My friend and I collaborated on hosting a Christmas Party this year. One Hundred Guests, a modest budget, a lovely home and an afternoon to entertain! Vintage Christmas Party Recipes were researched and I am thrilled to share the results. Shortbread cookies and hot cocoa from scratch were the winning duo.
We wanted the food to be special. But what makes a selection special? I had been reading that “experience” is what people want now. We tire of things but we remember moments.
A Taste That Cannot be Bought
Many of us don’t have time to make and enjoy home baked goods. This is especially true during the Holiday Season. We decided to create a Christmas “experience” to savor. A perfect recipe would need to be found.
One Hundred Year Old Recipe
My grandmother’s shortbread recipe met the requirements. Shortbread is a classic holiday cookie. Rich and crumbly with a wonderful melt in your mouth texture. Old fashion, homemade, hand-pressed cookies are Vintage Christmas.
We immediately started gathering our tools.
The Baking Sheet
It’s taken me 3 decades but I finally purchased the right cookie sheets. What most of us have in the kitchens are jelly-roll pans with one inch sides for bar cookies. To bake a proper cookie we need sheets without sides. One angled side provides a good grip lifting the pan in and out of the oven. But the other 3 sides should be flat to have optimum airflow and ease of sliding the cookies off the pan.
Another desired feature is a fluted texture in the sheet to help with airflow underneath the cooking for an even bake. Honestly – 30 years to learn this!! Note to young brides: your shower and bridal registries should list cookies sheets and jelly roll pans.
One of the best cookie sheets I found is the Doughmakers Great Grand Cookie Sheet. They have all the desired features of a cookie sheet, are well made and have a good price point.
The Cookie Press
Shortbread is traditionally cut into bars but Christmas is the perfect time to use a cookie press for a beautiful holiday presentation.
What is a cookie press exactly? A cookie press is a baking tool that allows you to push dough through a tube into perfectly shaped cookies.
My preferred choice: Kuhn Rikon Clear Cookie Press. It is easy to use and inexpensive to purchase. It comes with 14 decorative disks. A great choice when baking for special occasions.
Adding a few drops of food coloring gives you red poinsettias and green Christmas trees.
How to use a cookie press? Roll the cookie dough into a log shape and place in the hollow tube. You attach the desired shaped disc at the other end. Place the press on a cookie sheet and hand click a beautifully shaped cookie.
Four Simple Ingredients
You will find slight differences in shortbread recipes but 2 ingredients are key and non-negotiable – real butter and flour. My particular recipe also calls for light brown sugar for the sweetness. Pure, not artificial, vanilla extract completes the list of ingredients.
Grandma’s Shortbread Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups butter (1 pound/4 sticks) room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
4 cups unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Makes 8 dozen pressed cookies.
Directions
Cream softened butter with a beater. Blend in sugar and vanilla. Add flour in portions.
Mix well after each addition. Add a few drops of food coloring if desired.
You may want to knead by hand to be sure it is well mixed.
DO NOT GREASE COOKIE SHEET.
Bake 20-25 min at 275 until golden on the bottom.
Let cool 5 minutes on the pan then place on a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container in your pantry for up to two weeks.
Hot Chocolate from Scratch You Say?
What does homemade hot chocolate even mean? The key is the syrup. We made it from scratch. It completes the Vintage Christmas experience and compliments the shortbread perfectly.
It is important to purchase a fair trade Cocoa – meaning the farmers and all those involved in the process have been treated and compensated fairly. It make us socially and environmentally responsible. Equal Exchange Baking Cocoa is a perfect choice for this recipe. It’s absolutely delicious and is fair trade certified.
Ingredients
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1⁄2 cups white sugar
1 dash salt (pinch)
1 1⁄2 cups water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (no artificial vanilla please)
Makes 2 cups
Directions
Stir together everything but vanilla
Boil 2-5 minutes, stirring (whisking) rapidly, until sauce begins to thicken
Remove from heat after sauce has thickened
Stir in vanilla and allow to cool
Once cooled, pour in jar and store in the fridge
Add 1 tablespoon of syrup per 8 ounces of warmed milk (or milk substitute of choice – almond milk, coconut milk, or soy.) Top with whipped cream or marshmallows.
