Baking for the holidays has been a tradition in my family for as long as I can remember. Both my Grandma Menard and my Mom were excellent bakers, as was my Aunt Harriet Hendrickson.

I helped my Mom a couple of times during the holidays, but it was a humbling experience. Mom was so good and I was such a novice. But over the years since her passing, I’ve taken up the challenge of being a good baker. This past week, I’ve made Peanut Butter Bl0ssoms and Russian Tea Cakes, two of my favorites and ones that Mom always made right before Christmas. There is no way I could have a spread of cookies like Mom, but every year my repertoire grows one recipe at a time.

This season, I’m again planning on making Hershey Dream Bars. They are next on the agenda. My addition this year will be my Grandma Menard’s recipe for Rolled Butter Cookies.

If you are in the mood, give one of the following recipes a try. You won’t be disappointed.

Russian Tea Cakes
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup finely chopped nuts (hazelnut, pecans or walnuts)
¼ teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix butter, ½ cup powdered sugar and the vanilla in large bowl. Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds together. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly on wire rack. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar; cool on wire rack. Roll in powdered sugar again.

Hershey Dream Bars
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup shortening (butter or margarine)
1 egg yolk
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 or 7 Hershey milk chocolate bars
Mix sugar and shortening. Add egg yolk, flour and vanilla. Mix well. Press into a 9-by-13-inch pan.
Bake at 375 degrees until brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place Hershey bars on top. Spread the melting chocolate, entirely covering pan’s contents. Sprinkle with nuts, if desired.
Cool and cut into bars.
Yield: About 16 bars.

Rolled Butter Cookies (Cutouts)
3 cups flour, sifted
2 level teaspoons cream of tartar
1 level teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter
3 eggs
1⅓ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a large bowl, mix flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and butter — like pie dough — by hand.
In a smaller bowl, beat eggs and then add sugar and vanilla and mix. Combine with dough and mix.
Refrigerate dough overnight (covered with wax paper). In the morning, roll out dough on a floured surface and cut out cookies.
Place cookies about to 1 inch apart on a greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 6 minutes or until done.
Let cool, then frost and decorate.
Yield: 10 to 12 dozen cookies.

Peanut Butter Blossoms
1¾ cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup shortening
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup white sugar
½ cup firmly packed brown
1 unbeaten egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sift flour and add soda and salt. Set aside. Gradually mix shortening and peanut butter together and then cream. Add sugars and cream again. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Add dry ingredients and mix well; Round dough by the teaspoon into balls, roll in sugar and place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and top each one with a Hershey’s candy kiss. Press down firmly so cookie cracks around the edges. Return cookies to oven and bake for 2 to 5 minutes longer.