The true charm of the holiday season is in the homespun and personal. Homemade food in particular has an unmatched charm and joyfulness to it. Each of these delicious and simple recipes are multi-functional; both the fragrant mulling spices and sweet sugar cookies can be given as unique gifts, while a traditional Hanukkah staple, potato latkes can also make for a filling festive brunch or serve as a hearty party canapé if made smaller.

RELATED: Season’s Feastings: Make Your Own Mulling Spices

Sugar Cookie Recipe (makes approx. 36 cookies)
Ingredients
•   3 cups all purpose flour, extra for rolling
•   ¼ tsp salt
•   1 cup unsalted butter, softened 
•   1 cup sugar
•   1 tablespoon milk
•   ¾ tsp baking powder
•   1 egg, beaten
•   1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 190°C. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Using a large wooden spoon, or a mixer on low speed, cream together the softened butter and sugar in a large bowl until dough appears a light color. Beat in egg, vanilla, and milk. 
3. Using a mixer on low speed (or hand mixing with a wooden spoon), gradually add dry ingredients, and beat together until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl.
4. Refrigerate dough for two hours.
5. Sprinkle your working surface with flour to keep the dough from sticking.
6. Roll half the dough out until about ¼ inch thick and cut it into desired shapes.
7. Place shapes at least one inch apart on greased baking sheet.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.
 

Sugar Icing Recipe
Ingredients
•   1 cup confectioner’s or powdered sugar
•   3-6 tablespoons milk or other liquid
•   ½ teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
•   Food coloring 

Directions
1. Put the sugar, milk, and vanilla extract into a bowl.
2. Mix until it forms a thick, creamy paste. If desired, thin the icing into a glaze with additional tablespoons of milk.
3. Repeat the colored process adding food coloring as desired to create additional icing.
4. With a tablespoon, add icing to piping bags, creating separate bags for each color.
5. Decorate cookies as desired.

This post originally appeared on beijingkids and comes courtesy of:

Siemens Beijing Direct Brand Shop
Daily 9am-6pm. Shop 102, Gemini Grove, 63 Xinyuan Jie, Chaoyang District 
朝阳区新源街63号院星源汇东塔底商102
WeChat: se_direct_brand_shop

Photo: goodtaste.tv