Our Authors’ Favorite Christmas Recipes [Part 2]

Peanut Butter Buckeyes
from Rebekah Lyons

Peanut butter with chocolate has always been a Lyons family favorite, ever since Gabe was a little boy. Once we were married, I picked up the tradition of making homemade buckeyes every Christmas, to ensure keeping this handsome man close. Now we have not one, but two, boys, and a daughter too, who request this recipe every year before December begins. It’s not a matter of whether I will make buckeyes, but when as they offer earnest pleas and bat their eyes. I imagine our kiddos will pick up the tradition someday as well, when Gabe and I become “Mimi and Papa” walking through their doors in the decades ahead. Then, we’ll be the ones asking when.

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1. Combine the peanut butter, butter, and sugar.
2. Form into tablespoon-size balls; place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
3. Freeze for 10 minutes.
4. Partially dip each ball in the chocolate, return to the baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm, 25 to 35 minutes.

Cranberry Chutney
from Margaret Feinberg

Ingredients:

• 2 c Whole cranberries
• 1 1/3 c Sugar (not so healthy, but needed else the cran tart you to death. Turkey can’t save you!)
• 1/2 c Dried chopped figs
• 1/2 c Dried cherries, strawberries, cranberries, and/or blueberries
• 5 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp Water
• 2 tbsp Chopped red onion
• 1/2 tsp Curry powder
• 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Fresh grated ginger root

Directions:

1. Bring all ingredients to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium and cook 18 minutes or until thickened.
3. Let cool before serving.

Chutney can also be used as garnish on cream cheese dolloped crackers or as condiment on leftover turkey sandwiches.

• 1 1/2 c. butter, melted
• 1/2 c. molasses
• 2 c. granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 4 c. all-purpose flour
• 4 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ginger
• 1 tsp. cloves
• coarse sugar (to coat cookie balls)

1. Pour melted butter into a large mixing bowl. Your stand mixer bowl is perfect for this!
2. Add molasses, sugar, and eggs to the butter and beat well.
3. In a separate bowl, sift sugar, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
4. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
5. Add the remaining half of the dry ingredients, and again, mix only until all of your ingredients are combined.
6. Cover the bowl of dough with plastic and refrigerate for several hours. Trust me, waiting for the dough to chill is worth it!
7. Preheat your oven to 350* and prepare your baking sheets with non-stick spray, or good old fashioned butter if you like.
8. Remove your bowl of dough from the refrigerator.
9. Pour coarse sugar into a baking dish. Use a scoop or spoon to form small balls of dough and drop each one into the coarse sugar. Roll each ball around until it’s completely sugared. You can flatten the dough balls just a bit; I like how mine look when I do.
10. Place dough balls 2-3 inches apart on your baking sheets. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes at 350* —on the 8 minute side if you like chewy cookies; 10ish minutes if you like a bit more snap.