Send Us Your Holiday Recipes This Christmas Season

Probably one of the best things shared is a good recipe, especially during the holiday season, where family recipes are passed down from generation to generation and become a staple of our year.

Bolingbrook Patch is looking to create an extensive collection of recipes from residents. If you have one, feel free to share by leaving a comment below or emailing it to Editor Brian Feldt at brianf@patch.com.

Then, during the week leading up to Christmas, we'll post them for all to see! Your recipe could become the next big thing at someone else's family Christmas!

And if you don't have a recipe quite yet, here's what we've compiled so far.

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

Recipe by 

Ingredients:

1 8oz. cream cheese (softened)

1 stick butter (softened)

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 box chocolate cake mix

confectioners sugar for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

2. In a large bowl,  use mixer to cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in egg and then beat in vanilla. Add cake mix and blend in.

3. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so you can roll the dough into balls.

4. Roll the chilled dough into teaspoon-sized balls and then roll in confectioners sugar. Flour hands if dough sticks.

5. Place balls on ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and gooey. Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners sugar if desired.

Makes three dozen cookies

To Die for Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe by Linda Brown

• 1 cup butter, softened to room temp
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1 Tbs. evaporated milk (do NOT substitute regular milk; it just does not taste the same!) 
• 1 package milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup - 1 cup chopped walnuts (opt.) 

Directions

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix. Sift flour, salt, and soda together. Add flour mixture alternately with milk. Add oatmeal. Add chips and nuts. Drop on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 13 minutes. 

These are the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever tasted! Sometimes I omit the milk chocolate chips and just use the semi-sweet. I almost like that alternate recipe better. This recipe is from my daughter-in-law, Bonnie Brown. She is an amazing cook.

Everyone loves these cookies!

Cornflake Holly Cookies

Recipe by 

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter 
• 35 large marshmallows 
• 3 cups cornflakes 
• 1 bottle cinnamon candies
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
• green food coloring 
• 1 large saucepan 
• 2 tablespoons to stir marshmallows

Directions:

1. Set out sheet of wax paper

2. Melt butter and marshmallows in large saucepan over medium heat. Add vanilla and green food coloring. Mix well and completely melt all the marshmallows. Add cornflakes and stir gently.

3. Drop tablespoons of the mixture on the wax paper. Dot each with 3 or 4 cinnamon candies. Work quickly when spooning onto waxed paper, as mixture hardens fast.

Note: Keep the marshmallow mixture on a low flame the entire time to make it easy to handle while placing on the wax paper. 

Makes  2-3 dozen.

Aunt Marion's Toffee Bars

Recipe by 

Ingredients:

40 soda crackers 

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar 

1 12oz. package chocolate chips (dark)

1 12oz. package peanut butter chips  

1 cup either walnuts or pecans (chopped) 

1 cookie sheet 

Aluminum foil 

Non-stick cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Coat aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray. Cover aluminum foil with the 40 soda crackers. Do not overlap crackers on cookie sheet. 

3. Melt together butter and brown sugar. Boil for 3 minutes. Pour over crackers on cookie sheet. Bake 5 minutes in oven at 350 degrees. Remove from oven.

4. Immediately sprinkle with 1 bag of peanut butter chips. When chips have melted, spread with knife evenly around pan. Then carefully spread whole bag of dark chocolate chips evenly over peanut butter chip layer.  Sprinkle chopped walnuts or pecans on top of chocolate layer.

5. Put in refrigerator to cool. Remove from refrigerator and break into pieces like peanut brittle. Store in plastic bag in refrigerator or freezer.

Chocolate Dipped Logs and Cookie Balls

Recipe by 

Ingredients:

1 cup butter 

1 cup flour 

1/2 cup powdered sugar 

1 cup corn starch 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1/8 teaspoon salt 

 1 12 o.z. package dark chocolate chips

Chopped nuts (optional)

Sprinkles (optional)

1. Sift flour and cornstarch. Cream butter and add powdered sugar gradually into butter. Add vanilla and salt. Then add dry ingredients and mix until well blended.

2. Refrigerate for 3 hours. Shape into balls, logs,or crescents. Place each cookie on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until bottoms are golden brown.  Cool cookies. 

3. Melt half package of dark chocolate chips in microwave on high for at least 20 seconds. Stir until smooth.

4. Dunk the ends and tops of each cookie in chocolate. Optional: Dip chocolate-covered cookies into chopped nuts or sprinkles. 

5. Keep in storage container in a cool place.

Makes 6 dozen