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If you know me personally, you'll know that for me, December is all about the cookies. I bake any where from 20 to 40 varieties (I think my peak was 42) and assemble trays that I distribute to friends and loved ones. It started in the mid 1980s when my sister was living with me briefly, and we decided to make all the traditional cookies we made as children with our mother and grandmother...and then the baking took on a life of it's own.

This week I focus on cookies that can be made up to the point of baking and stored in the freezer. It may not look as if I'm making progress baking, as nothing is coming out of the oven, but having all the hard work done in advance really helps!

I'm sharing 3 of my "make ahead and store in the freezer before baking" recipes with you below.

I hope you enjoy them!

Best,

Susan

Gram's Pecan Cookies

I owe so much to my maternal grandmother - and most of my most significant memories of her revolve around food.  Gram was my first teacher in the kitchen, and the first recipes we made together were cookies.

This is her pecan cookie recipe - the oranges were grated on an old fashioned hand grater, and we had many skinned knuckles to prove that we actually grated fresh oranges for the zest.  Nowadays, I sometimes cut corners and use packaged orange zest - when I do, I rehydrate it with fresh ly squeezed orange juice, not water, to give it a true fresh orange taste.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

2 cups dark brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons grated orange rind (about 2 oranges)

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar

Add eggs, orange rind, and vanilla, and mix well

Combine flour, salt, and soda, and add to batter

When all the flour is incorporated, stir in the nuts

Divide dough into two parts and wrap each in waxed paper

Freeze for 30 minutes, then shape into rolls.

Wrap each roll in waxed paper, and chill overnight.  (You can freeze the rolls at this point - I have kept them for several months)

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400ºF. degrees.

Slice the rolls into thin rounds and place about an inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned.

When I buy the figs for the fruit cake and Plum Pudding we talked about last week, I always make sure I buy enough to make these, too.  If you or someone you love enjoys Fig Newtons, they will love these!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons butter at room temperature

2 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling:

10 ounces moist pack figs, chopped

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup water

4 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, divided

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 large egg white

Directions:

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl

Cream butter and sugar with cream cheese

Add egg, peel, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix until smooth

Add the flour mixture to the batter and mix until smooth

Divide the dough into two parts, wrap, and refrigerate overnight

For the filling: Combine figs, syrup, water, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, and the peel in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and cook until soft, about 20 minutes.  Cool 15 minutes, then blend in a food processor with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of juice and the egg white. Chill until ready to assemble the rolls.

On a floured surface, roll half the dough into a 12X 8 inch rectangle.   Spread half of fig mixture over dough (layer will be thin), leaving 1 inch along one long edge uncovered. Starting at filled long edge,  roll dough into a log. Wrap roll in plastic. Repeat with other half of dough and filling. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour, or up to 2 months well-wrapped.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Cut roll into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place on foil lined and well greased baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Cool on pan 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Striped Almond Boards

These red and white cookies have a Christmas-y look, and the almond paste layer elevates them above the ordinary.  They are deceptively easy to make.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter

3/8 cup confectioner's sugar

1 Tablespoon egg (about half an egg)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup flour

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1 box almond paste

Red food coloring

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar

Add egg and vanilla and mix until blended

Add baking powder to flour, and add to batter

Mix until smooth

Wrap dough and refrigerate one hour or overnight

When ready to assemble the cookies, use an electric mixer to blend the almond paste with a few drops of red food coloring.

Roll the dough out into an 8 inch square.

Roll the almond paste into an 8 inch square and place on top of the dough, trimmimg the edges.

Place the dough and paste into the freezer for 5 minutes, until firm.

Remove from the freezer and cut the dough into 2 inch wide strips. (The Cestari Bench Knife comes in really handy here - I hope you used your coupon from last week's newsletter!)

Place the strips on top of one another, making sure the dough and almond paste alternate to make stripes.

Press gently to hold together, and trim the edges.

Place in the freezer for at least 5 minues to firm up.  You can also wrap and freeze the dough at this point.  If frozen, let thaw about 30 minutes before proceeding.

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Cut into 1/4 inch slices, and place about 1 inch apart on lightly greased baking sheets.

Chill cookies on sheets about 10 minutes in the freezer until firm.

Bake 8-9 minutes. Remove to wire racks and cool completely.

The Cestari Corn Remover Set has lots more than a corn stripper - there's a juicer and a grater and a measuring cup - all of which will come in handy when you are making Gram's Pecan Cookies and the Maple Fig Pinwheels. Save 20% with code JUICEGTR through December 12.

Mark from Oregon reminisces, "In our family, the holiday season was synonymous with my grandmother's famous apple pie. She had a secret ingredient that she promised to reveal one day, but unfortunately, she passed away before she could. Each bite was a perfect blend of sweetness and spice, making every holiday dinner special. Now, as I try to recreate her recipe, I realize it's not just the pie I miss, but her loving presence during the holidays."

Emily from Florida shares, "Growing up, our Christmas tradition was my father's seafood gumbo. He spent hours in the kitchen, meticulously preparing it with fresh shrimp and andouille sausage. It was more than a meal; it was a labor of love. Since he passed away, I've tried to keep the tradition alive. Though I follow his recipe, there's something about his gumbo that's irreplaceable – perhaps it's the memories of him telling stories as he cooked."

Carlos from Texas reflects, "Every New Year's Eve, my mother would prepare tamales, a tradition she brought from Mexico. She involved the whole family in the process – a true labor of love. Her tamales were not just food; they were a piece of our heritage. Since her passing, I've tried to continue the tradition with my children. While the tamales we make are delicious, they always seem to lack the special warmth of my mother’s hands."

WOULD YOU LIKE A COOKIE TURNTABLE?

Our December newsletters will focus on (SURPRISE!) the holidays.  We'd love to feature some of YOUR holiday food memories. How did your family celebrate Christmas Eve?  Do you make the same breakfast with your kids on Christmas morning? Is there a secret family recipe for latkes you make every Hannukah? Please let us know!  You can send your contributions to support@cestarikitchen.com with the subject "Newsletter-Traditions."  Every subscriber whose contribution we use will receive our mini turntable as our thank you gift.

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