Now, it's time to make sure they have that midnight snack ready for St. Nick on Dec. 24: the cookies and milk.

Whether grandma did the baking or mom let us sprinkle the colored sugar on those cookies for Santa, making holiday treats is a treasured family memory for many of us at The Herald.

This year, just in the St. Nick of time, we are sharing some of our favorite season's eatings with our readers.

* * *

"I found this yummy recipe while online one day, and it has been a crowd favorite round my family ever since. It's not the traditional cookie recipe, but it does warm the heart and tummy."

Makes about three dozen bars.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 large eggs

3/4 cup corn syrup

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

13/4 cups semisweet chocolate chunks

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

1. Make the crust by beating the flour, butter and brown sugar in a small mixing bowl until crumbly.

2. Press into a greased 13-by-9-inch baking pan.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

4. Make the filling by beating the eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter and vanilla in a medium bowl with a wire whisk. Stir in the chunks and nuts.

5. Pour evenly over baked crust. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until set.

6. Cool in pan on a wire rack prior to cutting into bars.

Umm-umm good.

* * *

"I remember before we had a freezer, my mother (Mary Jane Hopkins) spent the last two or three days before Christmas baking batch after batch of cookies. And they were always special or fancy cookies, not the usual chocolate chip. Although I have her recipe box, I would never even attempt to bake some of the ones she made every year. But I loved these so much and thought they were so pretty, I forced myself to master them."

WALNUT CRESCENTS

3 cups sifted flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1 cup butter or margarine

3 egg yolks, slightly beaten

3 to 5 tablespoons milk

2 cups finely chopped walnuts

1/2cup sugar

2 egg whites, slightly beaten

1 egg white, slightly beaten

Colored, granulated sugar

1. Combine flour and sugar.

2. Cut in butter until the mixture is crumbly.

3. Combine the egg yolks and 3 tablespoons milk. Add to the flour mixture, mixing lightly until dough begins to stick together. Add more milk if necessary to make a soft dough.

4. Turn the mixture out on a lightly floured board and press the dough together. Divide it in half and roll each half to 1/6--inch thickness.

5. Cut with a 3-inch round cutter. Place cookies on ungreased baking sheet.

6. Drop 1 teaspoon walnut filling in the center of each cookie.

7. Fold the cookie in half to cover filling and seal edge securely. Shape into crescent.

8. Brush tops of each cookie with beaten egg white. Sprinkle with colored sugar and bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

* * *

MINIATURE CHEESECAKES

Makes 5 dozen

3 8-ounce paclages cream cheese

1 cup granulated sugar

5 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 box vanilla wafers

Miniature paper cupcake liners

1. Soften cream cheese to room temperature. Add sugar; cream well. Add vanilla and eggs.

2. Place one vanilla wafer, rounded side down, in each miniature paper holder and fill cups to 2/3rd full of mixture.

3. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

These may be frozen. When removed from freezer or before serving, add cherry pie filling or your favorite topping.

* * *

"In my house more often than not we left my mother's 'homemade' fudge for Santa on Christmas Eve. It was one of my favorite holiday treats each year, in addition to the dozens of cookies that were baked by my mother, grandmother and aunts.

"When I called my mother (Beth Garrett) this year for her fudge recipe, I discovered the 'homemade' fudge was a recipe from Fannie Farmer, but to me it's still homemade, even if the recipe isn't one my family invented."

FANNIE FARMER FUDGE

1/4 pound (1 stick) oleo, softened

1/4 teaspoon of vanilla

9 ounces of chocolate chips

160 mini-marshmallows (about 4 ounces)

1 cup of chopped nuts (optional)

2 1/2 cups of sugar

1/2 can of evaporated milk

1. In a bowl, mix together the oleo, vanilla, chocolate chips, marshmallows and nuts.

2. In a saucepan, mix the sugar and evaporated milk and bring to a boil. The mixture should be boiled for 8 minutes at 238 degrees, stirring constantly.

3. Add the hot mixture into the first bowl and stir until everything is melted together.

4. Pour the final mixture into a greased 8-by-8 pan and let stand until firm.

5. Keep refrigerated.

* * *

"For those of us less cookie baking-inclined or just plain busy and have an abundance of children or nieces or nephews who like to decorate cookies, I found this quick and easy way to alleviate that conflict with a bonus: Cleanup is a snap. It also alleviates the inevitable wail when a child accidentally severs a paw or tail when making cookie cutouts."

COOKIE PLAY

Buy a bag or two of animal crackers, a couple tubs of frosting in any colors you like and a wide assortment of sprinkles.

Lay waxed paper or foil on a kitchen table and surround the table with the wee folk. Let 'em decorate the animal crackers like cutout cookies, using the frosting as the gooey spread, and adding sprinkles on top.

Other ideas:

   » Make animal cookie sandwiches with the frosting and then roll the cookies in sprinkles.

   » Create animal cookie trains.

* * *

"The tree, Santa with his sack of toys, the star, the reindeer, the bell and holly leaves decorated with icing in bright holiday colors, adorned with red and green sparkly sugars, sprinkles and cinnamon heart candies. ... it just wouldn't be Christmas without them! I'm grateful to have my mom's (Helen Bauder's) old cookie cutters and cookie recipe to bring smiles to my granddaughters' faces as we bake, decorate and sample these traditional Christmas cookies."

BEST EVER SUGAR
COOKIES

Makes 36 to 48 medium (2 1/2-to-3-inch) or 20 large (5-inch) cookies.

For the cookies:

êcup butter

êcup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

dash of salt

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1. In large mixing bowl, beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.

2. Add sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat till combined, scraping bowl.

3. Beat in egg and vanilla.

4. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in the remaining flour.

5. Divide the dough in half. If necessary, cover and chill the dough for 3 hours or until easy to handle.

6. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough at a time to 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut dough into desired shapes. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

7. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned.

8. Cool the cookies on a wire rack.

For 1 cup of icing:

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond flavoring

milk

food coloring, as desired

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk.

2. Add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until it reaches the consistency you desire: thick for piping, medium for drizzling or thin for spreading.

* * *

"I'm sharing two favorite recipes -- one for the kids and one for the older crowd. The snowman recipe comes from my mom's (Betty Curry's) circa 1972 Quaker Oats recipe book, which when last seen had duct tape on its spine. Sadly, it's currently M.I.A. (She claims I have it but that remains to be seen.) Good thing I wrote the recipe down a few years ago because these things are so gosh darn cute. Feel free to shellac them and use as place settings!"

Makes 8

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup Quaker Oats, uncooked

Confectioner's sugar frosting, peppermint striped hard candy rounds for hats and small red gum drops for tops of hats.

1. Beat butter until creamy; beat in sugar gradually. Blend in vanilla.

2. Sift together flour and salt. Add to creamed mixture; mix well. Stir in oats.

3. Shape dough into balls, making 8 bases about 1 1/2 inches in diameter; 8 bodies 11/4 inches in diameter; 8 heads 1 inch in diameter and 16 arms 1/2 inch in diameter.

4. Place on ungreased cookie sheet in preheated oven set at 325 degrees. Bake small balls 15-20 minutes and larger balls 30-35 minutes. Cool.

5. Using thick powdered sugar frosting, fasten base, body and head and arms together to make each snowman. With a thinner frosting, coat snowmen and attach cinnamon candies as eyes and buttons and peppermint rounds and gum drops as hats.

"Caution: These babies are potent -- especially when allowed to ferment in a tin for a few weeks. I usually double or triple the recipe to keep up with demands from family and friends."

3 tablespoons cocoa

1 cup powdered sugar

3 cups vanilla wafers (1 16-ounce box), crushed in food processor

4 tablespoons dark corn syrup

1/2 cup dark rum

Extra cocoa and/or ground chocolate to roll them in.

1. In large bowl sift together powdered sugar and cocoa. Add crushed wafers and mix. Add remaining ingredients.

2. Form into 1-inch balls. (You might want to don some surgical gloves at this point since it gets pretty messy. They should retain their shape. If too wet, add more sugar or wafers. Too dry? More rum)

3. Roll in cocoa/chocolate and store in tin(s).

* * *

"My mom (Antonette Savastano) always baked many different treats for the holidays: pizzelles, biscotti, pecan tarts, apricot kiffels and even the traditional Christmas fruitcake, to name just a few. Mom is in her mid-70s now, so she doesn't do it all anymore. She still bakes this Italian anise cookie because it is a favorite of the grandkids, with its sugary icing and colorful sprinkles."

GINETTIS

3 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

4 teaspoon baking powder

pinch salt

2 sticks oleo

3 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoon anise extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Roll into 2-inch pieces and tie into a knot.

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to10 minutes until bottom is light tan.

4 tablespoons melted butter

2 cups powdered sugar

milk

colored sprinkles

Add enough milk to butter and powdered sugar to make it the consistency you desire; icing should not be runny.

Ice cookies when cool and decorate with colored sprinkles.

* * *

"Because flour is not added during rolling, dough scraps can be rolled and cut as many times as necessary. Don't overbake the cookies or they will be dry. Store soft gingerbread in a wide, shallow airtight container or tin with a sheet of parchment or waxed paper between each cookie layer.

"These cookies are best eaten within one week."

THICK AND CHEWY
GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Makes about 25 4-inch
gingerbread people

3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1/2teaspoon ground cloves

1/2teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

12 tablespoons (1 1/2sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and softened slightly

3/4 cup unsulphured molasses

2 tablespoons milk

1. In food processor work bowl fitted with steel blade, process flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and baking soda until combined, about 10 seconds. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture and process until mixture is sandy and resembles very fine meal, about 15 seconds.

With machine running, gradually add molasses and milk; process until dough is evenly moistened and forms soft mass, about 10 seconds. Alternatively, in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, stir together flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and baking soda at low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Stop mixer and add butter pieces; mix at medium-low speed until mixture is sandy and resembles fine meal, about 1 1/2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and, with mixer running, gradually add molasses and milk; mix until dough is evenly moistened, about 20 seconds. Increase speed to medium and mix until thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds.

2. Scrape dough onto work surface; divide in half. Working with one portion of dough at a time, roll between two large sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Leaving dough sandwiched between parchment layers, stack on cookie sheet and freeze until firm, 15 to 20 minutes. (Alternatively, refrigerate dough 2 hours or overnight.)

3. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

4. Remove one dough sheet from freezer; place on work surface. Peel off top parchment sheet and gently lay it back in place. Flip dough over; peel off and discard second parchment layer. Cut dough into 5-inch gingerbread people or 3-inch gingerbread cookies, then transfer shapes to parchment-lined cookie sheets with wide metal spatula, spacing them 3/4- inch apart; set scraps aside. Repeat with remaining dough until cookie sheets are full. Bake cookies until set in centers and dough barely retains imprint when touched very gently with fingertip, 8 to 11 minutes, rotating cookie sheets front to back and switching positions top to bottom halfway through baking time. Do not overbake. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes, then remove with wide metal spatula to wire rack; cool to room temperature.

5. Gather scraps; repeat rolling, cutting, and baking in steps 2 and 4. Repeat with remaining dough until all dough is used.

* * *

"These two recipes were holiday favorites that my mother, Madonna Emshwiller, enjoyed baking for us. The Seafoam Candy is so wonderful it melted in your mouth. My sister Jane Zoccola helped her make the candy because it was easier with two people. You had to work fast before it hardened in the pan.

"My youngest sister, Donna Karmelita's favorite cookies were Curly Peters. I have no idea where the name comes from, only that they have icing on top. If you like a drop cookie, try this one."

SEAFOAM CANDY

3 cups brown sugar

1 cup water

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 egg whites, stiffly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts

1. Mix sugar, water and vinegar together in saucepan. Boil until a little drop in cold water forms into a hard ball -- at 265 degrees on a candy thermometer.

2. Remove from heat and pour slowly over stiffly beaten egg whites, beating continuously with a mixer until mixture stiffens.

3. Add vanilla and nuts and continue beating until creamy and stiff.

4. Drop by spoonfuls onto oiled waxed paper. Work fast or with a partner because mixture hardens quickly.

CURLY PETERS

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup shortening

2 eggs

1 cup sour milk

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts

1. Cream brown sugar and shortening. Add eggs.

2. Add baking soda to sour milk and baking powder to flour.

3. Add milk and flour alternately to sugar, shortening and egg mixture.

4. Add vanilla and nuts.

5. Drop by spoonful onto cookie sheet that has been sprayed with Pam. Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

6. Frost when cool.

3 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1. Combine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

2. Add powdered sugar to thicken to desired consistency.

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