Date Nut Bread

Of any recipe growing up, this was it when it came to the holidays. Another signature creation of my mother's - no one else in the family of her 11 siblings and my 40+ first cousins bothered. Her's was that good. Just imagine cranking 25 or more of these out in an evening after work.

Ingredients:

1 cup boiling water
8 ounces chopped dates
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
2 1/4 cups flour, stir before measuring
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Instructions:

1. Grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Pour boiling water over dates in a medium bowl; add butter and set aside.

3. With mixer, beat sugars and egg until light.

4. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the sugar mixture, alternating with the date and water mixture. Stir in chopped nuts.

5. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Serving: my mom always had whipped cream cheese available when this was served.

Photo: Baking Results by Muffet on Flickr

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Thumbprint Cookies

This was not always part of our traditional holiday baking. But a neighbor across the hall from us brought them over one year and we were hooked. The cookie practically melts in your mouth.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup margarine, room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
2 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups finely chopped walnuts
jam or preserves

Instructions:

1. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. Cream together brown sugar, margarine, and shortening; beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Add flour.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls.

4. Beat egg white slightly; dip balls into egg white; roll in finely chopped walnut.

5. Place cookies about 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet; press thumb deeply in center of each.

6. Bake at 350 degrees until light brown, about 10 minutes.

7. Immediately remove from cookie sheet; cool thoroughly.

8. Fill thumbprints with jam or preserves.

Serving: Makes 5 to 6 dozen thumbprint cookies.

Notes: I've made these with pecans and even macadamia nuts. Also, they are great filled with unusual jams and even homemade lemon curd (use the filling for my Lemon Meringue pie).

Photo: Thumbprints by amayu on Flickr

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Peanut Blossoms

These cookies are made by lots of people but most don't know that this recipe was a finalist in the 1957 Pillsbury Bake-Off® submitted by Freda Smith of Gibsonburg, Ohio. They are also called "the peanut butter and Hershey's Kisses cookies." My mother had the original cookbook with the recipes for the finalists and winners. I remember it was priced at 25 cents and was well worn. We'd only make these cookies at Christmas - the rest of the year the cookbook sat in the drawer, waiting for its annual appearance.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
Sugar
48 Hershey®'s Kisses® milk chocolates, unwrapped

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, shortening, peanut butter, milk, vanilla and egg; mix with electric mixer on low speed until stiff dough forms.

2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake at 375°F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately top each cookie with 1 milk chocolate candy, pressing down firmly so cookie cracks around edge; remove from cookie sheets. Let cool.

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No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

I never cared for the taste of these cookies. I'm not sure why but I didn't. Mom would usually make these on Day 1 of the cookie extravaganza while I was busy mixing cookie dough to be refrigerated. My brother was always fascinated by the fact that they didn't need baking and loved to watch them drop from the spoon on to the waxed paper.

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup cocoa
3 cups quick oats (not old fashioned or instant)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
Waxed paper or parchment paper or silpat

Instructions:

1. Over medium-high heat in a heavy saucepan, combined sugar, milk, butter and cocoa. Bring to boil and boil for 1 minute without stirring.

2. Remove from heat.

3. Quickly stir in remaining ingredients.

4. Working quickly drop on to wax or parchment paper using a teaspoon.

Photo: Boiled Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies by my_amii on Flickr

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Better Butter Cookies

I haven't made these in years but I think I am going to try them and see if they live up to my memories. This was Mom's secret recipe, guarded fiercely. My only disappointment was that we used margarine when I was growing up. I wouldn't think of doing so today but I knew back then that we didn't have enough money to afford butter.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
3 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside.

2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in egg and then vanilla. Add flour mixture; combine on low speed.

3. Divide dough in thirds; wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour.

4. On a floured work surface, roll dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes.

5. Heat oven to 425°.

6. Transfer to ungreased baking sheets; refrigerate until firm, 15 minutes.

7. Bake until crisp but not darkened, 7 minutes. Let cookies cool on wire racks, then decorate as desired.

Note: I use Royal Icing to decorate these but instead of lemon I add milk or water. I guess the booze of your choice would work just as well too. Atta girl!

Photo: Glazed Butter Cookies by Nicole Lee on Flickr

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Holiday Baking

Growing up, my mother always started planning her holiday baking right about now - the first week in November. Mom knew how to make a dime turn into 15 cents somehow, and she'd keep an eye out for sales on items she knew would be needed: brown sugar, white sugar, powdered sugar, flour, chocolate chips, cocoa, spices, dates (for date nut bread) etc.

Speaking of sugar, what's up with 4 lb bags of sugar? Who came up with this idea? Oh yeah, I know - so they can look like they are charging the same amount as 5lb. I said the hell with that - I buy my 10lb bag at Costco thank you.

Here is what I'll be stocking up on for my holiday baking (along with some tips):

Spices: Cinnamon, anise, cloves, ginger, nutmeg. Check out San Francisco Herb Company. I used to shop there when I lived in San Francisco and now I just place my order on the internet. They have the cheapest prices especially for saffron!

Molasses: can't make Gingerbread Cookies without this. I use the unsulphured version, usually Grandma's brand in the brown and yellow labeled jar. I start looking now because it is not on sale very often. Oh, by the way, it is located near the pancake syrups. Who'd a thought?

Sugar: I usually look for sales at my supermarket here in Chicago which is Dominick's. Costco has gotten better about carrying smaller sizes of sugar such as 4lbs of powered sugar (for Royal Icing), 2 lbs of brown sugar and 10 lbs of white sugar.

Vanilla: Costco has the best price for real vanilla extract.

Butter: Costco again - but is it just me or has all dairy gone up in price?

Flour: This is tough. I prefer unbleached which Costco doesn't carry. And their smallest size bag is 25 lbs! I don't have enough storage room for that. So I seek out sales at Dominick's and usually wait until it is 99 cents for a 5 lb bag and buy as many as they allow.

Decorations: I've always hated the fact that when you try to buy cookie decorations in a supermarket, you get these tiny, overpriced containers - even when they are on sale. I tried something new this year - I purchased large 3 lb canisters of decorations from Amazon's grocery division. I couldn't believe the prices for things like sprinkles, sanding sugars, etc. And any order over $25 is shipped for free. And no sales tax! Since our tax is 9% here in Chicago (and going up believe it or not), that makes a big difference. One thing I've found is that seasonal items are full price, while off-season items can be as much as 80% off. I bought several canisters of Christmas decorations for cookies by India Tree back in August. Within a few weeks, they went back to full price as the holidays approached.

UPDATE: I just looked at what Amazon is charging now for these decorations and boy do I feel like a thief! I paid $8.98 and $11.98 for some that are now selling for $21.98 and $31.98!

Here are some things I'll be making during the holiday baking season and the recipes will follow sometime in early December:

• Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing
• Lime Meltaways
• Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chocolate Pretzel Rods
• Reindeer Droppings (not what you think - oreos and cream cheese balls dipped in chocolate)

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