Holiday Baking
Making the Holidays Sweeter Since 2010
For the last three years…
2013 took place:
My mother has brought together her daughters and their families for a weekend of holiday baking. Now keep in mind, my mother - just like yours - is like no other. The largest amounts of sugars, flours, kisses, and powders - coming together for numerous hours - with holiday smells and lots of laughter - we never really know what to expect when we come together, other than a few things:
When: Saturday, Dec 7 - Sunday, Dec 8
‣ Lots of delicious mess. ‣ Memories that the last time you ate this much sugary sweetness was last year… ‣ Ruckus. A few glasses of wine (or ginger whisky root beers!) ‣ Dishes. Lots and lots of dishes.
Where: My moms house Time:
Saturday: 3pm - 8pm Sunday: 12:30pm - 6:30pm
New this year: Instead of wine, we drank 2 Gingers Whisky mixed with micro-brewed root beer. We also had Pandora playing! Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve introduced some new technology :)
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“What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” ~Mother Teresa
It’s good Minnesota manners to talk about the weather…
My grandma’s curiosity got the best of her - I excitedly said hello and announced myself. As soon as she realized who I was, her arm was up ready to receive a loving hug. After giving her a hug and exchanging a kiss, we settled in for our visit. I never know what to expect when I see her, she is living with dementia. Some days are good, some days aren’t so good conversations will be going well, then you realize that she’s no longer really in the conversation the same way she was just a moment ago.
Saturday was bitter cold, the kind of cold that hurts your hands and cuts to the bone. We had a light dusting the night before, the roads were slick and you dressed with nearly everything in layers. Leggings under sweatpants, 2 pairs of socks, and three shirts- at least that’s how it is for those of us that are not going through menopause. My mother on the other hand wore one thermal shirt unbuttoned at the top, sleeves rolled up and sweatpants. It was hot for her.
This visit was special, we had a lovely exchange one where she reminded me of my love of adventure - seeing the parts of me that often no one else sees. Even though her vision is failing, this woman sees better than anyone I know.
The next day it snowed all day- a light and lovely snow that glitters as it falls. It was much warmer than the day before. The snow added a whole new level of holiday feel - beyond the smells it was becoming our scenery.
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Grandma Kisses: Three Generations of Women
My grandmother lives in a nursing home not more than 6 blocks from where she raised her family, in the house where my mother grew up and now lives. This year, I went to visit my grandma with my mom and her husband after our day of baking. Upon walking into her room, after hearing my mothers voice her face lit up - it was like a light went off inside. My grandma enthusiastically asked if Jerry was with her and my mother replied, “Yup - and someone else is here too…”
Before leaving I bent down to giver her a hug and kiss. My hair fell down my cheek right before she kissed me. As I pulled away, she said, “Well that wasn’t much of a kiss - I kissed your hair not your cheek!” I laughed, tucked my hair behind my ear and gave it another go - I said, “There, now you can kiss my cheek!” She gleefully laid one on me and shared a laugh that I hadn’t heard in a long time - the chid-like, mischievous, giggly laugh- the kind that make you laugh when you hear it. My grandma was glowing - right along with my mother and I. I started to remember what I love about them so much. ~Katie
Reflections from Kelli: 
 Carrying on Holiday Traditions There's something about the start of the holiday season, as the chaos at the mall picks up I meet my sister and mother in my mom's kitchen for our cookie baking. This year was special to me for a lot of reasons but the main reason was that I missed it last year because I had to work. So to say I was beyond excited for this year is an understatement.
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There's something magical about my mother's kitchen when it has Christmas music in the background, wine, and a card table covered in heaps and bounds with ingredients that will turn into deliciousness within a couple hours. Even though my sister and I are grown it doesn't mean that we don't sneak a taste of cookie dough or rice krispie treats before they harden. Making jokes about peanuts and laughing with the strongest women I know makes my heart full of joy.
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This is my family. ..and I am blessed and honored to be a part of it. Nothing better than spending a weekend with my mom and sister looking at recipes that have been passed down over the years to only be perfected time and time again.
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These are the memories that I will share with my son and grandchildren, it's a tradition that will live on.
Holiday Baking 

Making the Holidays Sweeter Since 2010
 The Recipes from 2013
Almond Bark
Caramel Popcorn
Coconut Macaroons
Caramel Rice Krispie Bars
Salted Nut Roll
Holiday Baking
Making the Holidays Sweeter Since 2010 The Recipes from 2013
Seven Layer Bars
Sugar Cookies
Tuxedo Cookies
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Peanut Butter Bon Bons
Almond Bark The classic, delicious Almond Bark - even the packaging makes you feel like anyone can do this and this is what it was made for. We started with a half of a package of chocolate Almond Bark and a full package of white almond bark. We had two sheets of wax paper laid out a head of time and worked on gently melting the Almond Bark so it was a smooth and creamy texture. We then spread on a thin layer of chocolate Almond Bark, half on one sheet was paper, half on the other. We added a layer of white chocolate Almond Bark to that once it cooled (having a three season porch helps accelerate the cooling process here in MN.) Katie smashed the crap out of peppermint sticks putting them in a sandwich bag and taking a rolling pin to em. The peppermint sticks were then sprinkled along the top of the still-warm white chocolate Almond Bark. The entire concoction was sent to the porch to cool. DELICIOUS!
Caramel Corn 2 cups brown sugar 1 cup butter 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup dark corn syrup 5 qts. popped corn - NO BUTTER OR SALT! Boil 1st four ingredients together for 5 min. Pour over popped corn which has been divided between two 9x13 cake pans (or a turkey roaster if you’re my mom). Bake at 250 for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes. We let it cool and then chiseled it out of the turkey roaster into a large bowl that was then set out on the porch. Casey helped with chiseling and cleaning up the pan by eating what was stuck to it. He’s such a good helper!
Coconut Macaroons (Makes about 4 dozen) 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened 1 pgk (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg yolk 2 tsp. almond extract 2 tsp. orange juice 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 5 cups of sweetened coconut flakes, divided 48 HERSHEY’S KISSES brand Milk Chocolates 1. Beat butter, cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed in large bowl until well blended. Add egg yolk, almond extract and orange juice; beat well. Stir tighter flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to butter mixture. Stir in 3 cups coconut. Cover; refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to handle. Meanwhile, find someone else to remove all 48 foil wrappers from these friggin kisses. 2. Heat oven to 350F 3. Shape dough into 1 inch balls; roll in remaining 2 cups of coconut. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. 4. Bake 10 - 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press chocolate pieces into center of each cookie. Cool 1 minute. Carefully remove to wire rack and cool completely.
Caramel Rice Krispie Bars 10 cups Rice Krispies 1/2 cup Margarine 2 large pkg. mini marshmallows 1 cup Chocolate Chips 1 pkg caramels 1/4 cup Margarine 1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk Melt 1/2 cup margarine and 1 1/2 pkg marshmallows over low heat. Pour over cereal and mix. Put 1/2 of this into a buttered
 10 x 15 inch pan. Over the layer of rice krispies, spreading remaining marshmallows and chocolate chips. Melt caramels and 1/4 cup of margarine and sweetened condensed milk. Pour over layer in the pan and then spread remaining krispie mixture.
Salted Nut Rolls 1 yellow cake mix 1/3 cup butter 1 egg (Mix, pat into pan and bake 12 minutes @ 350F) Pour 3 cups miniature marshmallows, bake in oven for 3 minutes or until puffy - let cool. Melt 1 12oz pkg of Peanut Butter Chips, 1/4 cup oleo, 2/3 cup Corn Syrup, 2 tsp. vanilla. Add 2 cups Rice Krispies Spread over marshmallows Press in salted peanuts. (Handwritten recipes are fun to read and decipher - we’ll see if I got this right once my mom reads this!)
Seven Layer Bars (aka: Hello Dolly Bars) 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1 1/4 cup crushed vanilla wafers or graham crackers 1/2 cup chocolate chips (3 oz.) 1/2 cup butterscotch chips (3 oz.) 1/2 cup flake coconut 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk Melt butter in 9x13 pan, sprinkle crushed vanilla wafers (or graham crackers) over butter. Next, sprinkle chocolate and butter scotch chips, then coconut and lastly the chopped nuts. Pour condensed mile evenly on top. Do not stir. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes (or 325 if its in a glass pan). When cool, cut into bars.
Sugar Cookies (from the kitchen of Joleen Pfau) 1 cup butter 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 egg, unbeaten 1 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. baking soda (scant, which means not completely full) 1 tsp. cream of tarter 1/4 tsp. salt 2 1/2 cup flour Cream shortening (aka: butter) and sugar. Add egg. Beat well. Add dry ingredients. Roll out thin and cut. Back @ 350F for 5 minutes or just before they turn brown.
Tuxedo Brownie HUGS Cookies (Makes about 5 dozen cookies) 60 HERSHEY’S HUG brand Candies 1 package (1lb., 6.5 oz.) brownie mix with HERSHEY’s Syrup pouch 1/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1. Remove wrappers from candies. Heat oven to 350F. Grease and flour cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. 2. Stir brownie mix, pouch of HERSHEY’S Syrup, cocoa, water, oil and eggs in medium bowl until well blended. Drop by scant (remember what scant means?!) teaspoons onto prepared cookie sheet. 3. Bake 8 minutes or until set. Cool 1 min. Press candy into center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.
Peanut Butter Blossoms (Makes about 4 doz.) 48 HERSHEY’S KISSES brand Milk Chocolate 3/4 cup peanut butter 1/2 cup shortening 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup packaged light brown sugar 1 egg 2 Tbsp. milk 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt Granulated Sugar 1. Heat oven to 375F. Remove wrappers from chocolates. 2. Beat peanut butter and shortening with electric mixer or medium speed in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture. 3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in additional granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet. 4. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookies will crack around edges. Remove to wire racks and cool immediately.
Peanut Butter Bon Bons (from Gma’s handwritten recipe) 2 cup powdered sugar 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (finely crushed) 3/4 cup pecans (I used walnuts) - the words of my grandma! 1/2 cup coconut (I used 1/4 cup) awww… grandma :) 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy) 1 cup chocolate chips 2 Tbsp. crisco In bowl, combine powdered sugar, graham crackers, pecans and coconut. In small frying pan, belt butter & peanut butter. Pour over coconut mixture in bowl. Mix well and shape into 1” balls. In small saucepan melt chocolate chips with crisco. Roll balls in chocolate and remove with toothpick and place on waxed paper to harden.
Holiday Baking
Making the Holidays Sweeter Since 2010 Closing thoughts and gratitude Thanks for reading this - I hope you enjoy the recipes as much as we have! Many of these are handwritten recipes from my grandmother, my mom, her friends and extended family. A few of them (you’ll never guess which ones!) are from a recipe book that specializes in what to do with HERSHEY’S products. To cover my ass from any potential lawsuits, I’ve included a picture of the book here so that if you’d like to learn more about those recipes you can get the book yourself. :) As far as I know, the rest of em are good to go - share em out far and wide, maybe you can use this as a way to start your own tradition around the holidays! I look forward to the many years to come and seeing this list of recipes continue to grow. The ones included here are the ones that we were able to get to during our time together over the first weekend in December. You know my mom still has a list of cookies that she plans on making over the next couple weeks, these of course, are not included in this “Holiday Baking Harvest” but my hunch is that they’ll be included in future ones to come.
Holiday Baking: Katie’s Closing Reflection
“I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate.” ~Julia Child