It just wouldn’t be the holidays without decadent desserts and cookies. Many of our Regions family members were quick to share their favorite recipes, many of which have been handed down for generations.
Kimberly Dunn loves her mother’s tradition of making Peanut Butter Balls on Christmas Eve. She hopes her children carry on the practice. (We’re pretty sure Santa loves peanut butter!) Likewise, Lauren Young has made a tradition of making White Chocolate Crack Candy with her 10-year-old daughter Novalie.
One whiff of Christopher Goldman’s Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies baking in the oven sends him down memory lane, to the Christmases when his grandma would bake tons of cookies as gifts for family and friends.
And, speaking of gifts, Pamela Canale takes the cake – or rather, the cookie. Each holiday season, she bakes about 1,200 Italian cookies for family and friends using some of the same recipes handed down from her Nonna Morgia, Aunt Irma and mother. As for the recipients of those cookies? Pamela says, “I just love seeing the look on their faces when they open their Christmas tins.”
Apple Butter Pie
I eat gluten free and I am always looking for recipes that I can convert. I don’t really remember where I found this but I knew all I had to do was use a gluten-free crust and I could eat it because the rest of the ingredients are gluten free. I made it at Thanksgiving and it was delicious. Kind of reminds me of pumpkin pie but better. –Melinda Simpson
Ingredients
- 1 deep dish pie crust
- 1/2 cup apple butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups whole milk
Preheat oven to 375. Beat eggs in a bowl and then add the apple butter, cinnamon, sugar and cornstarch. Mix well. Wisk in the milk. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust. Bake for an hour or until the center sets. It may still seem a little jiggly in the center but will firm as it cools. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe is slightly different version from my grandmother’s. During Christmas, my grandma would make tons of cookies as gifts for people. I always remember the smell. When I make these cookies, it reminds me of her. –Christopher Goldman
Wet ingredients
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter (if cold, microwave for 30 seconds)
- 3/4 cup of Brown sugar
- ¾ cup of white sugar
- 2tsp of vanilla
- 3 eggs.
Mix wet ingredients until well blended.
Dry ingredients
- 2 ¼ cup of all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of baking soda.
Preheat oven to 375. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl and use a fork and whisk together. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Then add your favorite chocolate chips. (I use semi-sweet.) Freeze or refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Bake for 12 minutes or until they brown on top.
Italian Almond Paste Cookies
This recipe has been handed down through the generations in my family. Both my mother’s and father’s families owned restaurants. Our family owned Canale’s, an Italian restaurant in Watertown, New York, for 52 years. I grew up making these cookies with my Nonna Morgia, Aunt Irma and Mom. I bake close to 1,200 Italian cookies for gifts and family every holiday season and Italian Almond Paste Cookies are definitely a favorite. I just love seeing the look on their faces when they open their Christmas tins! –Pamela A. Canale
Ingredients
- 2 8-ounce cans of almond paste
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup confectioner’s Sugar
- 2/3 cup flour
- ½ tsp salt
- Sliced almonds
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix ingredients and measure into 1-inch balls. Place on foil or silicone baking sheet and press flat. Add sliced almonds on the top of each cookie. Bake for 22 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Let cool and serve. Cookies can be frozen and last several months.
No Bake Chocolate Cookies
This is a recipe my family has made since I was little and I’ve continued the tradition with my daughter. It’s easy and always a crowd pleaser. It goes by many names but our family has always called them No-Bake Chocolate Cookies. I’ve heard them called Boil Cookies, Chocolate Boilers and several other names. We don’t limit it to just the holidays. It’s an easy, inexpensive recipe that is fun and delicious. –Jacqueline E. Lewis
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup cocoa
- ½ cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
Mix all the ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat.
Ingredients
- ½ cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy – personal preference
- ½ cup coconut
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups quick cooking oatmeal
Add all ingredients into saucepan. Mix well. Using a spoon, drop on wax paper. Allow to cool. Enjoy!
Orange Chocolate Biscotti
This recipe has also been handed down through the generations. I’ve always loved the flavor of orange and chocolate together. You can also swap out extract flavors too. Sometimes I use orange extract with chocolate chips. Sometimes lemon extract with white chocolate chips. Sometimes the traditional anise extract with almonds. I’ve even used pumpkin pie extract with pumpkin spice chips! Biscotti is simple to make and this one recipe can make several kinds of Biscotti by just swapping out a couple of ingredients! –Pam Canale
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup soft butter
- 2 large eggs
- 3-4 tablespoons orange extract
- 6 ounces chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients and shape into two long loaves. Bake 30 minutes. Take out and slice on the diagonal and place back in the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Store in an airtight tin or freeze and take out as needed.
Peanut Butter Balls
My aunt found the recipe about 40 years ago. She passed it on to my mother who would make them every year for Christmas Eve. We would make peanut butter balls instead of Christmas cookies for Santa. Now it has become a tradition to make them every year on Christmas Eve. Now that my siblings and I are all grown and have children of our own, we still have my mom make the peanut butter balls for our Christmas Eve gatherings. I’m hoping our children will continue this tradition with their children in the future. –Kimberly Dunn
Ingredients
- 1 cup light corn syrup (Karo)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups peanut butter
- 12 cups corn flakes
Mix syrup and sugar in a pot. Bring to a boil. Cool slightly. Add peanut butter to the mixture. Pour over corn flakes in a large mixing bowl. Shape into small balls. Place on wax paper. Keep in a sealed container. Serves 70.
Pumpkin Bundt Cake
I found this recipe a while back. I collect so many recipes, but I love it so much more than pumpkin pie. It is very moist and delicious! I convert my recipes to gluten free. If you need to do so, just use gluten-free 1-to-1 flour. –Melinda Simpson
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 (15-ounce) canned pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 can cream cheese frosting
Preheat oven to 350. Beat sugar and eggs with a handheld mixer until well blended and light in color. Add oil and vanilla and continue to beat. Mix dry ingredients with egg mixture. Add the can of pumpkin and mix thoroughly. Pour into a greased 9-inch Bundt pan. Bake 55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let stand in pan for 10 minutes and then turn onto platter and allow to cool completely. Frost with can of cream cheese frosting or make a homemade cream cheese frosting if you prefer.
Pumpkin Squares
I found the Pumpkin Squares recipe in a magazine. It was such a hit one year at a Christmas party that it is now my go-to dessert recipe for the holidays. –Carla Rainey
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup oil
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 (15-ounce) pumpkin
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 cups flour
- 1 2/3 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together and beat well. Pour into a 9×13-inch baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Cool and top with cream cheese frosting (recipe follows).
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 box powdered sugar
- 1 stick butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
Mix together and spread over cooled cake.
White Chocolate Crack Candy
My 10-year-old daughter, Novalie, and I like to bake a lot for the holidays and I’m always looking for simple, versatile recipes that she can really help with. She does everything except the boiling and baking in this one. We made this for the first time about six years ago and it’s been a favorite of ours ever since. We make the original one (plain chocolate) and a new creation each year! One year, we made a peppermint bark version that was delicious. It is now requested at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I like to bring some for my co-workers as well. –Lauren Young
Ingredients
- Saltines (can substitute Club Crackers or Ritz)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 12-ounce package of white chocolate chips
- Crushed pretzels (quart-size bag, or any topping of your choice)
Preheat the oven to 425. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Fill the cookie sheet with one layer of saltine crackers.
Heat butter and brown sugar over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Stir until brown sugar and butter in combined and melted then boil without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour the mixture over the layer of saltines. Spread with a spatula or spoon to cover them evenly. Bake in the oven for about 4-5 minutes – it should be bubbling on top.
Sprinkle the bag of white chocolate chips over the top and let sit for a couple minutes until they start to melt. Spread the chocolate with a spatula until evenly coated, then sprinkle the pretzels or any topping of your choice over the top. Put the pan in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Once set, break into pieces and store in an airtight container.
This is a really fun recipe because you can do so many things with it. Chocolate, white chocolate, pretzels, pecans, Reese’s Pieces, sprinkles, etc.