Here are a few of the new recipes I tried over the holidays:

Pecan Balls (My Grammy's Recipe)

Yields 2 dozen

1/2 lb. butter, at room temperature

2 c. + 1/2c. powdered sugar

2 t. vanilla

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. chopped pecans

1. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, powdered sugar, and the vanilla until smooth.
2. Add flour to butter mixture and beat on low speed to mix, then on medium speed until well blended. Stir in pecans.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place about 1 inch apart on buttered or cooking parchment-lined 12- by 15-inch baking sheets.
4. Bake in a 300° regular or convection oven until cookies are pale golden brown, about 25 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking. Let cookies stand on sheets until cool enough to handle.
5. Place remaining 1/2 cups powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Gently turn warm cookies, a few at a time, in powdered sugar to coat. Set cookies on racks to cool completely.

Holiday Trees (Taken from Nov. 29, 08 Family Circle)

Yields 2 dozen

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 t. salt

3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 c. granulated sugar

2 large egg yolks

1 t. vanilla extract

6 drops green food coloring

6 oz. white chocolate, melted with 1 t. canola oil

1 Blend flour and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar. Beat in yolks, vanilla and food coloring. Stir in flour mixture until dough comes together. Divide in half; flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 2 hours.

2. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick on floured surface. Cut out trees; refoll scraps. Transfer to ungreased baking sheet.

3 Bake at 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack to cool. Dip edges in white chocolate. Let dry on waxed paper.

Oatmeal Cinnamon Chips Cookies (back of the Hershey's Cinnamon Chip package)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2-1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S Cinnamon Chips
3/4 cup raisins (or substitute dried cranberries for the raisins)
Directions:1. Heat oven to 350°F. 2. Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in bowl until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour and baking soda; add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in oats, cinnamon chips and raisins or dried cranberries (batter will be stiff). Drop by heaping teaspoons unto ungreased cookie sheet. 3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes on until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. About 4 dozen.BAR VARIATION: Spread batter into lightly greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350°F. for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool; cut into bars. About 3 dozen bars.

I also tried a Cranberry Jello recipe using fresh cranberries (my stepmom's recipe), and K shared a family recipe of Butterhorn Cresent rolls with me and a cheeseball using Hidden Valley Ranch dried dressing mix.

It was a lot of work over the holidays, all the baking and cooking we did; but I do enjoy cooking like this and had not tried anything new since the summer. I have always been intimidated way to much to make Pecan Balls and Cheese Balls, but these were probably the most simple recipes of all!! No problem to whip up either of these two items to take to a Bible Study or some other type of get together. You just have to think about them in advance, like the night before (sometimes a problem for me to be thinking that far in advance).

The Christmas Tree cookies will be a keeper each year from now on for my Christmas Cookie Trays as well!!! These look like you spent a lot of time, but you really don't. The hardest thing is waiting the 2 hours for the dough to chill before baking them.