Vote For Your Favorite Holiday Recipe

Everyone has a favorite holiday treat whether it's Grandma's famous Christmas cookies, a traditional Hanukkah Sufganiot or a delicious creation you invented yourself.

Patch editors and readers have shared some of their personal favorite recipes over the last week. Which one has a chance of making an appearance at your holiday party?

Russian Tea Biscuits

Submitted by Avon Patch Editor

Russian tea cakes are the annual must-bake for me. They're a traditional cookie in my family. This recipe It makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cup sifted flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Mix butter, sugar and vanilla thoroughly.
2. Sift flour and salt, add slowly to butter and sugar mixture just until blended and stir in nuts.
3. Line sheet pan or plate with wax paper. Roll dough into 1-inch balls, put on pan or plate. if you run out of room, put a layer of wax paper on top and do another layer. Top with wax paper, then plastic wrap.
4. Chill dough at least four hours. You can make the dough a day ahead of baking.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line sheet pans with parchment or silicone baking sheet. Take cookies out of refrigerator, remove plastic wrap and let sit out for no more than a half-hour. Place dough on baking sheets, at least 1 inch apart, and bake for 9 to 12 minutes. The cookies do not spread, and should be just set but not brown.
6. As soon as the cookies are out of the oven, dust them with confectioner's sugar and let them cool in the pan for at least a half-hour. If you try to handle them just out of the oven, they're more likely to crumble. Once they've cooled a bit, you can do another dusting of confectioner's sugar and gently remove them to a platter to finish cooling.

Easy Pepper Cream Cheese Spread

Submitted by

Easiest holiday dish ever, and people at get-togethers really love it.

Ingredients:

One jar pepper relish (can be found at any grocery store)
One package Philly cream cheese (the rectangle in the foil)
Ritz crackers

Directions:

Put the cream cheese on a dish, pour the relish over the top. Lay Ritz Crackers around it. Put a small knife or a butter knife on the dish and serve.

Dutch Baby

Sumbitted by Westlake Patch Editor

My family makes a Dutch Baby every Christmas morning, and then again for New Year's breakfast because it's so good!

Ingredients:

6 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put butter in pan and place in oven to melt.
2. Mix batter quickly while butter melts. Put eggs in blender and mix on high for one minute. Keep blender running and add milk, then slowly add flour. Blend for another minute.
3. Remove pan from oven and pour batter into center. Return to oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and lemon juice for a traditional Dutch Baby, or try my favorite topping: strawberries. Maple syrup, chocolate syrup and whipped cream also make great toppings.

Stuffed Cabbage

Submitted by Regional Editor

Ingredients:
1 solid cabbage (3 pounds)
1 lb. ground pork
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground veal
1 large onion, chopped
2 TB butter
3/4 c rice
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 qt. tomato juice
2 c. water
1 c. sauerkraut
Paprika

Directions:

1. Scald the cabbage in boiling water and remove leaves as they become wilted.
Cut off heels of 20-25 leaves and discard.
2. Save 4 c of the cabbage water.
3. Chop remaining cabbage and mix with sauerkraut. Set aside.
4. Cook onion in butter until transparent. Remove from heat.
5. Soak the rice in the hot cabbage water in a cup for a few minutes.
6. Combine the drained rice, the raw ground meats, onion, salt and pepper in a bowl with your hands and mix thoroughly. Yes, I know it's gross.
7. In two big pots line the bottom with the cabbage and sauerkraut mixture (just enough to coat the bottom). This stops the leaves from burning on the bottom.
8. Fill each cabbage leaf with an oversized TB or so and fold each one like a burrito.
9. Place a single layer of the cabbage rolls on the bottom of each pot.
10. Spread a layer of sauerkraut/chopped cabbage between each layer of rolls.
11. Sprinkle top with salt, pepper and paprika.
12. Heat tomato juice and 2 c of cabbage water and pour over the two pots of rolls.
13. Cook uncovered to bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours on the stove top.
14. Transfer the rolls to plastic containers to cool in the fridge and reheat on the stove top to serve.

Vegeterian Variation of Stuffed Cabbage

Submitted by

As a vegetarian, I make the stuffed cabbages by trading the pork/beef/veal with a hamburger substitute (MorningStar Farms Recipe Crumbles). I have found that Savoy cabbage works best.

Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies

Submitted by Hillcrest Patch Editor

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
4 tbsps. milk
1 oz. square unsweetened chocolate (melted)

Directions:

1. Thoroughly cream shortening and sugar, add egg yolk and vanilla. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk.
2. Divide dough in half, add chocolate to one half and mix thoroughly.
3. Roll each half 1/8 inch thick on heavy waxed paper. Turn white part on chocolate with dough extending 1/2 inch beyond white part on edge toward which you roll.
4. Remove paper and roll as for a jelly rolll. Wrap in waxed paper, chill thoroughly. Slice thin.
5. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet about 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes four dozen cookies.