The Paper Dart
An ode to creativity and distraction

Corduroy’s Christmas & Easy Christmas Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Corduroy’s Christmas is a truly iconic Christmas book. I have such vivid memories of joyfully flipping the many flaps in this book (and screaming in horror when my younger brother ripped them off…). Thankfully, my mom saved this book, and sent it to me and my own little ones this year. I am happy to report that it has brought both me and my kids a LOT of joy, and that all flaps have been adequately taped back in place.

There is something so special about the simplicity of this book. The story follows Corduroy as he wraps and bakes and sings his way through the lead-up to the happiest time of the year. But what was most striking to me when I re-read this book as an adult was the fact that it starts with the line, “Corduroy loves Christmas. There are so many things to do.”

In adulthood, so many of the “things to do,” that pile up around the holidays can become stressful or overwhelming. But Corduroy, of course, feels no such way, and accomplishes all the “things” of Christmastime with a smile on his face, and gratitude in his fluffy little heart.

While it will always be a little bit stressful (especially for mom) to make sure that everyone has the right gift, and to get all those homemade Christmas cookies to your friends and neighbors, and to clean up the never-ending wrapping paper mess (while also making sure to remember which paper belongs to Santa, and which is for mom and dad…), these are also all such wonderful, festive, and, for our kids especially, formative “things to do.” Funny that it took a cartoon bear to remind me to pause and give thanks for the very fact that I get to do these things for another year.

My favorite scene in this book has always been Corduroy’s adventure in baking Christmas cookies, likely due to the fact that a lot of my own favorite Christmas memories revolve around baking, eating, and feeding Santa a variety of sweet treats.

Growing up, my aunt used to make THE BEST Christmas cookies. (And I say “Christmas” cookies, but they were really any occasion cookies.) The recipe is so simple, and makes cookies that are somehow simultaneously crunchy and soft. Growing up, my aunt would always top these cookies with frosting in the most intricate and beautiful holiday designs. And while my family makes the same cookies, and decorates with the same delicious cream cheese frosting, the artwork is definitely a little more… abstract.

Below you can find both a link to Corduroy’s Christmas (and links to a few other holiday books that reference baking), as well as the recipe for my aunt’s famous sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting.

If you make these cookies and feel motivated to post about them, I would love for you to tag me on Instagram @thepaperdart so that I can drool over them from afar.

As always, happy reading, and have a very merry holiday season.

THE BEST Sugar Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a stand mixer. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Roll out to 1/2 inch thick. Bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes. (If refrigerating overnight, let thaw on counter for 20 mins before rolling.)

Frosting Ingredients

  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting Instructions

Mix cream cheese and vanilla in a stand mixer. Gradually add powdered sugar until combined. (I usually separate the frosting into batches, and use food coloring to dye it. I then pipe it onto the cooled cookies using a piping bag.)

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Books & Bites: Easy Sweet Potato Latkes and Our Favorite Hanukkah Books

Happy Hanukkah friends! The time is here to reflect, celebrate, and stuff ourselves to the brim with latkes and jelly doughnuts! This year, we’ve read a lot of children’s books about latkes. A few of our favorites being Little Red Ruthie, Meet the Latkes, Good Night Bubbala, and Moishe’s Miracle.

On the first night of Hanukkah this year, we plan on reading Moishe’s Miracle to the kids, as the story centers around latkes, and conveys a really lovely message about the way in which true “miracles” only come to those who will use them in service of kindness, generosity, and the betterment of others.

When planning out our own latke recipe, I had to keep in mind that for some unfathomable reason, my kids are very against white potatoes. They’ll eat a French fry here and there, but will ALWAYS say no to baked or mashed potatoes. I can’t explain it, but I’m sure they’ll understand the magic that is a buttery roasted potato at some point in their lives.

Because of this quirk, and in hopes that this year’s latkes would actually get eaten, I decided to make them with sweet potatoes. In the end, my younger son devoured them, and, while my daughter enjoyed making them, she only took about 2 bites before calling it quits. The adults in the house very much enjoyed them though, and I hope that you do too!

You can find the recipe and instructions below. I also linked the lovely Hearth and Hand plates that I used for this table setting. Let me know what you think in the comments, and have a wonderful holiday season!

Easy Sweet Potato Latkes

Ingredients:

  • Two smallish sweet potatoes
  • 4 chives, chopped
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 4 tablespoons of flour (I used arrowroot)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3-4 tablespoons avocado oil for frying
  • Jalapeno (optional, but delicious if you aren’t serving these to kids…)
  • Cheddar cheese (optional, for topping)
  • Sour cream (optional, for topping)

Instructions:

  1. Peel and grate the sweet potato using the larger side of a box grater.
  2. Use a clean kitchen towel to squeeze excess water out of the sweet potatoes. (Don’t skip this! I did in round 1 and they fall apart immediately.)
  3. Beat the eggs lightly
  4. Add the flour to the grated sweet potato. Use your hands to mix and ensure that the sweet potatoes are all lightly coated in flour.
  5. Add the egg, salt and pepper and mix.
  6. Add the chopped and seeded jalapeno if desired, and mix again.
  7. Heat oil in pan (until sizzling)
  8. Pick up about 3 tablespoons worth of potato mixture and form into a ball. (I had better luck when I squeezed a little bit of the extra moisture out of each ball in the sink before transferring to the pan.)
  9. Place potato balls into the pan, and flatten with a fork.
  10. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, until golden.
  11. Top with shredded cheddar cheese, and keep warm in oven if not eating immediately.
  12. Enjoy!

Moishe’s Miracle (Affiliate Link)

Press Cookies And Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares

Do you remember the last time you read a book that was just plain joyful? I do, because it was last week and the book was Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.

This book is written for a teen audience, who I imagine would be just as obsessed with it as I am, since it’s basically every weird, bookish teenage girl’s fantasy come alive. (I have never been a sensitive, “snarly” teenage boy, but I imagine that it hits home for a good number of them as well.)

The story is told from duel perspectives, but begins by following Lily–a precocious teen who has found significant companionship in books, but maybe isn’t the best at nurturing actual friendships in real life–as she embarks upon the quirkiest of quests to find a real-live human she’s compatible with. The game begins when Lily leaves a notebook full of “dares” in her favorite local, NYC bookstore (again, where the teen versions of most of us #bookstagrammers probably imagined meeting our partners), and sits back to wait for the perfect guy to pick it up and follow through; which, of course, he does.

The story continues to switch between Dash and Lily’s POVs as they pass the notebook back and forth and build a bond that both sustains them through some difficult times, and causes them to question was “real” companionship, or even love, really looks like.

There were a lot of components of this story that were wildly unrealistic. Like, for example, the fact that Dash has the vocabulary of a 50-year-old linguistics professor, or the implication that his best friend’s aunt is, perhaps, Oprah? But, honestly, I didn’t mind any of it. Even the most unlikely of coincidences or un-teenagerish interactions between supposed “kids” just added to the magic of this truly delightful romp.

One of my favorite parts of the story involved Lily’s obsession with Christmas Cookies; particularly, Lebkuchen Spice Cookies, which I did not attempt to make, because, A) I don’t know how and B) I don’t love gingerbread.

I did, however, take a stabs at regular Christmas cookies (press cookies to be specific), AND even accomplished making them gluten and refined-sugar free (because Lily seemed like a little bit of a hippie, and so am I). I also listened to an audiobook while baking, which I think Dash, Lily, and authors Cohn and Levithan would probably salute me for.

So, I hope that you are able to read this book in time for the holiday season (it’s very Christmas-centric by the way), AND before you watch the Netflix rendition, which comes out TOMORROW! (EEK!)

I also encourage you to read alongside a batch of these truly delicious cookies, and perhaps share with a friend (because the recipe makes about 50 of them… and it’s already been a long quarantine bulking season).

Enjoy & you can find the recipe below!

Tools:

If you don’t already own a cookie press, I highly recommend investing in one. It’s a great way to make a ton of cookies at once, and to guarantee that they all look GREAT. It’s also an easy way for kids to help with the baking process, without getting their hands dirty. I recently bought the OXO Press off of Amazon and am thrilled with it. It comes with a variety of different molds–my favorites of which are the classic Christmas tree, and the teddy bear.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of unsalted butter (2 sticks) at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract (you can leave this out if you want, but it’s honestly my favorite part)
  • 2 and 1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (I used the Trader Joe’s brand)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • SPRINKLES to top

*You can do a 1-1 substitution of cane sugar and white flour for the coconut sugar and gluten-free flour if not gluten-free!

Instructions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
  2. In an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar on medium speed until well-combined.
  3. Add in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and beat on medium. Scrape sides and beat again.
  4. On low, slowly add the flour and salt.
  5. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  6. When batter is combined, you can either roll it into small balls (small enough for bite-sized cookies), and press flat onto cookie sheet, OR fill cookie press if you have one.
  7. Place cookies about an inch or two apart on cookie sheet (and decorate with sprinkles or a chocolate chip if that floats your boat).
  8. Cook for about 7-9 minutes (mine took 9, but it might be longer if your cookies end up being a little bigger).
  9. ENJOY!

Toddler Tea with Alice, and the Best, Healthy, Pumpkin Blender Muffins

I am a huge Alice in Wonderland fan. The copy pictured here is the one I normally keep in my classroom and allow students to check out, but I also have the Annotated Alice in Wonderland which is absolutely beautiful, but not for young, sticky hands.

I love that this story is so full of whimsey, magic and unreality, while simultaneously commenting on, and poking fun at, some of the very real social and political mores of Carroll’s time.

One of my favorite scenes from Alice in Wonderland is the Mad Hatter’s tea party. I love that the luncheon is such a hilariously over-the-top caricature of many a typical family gathering–wherein mostly everyone enjoys themselves, despite the inevitable chaos and sporadic offensive remark…

When I studied abroad in Edinburgh, I had the distinct pleasure of attending high tea at a few fancy hotels with visiting family members. And, 12 years later, I still stand by the assertion that there is nothing more delightful than spending an afternoon sipping a hot beverage (and a glass of champagne… or four) while eating your weight in tiny sandwiches.

About a week ago, I took Margot to the local tea shop in our town–McKenna’s Tea Cottage–and was pleased to discover that she shares my affinity for a good lunch spread, and a mid-day pot of pink lemonade. Tea with one adult and two toddlers rivalled Alice’s experience in terms of unexpected surprises and general madness, but it was still a pretty memorable experience (and, miraculously, no teacups were harmed in the process).

Margot requests a return to the tea cottage approximately 10X per day, but since that’s a little outside of my budget, we’ve been hosting our own tea parties at home instead. In an attempt to legitimize the endeavor, I purchased this tea tower from Amazon, and have been pleasantly surprised by how much more excited my kids are about lunch when it’s served on a three-tiered tower (despite the fact that it’s still just crustless PB&J), and paired with an emotion, and bad-accent-filled read-aloud from Alice in Wonderland.

When we went to “real” tea, the showstopper was the pink sprinkle cupcake that Margot received with her meal. While that is definitely not going to be an everyday thing in our house, I did make sure to replace the cupcake portion of our tea with a seasonally-appropriate and VERY easy to make banana-pumpkin blender muffin. I’ve included the recipe below, because they were such a hit (Max ate about six in one sitting), that I had to make another batch the next day.

Also included on our tea-time menu were mini PN&J sandwiches, cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, hardboiled eggs, fruit, and cheese and crackers (because you really don’t need to overcomplicate it guys… especially when the client is 3 and doesn’t know how to write a review on Yelp).

I hope that you enjoy your own bookish tea with toddlers (if you choose to do so), and tag me on social (@thepaperdart) if you decide to make these muffins! Cheers!

Banana Pumpkin Blender Muffins:

Ingredients:

  • 1 ripe banana (the riper, the sweeter, so wait ’till that sucker is a little brown)
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 cup almond butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 cup of rolled oats
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg (this is a pretty strong addition, so you might want to use a little less if you’re not a huge nutmeg fan)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. In a blender, combine all of the above ingredients
  3. Blend well (it should look like smoothie consistency)
  4. Pour into well-greased mini muffin tin (you can also use mini muffin liners if you have ’em handy.
  5. Cook at 350 for 15-17 minutes
  6. EAT THEM ALL.

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