Yule Warm Hearth & Heart Cookies

As with most of my kitchen witch posts, this is not a recipe so much as a guide to cooking meaningful spell, ritual and sabbat recipes.

Today’s project and the included spices will work well with any basic sugar cookie recipe.

Yule is a time for bringing together families.  Whether yours is a traditional clan of blood-relations, or an unrelated bunch with symbolic familial ties, spending the Winter Solstice with those you love to honor your traditions and seal your love for one another is the spirit of this season.

Including a specially prepared, ritually meaningful menu item on your table is a nice way to charge your table for warmth, friendship and bonding.

Not surprisingly, sugar cookies generally include sugar as a key ingredient.

In kitchen witch recipes, sugar is used to “sweeten” temperaments, making it perfect for use in recipes that will be served in a familial setting.  We all have at least a few relatives who could use a sweeter disposition!

Traditionally a love spell ingredient, this handy little staple can be used for more than romance!  Vanilla is thought to warm the heart, and everything around it.  Cooking with vanilla in the home allows it to dissipate throughout your house, creating an aura of generosity and general coziness.

Excuse the cinnamon dust all over my spice container!  This one gets a lot of use in my kitchen.  Cinnamon is a traditional Yule spice, common in Winter Solstice incenses and potpourris.  And of course, it is edible!  Include it in your holiday recipes to symbolize the spirit of the winter season.

Nutmeg is used to “raise the vibrations” and create a more spiritual, less worldly atmosphere.  Nice if you’re not big on the commercialism of the winter holiday season and want to bring a more spiritual focus to your celebration.

Finally, we have cloves.  If you’ve got a family rumor-monger (who doesn’t?), this is a nice spice to include in your cookies, as it is known for its use in “stop gossip” spells.  No one needs the Yule tree surrounded with negatively wagging tongues!

I hope you enjoyed this little crash course in common Yule ingredients for the kitchen witch.  Enjoy your Winter Solstice, and Blessed Be!