I am taking a trip back through time to remember Christmases past by highlighting the various holiday goodies my family has enjoyed over the years.
I have always loved Christmas Eve more so than Christmas Day. Everyone is extra jolly in anticipation of the Big Day. And the Big Day? It is fun precisely until all the presents have been unwrapped. Then it’s a bit of a letdown. That’s my experience anyway. Perhaps that is because we never spent Christmas Day with extended family; it was just the four of us, and we stayed home. However, Christmas Eve was a different story.
For many of my earlier years, we spent Christmas Eve at Grandma Burl’s house. She pulled out all of the stops and always made an exceptional meal; Grandma was a phenomenal cook. My favorite dish was her homemade noodles in some type of beef gravy. To this day, I still fantasize about it.
Sam, being the wonderful daughter she is, once attempted to recreate this dish for me. It was delicious and brought back a flood of old memories. But those noodles were a ton of work, and so the meal took a lot of time to put together. Realizing how much time & effort Grandma must have put into her Christmas Eve dinner gave me a new appreciation for the love & dedication she had towards her family.
This Christmas Eve tradition ended at some point. I was in junior high or high school, when Mom decided she wanted to host Christmas Eve at our house, so her mother could join us. Thus began the tradition of celebrating with both grandmothers. Unfortunately, that meant no more of Grandma Burl’s delicious Christmas Eve dinners. Instead, we got KFC (👎) or Mancino’s grinders (👍) and called it good.
It was nice to be able to celebrate Christmas Eve with both of my grandmothers, and I believe the two ladies enjoyed one another’s company, which was also nice. Everyone was happy and the mood was festive. And despite the fact that we no longer enjoyed Grandma’s delicious dinners, she always brought her Tupperware of homemade sweet treats with her, which were equally delicious. Every year, among those goodies there were always Scotcheroos.
Scotcheroos are two layers of deliciousness. The bottom is comprised of Rice Krispies, peanut butter, sugar, and more sugar in the form of corn syrup. This layer is satisfyingly crunchy and chewy. Then the top is smothered in a layer of chocolate and butterscotch. The recipe originated on the back of Rice Krispies boxes in the mid-20th century, and while the internet is filled with Scotcheroos recipes, I have always stuck with the original. After all, if it’s not broke, why fix it?
Besides my grandmothers, my aunt & uncle would always swing by before they went off to their own holiday gathering. My aunt would bring a plate of her delicious cookies. She referred to them as “rollaches,” pronounced “roll-AH-chees.” I’m not sure if that’s a bastardized version of the Czech “rohlíčky,” if they’re a portmanteau of “rolled” and “kolache,” or something entirely different, but they are definitely Eastern European in origin. These crescent-shaped delights are a mixture of sweetened ground walnuts wrapped in a tender cream cheese dough, which is then covered in powdered sugar.
After our Christmas Eve dinner, we would all gather in the living room to exchange gifts with the grandmothers. There was always a lot of happy conversation & laughter. Then the goodies would make an appearance. Mom would arrange them on a Christmas-themed tray and pass them around, while the adults enjoyed cups of coffee.
All too soon, the evening was over, and Mom & Dad would drive their respective mothers home. And I, not wanting the evening to end, would usually tag along with one of them. However, the mounting excitement for Christmas morning would usually win out, and I’d finally head to bed. While that same excitement would make it hard to fall asleep, sleep would eventually come, and the next thing I knew, it was Christmas morning.
I miss these simple, cozy Christmas Eve gatherings with my grandmothers. I also miss Scotcheroos. I have not had one in years, and I will definitely be making them over the winter because now I’m having a hankering for some. They will make me think of Grandma Burl and all of the many happy memories of Christmas Eves well spent with my family.
Nut-Filled Crescent Cookies
To make the dough, combine the following:
2 8 ounce blocks cream cheese, softened
2 sticks of butter
4 cups flour
To make the walnut filling combine:
1 pound ground walnuts
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup evaporated milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Roll dough into walnut-sized balls, then roll out in powdered sugar. Place a slightly heaping 1/2 TBSP of nut mixture in the shape of a cigar on the dough. Roll up, pinch ends shut, place on a cookie sheet, and then bend into a crescent shape.
Bake for 20 minutes. Sift more powdered sugar on top.
Makes about 4 dozen.
Tip: These cookies make a fun Saturday project for two to three people: someone to roll the dough out, someone to fill and shape the cookies, and maybe someone to man the oven and sift powdered sugar on top of the baked cookies. Of course, if it’s just you making them, that’s fine. In fact, in more recent years, my mother began making them, and she always did it by herself. I just think it’s more fun to bake together.
