Sugared Sprinkles of Holiday Cheer

Barb Thomas’ cookies sparked a sugar cookie fan club

Barb Thomas has been sprinkling holiday spirit into decorated sugar cookies for 35 years. With loving squeezes of buttercream frosting, she transforms what might otherwise be bland cookies into joyful snowmen, regal Santas and sparkling reindeer. Her decorative sugary swirls, stars and dots finished with confetti and pearl adornments create a dash of whimsy for those fortunate enough to receive her creations.

“I do caramels and decorated sugar cookies every year, and my kids would be lost without me doing these two things,” Barb says. “I don’t do a ton of decorating, but enough. I would say if you asked anyone who knows me, they would say I make sugar cookies for Christmas.” She laughs when she says she starts getting requests in early November.

Barb got the nudge to start baking from her older sister Sue who, with her husband, used to owntThe Cookie Jar in Lewistown, a spot for pastries and lunch. Although Sue now lives in Florida, the sisters keep in touch exchanging photos and phone calls of their latest baked treats. “It helps me to keep those ties with my sister,” Barb says. While Sue now sells her cookies, Barb is hesitant, simply saying, “I enjoy the process.”

The beginning of her cookie craze was humble.

“I started with a bag of sprinkles and a package of food color,” Barb says, adding that she now owns all kinds of frosting tips and piping bags. “I am always on the lookout for sprinkles,” she says. And when it comes to cookie cutters, she has upwards of 150 of them to honor not just Christmas but Valentine’s Day and Easter as well.

Barb and Sue cultivated their love of sharing food from their parents. When their mom was 55, Barb says the family moved from Ohio to Daytona Beach, Florida, to open a smorgasbord restaurant with all-you-can-eat offerings for just $3.75. It was a 400-seat establishment.

“By the time my mom sold the restaurant to my brother, she had three restaurants in the area,” Barb says. Her mom hung up her apron at the age of 75.

In 1993, Barb met her husband, Dave, while in Florida. The two decided to marry and settle in Hobson, Montana, where Dave grew up as a child. It was in Montana that Barb watched Dave’s mother cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for those working the family cattle ranch.

“After lunch we would make a big batch of brownies and take them and coffee out to the field,” Barb says.

While the couple started Thomas Appraisal Services and called Lewistown home for much of their marriage, in 2018, they made the move to Billings to be closer to many of their customers. Last fall, retirement called and they answered.

With her two daughters, Hannah and Marlee, now grown and out of the house, Barb is making fewer cookies than she used to. She remembers those times baking with her girls when they were little fully aware, she says, that “the kitchen was going to be a mess with sprinkles on the floor. Hannah was very artistic while Marlee would slap on the icing and eat them.”

Each baking session came with the same timeless traditions.

“When the kids were little, we watched Hallmark Christmas movies. We ate a lot of icing and cookies while we decorated. When it was all over, we wanted pizza, something salty,” Barb says with a laugh. These days her daughters occasionally bake and decorate cookies with her when they’re back in town, but as Barb says, “They don’t want to do it on their own yet.”

For Barb, making sugar cookies and caramels for her friends and family is the gift she loves most during the holidays.

“People love them so much,” Barb says. “I love giving them away just to see people’s reactions.”

Barb’s Sugar Cookies, makes 7½ dozen cookies

This recipe was inspired from Mary’s Sugar Cookies recipe found in the Betty Crocker’s Cookbook. Barb has increased the ingredients and eliminated the almond extract. Some hints Barb shares in making beautiful cookies is to roll out thinner cookies as they hold their shapes better. Putting the cut cookies in the refrigerator for 10 minutes prior to baking also helps keep their shape intact.

Ingredients:

2-1/4 c. sifted confectioner’s sugar
1-1/2 c. butter or margarine
2 eggs
1-½ t. vanilla
3-¾ c. all-purpose flour
1-½ t. baking soda
1-½ t. cream of tartar

Directions:

Mix sugar and butter. Add egg and flavorings, mix thoroughly. Stir dry ingredients together and blend in. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Divide dough into half and roll on 3/16-inch silicone pie mat. Cut with cookie cutter, sprinkle with sugar. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until delicately golden.

Buttercream Frosting, makes about 2-½ cups.

“I typically do it by feel and taste,” Barb says. “I start with ½ cup butter, 2 to 3 cups of powdered sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla, dash of lemon juice and about 2 tablespoons of milk to make it smooth.” She beats the ingredients together for a smooth frosting and adds a couple drops of food color for her decorating palette.