My mom died when I was in my early twenties, leaving an impossible void in our lives. Of course, no one could replace her, but my grandmother became a surrogate mother to my brother and me.
Even though we lived about 1,200 miles apart, we spoke almost daily. She was my confidant, my example, and a fountain of sage advice. She meant the world to me.
She tried to visit for holidays as often as she could, but when she couldn’t, she would send a box of her homemade Christmas candy and cookies. It was so exciting when the box arrived – always well before Christmas, which meant not only did she make and package the goodies far enough in advance to accomplish this, but she also got the package to the post office in plenty of time for us to enjoy the treats in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
The box, always addressed in her beautiful handwriting, would be packed with holiday tins, each one containing a batch of one of delicious confections FROM her kitchen: 7-Layer cookies; divinity; chocolate peanut clusters; peanut brittle; chocolate fudge; and peanut butter fudge.
Like all earth angels, she was only on loan to us. We lost her several years ago, but I keep her memory alive by cooking her recipes – especially her Christmas candy. Often, I work her recipes into my books. There’s a lot of my grandmother in the treats that Tess creates at the Briar Patch Bakery in the Wedding Bell Mysteries series.
Here are her recipes for 7-Layer Cookies and Peanut Clusters. They’re in her own words – not necessarily in conventional recipe format, but they’re just as she sent them to me. I can hear her voice as I read them.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays, my friends!
MY GRANDMOTHER’S 7-LAYER COOKIES
Melt 1 stick of butter in a 9 x 13 pan.
Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over the butter (about one cup or so)
Next sprinkle a 12 oz. package of butterscotch chips over the graham cracker crumbs, then sprinkle a 12 oz package of chocolate chips
Then sprinkle some angel flake coconut over the top of the chips.
You can add 1 cup of chopped nuts if you like. I use pecans.
Drizzle 1 can Eagle Band sweetened condensed milk over the top of everything. (see my note below and make sure you don’t use evaporated milk – that won’t taste very good. It has to be sweetened condensed milk. I like the Eagle Brand.)
Preheat the oven to 350 and bake until it begins to brown a little around the edges and bubbles a little. You just need to let the chips melt. Let it cool before trying to cut it into small squares.
* Note about the Eagle Brand milk – I found out that if you put the Eagle Brand milk in a pan of hot water while you’re getting the rest of the ingredients ready, it will be easier to drizzle. Otherwise, it is so thick it is hard to get out of the can. Be sure the can is unopened when you put it in the hot water. Don’t open it until it’s heated and you are ready to pour it. The first time I tried that, I opened the can first and got some water in the milk and I had to throw it out and start over. Be very careful not to burn yourself when you take the can out of the water and open the can. Use tongs and pot holders.
MY GRANDMOTHER’S PEANUT CLUSTERS
12 oz. chocolate chips
3/4 package almond bark *see note
Large jar dry roasted peanuts (unsalted)
Melt chips and almond bark in a double boiler.
Add peanuts and mix well. Put tablespoons full on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Let them set up before you try to remove them from the cookie sheet.
* I found out that it is too much if you use the whole package of almond bark. I made a smaller batch with some cashew nuts and the leftover bark, and it was so good! But I know you’re partial to the peanut variety.
Award-winning author Nancy Robards Thompson has worked as a newspaper reporter, television show stand-in, production and casting assistant for movies, and in fashion and public relations. She started writing fiction seriously in 1997. Five years and four completed manuscripts later, she won the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart award for unpublished writers and sold her first book the following year. Since then, Nancy has sold 30 books and found her calling doing what she loves most – writing romance and women’s fiction full-time.
