Cookbooks: Better Homes & Gardens Holiday Cook Book (1959)

Last updated on January 3rd, 2025

This book has recipes organized by holidays, anniversaries, birthdays, buffets, and parties.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

HOLIDAYS AND SPECIAL DAYS

New Year’s Eve
February Days
St. Patrick’s Day
Easter
Halloween
Thanksgiving
Christmas

SPECIAL OCCASIONS

Foreign Fare
Birthdays and anniversaries
Coffee, Tea, and punch parties
Table setting tips
Index

Vintage Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Vintage Christmas Cookies

Springerle – a traditional German cookie, known for its anise flavor and stamped designs.

Cooky Tarts (Sandbakelser) – a traditional Scandinavian cookie with a small tart-like shape and hollow center that can be filled with jam, fruit preserves, or marzipan. They are commonly baked in special sandbakkel molds.

Rainbow Wreaths (Berliner kranser) – colorful cookies in a wreath shape decorated with vibrant icing in various colors to resemble a rainbow.

Bowknots (fattigmann) – are a traditional Norwegian cookie typically deep-fried and made from a rich dough flavored with spices. They are made in bow or knot shape, made by twisting the dough before frying.

Rosette Cookies – a delicate, deep-fried cookie that resembles lace patterns. They are made by dipping a special rosette iron into batter, frying it until golden brown and dusted with powdered sugar.

Spritz – a traditional Italian cookie known for their distinctive shape and buttery flavor. They are typically made using a cookie press to create various decorative shapes.

Krumkaka – a Norwegian and Scandinavian cookie made with a batter cooked on a griddle to give a thin, crisp texture. Once cooked, they are rolled around a cone-shaped mold to create a delicate spiral shape, dusted with powdered sugar and filled with whipped cream or other sweet fillings.

Swedish German Cookies (Pepparkakor) – are a Swedish gingerbread which translates to “pepper cookies.” They are a thin, crisp cookie with a deep, spiced flavor of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and sometimes cardamom that are shaped into hearts or stars and decorated.

Noel Fruit Cookies (Lebkuchen) – a traditional German spiced gingerbread cookie, typically made using a combination of honey, sugar, spices (such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg), and often candied fruits or nuts.

Gumdrop Cookies – are a classic American cookie, that feature colorful gumdrops (candied fruit pieces).

Sugar Cookies – are a classic American cookie, with a buttery, sweet flavor, soft yet crisp texture rolled out and cut into shapes or simply dropped by spoonfuls onto baking sheets.

Coconut Balls – a typically small, bite-sized treat made from coconut and sweetened condensed milk, rolled into balls and then coated with additional desiccated coconut.

Holly Hermits – a holiday cookie known for their rich, spiced flavor and often include dried fruits, nuts, and warm spices.