Holiday Lovin’ from the Oven

Faculty and staff share their favorite recipes for baked treats this holiday season.

By Ryan E. Smith
Date

The holidays are almost here, so warm up that oven!

As Americans prepare to bake hundreds of millions of cookies this month, faculty and staff have their own favorites — and they’re sharing the recipes with the rest of the campus community. Each one, sweet and delicious, comes with a side of family tradition.

So forget about sugar plums, it’s time to get visions of ooey gooey butter cookies — and six other holiday treats — dancing in your head.

Want even more holiday recipes from the Kenyon campus community? Check out these offerings that were shared last year and in 2023.

Butter cookies

Christmas Ooey Gooey Butter Cookies

This is our family favorite. We make them every Christmas, but also throughout the year — just change the color of sprinkles for the season! The cookies are simple to make and always a crowd-pleaser. We always get asked to make them. Now that my daughter is married, she has started to make them for her husband and family members. — Jessica Landon, administrative assistant and applied music program coordinator

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 box white cake mix

1 cup powdered sugar

½ cup holiday sprinkles

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Beat together the butter, vanilla, egg and cream cheese until fluffy and mixed well.

3. Add in the cake mix, and blend until mixed well.

4. Chill in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.

5. Roll into 1-inch balls, then roll in holiday sprinkles and dip in a bowl of powdered sugar until covered completely. (As an alternative, feel free to mix the sprinkles into the dough before you chill it.)

6. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are lightly brown. Remove to a cooling rack after allowing them to cool for 5 minutes.

cinnamon rolls

Cinnamon Rolls

Homemade cinnamon rolls are a holiday staple in our household on Christmas morning, and that tradition extends to the home where my husband, Josh, was raised. Dozens of family members visit my in-laws’ home on Christmas morning to snag one or two (or eight!) of these delicious treats. When our oldest child was born, we started a family tradition of being at our home — rather than traveling — on Christmas morning. That commitment came with an important requirement: learning to make the famous homemade cinnamon rolls. This is a recipe that takes intentionality and effort (like steps to be completed the night before!), but they are melt-in-your-mouth delicious. — Katie Booth, director of digital and web strategy

For the dough:

1 cup milk

1 package dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)

¼ cup warm water

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup sugar

2 sticks butter or margarine

2 eggs

For the cinnamon sugar:

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

The night before:  

1. Scald 1 cup of milk and let cool.

2. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter.

4. In another bowl, beat eggs and combine with milk and dissolved yeast. Stir together, then add to the flour mixture.  

5. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. 

In the morning: 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Divide dough in half and roll each piece into an 18-inch-by-12-inch rectangle.

3. Spread with cinnamon sugar mix, then roll tightly (starting from a long end of the rectangle) and cut in 1-inch slices. 

4. Bake them laying down on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet for 12 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven and place on cooling racks with paper towels lined underneath (to catch icing drips). Mix up icing to desired consistency — adding extra milk if too thick or powdered sugar if too runny — and drizzle over the top.  

Yield: 35-40 rolls

pizzelles

Italian Pizzelles

As someone who grew up in a very Italian family, pizzelles have been a holiday staple for as long as I can remember. There was never a dessert table without tall stacks of homemade vanilla and anise pizzelles. My grandmother made them, then my mom, and, now — over the past few years — I’ve made it a point to carry on the tradition each holiday season. Simple and sweet, they’re a lovely addition to any gathering or a thoughtful gift for family and friends. And the moment the pizzelle iron heats up, the aromas filling the kitchen take me right back to childhood. — Emily Shackle, associate director of alumni and parent engagement

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

3 large eggs

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract* (or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or the seeds of 1 split and scraped vanilla bean)

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Cooking spray

* For anise pizzelles, use 1 to 2 teaspoons of anise extract or anise seeds or ½ to 1 teaspoon of anise oil.

1. Cut butter into pieces. Place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high until melted, about 45 seconds. Set aside to cool.

2. Place eggs, sugar and the vanilla extract (see options above) in a large bowl and whisk vigorously until the mixture is homogeneous, about 2 minutes.

3. Add flour, baking powder and kosher salt, and whisk to combine. Add the cooled butter and whisk until completely smooth, about 1 minute.

4. Cover the bowl and let the batter rest for 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can store the batter in the fridge overnight, bringing it to room temperature for 30 minutes before using.

5. About 10 minutes before baking, preheat a pizzelle press. Lightly coat the press with cooking spray and portion 2 teaspoons of the batter into the center of each pizzelle form. Close the press and cook until lightly golden-brown, 1 to 1½  minutes — the time will vary depending on the press.

6. Use a thin flat spatula to gently transfer the cookies to a wire rack. The cookies will crisp up when cooled.

7. Repeat with the remaining batter, but you won’t need to coat the press with cooking spray each time, especially if you have a non-stick press. Cool the cookies completely.

Yield: 32 cookies

kringlas

Kringlas

These kringlas come from a Scandinavian recipe. My grandmother started the tradition of making them for every family get-together. Even though they’re an unassuming cookie, the taste is light and airy and you don’t feel bad eating several at a time! — Robin Goodman, exhibitions and collections registrar and The Gund

3 cups flour, plus more for rolling

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1 ¼ cups sugar

8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), softened

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup buttermilk

½ cup sour cream

1. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix sugar and butter. Add egg and vanilla and mix. Stir in buttermilk and sour cream.

3. Add flour mixture and stir just until combined. Refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

5. Using an actual teaspoon (as opposed to a measuring spoon), scoop spoonfuls of dough onto a floured surface (pastry mat). Shape and roll into figure eights. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes until light brown.

Yield: 3 dozen

sekerpare

Sekerpare

Sekerpare, which means “sweet bits,“ is a popular Turkish dessert typically enjoyed during holidays. My late mother often made them when I was growing up, and they have become one of my favorite syrupy treats. They are easy to prepare and tend to taste even better after a few days. — Nurten Kilic-Schubel, associate professor of history

For the syrup:

1 ½ cups water

1 ½ cups sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the dough:

¼ cup semolina flour

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

½ cup olive oil

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, room temperature

1 teaspoon baking powder

5 drops vanilla extract

1 egg, separated

About 15 hazelnuts or almonds

1. Prepare your syrup first; it needs to cool before pouring over hot baked cookies. In a saucepan, combine water and sugar, and heat over medium heat until it boils. Allow it to cook for 10 minutes. Then lower the heat, add lemon juice, and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Once finished, set the syrup aside to cool.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a rimmed baking tray with parchment paper.

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix semolina and all-purpose flour. Make a well in the center and add sugar, olive oil, butter, baking powder, vanilla extract and egg white. Knead the mixture for 6-7 minutes until it is soft and easy to work with.

4. Divide the dough into pieces and shape each piece into a ball the size of a walnut. Place them on a tray, leaving space between each cookie because they will expand.

5. Slightly flatten the top of each ball and brush it with egg yolk. Put your favorite nut in the center of each cookie.

6. Bake for 20 minutes until they are slightly brown.

7. Take the tray out of the oven and pour cooled syrup over the hot cookies. Let them rest for an hour before serving.

Yield: 15 cookies

Snowball cookies

Snowball Cookies

My mom’s “snowball cookies“ were a favorite of my Kenyon roommate, Amanda Hollander ’04, when my mom would mail them to me in the holiday season. — The Rev. Rachel Kessler ’04, rector of Harcourt Parish Episcopal Church, College chaplain and visiting assistant professor of English

2 ¼ cup flour, preferably sifted

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup salted butter, softened

½ cup powdered sugar, plus more for rolling cookies

1 teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup finely chopped pecans 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Mix the flour and salt and set aside.

3. Cream the butter and sugar, mix in vanilla, and then gradually add the flour/salt mixture. Fold in the chopped nuts.

4. Roll the dough into 1- to 2-inch balls and bake for 9-10 minutes. (Don't let them start to brown!). Roll the warm cookies immediately in powdered sugar. Once cooled, roll them in powdered sugar one more time for good measure and store in an air-tight container.

Yield: 3 dozen

Cherry Almond Balls

This recipe is from my great-grandmother, Lydia Huck, and is one of the few things we always made in my family. This kind of cookie is common in lots of places, but the cherries make these extra tasty (and a little less dry!) and fun to make. (Kids like getting the cherries in.) It's a fun surprise to find a cherry inside what looks like a basic cookie, and the cherry color is festive. — Eliza Ablovatski, professor of history

1 cup butter

¼ cup powdered sugar, plus more for coating

2 cups all-purpose flour (I always use half whole wheat or spelt)

1 cup ground almonds or almond flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Candied cherries (these are hard to find — I use dried cherries or sometimes maraschino or other preserved cherries)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, add all other ingredients except cherries, and mix well. (Use hands to make a pliable dough.)

3. Take about a teaspoon of dough, roll it into a ball, then push a cherry (or half a cherry if not using dried) into the middle, and close the ball.

4. Bake on a greased sheet or parchment paper for about 20-30 minutes. Don't over-bake as they do dry out. While hot, roll in additional powdered sugar. (It's easiest to have a bowl or plate with a pile of sugar to do this.)

Yield: 36 to 40