No reason in particular. The grief comes when it comes. I made coffee. I went on. That is how this works.

I read for an hour Sunday night before bed. The Bible, then a book Doris sent me about the civil rights movement in Birmingham. The book made me think about Bernice in the church kitchen during the bombings.

Mr. Henderson across the street brought me a bag of pecans Friday from his tree. I made a pecan pie with them. I took half of it back to him. He said, Loretta, this is wrong, you took my pecans and gave me back a pie. I said, that is exactly right. That is how it works.

A young woman from the new members class came to me Sunday. She was nervous. She said, Mother Simms, my husband and I are expecting our first and I do not know how to cook. I said, baby, come to the Saturday class. She said, I'm coming. The chain extends.

Bernice's Table Tuesday. The team was sharp. The food held. The room held.

I stood at the kitchen window with my coffee Tuesday morning. Six o'clock. The light just coming. The yard quiet. Talking to Mama about the day ahead. The talking is its own prayer, sugar.

A new young wife joined the Saturday cooking class. Twenty-two years old. She does not know how to make rice. I will teach her. The chain extends.

Doris called Thursday. Three times a week, the standard. We talked about Calvin's health. We talked about Harold's health. We talked about the family. We talked about what I was cooking.

Calvin and I watched the news Wednesday evening. He fell asleep in the recliner. I covered him with the afghan that Bernice crocheted before she died. The afghan is holding.

The garden in the side yard, sugar. The tomatoes are coming on. The okra is up. The collards are getting big. I will be canning by August. I always say I am not going to can. I always end up canning.

The sweet potato pie I made that Friday was Bernice’s — the crust by hand, the filling by feel, the way she taught me — and after a week that full, a table that full, a heart that full, I found myself wanting to share something else from that same tradition. These Christmas Spice Cutouts are the kind of thing Bernice would have been making in that church kitchen, the kind of thing I now bring to the Saturday class so a twenty-two-year-old who doesn’t yet know how to make rice can learn that the hands remember what the heart holds. The chain extends, baby. It always does.

Grandma’s Christmas Spice Cutouts

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 1 hr 35 min (includes chilling) | Servings: 48 cookies

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• For the glaze (optional): 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2–3 tablespoons milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the wet ingredients. Beat in the egg, molasses, vanilla extract, and milk until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Combine and form the dough. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
5. Chill the dough. Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disc, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight. The dough must be cold to roll cleanly.
6. Preheat and prepare. When ready to bake, heat your oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Roll and cut. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disc of dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with floured cookie cutters. Transfer to prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart.
8. Bake. Bake for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are just set and the bottoms are lightly golden. Do not overbake — they firm up as they cool. Let rest on the pan for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Glaze if desired. Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla together until smooth and drizzleable. Spoon or pipe over cooled cookies and allow to set before storing.
10. Store. Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or freeze unglazed cookies for up to 2 months.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 98 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 15g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 38mg