Christmas Cookies: Toffee Bars

Toffee Bars

Schatzi: These are quick and simple, and one of my favorite Christmas cookies. When I was little and hated nuts on things (I didn’t like biting on anything hard), Mom would leave them off part of the pan for me. I’m not sure when or where the recipe dates from; Mom’s recipe card has no date or sourse, only the note “ono!” in the upper right-hand corner, and a comment that almonds are the best, then pecans. (I prefer pecans.) According to Gourmet,  Toffee Bars were popular during the Eighties, which is when I was growing up. Gourmet’s version of Toffee Bars, however,  is a bit more complicated than it needs to be.

Try them with dark chocolate chips, too.

Christmas Cookies: Fruitcake Bar Cookies

this year's batch

Schatzi: So I came across the original of this recipe last year while idly paging through a Real Simple from the previous year (see, I am vindicated in my habit of holding onto magazines), and was immediately intrigued. After all, I do love fruitcake. As a “fruitcake cookie,” however, it was distinctly lacking. One cup of cranberries and one cup of nuts? The cranberries are a nice touch, but those proportions hardly make it fruity! Since I already had extra fixings from the Fruitcake Cookies, I decided to experiment a little. I added golden raisins, and I also added the glaceed fruits that are the trademark of the modern American fruitcake. (You could use a mix of glaceed fruits, or combine citron, cherries, pineapple, and citrus peels in your own preferred proportions to equal one cup. If those types of fruit are just too unbearable, one could probably make a delicious variation on this recipe with just dried fruits: cranberries, raisins, currants, dates, cherries, blueberries, apricots, etc. In fact, I may have to try that later this week!)

The proportions in which I added fruit last year weren’t quite enough, so this year’s batch had more, and the difference is visible. I also added a dash of spice this year because they seemed a little bland, otherwise. The end results were surprisingly delicious and popular–even with a few people who don’t care for fruitcake.

I must say, though, these are only superficially like fruitcake. They simply don’t have the moist, rich density or complex flavor of a good fruitcake. They more closely resemble lebkuchen, the German gingerbread.

Pumpkin Pecan Pie

a slice of Pumpkin Pecan Pie

Schatzi: I don’t know when I first had pecan pie, but it made an indelible impression on me. The sweet, gooey filling, the pecans, the caramel or toffee-like flavor of brown sugar–when combined, they make an irresistible dessert. (I once ate an entire twelve-inch pecan pie in a day. With no help.) When I came across this Saveur recipe (adapted from a Dorie Greenspan recipe), I couldn’t resist making a Pumpkin Pecan Pie for Thanksgiving.

It really was the best of both worlds, too. I initially expected that the two fillings would remain distinct layers (I don’t know why), but instead when I poured the filling over the pecans, the two slowly mingled. I was worried, but the resulting pie was just luscious. It was probably the most popular of the four pies I baked this year, though sweet potato was a close second. Like most of my pies, it’s best made the day before (and that frees up your kitchen on big dinner days, too).

Sweet Potato Pie

Schatzi: My first ever taste of sweet potato pie was Thanksgiving 2006. I had to work at the lol-iday inn that night (luckily, only for a short shift), and had had an abbreviated dinner over at Maiya’s. When E-Money came in to start her graveyard shift, she was kind enough to bring me a plate she had made up for me at her grandmother’s dinner, a plate that included a slice of sweet potato pie. Although everything I ate on that plate was delicious, the pie was a revelation. And I vowed that I would one day bake sweet potato pies.

I found my recipe on Saveur (you’re shocked, I know) while idly clicking through various holiday desserts. Though intrigued by the Sweet Potato Cobbler, I wanted a traditional pie recipe to begin by odyssey. (Sadly, E-Money has since relocated, and I have a hard time getting a hold of her, or I would have simply demanded her grandmother’s recipe.) The resulting pie was rich and delicious (Eli’s favorite pie of the day), and I’ll definitely be baking it again.

Sadly, since it was the last pie to bake (during Thanksgiving dinner), I forgot to take a picture of the sweet potato pie before it was devoured.

Christmas Cookies: Fruitcake Cookies

Fruitcake Cookies from LHJ circa 1977

Schatzi: It seems that one either loves fruitcake or hates it. Well, count me among the former, because I could maow fruitcake all the livelong day. These cookies can  satisfy my cravings for liquor-soaked, nutty-fruity deliciousness all season long. These Fruitcake Cookies were a Christmas staple in my mother’s household for as long as I can remember–and according to the recipe card, were around even before I was. I always remember them being there at Christmas, but it must have been when I was twelve that these became my particular responsibility every year. I use both red and green glace cherries to top them with for a more festive approach, but you could stick with just one color. I also have adapted her recipe slightly to fit my currently tight budget, but these are delicious either way. And as you can see on her original recipe card below the cut, a half batch is pretty large. I like Myers’s Rum’s delicious, rich, and boozy cookie, but we made them with bourbon for years, so don’t worry about the right liquor. Anything flavorful will do: dark rum, whiskey, brandy. After they cool, store them for a few weeks to ripen for the best flavor.