CHRISTMAS RECIPES

Traditionally, Christmas is a time of good food.  Many of the dishes that are served at Christmas are not served any other time of the year. My children anticipated the cookies that Grandma and Mommy made and the Yule Log that Daddy produced with such great flourish every year.  Here are some recipes from our family and friends to yours.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT ALL CONTENT ON THIS PAGE INCLUDING PICTURES IS OWNED BY DEBORAH C. HARDING. 

PERMISSION MUST BE GRANTED TO BE USED IN ANY OTHER PUBLICATION BOTH WRITTEN AND ON THE WEB.

EMAIL FOR PERMISSION: [email protected]

It will probably be granted as long as you site where it came from.

CHRISTMAS CRANBERRY PUNCH

This punch is a favorite because it is so easy to make.  It looks Christmassy with the red liquid and green sherbet.  You can float plastic holly on top if you like.

• 1 can frozen concentrate cranberry juice
• water per can instructions
• 1 – 2 liter bottle lemon lime carbonated drink
• 1 pint lime sherbet

1. Place frozen cranberry concentrate in a container and add the suggested amount of water to make juice.
2. Place in punch bowl and add lemon lime drink
3. Add sherbet and ice ring or ice cubes

Makes 1 punch bowl

NOTE:  You can use gingerale instead of lemon lime drink.  Use unsweetened juice and diet soda and omit the lime sherbet for anyone who can’t have sugar.

LUCIA BUNS

In Sweden these buns are served by the oldest daughter in the family early in the morning on St. Lucy’s Day.  She dresses in a white robe and wears a wreath of candles in her hair as she sings the song “Santa Lucia”.

• 2 Tablespoons hot water
• 1/8 teaspoon powdered saffron                                                               
• 3 – ½ to 3 – ¾ cup flour                                                               
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• ½ cup raisins
• ¼ cup chopped Brazil Nuts

1.      Pour hot water over saffron and set aside. 

2.      In a mixing bowl combine 2 cups of the flour and yeast. 

3.      Heat milk, sugar, butter or margarine, and salt in a saucepan until warm but not boiling.  Stir constantly until butter melts.  Add to four-yeast mixture.

4.      Add saffron mixture. 

5.      Beat with mixer on low speed for about 1 minute.  Then beat on high for 3 minutes. 

6.      Stir in raisins and nuts with a wooden spoon. 

7.      Add as much of the remaining flour as possible still stirring with spoon.

8.      Knead on floured board to make a stiff dough. 

9.      Place dough in a greased bowl and flip over to grease top and cover with a towel.  Let rise ½ to 1 – ½ hours.  Punch down and rest 10 minutes

10. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

11. Divide dough into 32 pieces and roll into 10 inch ropes. 

12. Lay 2 ropes side by side on a greased baking sheet.   Press centers together to seal.  Coil each of the four ends toward the outside.

13. Place a raisin in the center and cover and rise until double about 30 to 45 minutes.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 16 buns.   

RASPBERRY GLAZED HAM    

This glaze is different and delicious on Christmas Ham.                                                              

• 1 – 4 to 5 pound cooked boneless ham                                                   
• ¼ cup dry white wine or white grape juice                                               
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/3 cup seedless red raspberry jam
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Score ham and insert meat thermometer
3. Bake for  1 – ½ hours or until 140 degrees is reached
4. In a small saucepan blend wine or grape juice and lemon juice. 
5. Add half of the jam.  Cook, stirring until thick and bubbly. 
6. Stir in remaining jam and butter.  Stir until butter melts.
7. Brush ham with glaze and bake 10 minutes.  Keep rest of warm glaze to serve with dinner.

BEEF WITH YORKSHIRE PUDDING

Want an old recipe that tastes really good for Christmas Dinner.  Yorkshire pudding is a bread like substance so you won't have to serve bread.

• 1 – 4 pound rib roast
• salt and pepper
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt

1.      Preheat oven to 325 degrees

2.      Place roast in a shallow pan fat side up.  Season with salt and pepper.

3.      Insert a meat thermometer and roast uncovered for 2 – ½ hours for rare (140 degrees), 3 hours for medium rare (160 degrees) or 3 – ¼ hours for well done (170 degrees).

4.      Remove to a platter and keep warm reserving ¼ cup of the drippings.

5.      Change oven temperature to 400 degrees.

6.      In a mixing bowl combine eggs and milk and beat.  Gradually add flour and salt and beat for 2 minutes. 

7.      Pour half of the reserved drippings into each of two 9 x 9 x 2 inch baking pans.  Pour pudding mixture into pans and bake 30 minutes.  Serve with meat.

Makes 8 servings.

GOBS

This is my mother’s recipe and it is called gobs because it makes gobs of them.  The look like miniature whoopee pies wrapped in wax paper.   Make sure you have at least one person to help you make these because they come out of the oven fast.

Cookie:

• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour milk
• 1 cup boiling water
• 4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½  teaspoon baking powder
• ½  teaspoon cocoa

1. In a mixing bowl cream together sugar, shortening and eggs
2. Add sour milk and boiling water.
3. In another bowl combine flour, soda, salt, baking powder and cocoa.  Add gradually to creamed mixture.
4. Drop on ungreased cookie sheets by teaspoonfuls about ½ inch apart and bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 5 to 8 minutes.  Remove and let cool on sheets 3 minutes and remove to racks.  (these will be cake like)

Filling:

• 5 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup shortening
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1.      In a sauce pan combine flour and milk and heat until thick. 

2.      In a mixing bowl cream powdered sugar, shortening, salt and vanilla.

3.      Add cooled milk mixture.  Beat until light

 Directions for assembling cookie:

1. Spread filling between 2 cooled cookies.
2. Wrap each cookie in wax paper and secure with a little piece of tape.

SHORTBREAD TWO WAYS

This recipe has been in the family for years.  As I understand it, it was my Great Grandmother’s who came to the United States from Ireland.  It is buttery and good and I added the chocolate topping a few years ago which was a hit.

Shortbread:

• 1 pound butter (no substitution)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 7 cups flour

1. Several hours before starting place butter and cover with sugar in your mixing bowl.  Let sit.
2. Cream well.
3. Add egg yolks and beat.
4. Start adding flour, a little at a time, and when the mixer seems to be having a hard time remove and mix with your hands.
5. Shape into a ball and divide into two parts. 
6. Place each ball into 2 – 8” round ungreased cake pans or put in shortbread molds.  Distribute dough evenly in pans.   Prick dough with a fork randomly or you can make snowflake designs. 
7. Bake 300 degrees for 1 hour or until golden brown. 
8. Serve plain or
9. The second way is to take a small bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and pour on top of the shortbread right after it comes out of the oven.  The eat will melt them in a few minutes – take a knife and smooth the melted chocolate over top. 
10. Cut in wedges when cooled.

GERMAN PFEFFERNUESSE

These are old fashion spicy cookies with pepper in them.  Believe it or not they are luscious.

·        1/3 cup dark corn syrup

·        ¼ cup sugar

·        ¼ cup honey

·        ¼ cup shortening

·        1 beaten egg

·        2 – ¼ cup flour

·        ½ teaspoon baking soda

·        ¼ teaspoon cloves

·        ¼ teaspoon allspice

·        ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

·        1/8 teaspoon salt

·        1/8 teaspoon pepper

·        Confectioners’ Sugar

1.      Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2.      In a large saucepan combine corn syrup, sugar, honey and shortening.  Cook until everything is melted.  Cool.  Scrape into a mixing bowl.

3.      Beat in egg.

4.      In another bowl combine flour, baking soda, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, salt and pepper.  Gradually beat into the first mixture.

5.      Form teaspoonfuls into balls and place on greased cookie sheets. 

6.      Bake for 10 minutes.

7.      Cool on racks and roll carefully in confectioner’s sugar before they are totally cool. 

Makes 4 to 4 – ½ dozen

SNOWBALLS

I’m not sure you would actually call these a cookie as they are more like a fondue that isn’t hot.  The process tends to make kind of a mess, but kids love to make them and eat them.  They will always remember when you did this.  One warning though – it gives kids a sugar high.

• 1 pound grated coconut
• 1 Loaf type angel food cake
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• About 6 Tablespoons of milk.

1.      Place coconut in a deep dish pie pan.

2.      Break angel food cake into chunks and put in a bowl.

3.      In a medium bowl, by hand, mix confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and enough milk to make a thin frosting.  Stir until light and smooth.

4.      Spear each chunk of cake with a skewer or fork and dip into frosting. 

5.      Drain on a cooling rack with wax paper underneath.

6.      Roll in coconut before the frosting hardens and dry on wax paper.

7.      These don’t last long as they get soggy.  So eat them up in just a day or so.  If you must store, place in an airtight container.

Moravian Christmas Cookies

The Moravian women of Old Salem, NC make these cookies today.  They roll the dough out paper thin and cut in fancy shapes.

Cookie:

• 4 cups sifted flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon mace or nutmeg
• ¼ cup butter or margarine
• ¼ cup shortening
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 Tablespoon very hot water
• 1 – ½ cup baking soda

1. In a bowl sift flour with spices
2. In a mixing bowl cream butter, shortening and sugar until fluffy. 
3. Add molasses and beat well
4. In a small bowl dissolve baking soda with hot water
5. Mix ¼ of dry ingredients into the creamed mixture then stir in soda water
6. Work in remaining dry ingredients a little a a time. 
7. Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.  Chill 4 to 6 hours or overnight
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
9. Roll dough, a little at a time on a floured surface about 1/8” maximum thickness.
10. Cut with cookie cutters and place 1 ½ inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. 
11. Bake 8 minutes or until light brown
12. Cool 1 to 2 minutes and transfer to racks
13. Ice when cool.

Icing:

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 to 3 Tablespoons heavy cream

1.      Mix together to a creamy consistency and place in decorating bag with thin tip.

2.      Trace outline of cookie with frosting.

FIGGY PUDDING

Remember the famous FIGGY PUDDING we sing about in the song We Wish You a Merry Christmas?  If you didn't know what they were singing about, here is the

recipe.  Pudding in this instance is more like a cake with sauce over top.  This is an easy recipe.  Figgy pudding and other Christmas puddings would take all day

just to chop the ingredients and mix it them steam it instead of baking it. 

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup butter, room temp                                       

• 1/2 cup molasses

• 1/2 cup maple syrup

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 2 cups chopped figs

• 1/2 cup raisins

• 1/2 cup orange ground with peel

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

• 2 - 2/3 cups flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon mace

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

2. In a mixing bowl beat eggs with butter until light and fluffy.

3. Beat in molasses and maple syrup.

4. Add buttermilk and mix well

5. Add figs, raisins, ground orange and walnuts. 

6. In another bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and mace.  Combine this gradually with mixture in mixing bowl.

7. Pour into a greased 9" tube pan and bake for 1 hour or until tests done by inserting a toothpick in pudding with it coming out clean.

8. Let sit for about 1/2 hour and invert and remove from pan.

Now for the Hard Sauce.

• 1/2 cup butter, room temp

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 1 Tablespoon hot water

1. In a mixing bowl beat butter until creamy

2. Gradually beat in sugar a little a time

3. Beat in rest of ingredients and continue to beat until light and fluffy. 

Can be served either chilled or at room temp. 

GO BACK TO MAIN PAGE