Treasure Box

We had a a dreary Sunday morning here, with a bit of rain that dashed our morning playground plans. That wasn't so bad while the boys and I were watching (for them) and re-watching (for me) the UNC/Duke game on Tivo, but once the game was over and we had all done our Victory Dance (again), I was concerned they were going to get antsy. These are boys who like to be On The Go, and generally puttering around the house on a weekend morning is not their cup of tea. But, in a stroke of luck for me (since DH was working this weekend and I was solo parenting), they were both content to stay in and entertain themselves around the house. While they engaged in their new favorite game of Worm,* I continued with my own seemingly endless game of Cleaning Out Freezers And Closets.


Lo and behold, a little treasure, tucked among the green beans, lima beans, and okra. Frozen cookie dough, apparently leftover from making Christmas cookies. What could be more perfect for a rainy Sunday morning? When the game of Worm ended in tears, I distracted everyone with the promise of Shamrock cookies. And I swear, really, truly, that as soon as these came out of the oven, the sun started to poke through the clouds and make a rainbow.
The recipe is my Mother-in-law's, and we are all addicted to it come Christmas time, but it also makes wonderful cookies any time of the year.



Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
4 eggs
4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. lemon extract


Directions
Beat sugar and butter. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each. Add flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and lemon extract. Refrigerate overnight. Roll and cut out. Bake at 350 for approximately 10-12 minutes. Dough freezes beautifully.


*The game of Worm is played by the two of them getting in their sleeping bags, and then chasing each other by rolling around on the floor. If they get close enough they wrestle (Fighting Worms) while still in their sleeping bags. Inevitably the game ends with someone bumping his head, though once or twice they've just worn themselves completely out and drifted off right there on the floor.