Pa's cookies

Growing up Christmas was always a great holiday for my family.  I have a lot of great memories of Christmas.  Including the year Lori pushed me on the ice and broke my arm.  Christmas was always about family and getting together.  Grandpa would start making cookies around Thanksgiving time.  Every year I helped him.  That was our thing to do.  I loved helping him make cookies and loved spending time with him.  Looking back I realize how lucky I am to have had a grandpa like him.  Even though I dont make as many as he did, I still make his cookies every year.  Some times they dont turn out as good as his, but the memories are brought back to life when I pull out his recipes.

Chocolate Snowballs

1 1/4 cup butter or margarine

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup cocoa

2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream butter and sugar together.  Add vanilla to the mix.  Add all other ingredients.  Form into balls and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.  Roll into little balls and put on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.  Let cool and dust with powdered sugar.  

Rosettes (Iron cookies)

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup water or milk

1 Tbsp sugar

1 egg slightly beaten

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp vegetable oil 

Use a rosette maker and fry in lard.  Put on a paper bag to drain and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Pecan Tarts

Crust

6 ounces cream cheese

1/2 lb butter

2 cups flour

Blend the 3 ingredients together.  Form into a ball and put in the fridge at least an hour.  Roll out using powdered sugar and cut with a cookie cutter. Press into greased mini muffin tins.  

Filling

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 well beaten eggs

3 Tbsp melted butter

1/2 cups chopped pecans

Spoon filling into muffin tins.  Do not over fill.  Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.

Filled Cookies

6 ounces cream cheese

1/2 lb butter

2 cups flour

Apricot filling

Prune filling

Blend the 3 ingredients together.  Form into a ball and put in the fridge at least an hour.  Roll out using powdered sugar and cut with a cookie cutter.  Spoon a small amount of filling onto each circle.  Fold and pinch the sides together.  Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.  Let cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Candy

32 ounces white bark

4 Tbsp peanut butter

2 cups peanuts

2 cups pretzel sticks, crushed 

2 cups rice crispies

Melt the white bark and peanut butter in the microwave.  Stir in the other ingredients.  Spoon onto wax paper.  Let harden.

There you have it.  Family favorites!