Our Best Christmas Recipes Inherited From Our Families
This holiday season we're featuring the BEST CHRISTMAS RECIPES that have been inherited from the women in our families. Our team over here at TodaysMama.com is sharing our very favorite, most nostalgic, holiday recipes and we've invited some of our friends across the internet share their family recipes as well.
Speaking of the things we inherit from the women in our family. Let's talk DNA for a minute!
This holiday recipe series is brought to you by Myriad Genetics, the makers of the myRisk Hereditary Cancer test. Did you know that if a member of your family (even extended family like aunts and cousins) has been diagnosed with cancer UNDER THE AGE OF 50 that there is a chance that a gene mutation may be present in your family? The good news? There's a simple DNA test that can let you know if you've got that same gene.
Myriad Genetics’ Hereditary Cancer Quiz helps you to assess whether you might be a good candidate for testing. This quiz can help you get the information you need to discuss your risk of cancer with your healthcare provider. Take the Myriad Hereditary Cancer Quiz HERE.
The Best Christmas Recipes
Now for the sweet stuff! Here are all the best Christmas recipes we've inherited from the women in our lives. These are the recipes that warm our hearts and homes and fill the holidays with nostalgia.
Enjoy!
Green Jello Salad from the Kitchen of Rachael Herrscher
Christmas Crack from the Kitchen of Erin Caserio
"To this day, this recipe is what takes me back to being a child at Christmas. I make big batches every year and my kids are well on their way to sharing my obsession."
- Erin Caserio
Brown Sugar Muffins from the Kitchen of Kalli Verbecky
Peanut Butter Fudge from the Kitchen of Kalli Verbecky
"Every year my mom makes the same combination of holiday goodies for her family, neighbors and friends, and she always makes extras to have on hand and more through the holiday season which I appreciate more than she probably will ever know because I know that during the months of Nov-Jan, it's always down in the cold storage, waiting for me like a gift from the lawd above. I love the holidays, and I love my mom, and I love her peanut butter fudge!"
- Kalli Verbecky
Christmas Butter Cookie Recipe from the Kitchen of Natasha Nicholes
"While I think of big stews with my maternal grandmother and macaroni and cheese and cornbread with my paternal grandmother, my mother's connection to me is with butter, flour, sugar and extract. Those were the sweetest moments for me growing up, and I'm hoping by baking these same cookies with my children, they will remember our moments together fondly as well."
- Natasha Nicholes
Chocolate Creme Pie Recipe from the Kitchen of Pam Wattenbarger
"My mother believed in sweets in moderation. She made pies sparingly and only when it was a special occasion. This chocolate crème pie was jokingly my mom’s ‘secret family recipe’ because it was what everyone expected my mother to bring to family events."
- Pam Wattenbarger
Okra Soup Recipe from the Kitchen of Kita Bryant
"I knew that my mom was dying of cancer and I needed to get as many recipes as I could get from her. She was so sick though that I couldn't ask her for many but this was one that I had to have so she and I cooked it together before she passed away. Cooking this now for my family makes it feel as if my mom is always right there eating with us.
I think it's important to continue to pass things down from generation to generation because it keeps all of our grandparents and great grand parents as a part of our lives."
- Kita Bryant
Schaum Brotle Recipe from the Kitchen of Rachael Hutchings
"Oma, who had trained under a chef in Switzerland after World War I, could make an amazing meal out of almost nothing.
My Oma's cookies signaled the coming of Christmas. To my mom's knowledge Oma never used a recipe. She had everything in her head. Luckily, my mom's two older sisters had the foresight to sit with Oma in the kitchen while she cooked, and recorded all the necessary measurements and directions, so that we have some of her recipes. This recipe for Schaum Brotle is one of those recipes."
- Rachael Hutchings
Garnett's Famous Cinnamon Rolls from the Kitchen of Becky James
"My mother-in-law was an amazing cook and enjoyed making food for those she loved. She would find out a meal or treat you loved and then have that ready for you the next time you stopped by. Her cinnamon rolls were known throughout the town. She would make them for fundraising auctions, and they always went for top dollar."
- Becky James
Grandma Baxter's Cake Donuts from the Kitchen of Kara Baxter
"Grandma Baxter was one of the most incredible women I've ever known. Her life was incredibly difficult from the start but she was always soft, kind, and beyond loving to everyone she met. Baking was one of the ways she showed her love, and she has passed on several classics to our family—these donuts being a major favorite and permanent holiday tradition.
Grandma never measured anything, being the OG Kitchen Master that she was, but somehow we got a few things written down to pass on. Lucky us!"
- Kara Baxter
Recommended for You
Grandma Charlotte’s Sugar Cookies from the Kitchen of Holly Bertone
"My Grandma Charlotte passed at Christmas time when I was a baby. It was hard on my Mom, but we made her sugar cookies every year to honor her memory. My Mom and I would listen to “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and dance in the kitchen as we made Grandma Charlotte's cookies. Up until the time that I couldn't eat gluten any more, I made these cookies with my own family."
- Holly Bertone
Marshmallow Fudge Recipe from the Kitchen of April Clark Davis
"Every single year growing up we made fudge and toffee for Christmas to give to the neighbors. Our fudge is special because of it's unique flavor and the marshmallows that we freeze ahead of time so they don't melt into the fudge! It wasn't until I was teaching a friend how to make it that I realized how many parts of the recipe seemed more superstitious than necessary...but now that I have my own children OF COURSE I'm keeping all of the superstition-it's just more fun that way!"
- April Clark Davis
Eda’s Snickerdoodle Recipe from the Kitchen of Lisa Jorgenson
"These are Grandma Eda Bingham's classic Snickerdoodles. My husband and I were lucky enough to live near Grandma while in college. Almost every Sunday Grandma would invite us over for a delicious homemade dinner. She often served tender roast beef, creamy mashed potatoes, and a delightful green salad on her good china. For us poor college students, this dinner tasted like heaven."
- Lisa Jorgenson
Bajan Sweet Bread Recipe from the Kitchen of Nailah Blades
"My mother is an excellent cook and baker and so many of my childhood memories involve me "helping" her in the kitchen as she prepared dinner for our family or baked us a sweet treat. One of my favorite treats was Bajan Sweet Bread. I can still remember sitting at the kitchen table watching as my father would break open and grate the fresh coconut — because only fresh coconut would do! — and waiting for my turn to help mix everything together and then glaze the tops of the breads with a brown sugar and butter mixture.
Now as an adult, I always look forward to the Holiday season when my big, loud, colorful family gets together and cooks and bakes and laughs together. And it never quite feels like Christmas until I smell the sweet scent of the cinnamon, brown sugar and coconut wafting through the air and see those sweet breads coming right out of the oven."
- Nailah Blades
Poppy Seed Cake Recipe from Mary Beth Sharkey
"When I was a little girl my Mother would make this cake only once a year and always at Christmastime. I grew up looking forward to that one slice a year. My mother was given the recipe by her mother, whose handwriting is on the index card you see in the scanned document. I never tasted my Grandmother's version and when I was younger my Mother passed away, so I very thankful to have those memories and this wonderful tie to the past."
- Mary Beth Sharkey
Husband's Delight Casserole from the Kitchen of Olivia Smith
"This casserole is the love child of lasagna and beef stroganoff. When you think about these two dishes together, it doesn’t add up. However, somehow in this recipe, they are perfect together. My mother made this casserole for us when we were growing up and it has stayed in our family for decades. She is one of the greatest cooks I have ever met and considers the kitchen the heart of her home. She originally found it while looking through a cookbook authored by firefighters. I guess she figured if it's a recipe from a firefighter, it had to be good!"
- Olivia Smith
Oatmeal Date Cookies from the Kitchen of Meg Meeker
"My grandmother taught me this recipe when I was 6 years old. After she passed, my mother and I would make them. Now, my daughters and I make them at Christmas. These cookies have a wonderful smell as they cook because of the mixture of cloves and cinnamon. Every time I make them, it's as though I feel my mother and grandmother right beside me. I hope that one day these will give my daughters wonderful memories of baking with me."
- Meg Meeker
Potato Roll Recipe from the Kitchen of Raquel Lynn
"This recipe is for my mom's overnight potato rolls. She has been making these ever since I was a little girl. She brings them to every holiday dinner, and the whole family loves them. They are soft and delicious—no recipe can compare! I have fond memories of baking with my mom before a holiday and making these rolls along with other desserts and dishes. They are memories I'll always cherish."
- Raquel Lynn
Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe From the Kitchen of Callie Washer
"I have vivid memories of my mom baking this sour cream pound cake in her Sunday best pearls when I was growing up. Its a recipe passed down from my late grandmother who taught my mom who then taught me. It was a recipe served at every Sunday dinner. The memories of my mom are rose colored and I can only hope my little girl has memories of me making pound cakes in pearls as well."
- Callie Washer
Pecan Candy Cookies from the Kitchen of Sheila Thigpen
"My Mamaw B moved in with us when I was a teenager and my time spent with her back then was priceless. While hanging out with Mamaw in the kitchen, I watched her put together plenty of delicious recipes and learned more about cooking—and life—than I realized at the time. She was kind and loving—as well as fun and reassuring—and always had a story to tell. She was a wonderful cook, a fierce Yahtzee player, and a godly Proverbs 31 woman for 95 years.
One of her traditions was to make candy and cookies to give to neighbors and friends during the holidays. She was known for her peanut butter roll candy, chocolate and peanut butter fudge, and these sweet and crispy Pecan Candy Cookies. With only four ingredients, Pecan Candy Cookies literally take only minutes to mix and bake. The base for the cookie is a brown sugar meringue that results in a crispy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside bite-sized cookie that is especially nice with a cup of coffee or tea."
- Sheila Thigpen
Brought to you by:
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Myriad Genetic's myRisk Hereditary Cancer Test.
Speaking of the things we inherit from the women in our family. Let's talk DNA for a minute!
This holiday recipe series is brought to you by Myriad Genetics, the makers of the myRisk Hereditary Cancer test. Did you know that if a member of your family (even extended family like aunts and cousins) has been diagnosed with cancer UNDER THE AGE OF 50 that there is a chance that a gene mutation may be present in your family? The good news? There's a simple DNA test that can let you know if you've got that same gene.
Myriad Genetics’ Hereditary Cancer Quiz helps you to assess whether you might be a good candidate for testing. This quiz can help you get the information you need to discuss your risk of cancer with your healthcare provider. Take the Myriad Hereditary Cancer Quiz HERE.
The Mama’s Guide to Christmas Recipes
Christmas. All the things. Are you ready? One of the most exciting aspects of Christmas is the food and treats. We have the recipes we love. The recipes we don’t. We all have our favorites and make no mistake, the foods and goodies we surround ourselves at Christmas time enhance the Christmas spirit and make this special holiday memorable. Today’s Mama wanted to share all of the Christmas recipes, tips, secrets, and hacks we’ve come to love and enjoy. To learn more about why we love Christmas and the foods it brings, check out our extensive guide to Christmas recipes.
