Recipes for sweets from past Christmases revive memories

After deciding that this column would include holiday sweets from bygone days, I found myself reminiscing and greeting old friends as well as old recipes. I got out my two wooden card file boxes and a pile of saved clippings.

Oh my, what fun. Sharing recipes is what families and friends do, and each time we make that dish we’re reminded of someone who may be long gone now. I found such things.

I’ll be offering sweets to share or make for gifts or delights to welcome guests to our homes. We need to plan before supplies run out at the markets. Some can be made ahead and frozen as well. In a few cases, I’ll use the old-fashioned phrasing which adds to the charm.

Kathy’s Pecan Candy

1 pound bag of pecan halves broken lengthwise
4 tablespoons butter
1 bag Wilton dark cocoa candy, melted

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and melt butter in 13-by-9 pan. Stir in nuts to coat. Toast for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. (Watch!) Just before 30 minutes is up, melt chocolate in microwave — one minute using a plastic bowl. Stir until it’s all melted. Add in small increments if needed. Stir to test.

Stir in nuts and drop by teaspoon onto waxed paper lined sheets. Refrigerate to set. Store in a cool place.
I can attest that these are delicious.

Microwave Peanut Brittle
(shared by Beth Merritt)

1-1/2 cups raw unsalted, roasted, shelled peanuts
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix peanuts, sugar, salt and Karo syrup in a deep microwaveable bowl.

Cook on high for four minutes. Stir and cook for four more minutes.

Stir in butter and vanilla and cook two minutes more.

Remove from oven (carefully), add baking soda. Stir quickly and pour onto warmed cookie sheet. Let spread naturally. Break into pieces when cooled completely. The whole business takes about 15 minutes. Have things ready to move quickly.

Pumpkin cheesecake

Crust
Combine 1 1/2 cups zwieback crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, 3 tablespoons melted butter. Press into bottom and up 2 inches of the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 325º for 5 minutes.

Filling
In large mixing bowl, combine two 8-ounce packages of softened cream cheese, 1 cup light cream, 1 cup canned pumpkin, 3/4 cup sugar, four egg yolks, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Beat until smooth. Fold in four stiffly beaten egg whites. Turn into prepared crust.

Bake in 325-degree oven for one hour.

Topping
Combine 1 cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla over cheesecake. Bake five minutes more. Chill thoroughly before serving. Makes 12 servings.

It’s a tradition at our house to make plain butter cookies with my collection of cookie cutters. The grandkids decorate and eat them, even in their 20s. I know for a fact that Santa loves them.

Best-ever butter cookies

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add egg and beat till combined. Add juice and vanilla and beat in flour and baking powder till all is absorbed.

Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. Can be refrigerated for a few days if necessary. (I do this, letting dough come to room temperature to roll.)

Lightly flour a board and rolling pin. Cut dough into quarters and keep unused portions wrapped. Roll one quarter of the dough to 1/4 inch thick and cut with various cookie cutters.

Sprinkle with colored sugars. Using a spatula, remove to an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 6-10 minutes or till lightly browned on edges and crisp.

Continue with remaining dough. Store in airtight container when completely cooled. These keep well.

Florentines

This Italian recipe came from a magazine in the 60s — maybe Family Circle or Woman’s Day.

Combine 1/2 cup heavy cream, 3 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in 1 1/4 cups finely chopped almonds, 1/3 cup sifted flour and 3/4 cups finely chopped candied orange peel.

Drop by tablespoonfuls on greased and floured cookie sheet, keeping cookies 3 inches apart.

Bake in a 350-degree oven about 10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Remove carefully with spatula to cake rack to cool.

Spiral melted chocolate over cookie tops and decorate with tiny colored candies. Makes about two dozen 3-inch cookies.

Some of the cooks from the early days of the senior center might remember Mahlon Zilch Haines. He was one of the very first volunteers to make lunch. He learned his art as a Navy cook. Here is his wassail recipe.

Wassail
1 gallon cider
2 cups orange juice
1/2 to 1 cup sugar, depending on how sweet the cider is
32 whole cloves
6 tablespoons whole allspice
12 whole cinnamon sticks
(2-3 lemons sliced) as garnish and for tartness

Place the spices in a cheese cloth bag and bring all ingredients to a slow boil.

Add one bottle of Laird’s apple jack and enjoy the warm feeling of the holidays.