Visions of Sugarplums -- a fun find!

 

This fun little find was the Woman's Day annual Christmas cookie cookbook for 2005, bound into its magazine pages.   

The cookie recipes include Shortbread Trees, Cherry Checkerboards, Peppermint Tea Cakes, Honey Hazelnut Triangles, Raspberry Brownie Cups, Pink Lemonade Bars, Chocolate-Dipped Pistachio Biscotti, Santa's Whiskers, Cranberry Double-Chip Cookies, Ginger Drops, Almond-Orange Macaroons, and Lime Snowflakes & Ornaments.

The Pink Lemonade Bars are pretty and sound so perfect for a summer day!  Essentially it seems one might add 5 drops of red food coloring to a regular lemon bar recipe.  I will try and share the recipe later this week.  

Are there other cookies from this booklet that sound tempting to you?  Let me know and I will share.

A holiday e-book to download for Christmas baking

 

 Some time ago a friend and I were having a conversation regarding molasses.  I don't even recall the context, though it surely must have had to do with using molasses in a recipe or recipes.

I love the old-fashioned flavor of molasses in baked goods.  Growing up, the only way milk tasted good to me was to stir in a spoonful of molasses.

Many older Christmas recipes for cookies and cakes call for molasses, which is a plus in my book.  

As my friend and I chatted I mentioned that I like the Crosby's molasses, a Canadian brand which our local supermarkets sell.  She was not familiar with the brand, so I looked up the website to send her a link.  In so doing, I discovered that Crosby's has a nice variety of recipe e-books.  You can check them out here: Crosby e-books.

Today I just want to share one of the recipe books.  This one is called simply The Holiday Book.  Here's a screenshot.

 
The description at the beginning reads:

There’s an appealing nostalgia around
molasses. The word alone is rich with
memories of cozy kitchens and warming food:
a slice of gingerbread with butterscotch sauce,
warm buttery biscuits drizzled with molasses,
crispy gingersnaps dunked in hot cocoa...

There are 23 recipes in this ebook, and more than half are cookie recipes.  There are also recipes for candy, snacks, and a couple of beverages.  The cookies pictured on the cover are Peanut Butter Molasses Cookies.  The cookie recipe that caught my eye is a molasses cookie stuffed with cut-up Lindt white chocolate truffles!  Not anything I would have thought of doing, but they look delicious.

If you enjoy baking with molasses at the holidays, you will want to download this ebook!

Pepparkakor Spritz

 

And one more cookie recipe!  We tried this recipe in a previous year (2015) and I mentioned it in passing, but never blogged about it.  This cookie recipe is one of the many excellent ones in this classic baking book from the 1950s -- Best Loved Foods of Christmas -- the very one that came out every Christmas of my childhood as my mother began to plan her kitchen gifts.

I love my regular Pepparkakor recipe (for cutout cookies) 

and am probably not ever going to replace it with these pressed ones.  My regular recipe calls for the rind and juice of an orange, and I love that flavor component.  But the taste is very similar and very festive. My hubby enjoyed trying different shapes with the cookie press for this one, and he sprinkled them with red sugar.  

This is a delicious and somewhat different spritz variation!

Twelve Treats of Christmas

 

It's so much fun to take a look back at vintage cookbooklets from Christmases past!  This is one I've recently listed in my Etsy shop.  It's by Duncan Hines and is called the 12 Treats of Christmas.  It isn't that old, probably from the 1990s, but it's a vintage one nonetheless.  

Each recipe has a red icon or emblem which relates to one of the 12 days of Christmas.  On the front, that's simply a pair of festive bells with some holly.  The little blurb on the front reads: "To help you bake your moist delicious best,  Duncan Hines is proud to offer you some of our favorite recipes for your family to enjoy.  From all of us at Duncan Hines, we wish you a very happy holiday season!"

 

Peanut Butter Sparkle Cookies are first.  Aren't they festive?

And next there is Rich Double Chocolate Cream Torte.  This is one I've made a number of times, though I didn't know it was a Duncan Hines recipe.  I found it in Taste of Home.  Absolutely delicious.

Brownie Hot Fudge Sundaes offer another festive hit of chocolate.  That's a scrumptious-sounding Fudge Sauce, made with chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk.

Lemon Blueberry Poppy Seed Bread could be made in several smaller loaf pans to make some impressive additions to a gift basket.

How pretty is this Candy Cane Cake?  The recipe shows you just how to cut a 13x9 cake to make this candy cane shape.  I think it might also be pretty using red (and/or green) M&Ms to decorate rather than the maraschino cherries.

The Gingerbread Men recipe sounds like a good one, starting with a spice cake mix.  But this is the ugliest gingerbread man I've ever seen!  I think they could have come up with a nicer looking one to make this recipe much more appealing.

 

 

  Above, the Cherry Christmas Wreaths are  beautiful cakes -- chocolate with cream cheese frosting and a topping of cherry pie filling.  Yum!  I don't use mixes much anymore, but I'd love to try duplicating this recipe with a scratch cake and frosting.

The Individual Cheesecake Cups are fun little cheesecakes made in regular muffin pans.  It makes 24.  One uses either a chocolate or yellow cake in making the crust.  Notice the milkmaid illustration here!

The Peppermint Marble Angel Cake is so pretty!  Wouldn't this be fun to serve with peppermint stick ice cream?

I think this Blueberry Sour Cream Coffeecake would be wonderful for Christmas breakfast, or for giving as a kitchen gift. 

 The above photo (which is the back cover of the booklet) shows two recipes: Chocolate Cherry Cordial Drops -- essentially chocolate chip cookies with chopped maraschino cherries, coconut, and pecans -- and the Festive Coconut Macaroon Cookies, which start with a sugar cookie mix so are not quite like a traditional macaroon.  They do look good though and I think might be nice with a dab of jam in the center in place of the candied cherry half.

And there you have the 12 treats of Christmas!  They've given me some good ideas for December.

Quick and Easy Christmas -- another Gooseberry Patch book review

 This cookbook interested me, and I loved the cover art, so I found one for a super reasonable price on Thriftbooks.  I figured it would make a lovely display piece at the very least, but upon receiving the cookbook I found it to be filled with recipes that I would actually use. 

This cover has so many fun details! In the foreground is a plate with a pretty red and white rim, containing two scrumptious looking cinnamon rolls and a red, white and green candy stick.  It's garnished with festive greenery and red berries.

To the left is a jar of gumdrops turned into a jar candle.  With its gift tag and ribbon, it's obviously intended to be given as a festive gift.  In the background is a wooden fence with a runner sled propped against it.  The entire scene is framed in birch twigs and has a few blue snowflakes scattered here and there.

 

The cover blurb specifies, "Over 220 Christmastime recipes ... most in 30 minutes or less!  Plus simple decorating ideas & gifts."

 

The dedication reads, "For those who take pleasure in preparing a homestyle Christmas ... and make time to enjoy it too!"

 

There are six chapters: Breakfast & Brunch; Snacks & Appetizers; Soups, Sides & Salads; Mains; Desserts; and Slow Cooker.

For Breakfast & Brunch, there's everything from Creamy Cinnamon Rolls to pancakes, quiches and other egg bakes, French toast, biscuits, fruit dishes and more.  Strawberry Cheesecake French Toast sounds amazing!  The Yuletide Orange Smoothies are a recipe I often made for brunch guests back in the day.  Donut Hole kabobs, in which a variety of donut holes are skewered and then placed in a vase for serving, is just one of the fun ideas suggested at the bottom of each page.

For Snacks & Appetizers, there are meatballs, dips and cheese balls, snack mixes, cheese logs and more. The Mexican pinwheels is a recipe I've made and they are delicious.   I really want to try the Glazed Walnuts, which are made with maple syrup instead of sugar and sound scrumptious.  They would make a great kitchen gift.  Bacon Cheddar Appetizers with a base of shredded wheat crackers sound good, as do Feta Squares with party pumpernickel bread squares as the base.  There's even a homemade summer sausage!

Soups, Sides & Salads contains many yummy looking recipes for these items.  The one for Oven-Fried Potatoes is very similar to the potato wedges I often make, except that my recipe calls for less oil.  And I find it works much better to stir the potatoes with the oil and spices in a bowl, or to shake them together in a plastic bag, rather than brush them on the potatoes.  I've also made the Sweet Potato Casserole for Thanksgiving many times and it's very good.  There's a Tortellini Broccoli Soup that sounds easy and so good.  An Easy Cheese Orzo might make a great potluck side.

The Mains chapter is filled with recipes that sound so good.  A Crabmeat Casserole is tempting and so is Cheesy Sausage, Noodle & Broccoli Bake.  Taco Pasta Skillet sounds tasty.  I would leave out the corn.  This might be a meal I will try for my volunteer cooking gig.  Curried Chicken Broccoli Casserole is one I have made many times and have devised a number of variations on it as well.  Trim-the-Tree Casserole has chicken and broccoli, Swiss cheese and is topped off with stuffing.  Yum!  Just my kind of dish, though I ordinarily avoid stuffing due to the carbs.  Chicken & Rosemary Pizza is another want-to-try, as is Turkey Meatloaf with Cranberry Glaze.

 

A fun idea from this chapter is to display holiday cards, attached to strips of holiday ribbon, in every room in the house.  My daughter attaches ribbons to her kitchen cabinets and to areas in her living and dining areas as well, for this very purpose.   It adds such a festive touch and it's fun to look at the various cards her family has received.

The Desserts chapter is also a winner.  Holiday Cranberry Trifle is made with a real homemade cranberry mixture and real whipped cream and sounds absolutely scrumptious.  That may be something I try for next Christmas.  Cherry Cheese Pizza sounds delicious and so festive.  The Chocolate Fudge Pie is one I've made a few times.  It's so good and easy!  Lemon Fluff starts with a lemon cake mix and is layered with a cream cheese lemon pudding mixture, then whipped topping.  Fastest Cheesecake is an easy cheesecake pie made in a chocolate crust and topped with raspberry preserves and whipped cream.

I'm always up for trying a new Christmas cookie recipe, and Grandma's Kolachy Cookies (made with yeast!) sound so good and pretty too.  Molasses Popcorn Balls sound just like the ones my Gram used to make in her New Hampshire farmhouse.  One of the fun ideas in this chapter is to give a family a gift of a board game, or a couple of card games, along with a tin filled with homemade popcorn balls for the next snow day. 

Lastly is the Slow Cooker chapter which has everything from dips to desserts.  I love my slow cooker and would be tempted by many of these recipes.  A Broccoli & Cheese Casserole includes rice and cram of mushroom soup and sounds like a good potluck option.  I've made a baked recipe for Festive Apples & Squash many times, but never a slow cooker option -- so I'm thinking about trying that.  I've made a similar recipe to Italian Sammies, too, but this one differs slightly from mine.  Just a good Italian beef that would make great sandwiches!  Garlic Chicken Alfredo is a quick easy meal I'd like to try, as is Mediterranean Pork Tenderloin.  Among the desserts, the Apple Peanut Crumble stands out.  It's a slow-cooker apple crisp with a bit of peanut butter added to the topping.  It would be fabulous with vanilla ice cream!

 

You can probably tell that I would highly recommend Quick & Easy Christmas!  It would be so much fun to use in decorating -- but it's also filled with amazing recipes. 

Christmas Eve Soup, take two or three

 

 For decades we have used the same recipe for Christmas Eve Soup.  I've tweaked it a bit over the years so it is never exactly the same.  In 2021 I tried a recipe that I actually like a lot better, that tastes just the same only better.  I'd forgotten that I had posted about this over on my other blog in 2021, so having started this post I am just going to copy and paste here, and hope no one minds.  (That one had no comments on it, so it's possible no one even read it! 😀

"Our Christmas Eve Soup is just a simple creamy potato soup with some carrots and celery included, and with crumbled bacon and shredded Cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top.  We used to always serve it with biscuit, rolls, corn muffins or some other type of bread.  In more recent years we have often served it with pizza.  You can find the recipe here: Christmas Eve Soup.

This year I am going to tweak it just a bit.  A month or so ago, I tried a recipe from a Gooseberry Patch cookbook, Sunday Dinner at Grandma's.  This happens to be a cookbook which I received for free in exchange for having a recipe published in it.   You can also find it here at  Gooseberry Patch.  (Interestingly, it was a soup recipe that I had published in this book -- Cream of Broccoli Soup!)

The recipe I tried recently, though, is Grandma Jo's Potato Soup.  Interestingly, the ingredients are almost exactly the same as our Christmas Eve Soup.  But this soup was much tastier!  What is the difference?  I've scanned the page from the cookbook to show you.

 My usual recipe calls for light cream; this one calls for evaporated milk.  The only other difference is that this calls for "onion and garlic seasoned salt".  I didn't have any of that, but I did have a container of garlic pepper seasoned salt, so I liberally added that to taste.    This added zesty seasoning, plus the creaminess from the evaporated milk, has to make the difference."

So this year, when we celebrated "Christmas Eve" for adult granddaughters last night,  I again served Grandma Jo's Potato Soup instead of my usual.  And I tweaked it even more in that I used a can of carrots instead of cooking fresh carrots along with the potatoes, celery, and onion.  I added the carrots near the end, at the same time as the evaporated milk, so they wouldn't break up too much, being already cooked.  I like this much better than fresh carrots, and it's so easy. 

* The illustration at top is a scan of one of my very favorite Christmas cards, which features the Fred Swan painting Walking to Town.  To me it just says "Christmas Eve".  I actually have a cross-stitch kit of this design.  Maybe this year I will actually get to it! *

Book review: A Very Merry Christmas

 

 This is a newer book from Gooseberry Patch.  It's one of those books that I "earned" after having a recipe, craft, or memory published.  It was a fun surprise when my Festive Cheese Log recipe was chosen for publication this past year.  The subtitle is "Tried and true recipes to make your holiday special!" and this cheese log has been making our family's holidays special for decades now.  Friends at church always look forward to it, too.

The first chapter in A Very Merry Christmas cookbook is Making Memories Together.  There are some fun and heartwarming memories shared by readers from all over.  Some are reminiscent of my own memories, while others would be fun traditions to begin with a family.

Fun and Festive Breakfasts is the next chapter, filled with great ideas for quiche and egg bakes, breakfast sides, pancakes and waffles, cinnamon rolls, coffee cakes,  scones, muffins, and other wonderful-sounding breakfast dishes.  Nearly every recipe sounds like one that I would love to try -- especially the Gingerbread Muffins and Grandpa Frank's Breakfast Pizza.  There are also quotes, recipes, and other fun ideas sprinkled on the pages of this section.

The third chapter is Cozy Soups & More.  We just love soup in winter, fall and spring, which are all cool seasons here in NewHampshire.    This chapter features homemade breads and crackers too.  The Cheesy Ham & Potato Corn Chowder, Cauliflower & Cheese Soup, and Anita's Italian Zuppa are among the many soups I'd enjoy trying.

The fourth chapter is Scrumptious Sides & Salads. Sweet Baked Squash & Apples is one I've made many times (under a different name and using a different squash) and it's always a hit.   Tricolor Rotini Pasta Salad is different from my usual in that it includes salami and asparagus.  I might try this, but not for my grandkids, who have their own favorite pasta salad they always want me to make.  Joyce's Stuffing Cakes sound different and very good.  I think the Best Baked Beans would be a hit with my family.

Home for the Holidays is the next chapter, filled with main courses that would help me achieve my aim in December -- having cozy meals for those super busy days and evenings.  There are several more elegant recipes, suitable for Christmas dinner, but those don't take my eye like the cozy everyday ones.  I'd love to try Cheesy Tortilla Bake, Chicken Divan (very different from my usual recipe -- it includes stuffing!), Cowboy Chow, and Cheesy Pierogie Bake.  

Next is Party-Perfect Appetizers.  This one has loads of great appetizer and beverage recipes.  I'd love to try the French Quarter Cheese Spread, the Wonton Appetizer Cups and The Christmas Pineapple.  That last one is a whole pineapple trimmed with pickles, mini sausages, cubes of cheese, olives etc.  attached to it with toothpicks. 

     
And lastly, Ho-Ho Holiday Treats contains all sorts of sweet treats from cookies to pies to candies to snacks, especially for the sweet tooth members of the family.  (I have such great memories of my dad, asking after supper if there might be "a little something for the sweet tooth".)     I've made the Peppermint Bark -- makes such a good and easy kitchen gift!  I'd love to try the Salted Caramel Toffee Cookies, Cherry Almond Bundt Cake, and Toffee Coffee Crunch, with a layer of crushed roasted coffee beans underneath the toffee. 

This Christmas cookbook will be fun to use this season.  It's always a neat experience when Gooseberry Patch chooses one of my recipes, memories, or craft ideas for publication!                                                                                                                                         

Book review -- I'll Be Home for Christmas Cookbook

 

I can't even tell you have many Christmas cookbooks from Gooseberry Patch I own.  I've acquired them in various ways, probably most of them by way of having a recipe, craft idea or memory published. But one of my newer favorites is this I'll Be Home for Christmas cookbook, published in 2020.  You might also be able to find it on Thriftbooks here.  And likely on Amazon as well.

Here's a rundown of the chapters: Coming Home for Christmas is first and it includes many wonderful  heartwarming memories shared by various folks from around the country.  

Festive Holiday Brunch is a chapter filled with breakfast and brunch recipes -- everything from egg bakes to muffins to fruit salad, hot cocoa and much more. I think the only recipe I've tried here is the Christmas Jam, but there are many I want to try.   The Honey-Glazed Ham Biscuit Sliders sound fantastic.  They are like the sliders one often sees made with Hawaiian rolls, but these are made with buttermilk biscuits, which would make them a little healthier and also less expensive.  Carolyn's Candied Bacon sounds amazing.  Many more yummy breakfast recipes may be found in this chapter.

Christmas Open House is all about appetizers, snacks and festive beverages.  I'd love to try the Nutty Cheddar Cheese Log, but I'm not sure my family and friends would want me to try any other cheese log recipe than our traditional Festive Cheese Log.   I've also tried, and liked, the Christmas Tortilla Roll-ups and the Spicy Mini Sausage Sandwiches.  I made these little open face sandwiches for many years after finding the recipe in one of my first Gooseberry cookbooks.  Recently I have not been able to find the cocktail rye bread.  But thankfully I saw some this week in a local supermarket, and scooped up two loaves.  They were not inexpensive, but I stashed them in the freezer for later use.  This chapter is packed with recipes.  You're sure to find a new and different appetizer to welcome friends and family to your home!

Come In & Warm Up  features soup, chowder and chili recipes to warm up your family and guests.  Pepper Jack Potato Soup sounds wonderful, as does the Hearty Lasagna Soup.  There are a half dozen or so recipes for breads to accompany the soups -- Easy Garlic Knots sounds particularly yummy -- and a couple of cracker recipes as well.

As you might guess, Seasonal Salads & Sides is loaded with all manner of side dishes and salads.  I've yet to try any of these recipes but there are so many that sound good -- Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Hazelnuts, Ridiculously Good Scalloped Potatoes, and more.  Granny Smith Apple Salad and the Artichoke Rice Salad are both want-to-trys for me. 

Gathering with Family & Friends is filled with main dishes of all types for the holiday meals.   Several that I really want to try are the Christmas Shepherd's Pie, the Easy-Peasy Fancy Ziti, and the Kielbasa & Potato Bake.  Lots of main-dish inspiration here for easy everyday December meals as well as fancier ones for Christmas dinner. 

Holiday Desserts for Sharing is just that; a sampling of festive desserts from cakes to cookies to pies to fudge.  I've made similar cookie recipes to the Chocolate Chip Snowballs and the Russian Teacakes.  I have not tried any of the dessert recipes, but the Apple Pie in a Goblet sounds like a good one to begin with.  You simmer a chunky sauce with real apples, sugar and spices, then layer it with vanilla ice cream and crushed shortbread cookies and top with whipped cream.  The Vermont Maple Pumpkin Pie sounds scrumptious, but I have my own never-fail Pumpkin Pie recipe that I just love, so probably I won't try this one.

Of course, with any Gooseberry Patch book, there are delightful extras.  In addition to the gorgeous illustrations, you will find sprinkled throughout the chapters quotes, craft and decorating ideas, and so on.  Every page has a little added treat of some sort.  Here's a fun idea:  "Use favorite cookie cutters for all kinds of holiday fun.  Trace around them onto colorful paper for placecards and package tags ... add glitter for sparkle.  Cookie cutters can even trim a wreath or serve as napkin rings ... clever!"

I also liked this idea:  "If your extended family finds it a challenge to get together on Christmas Day, why not enjoy a brunch together one weekend?  Relax with each other over coffee and fruit juice, baskets of warm muffins and a yummy breakfast casserole.  You'll be glad you did!"

Hmmm, wonder if I could talk my hubby's siblings into this.  Sounds like a great idea.

I highly recommend this book!  If it sounds good to you, why not head on over to  Gooseberry Patch, Amazon or Thriftbooks and find your own copy?

Holiday Desserts -- a festive 1993 cookbooklet

 

Yes, surprising as it may seem, 1993 is now vintage.  Here is another booklet I came across in a kitchen drawer at the old homestead.  This one is in mint condition and will soon be offered for sale in my Etsy shop.  It has a glitzy, elegant look that makes it most attractive.  I've seen a number of these recipes singly in Christmas magazines over the years, but it's so handy to have them all together.

Here's the blurb from the inside front cover:

"Now Baker's, Diamond Walnuts, and Jell-O are making it easier than ever to create luscious holiday desserts at home.  We've selected our favorite holiday recipes -- fudgy brownies, nutty cookies, tempting pies and cakes, and brought them together for you in this booklet -- all quick, all easy, all very festive.  Perfect for family get-togethers and great as gifts, these treats will add a delicious touch of sweetness to your holiday season."

Recipes include One-Bowl Brownies, Cream Cheese Brownies, and Walnut Crunch Brownies,

Thumbprints, Super Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Delectabites, Chocolate Walnut Bars, 

Double Layer Pumpkin Pie, No Bake Mini Cheesecakes, 

One Bowl Chocolate Fudge (with four variations),  Triple Dipped Treats,

German Sweet Chocolate Pie, Caribbean Fudge Pie, Praline Dream Pie, 

Spiced Cranberry Orange Mold, Holiday Poke Cake,

Coconut Candy Bar Cake, Coconut Snowballs, and Baker's Best Macaroons.

This certainly puts me in the baking mood!  What about you?

Christmas in July at Gooseberry Patch!

 

 Yes, starting July 25th, and running through Sunday,  July 30, Gooseberry Patch is having their Christmas in July sale!  If you've visited here much at all, you know of my love for Gooseberry Patch, their cookbooks and special Christmas books.  (You can even find a label in the label cloud just for Gooseberry Patch, and I've also reviewed many of their books here on the blog.)  Right now their Christmas in July sale is featuring their products for up to 70% off.

There are 73 items on sale, including some Christmas books but also lots of their regular cookbooks.  I'll just share a few.  You will want to check it out for yourself.

Christmas Cookie Jar, for example, is only $4.  I own this book (different format) and it's full of great cookie recipes.

 I'll Be Home for Christmas is $7.  (Regular price $17.95.)

Autumn Recipes from the Farmhouse has a stunningly beautiful cover.  I've never seen this one.  It's  only $7.

Christmas Comfort Foods is also $7 and looks like another good one.

And there are dozens more!  Head on over and do some Christmas shopping, why don't you?

The Festive Touch

 

 Now here's a fun little recipe leaflet from 1961!  Published by the Nestle company, this little booklet would have come bound inside a magazine.  Its 14 recipes feature Pet evaporated milk and Nestle baking morsels.  

Pet Evaporated Milk, we are reminded, has "twice the country cream in every drop" and is "the velvet ingredient -- thin milk would never do."  And "Nestle's makes the very best chocolate (butterscotch, too).  Only Nestle's Morsels melt so smoothly, blend so evenly."

All of the recipes are pictured. They include Hot Fudge Sauce, Chocolate Frosting, No-Bake Brownies, Pineapple Bavarian (with a peppermint variation), Apple Nut Dessert, Chocolate Cherry Creams, Nut Fudge (with a double layer fudge variation), Easy Graham Bars, Chocolate Logs, Fudgy Macaroons, Toll House Marble Squares, Polka Daters, Butterscotch Crunchies (with several variations), Pumpkin Pie, and Festive Fruitcake. Most of them look really scrumptious, and it may be that someone reading this has been looking for one of these recipes for decades!

I just noticed in the photo above, which shows the entire leaflet from the back, that the colors used for the words "The Festive Touch" resemble butterscotch and chocolate.  I think that is likely purposeful.  

To me, one of the most endearing things about this little leaflet is the little scribble of red ink on the front, just above the ellipsis after the word "touch".  It looks as if someone, about to write a Christmas card or a gift tag, was testing their festive red pen to make sure it still worked.

Such a fun find!  This has just been listed in my Etsy shop.

A sweet Christmas Cookies cookbook

 

 This treasure is one I found somewhere -- a yard sale or book sale, I would guess.  When I came across it again recently, I thought at first that I would probably list it in my Etsy shop.  But on looking it over a little more, I decided to keep it.  Below you see the back of this softcover cookbook.  A little damage to one corner.

 This book also includes a section called "Class Notes" which takes up 4 pages and shares the history of cookies as well as helpful hints for making, baking, and storing them.

Published in 1994, this is a vintage cookbook filled with Old World Christmas cookie recipes.    I have another cookbook -- The Wellesley Cookie Exchange Cookbook -- that features an entire chapter of heirloom cookie recipes, but I actually like this little cookbook better, because it has such detailed instructions and, most importantly, a photo of each and every cookie.  

The Caramel Filled Crescents above are from Argentina!

These Czech Bear Paws look amazing and are made using a madeleine pan, which I don't own.

I thought these lemon filled spice cookies looked so good!

These Danish Orange Cookies are cut in dainty rectangles and dipped in dark chocolate.  Wouldn't they be nice for a tea?

These Danish Raspberry Ribbons look scrumptious.

Swedish Sandwich cookies are sandwiched together with strawberry or currant jelly.

These Swiss Mocha Treats also look like a nice tea cookie.

I own a ceramic shortbread pan and have never used it.  This recipe might galvanize me into action!

I thought these Polish Honey Bars looked so good.

Although there are several cookies here I wouldn't ever try since they are deep-fried, there are a number of other recipes that I absolutely would love to try.  I'm thinking that if we continue to have cool weather in July like we've had in June, I might try a few recipes and blog about them.

I really like that the instructions for each recipe include photos.

What do you think?  Are these Old World Christmas Cookies appealing to you?