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Is there a holiday cookie, bar, or baked good in your life that makes you misty-eyed? If so, you’re not alone. There’s something about the aroma and the simple act of baking and sharing that bring up nostalgic memories for people.
This year, we’d like to share with you a handful of RADA employees’ favorite recipes for holiday sweet treats. Maybe one of these will become your new favorite too. From the employees of Rada Cutlery, have a wonderful start to your holiday season!
From Sandra’s office comes this recipe from the 1959 Better Homes & Gardens Holiday Cookbook. She says it’s an old but reliable recipe she has used for many years and creates perfect dough for using cookie cutters.
Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
1 C. butter or margarine
1½ C. sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3½ C. sifted enriched flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
Directions
Cream the butter. Add sugar gradually, creaming until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Sift together the dry ingredients; add gradually to creamed mixture. Chill thoroughly (3 to 4 hours).
On a well-floured surface, roll dough ⅛” to ¼” thick. Cut into shapes. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 375˚ for 6 to 8 minutes. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before removing to a rack to cool.
Frost and decorate as you wish.
Kristi shared this recipe for Toffee that her grandma always made for Christmas. Kristi and her sister still make it as a tradition every year, but she says it never turns out as good as Grandma’s (but it’s still delicious).
Toffee
Ingredients
About ½ C. chopped pecans
1 C. butter
1 C. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
About ⅔ C. semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
Line an 8″ or 9″ square pan with foil, allowing the edges of the foil to hang over the pan. Grease the foil lightly with cooking spray. Spread chopped nuts over the bottom of the pan; set aside.
In a large saucepan, bring the butter and brown sugar together over medium heat, stirring to help melt the butter. Bring the mixture to a boil and, stirring constantly, boil the mixture for exactly 7 minutes. Mixture will be thicker and caramel colored. Stir in the vanilla and pour the mixture over the chopped nuts.
Immediately sprinkle with the semisweet chocolate chips in an even layer; let sit for a few minutes until the chips are melty then spread out over toffee. Break into pieces when cool.
This recipe from Andrea is easy to make—no scooping into individual cookies—and you can make them festive for any holiday by using holiday M&Ms!
No Flour Christmas Monster Cookie Bars
Ingredients
½ C. butter, softened
1 C. brown sugar
1 C. white sugar
1½ C. peanut butter
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking soda
4½ C. quick oats
1 C. M&Ms
1 C. chocolate chips
Directions
Cream butter and sugars. Mix in peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla then add the baking soda and oatmeal. Stir in the M&Ms and chocolate chips. Press into a 12×17″ jelly roll pan (dough is sticky so I use a greased sandwich bag over my hand). Bake at 350˚ for 15 minutes. Super easy and yummy!
Mel shares this recipe from her neighbor who made these when Mel’s daughters were little. The cookies found their way over to their house many times along with stories of early morning fishing trips and camping adventures. They’ve always been a family favorite.
Peanut Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies (a.k.a. “Fishing Cookies”)
Ingredients
¾ C. Parkay or butter
1 C. sugar
1 C. brown sugar, packed
½ C. peanut butter
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2½ C. unsifted flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ pkg. Heath toffee chips
1 (11.5 oz.) pkg. milk chocolate chips
Directions
Mix butter, sugars, and peanut butter until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir in toffee and chocolate chips.
Bake at 350˚ for 10 to 12 minutes on ungreased cookie sheets.
This recipe from Sue has been on friends’ and relatives’ Christmas cookie trays for as long as she can remember. They’re delicious—just don’t eat them above your pretty velvet party dress.
Pecan Snowballs
Ingredients
2 C. flour
¾ tsp. salt
2 C. chopped pecans, divided
1 C. unsalted butter, softened
⅓ C. sugar
1½ tsp. vanilla
Powdered sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325˚ and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Mix the flour, salt, and 1 cup of the pecans. Finely grind the remaining pecans in a food processor, then stir them into the flour mixture.
In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the vanilla and the flour mixture until mixed. Roll into scant tablespoon-sized balls and bake for 18 minutes or until the bottoms are golden. Cool on the pans for 2 minutes, then move to a rack to finish cooling.
Roll cooled cookies in powdered sugar. Let stand about an hour, then roll again in powdered sugar.
What’s your favorite Christmas/holiday sweet treat?
