December. A time of holidays and celebrations. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s. All times of festivities, fun, and holiday food. Many families have different traditions, and cook different foods during this time. Here are a few holiday recipes from students from our school. The variations of holiday traditions can be viewed in baking, and each family’s different take on this task during the holiday season. 

“Here’s a recipe for a holiday cookie that my family makes every year. I sometimes help with the cooking part, but my main job is to eat them. They are an oatmeal cookie with cranberries and white chocolate chips. Sometimes it’s good to have a cookie that isn’t all milk chocolate!” said junior Molly McKee

Cranberry White Chip Cookies

• ⅔ cups butter softened
• ⅔ cups brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ½ Old fashioned oats
• 1 ½ flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 5 oz. cranberries
• ⅔ cups white chocolate chips

Mix the ingredients and bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 2 ½ dozen cookies. 

“My family and I usually make a christmas trifle with chocolate pudding, chocolate cake, banana, and whipped icing,” sophomore Ruby Bjalme said.

Christmas Trifle

• 1 box of brownie mix
• 1 packet of chocolate pudding
• ½ cup of water
• 1 can of condensed milk
• 1 container of whipped topping
• 2 bananas 
• 1 bar of chocolate chopped up

Bake the cake and brownie mix to recommend time (30-40 minutes) at 350, make the pudding and layer the different ingredients in a glass bowl and leave in the fridge overnight. 

“This is one of my family’s favorites, Chocolate Cherry Cake is a dense cake where sweet meets sweet. We make Chocolate Cherry Cake the week before Christmas and our goal is to get it to last until Christmas day! If we get it to last until then we have “Good luck” for the next year, I don’t know, I did not come up with it. It is a holiday classic for our family and it is a tradition to keep,” sophomore Elijah Blanchard said.

Chocolate Cherry Cake

• Choc. Fudge Cake mix
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 can cherry pie filling

Mix by hand until blended. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.