Peppernuts

For the past few years I have been getting together with about a dozen friends in early December for a cookie exchange. If you haven't done one before it works something like this:
step 1. organize your group and finalise the number who will be participating.
step 2. pick your top 2-3 recipes and call everyone to make sure all of you are
not making the same chocolate chip recipe off the bag of chips.
step 3. bake like mad until you have 1 doz. cookies for each person in the group
including yourself.
step 4. get everyone together for a cup of hot chocolate, glass of wine etc. and
at the end of the night you go home with x dozen different cookies all
ready to be plated at a moments notice when holiday guests stop by
unexpectedly.
step 5. glow and blush when everyone notices how organized you have been and
gobbles down the beautiful selection of treats you have set out.

This year I (with much help from Eden and Arlo) am making the most delicious Peppernuts. The recipe I will not give out as it is a family one from Postmodern Hausfrau and I don't want to infringe or start a family feud. But, it must be said, is the greatest slice and bake cookie ever. In part of course this is due to the absolutely tiny size of the cookies, totally irresistible, but the spices make it. I have had my nose stuck in Baking in America by Greg Patent for a while and I suddenly realized how limited my repertoire has become. Everything doesn't have to be chocolate? Heresy! But it's true and these cookies are proof.
**Notice the pan I forgot in the oven when we went out to see our small town's Christmas Light-Up. I am sooooo lucky I did not burn down our house in pursuit of Christmas cheer.