This vintage recipe for Jam filled bow tie cookies are so delicate and delicious, this will be your go-to recipe for any cookie tray.
Just a warning, they smell so good baking you can hardly wait to eat them off the hot cookie sheet!
These buttery colorful gems are filled with a delicious filling from jams to nuts and fruits with my many suggestiosn below.
One of the unique characteristics of this cookie is how pretty they are to serve to look like a little bow for presents around the holiday especially filled with red jams.
They really look so cute on a cookie tray besides tasting delicious.
Growing up in an Italian household, you never knew what creative ideas would come out of the oven next and mom was always trying a new filling the dough is so versatile.
Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the printable recipe card.
These Italian Amaretto Butter Cookies are a basic butter cookie that melts in your mouth with the first bite.
The popular butterball cookie is perfect for the holiday and back in the 1960s were referred to as snowballs.
This easy recipe can be modified easily with flavoring and nuts of choice but always dusted at the end and rolled into a snowy powdered sugar.
They make the perfect addition to any cookie tray around the holiday season.
We love Christmas time for baking cookies and you may also like to try several other holiday cookies we love that add that spirit to the season of baking.
The additions and changes are pretty much endless when you get creative so don't miss my optional suggestions below
Scroll down to my printable recipe card for this melt in your mouth simple buttery cookie recipe.
The most wonderful time of the year, it really is especially to motivate baking cookies.
We just love the holiday season and usually start early, sometimes even as early as July, you heard of Christmas in July right?
Usually right after Thanksgiving or a few days before we start cookie baking day, and below you will find all are must-makes every year.
They all freeze great and I do have to keep an eye on them or they will all vanish before the holiday comes these cookies are all family favorites.
We have all the popular cookie jar cookies and some a little fancier, everyone has a different favorite cookie they enjoy and we usually make them all.
There are 24 kinds of cookies to choose from here for you today to choose from and if you don't see one you like check out my 25 Holiday Cookie Recipes.
It's like having your own cookie cookbook right here and that's why we call it our One Stop Cookie Shop!
Every year our family gets together to bake cookies.
My family in Utica, New York calls it their cookie bake day, and every year they set one day aside to make them all.
Here in Florida where I live sometimes, we have cookie exchanges but most of the time I usually pace myself for a whole month baking one at a time.
If you really get stuck for gift giving try my filled Mason Jars that have dried soups and other fun ideas to give to hard to buy folks.
If you don't see your favorite cookie chances are you will find it by searching my blog on here in the top right corner.
Enjoy! Happy baking and have a delicious holiday baking season there is something for everyone here do not miss my tips on mailing cookies, freezing cookies, and storing them!
Stuffed Artichokes were always a favorite at any holiday meal.
Mom always made these for Thanksgiving or Easter if they looked good in the supermarket.
If the artichokes weren't very fresh she would skip the fresh ones and use canned and make Baked Artichokes.
Since artichokes are one of my favorite side dishes I also enjoy them all summer long with my Artichoke Stuffed on the Grill recipe.
If you haven't tried making stuffed artichokes they really are addicting and everyone loves eating this flower trying to get to the tastiest part, the heart inside.
The heart is soft and after removing the top part of the leaves, delicious delicate soft vegetables bursting with garlic and laced with breadcrumbs.
Scroll down for the recipe and see the easy instructions on how to clean, eat, cook, and buy perfect artichokes.
Honey Glazed Spiral Cut Ham is the most delicious almost candy-coated sweetness to complement this meat, it's over the top delicious and addicting.
We usually just made ham on Easter then everyone loved this recipe so much it was another addition to Thanksgiving and sometimes Christmas Day.
With these delicious ingredients, it was no surprise, this ham was super delicious, melted in our mouth, juicy, tender, and sweet, a great addition to my recipe collection.
Mom always made ham this way but using seven up instead of pineapple juice, and loaded it with maraschino cherries (which you can still decorate the ham with).
I really loved this recipe and wanted to share it with everyone. It is super easy and the ingredients compliment the ham perfectly.
Once you try this simple glaze for your ham you'll be hooked like the rest of us, it's so darn delicious and don't miss our Holiday Side Dishes and 30 Appetizer Ideas!
The recipe is printable on the recipe card below and if you bring this to a family gathering, print off multiple copies of this recipe, everyone will ask you for it.
This is a fun project for Thanksgiving making Pilgrim Hats out of store-bought ingredients and super easy for the kids to make. They also make a great holiday centerpiece for the table.
Ingredients
Here's what you need to get:
1 bag of unwrapped miniature ( not mini's)peanut butter cups around 18 in a package
1 package fudge striped cookies
canned frosting or use homemade frosting
food coloring red, yellow to make orange
wax paper to set them on
Note: candies for the hats and colored sugars are optional, you can make them with frosting and pipe them on with frosting and a pastry bag filled with a round tip.
Instructions
Unwrap the candy.
Place the cookies flat side up.
Place a dab of frosting in the middle of the candy then place the peanut butter cup on top of the cookie.
Pipe yellow frosting around the rim of the hat and decorate with a little orange rectangle or use colorful candies for the middles in any color.
Frosting:
2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
water
shortening like Crisco
food coloring red and yellow
In a small bowl add about 2 cups of powdered sugar.
Use a few yellow food coloring drops.
A few teaspoons of water and 1 tablespoon Crisco. Mix until smooth and still thick.
Add more powdered sugar if it's runny.
Needs to be thick and hold the hat on top of the cookies.
In another bowl make the same recipe above.
For the orange mix 1 drop of red with 3 drops yellow.
Follow the same procedure.
Place inside a lunch size plastic baggie cut the end off where it points.
A favorite copycat soft sugar loft cookie you'll find in the supermarkets for every holiday.
Sugar loft cookies are a soft delicious sugar cookie everyone loves.
We love to use holiday cookie cutters for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Patriotic holidays of course Halloween and Christmas.
This one dough will be perfect for any birthday or party by just changing the colors of the frosting and using with coordinating cookie cutter with pretty sprinkles.
These cookies aren't overly sweet and the frosting adds just the right blend of flavors!
These are also great for fund raisers and bake sale events wrapped and labeled.
Everyone loves these cookies and it's the first recipe I think of even when I want to decorate the top of the cake with a cookie form frosted.
Check out this copycat recipe, I am sure you will be excited about the outcome!
This recipe uses simple pantry ingredients and so easy the kids can help!
Scroll down to print this easy recipe, you will find after one taste you will never buy the supermarket brands again!
Holiday time, especially around Thanksgiving, our family always makes an assortment of pies for desserts and it was also the kick-off to our Christmas Cookie Baking Season!
The problem with holiday desserts is everyone in the family has a different favorite pie, so we fixed that here by giving you the most asked for pies!
Some of our family loves cream pie, others love fruit pies and there are those who adore no-bake cheese pies.
Through the years we have made the best-assorted pie recipes and always make at least five different kinds for the Thanksgiving Day menu.
There is something here for everyone in this delicious variety below to choose from.
If you have a favorite pie not listed just check in my search bar since not every pie recipe I make can be listed here but I will post the most popular pies we love.
Pumpkin Pie is always a must make for the fall season and not a piece is left of our homemade scratch pie even after a big meal it's so delicious.
Scroll through this collection of wonderful pies and just click the name links for these delicious recipes.
Stuffed Squid (Calamari) in delicious Italian Fresh Tomato Sauce is an Italian traditional meal served on Christmas Eve.
This has always been one of the 7 fishes served on our Italian tables.
We enjoy this traditional seafood banquet and absolutely love these gourmet treats during the holiday like baccala and make a fresh tomato sauce for this dish using Mom's Marinara Sauce Recipe.
I am truly blessed to have a family that kept the traditions from generation to generation and my children will do the same.
For this family, the traditional Christmas Eve recipe that printable, scroll down to the recipe card and print it off.
Lemon Ricotta Cake is a tender addicting flavor for all lemon lovers.
The cake is not overly sweet and made from scratch with all easy pantry ingredients.
Not only is this cake super simple to make but so versatile for serving.
This cake tastes great plain, with fruits and whipped cream or even layered with pudding.
The freshness of grated lemon peel and the ricotta makes this light but not overly sweet in taste.
However you decide to serve this homemade Italian cake, it's just elegant with just a sprig of mints and a twist of fresh lemon on top, what can be easier?
If you love lemon do try one of my other favorite cake recipes and a no-bake, Lemon Lady Finger Cake
Scroll down to get this easy homemade printable lemon scratch cake recipe.
Broccoli Cheese Casserole is a family favorite here in our home.
Melted shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese and stuffing a favorite vegetable all in one casserole?
You won't find a better side dish for any meal you make that this one.
To get kids to eat vegetables is like pulling teeth sometimes, but this is one they always gobbled up and now it's the most asked for during a holiday meal.
Every year no matter where we spend Thanksgiving, this is the casserole dish I am asked to make.
There are never any leftovers either!
Scroll down and print off the recipe and see how easy this Broccoli Cheese Casserole is and read my suggestions options if you're not a broccoli fan!
Chicken Eggplant Sorrento is a stacked gourmet chicken breast with eggplant and Italian sauce with cheeses.
We just love eggplant and this is pretty much all cooked and can be even done the day before and heated up when needed for a great family dinner.
Working long hours in retail, this is a win-win recipe for me to just pop in the oven during the holiday season or when we have unexpected guests, this meal freezes perfectly.
I love making this ahead of time because all the flavors are enhanced the next day.
This creative Italian dish was one grandma would throw together with leftover eggplant parmesan and Sunday Tomato Meat Sauce and I adapted it easily.
Mom back then in the 1960s worked in a supermarket so we were lucky to get all the ingredients we needed extra.
That how I learned to make this meal easier with setting up a breading and coating station, cooking them on a cookie sheet then a quick assembly.
This chicken is then sliced in half, topped with eggplant, sauce, ricotta, and other cheeses, and voila the perfect all in one pan meal.
This sauce is so fresh tasting and the little bit of wine in it accents the chicken and eggplant while baking.
Scroll down to the bottom of this page for my printable easy recipe.
Grandma's recipe for Italian pizzelle waffle cookies, go back 100's of years and this recipe remains the best one to use year after year without fail.
Back in the 1970s around Christmas time (sometimes Easter), Grandma, mom and I would makeover 50 to 60 waffle pizzelle cookies and give them away to family and friends.
The waffles are made on a pizzelle maker and can be so many different flavors or just plain vanilla, depending on what you prefer, I will give you many suggestions below.
These are very thin crispy waffle cookies that can be made in many flavors, anisette being the most popular.
I love making these they are the perfect cookie with a cup of coffee or hot cocoa, for snacking on and are just an addictive holiday delight.
If you love crispy cookies, these will be a new favorite in your home and they are super simple to make.
Growing up mom would make these cookies called Wine Drop they have no wine in them and an easy soft drop molasses cookies.
The cookies are cake-like consistency and found in many local bakeries in Utica, New York, one, in particular, I remember as a child was Hemstroughts bakery.
These simple old fashioned molasses cookies were fragrant with sweet molasses, spices, and a little more fluffy than any chewy versions of these cookies.
The batter is not thick like other cookie recipes but so much more of a cake batter that bakes up light and fluffy.
They were dropped by tablespoons on the cookie sheet and made into round soft molasses cakes and perfectly round.
I loved the addition of powdered sugar on top but they didn't need a thing and go perfectly with milk, coffee, or tea.
To this day I still have no idea why they were called wine drop cookies but mom always said molasses is good for you so she made several versions using that delicious sweet syrup.
I love these delicate fried bow tie dough ribbons that show up on the table every Christmas.
These are so addicting you can't stop eating them.
The crispy fried puffs of dough are so delicate and quite fragile with this delicious snowy sugar on top.
Grandma and mom spent hours rolling, cutting, and frying these to give away to family and friends around the holiday.
My Aunt Mary (grandma's daughter) also helped her own sister in law that actually sold these in Schenectady, N.Y., so we had an authentic recipe.
We called them wands in Utica, New York, or bow ties, Guanti, farfellette, and sometimes cenci (rags)
Don't be afraid to tackle this recipe, they're really easy to make and a must-try if you remember them in your family as a kid.
They happen to be my favorite little fried cookie and I was petrified to make the first time.
Honestly, there is nothing to it.
These bow ties are at the top of my list for Italian holiday cookies, like my other fried favorites including Struffoli (fried honey-covered balls), Italian Fried Panzerotti (fried stuffed pizza dough), and fried dough (zeppole).
Scroll down and check out the easy photos, instructions.
Meatball Stew is the easiest most delicious fast comfort food and very economical to feed a large family.
If you love Italian meatballs in a rich hearty sauce, this is the meal of your dreams!
The kids love it, leftovers are great and even can be used to top pasta or rice, what can be easier?
Making a flavored ground beef is all you need to make an old-fashioned fabulous stew, and served with my "Easy No-Knead Bread" recipe will go perfectly with this stew.
If you love delicious easy appetizers these Italian Fried Ravioli are going to be your favorite snack to serve any time of the day.
Store-bought ingredients or homemade ravioli are wonderfully fried, baked, or air fried.
I love using flavored ravioli stuffed with other ingredients like lobster ravioli, spinach ravioli, or any other ones you love in the frozen foods section of your supermarket.
Not only are these simple to make they are perfect to feed a large crowd for any party events.
