Holiday Eats

Ingredients

• 1 stick plus 2 tbsp. salted butter, softened
• 1/3 c. granulated sugar
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• Sprinkles (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then stir in flour.
2. Form the cookies into 1" balls, placing them about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. If using sprinkles, flatten cookies into a disc shape and top with sprinkles.
3. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup molasses
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground gloves
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Frosting:

• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 3/4 cup shortening
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 to 5 tablespoons water
• Red hots (optional)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. In another bowl, whisk flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and baking soda; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to roll.
2. Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-1/2-in. gingerbread man cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
3. For frosting, in a bowl, beat confectioners' sugar, shortening, vanilla and enough water to reach spreading consistency. Decorate cookies with frosting and, if desired, Red Hots.

Ingredients

• 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 6 large eggs, room temperature, divided use
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup (about 6 ounces) maraschino cherries, drained and halved

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Whisk the first 6 ingredients. In another bowl, whisk 5 eggs and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients. Stir in walnuts, chocolate chips and cherries. Transfer to a lightly floured surface; knead gently until dough forms (dough will be sticky).
2. Using floured hands, divide dough into 3 portions. Shape each portion into an 8x3-in. rectangle on parchment-lined baking sheets. Beat remaining egg; brush over tops. Bake until firm to the touch, 30-35 minutes. Cool on pans on wire racks until firm, 10-15 minutes.
3. Reduce oven setting to 300°. Transfer baked rectangles to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut diagonally into 3/4-in. slices. Place on baking sheets, cut side down. Bake until crisp, 10-12 minutes on each side. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lbs potatoes (Yukon Gold recommended)
• 1 large onion, shredded
• 3/4 cup matzo meal or bread crumbs
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 tbsp potato starch, or more if needed
• 1 1/4 tsp salt, or more to taste
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 cups oil with a high smoke point for frying (avocado, peanut, or grapeseed oil)
• 1/4 cup schmaltz (optional)

Directions

1. Cut the potatoes into large chunks and shred using a hand grater or food processor shredding attachment with large holes (large shreds). I really recommend using the food processor, it saves a ton of time and will help you avoid tears when grating the onion.
2. Place grated potato into a bowl and immediately cover with cold water.
3. Meanwhile, grate the onion using the grater or food processor attachment with fine holes (small shreds).
4. Drain the potato shreds in a colander. Rinse and dry the bowl used to soak the shreds and set aside.
5. Place drained potato shreds and grated onion in the center of a clean tea towel or multiple layers of cheesecloth.
6. Wrap the shreds up in the cloth, twisting the cloth to secure the bundle, and squeeze firmly to remove excess liquid from the shreds.
7. Pour potato and onion into the clean dry bowl. Stir the shreds with a fork to make sure the grated onion is evenly mixed throughout the potato shreds.
8. In a skillet, add oil to reach a depth of 1/8 inch. If using schmaltz, add 1/4 cup to the oil. The schmaltz will add more savory flavor to the latkes. Heat slowly over medium to about 365º F.
9. While oil is heating, use the fork to stir the matzo meal, beaten eggs, potato starch, salt and pepper into the potato and onion shreds. Add salt and pepper to taste; I add about 1 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. You can sprinkle on more salt to taste after cooking, if desired. Take care to make sure the egg and seasonings are fully mixed throughout the potato shreds.
10. Scoop up 3 tbsp of the potato mixture and shape into a tightly compacted disk.
11. Place the disk carefully into the hot oil. Latkes can break apart at this point, they're very delicate. If you can get them into the hot oil in one piece, chances are they will stick together – frying them is like the "glue" that holds them together. It takes a gentle touch, and it may take you some practice to get the "feel" for it.
12. The oil should sizzle, but not pop when the latke hits it; if the oil jumps wildly or smokes, it is too hot. If it only bubbles weakly, the oil is not hot enough. Use the first latke to test the oil temperature, and don't fry a whole batch until the temperature is right.
13. Continue shaping the latkes in this way, using 3 tablespoons of potato mixture for each latke. Fry in batches of 4-5 latkes at a time (no more than that – don't crowd the pan) for 2-3 minutes per side until brown and crispy.
14. Remove the latkes from the pan using a metal spatula and place them on the wire cooling rack to drain.
15. I recommend serving latkes fresh within 10 minutes of frying them, if your cooking schedule permits. If you need to make them ahead, fry them 2 hours or less before serving. You can also freeze them if you're not serving them right away
16. To Reheat Latkes: Place them on an ungreased, unlined cookie sheet. To reheat from room temperature, place in oven at 375º for about 10 minutes (7 if using a convection oven), until heated through, just prior to serving. From frozen, it can take 15-25 minutes to reheat. Sprinkle with more salt, if desired, and serve latkes with applesauce and/or sour cream (or dairy free sour cream).