Great-Great Grandma's Christmas cookies (AKA the fucking christmas cookies)
This recipe originated in Ireland in the 1940s. Which would make it 70-80 years old.
It was passed down to six of the creator's children, each now makes them a slightly different way.
My great-grandmother is one of these children, and of course the way she does it is the only correct way.
It's the recipe I've eaten every year for my entire life, so anything else would be pure heresy.
She's aging, and her health's not great. Owing to that, this is the first year since the late 60s anyone but her has made these. 
So I took the liberty of A. taking a picture, which no one thought to do in 70 years apparently. (Seriously, i found it on a very dirty, smudged notecard from at least 50 years ago. That is the only source for this recipe.)
and B. typing it out.


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4 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup shortening (later edited to margarine, but butter works too)
1/2 tsp cream of tartar (optional)

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beat cream of tartar, sugar, shortening/margarine
add eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, baking soda
stir in flour GENTLY. Don't overmix. 
cool in fridge a couple hours (this was written when fridges were utter garbage, so maybe less than that now)
Roll out with lots of flour
bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 Celsius) for 7-10 minutes. Positively no going over that number.