Around our house, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday baking season. It’s a very special time of the year when our thoughts turn to Christmases of the past, especially those of departed family members.
My wife and I have separate agendas for our holiday baking so rarely share time in the kitchen when indulging our passions for whipping up Christmas cookies, breads and other goodies. Her list includes many of her childhood favorites – decorated sugar cookies, spritz, gingerbread men, almond crescents and houska (from her Czech heritage).
While several of my favorites also come from my childhood, the one recipe I received from my mother wouldn’t be called a Christmas cookie by most people. But Mom always made her black walnut ice box cookies around the holidays, storing them in our unheated attic to bring out their full flavor.
Here are a few favorites I collected from my grandmothers:
Grandma (Ellen) Andersen: Aebleskiver and apple cake. Both of these reflect Grandma’s Danish heritage (she came to the U.S. from Denmark in 1920.) She always served aebleskiver, a small spherical pancake cooked in a special pan, plain or with a prune filling. The apple cake was always served cold, topped with a dollop of whipped cream.
Grandma (Jessie) Lehmer: Probably the best cook in our family, I only have one of her recipes. She was partial to candy creations, like divinity and fudge, around the holidays but the recipe I wanted was for something she called Butterscotch Goodies. She shared it with me apologetically, since it’s so simple to make. Now I’m sharing it with you:
1 package butterscotch chips (10-12 ounces)
5 ½ cups corn flakes
Melt the peanut butter and butterscotch chips in a large saucepan until smooth. Remove from heat and add the corn flakes. Stir well and drop by teaspoonful on waxed paper until set.
Writing prompt for the day: Do you have any holiday recipes that have been passed down from your family?
My wife and I have separate agendas for our holiday baking so rarely share time in the kitchen when indulging our passions for whipping up Christmas cookies, breads and other goodies. Her list includes many of her childhood favorites – decorated sugar cookies, spritz, gingerbread men, almond crescents and houska (from her Czech heritage).
While several of my favorites also come from my childhood, the one recipe I received from my mother wouldn’t be called a Christmas cookie by most people. But Mom always made her black walnut ice box cookies around the holidays, storing them in our unheated attic to bring out their full flavor.
Here are a few favorites I collected from my grandmothers:
Grandma (Ellen) Andersen: Aebleskiver and apple cake. Both of these reflect Grandma’s Danish heritage (she came to the U.S. from Denmark in 1920.) She always served aebleskiver, a small spherical pancake cooked in a special pan, plain or with a prune filling. The apple cake was always served cold, topped with a dollop of whipped cream.
Grandma (Jessie) Lehmer: Probably the best cook in our family, I only have one of her recipes. She was partial to candy creations, like divinity and fudge, around the holidays but the recipe I wanted was for something she called Butterscotch Goodies. She shared it with me apologetically, since it’s so simple to make. Now I’m sharing it with you:
Grandma Lehmer’s Butterscotch Goodies
½ cup peanut butter 1 package butterscotch chips (10-12 ounces)
5 ½ cups corn flakes
Melt the peanut butter and butterscotch chips in a large saucepan until smooth. Remove from heat and add the corn flakes. Stir well and drop by teaspoonful on waxed paper until set.
Writing prompt for the day: Do you have any holiday recipes that have been passed down from your family?
Larry Lehmer is a professional personal historian who helps people preserve their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site, send him an e-mail or follow him on Twitter.
Flickr photo courtesy of rochelle, et. al..
Grandma Lehmer's Butterscotch Goodies - sound good and yummy and it is something that I could make without any difficulty.
Posted by: Janet Iles | December 02, 2009 at 06:03 PM