Nothing is quite as Christmas-y as a glass of eggnog (topped with a sprinkle of nutmeg, of course) and a few deliciously spiced cookies. These pungent little cookies are softer than a traditional gingersnap, but still a perfect pair for a holiday drink or an everyday cup of hot tea. The granulated sugar on top gives them an extra special sparkle!

Gingersnaps
from my vintage Betty Crocker cookbook (but with extra spices!)

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar

In a large electric mixer bowl, blend the shortening, brown sugar, egg, and molasses. Blend in the dry ingredients except the granulated sugar. Cover a chill for 1-4 hours.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet. Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls. Dip the top half of each ball in the granulated sugar. Place balls sugared side up about 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies are just set and crackled on top. Remove from sheets immediately and cool on racks. Eat immediately with a spiced glass of eggnog, or place these friendly little cookies in a tin to savor with a cup of tea later.

Last year, I threw together a batch of these cookies without really measuring any ingredients or thinking about it at all! I took them to a dinner with friends. My brother-in-law would not stop talking about how delicious they were, so this year I tried really hard to re-create what I had made last year. I had him sample the results, and he was very happy that I had re-captured the original magic.

These cookies are chewy and doughy with crisp edges and buttery centers. The combination of creamy white chocolate, tart cranberries, and just a hint of spice is perfect for the holiday season. I hope you will give them a try!

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
adapted from my dad’s famous chocolate chip cookies

2 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg – set aside. In a large electric mixing bowl, cream butter, sugars, and vanilla. Add the eggs, beating well until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture – blending until a very stiff dough forms. Using a wooden spoon, stir in your chocolate and cranberries until evenly distributed. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown on top. Cool on racks.

We’re all suffering from a bit of that Thanksgiving hangover this weekend, I think.  Are we a few pounds heavier than this time last Sunday?  Probably.  Are we sleepy from the tryptophan or from sleeping on Aunt Gwendolyn’s couch?  Who knows.  One thing is for sure – leftovers abound, and we can’t let those go to waste.  So here are three great ideas for using up some of your leftover turkey!

Tired of all things Thanksgiving? Craving flavors other than rosemary and sage?  Then my Southwestern White Chili is the perfect match for you and your leftover turkey.

Looking for a good way to jazz up those same-old turkey sandwiches? Then boy are you in for a treat when you make Hot Browns with your leftovers.  These babies are a Kentucky classic, so comforting and absolutely delicious.

Thanksgiving is over but you’re still trying to embrace that holiday spirit?  Then you need to try this Turkey Pot Pie with Cranberry-Thyme Crust.  It is all of the best flavors of the season, in a new and tasty form.

Now get to cooking, dear readers, before those leftovers go to waste!!

One year ago today, my humble blog made its delicious debut.  As a token of thanks for making this blog more than I ever dreamed it would be, I am celebrating with a great giveaway!!

The winner of the giveaway will receive THREE of my brand new VV Mixes of your choice, available through the VV Etsy shop.

Nutty Fudge Brownie Mix

These mixes are all hand-crafted, gourmet-quality recipes carefully layered in mason jars and decorated for the holidays.  They are all personally assembled by yours truly in a certified, licensed commercial kitchen.  They make a great gift for friends and teachers, or a special treat for you and your family.  All require the addition of 3 easy ingredients or less, and come with straight-forward instructions so that anyone can savor the timeless tastes of Vintage Victuals in the comfort of their own kitchen!

Here’s how to enter!

1. Leave a comment on  this post = 1 entry

2. Add the Vintage Victuals Etsy Shop as a “Favorite” through your Etsy account = 2 entries

3. Add the Vintage Victuals Button (code is on the right) to your blog = 3 entries

4. Write a post on your own blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post = 4 entries

NOTE: Be sure to tell me which of the above you have done in your comment on this post so that I know how many entries to give you!  Also, please provide links, where applicable, to your own blog!

Buttermilk Spice Cake

All entries will be completed and tallied by

10:00 AM EST on Tuesday, December 1, 2009!

A winner will be announced that evening!

Good luck, and happy blogiversary to all my dear readers!!!

I’m having some work done on the blog template today, so bear with me while we undergo a bit of maintenance. Thanks!

UPDATE: Looks like the changes have been successfully implemented! Yay for having 3 columns!

The easiest way if you have a Blogger, AIM, Google, or Yahoo account is to simply become a VV Follower by clicking here or on the button to the right.

You can add VV to your Google reader or your Google home page by clicking here.

Add VV to your Yahoo home page by clicking here.

Add VV to your BlogLines reader by clicking here.

Add VV to your NewsGator reader by clicking here.

Add VV to your NetVibes account by clicking here.

Add VV to your Live Bookmarks by clicking here.

The blog has grown and taken on a life of its own, featuring tried-and-true recipes from my family members, quirky recipes from my vintage cookbook collection, and original recipes that I have come up with cooking dinner for my husband.

Vintage Victuals recipes have been featured on TasteSpotting, FoodGawker, and other culinary websites. The blog has also received several great awards from fellow bloggers. As the success of Vintage Victuals continues to grow, my culinary philosophy remains the same: simple, old-fashioned recipes are the absolute best!

I hope you will follow me and share in this great bloggin’ and bakin’ adventure!

I love to hear from you! Please email me with any questions, ideas, recipes, suggestions, or tips you may have. See a great vintage coobook on eBay that reminded you of my blog? Have a generations-old family recipe that you want to share? Have an idea for tweaking one of my recipes or (eep!) correcting a mistake in one? Email me!!! The most rewarding part of the blog for me is actually reaching out to people through my recipes, so feel free to reach out!!

Click here to email me.

Click here to find me on twitter. Let’s tweet together!

If you are interested in making one of my recipes and posting it on your own website, I ask that you merely change the text of the recipe to your own original words, and link back to the post here at VV. I love seeing other chefs out there enjoying my recipes, tweaking them, and sharing them with the blogosphere as long as citations link back to the original inspiration.

However, if you are interested in using my stories, my photos, or any other original content, I ask that you please contact me by email to ask permission. I am generally pretty easygoing about these things, but my inner lawyer voice says to be careful.

Check out this great article by David Lebowitz for more on being a legally compliant and ethical recipe blogger!

Smooches!
-Ellie

I’ve been baking pretty much since I could see over the countertop. Before that, I had to use a stool to reach up and help mom stir. Cooking has always been a deeply seated part of my life, which is why this blog has become such a passion for me!

I grew up with a rich tradition of family recipes that had been passed down for generations. Instead of keeping these recipes a secret, I find great joy in sharing them with my readers all over the world.

Call me sentimental, but I believe that recipes can bind families together. I believe that a shared meal can bring loved ones closer. My mom taught me this, and it’s something that I hold close to my heart. I hope that my blog makes you feel the same way!

You don’t need to be a Martha or a Giada to make something that shows someone you love them. Most of my recipes here involve simple ingredients found at your local store or farmer’s market – the same ones your grandmother probably used. We don’t really have many specialty stores where I live, so I know how difficult it can be trying to drive all over creation looking for some obscure ingredient!

And most of my recipes are pretty easy and pretty quick – I pride myself in being able to bake a cake from scratch in the same amount of time it would take to stir a store-bought mix together. Just ask my grandmother Nanny – it drives her nuts!

I hope you enjoy my blog, and please come back and visit often.

Cheers!
Ellie