Written by Ann

Sugar cutouts, nut tossies, chocolate chip, oatmeal lacies, it’s the most wonderful time of the year! Nothing tempts me more than the treats my mother bakes at Christmas. For over fifty years, Mom has baked dozens and dozens and dozens of Christmas cookies in several varieties to satisfy her big family.

Most are part of our family tradition now. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without peanut butter crisscross cookies, or nut-filled kiffles. Everyone appreciates yet another attempt to get a few of the sugar-sprinkled camel-shaped cutouts to survive the oven with their legs intact. Two years ago, Mom packed a shoebox with her Christmas cookies and shipped them to my nephew who was fighting in Iraq. Her nut tossies were so good, they earned her a marriage proposal from one of the soldiers!

Please share the recipes for Christmas cookies and treats that are favorites for your families. I’ll start by sharing the recipe for my mom’s nut tossies, guaranteed to make a soldier fall in love!

Nut Tossies

3 oz. cream cheese

½-cup butter + 1 Tablespoon butter

1-cup flour

1 egg, lightly beaten

¾-cup brown sugar

1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans, divided

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Make the crusts: mix the cream cheese, ½-cup butter, and flour together into soft dough. Let the dough sit at room temperature for an hour.

Make the filling: mix the egg, brown sugar, and ⅔-cup chopped nuts together in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until bubbly, for a minute. Remove from the heat.

Divide and shape the dough into 36 balls. Press each into a tossie pan, shaping the crust with your fingers. Fill ⅔ full with the cooked filling. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped nuts.

Bake at 350°F for 13 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 250°F and continue baking for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the tossies cool. Makes 36.