Local Social Media Moms Share Favorite Holiday Recipes

Most of us have a few treasured holiday recipes.

Mom’s favorite sugar cookies. The French toast Grandpa made every Christmas morning. The Chex mix your best friend’s mom always made.

These are the best of our recipes because they’re not only tried and true, but they also have a memory attached to them.

We asked some of our favorite Tulsa social media stars – those people we love to follow on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok – about their favorite holiday recipes. These are tested, much-loved and well-worn recipes – the very best kind. Just the kind you want to add to your own collection this season.

Sallie Dale, @theurbanacres on Instagram, is a great follow. Her embroidery and punch needle designs are both an aesthetic inspiration and entirely doable thanks to her punch needle kits. We also love the photos of her cute kiddos in her gorgeous chunky knit scarves or bubble rompers.

Sallie says her sugar cookie recipe is great for decorating because the cookies really hold their shape.

Foolproof Sugar Cookies

• 1 1/3 cups shortening
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup milk
• 4 cups flour
• 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt

1. Mix shortening and sugar together in a large bowl. Blend in vanilla, beaten egg and milk.
2. In a medium bowl, combine sifted flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Add 1/3 cup of dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Stir together. Repeat until all dry ingredients have been added.
4. Wrap dough in wax paper, and chill for one hour.
5. On a lightly floured board, roll out dough to desired thickness. Cut cookies into shapes. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in a preheated 375-degree oven.

Melissa Beeler’s Instagram (@melissa_beeler_) is a must-follow for fun and sarcasm from this Tulsa mom. She shares the day-to-day of family life with her firefighter husband and three kids. Her more than 86,000 Instagram followers and 295,000 TikTok followers have a glimpse into the fun and – occasional – chaos of her life.

Melissa couldn’t decide on one favorite recipe, so she shared two she makes at Christmastime. The gingerbread is her grandmother’s recipe, and the potato casserole is her husband’s favorite side dish.

Grandma’s Gingerbread

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup molasses
• 2 eggs
• Large pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup boiling water mixed with 2 teaspoons baking soda (ADD LAST)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together all ingredients, adding boiling water with baking soda last, after other ingredients have been mixed.
2. Pour into a buttered 8”x 8” or 9”x 9” baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Test with a knife. The knife should pull a moist but not soggy crumb. Double the recipe for large gatherings!

Texas Potato Casserole

• 1 large bag frozen hash browns
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 16 ounces sour cream
• 2 cups crushed cornflakes
• ½ cup grated cheddar cheese

1. Mix together hashbrowns, butter, salt, soup and sour cream. Spread into casserole dish. Sprinkle crushed cornflakes on top. Then sprinkle with cheese.
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Cheryl Reeder is prolific on Instagram and TikTok. Her already long-successful convenience store, Reeder’s, at 21^st Street and Lewis Avenue, gained popularity across the state and beyond when Cheryl dove into social media, producing funny videos about the family-run store. What started small has become huge, with nearly 50,000 TikTok followers.

A cranberry-strawberry jam is one of Cheryl’s family’s favorites. They love to give the jars as gifts.

Holiday Jam

• 1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries
• 2 (10-ounce each) packages frozen strawberries, thawed
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 (3-ounce) package liquid pectin

1. Coarsely chop cranberries; combine with strawberries and sugar in large saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Remove from flame; add pectin. Bring back to a rolling boil; boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.
3. Remove from flame and skim off foam. Quickly pour jam into hot, sterilized jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace; wipe jar rims. Cover jars at once with metal lids and screw on bands. Turn upside down until you hear them make a popping sound.

If you’re lucky enough to have attended one of Shannon Smith’s cooking classes, you know what a gift she is to Tulsa. Shannon is a world traveler and a culinary traveler. She picks up recipes, techniques and the stories of people she meets along the way, sharing them on Instagram and on her website, chefshannon.com.

Shannon also often teaches women across the world how to make an income through cooking. We’re happy she shared a favorite holiday recipe with our readers. This one has several steps, but don’t let it intimidate. Break it into pieces, taking your time to have a world-class dessert this holiday season.

Chocolate and Dulce De Leche Trifle with Caramel Corn

Serve 16

Chocolate Cake:

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Pudding:

• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 cups whole milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or vanilla paste)
• 2 tablespoons butter

Whipped Cream:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla paste)

Additional ingredients needed:

• 1 can of dulce de leche
• 2 SKOR candy bars, crumbled
• 2 cups of caramel corn (or Moose Munch)
• 1 trifle dish

Photo courtesy Shannon Smith

Make cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the cocoa and stir until smooth. Remove pan from heat and add water and sugar. Whisk until smooth. Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla and whisk again until smooth. Add flour, baking soda, and salt and whisk until all dry ingredients are blended. Pour into a buttered 9”X13” pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Make pudding: In a large saucepan, combine cornstarch, sugar, salt and milk over medium high heat. Whisk frequently until mixture comes to a simmer. Let simmer for one minute then turn down heat. In a medium-sized bowl, stir the egg yolks. Slowly add small amounts of the pudding to the yolks while whisking, until half the pudding has been added. Then pour the egg yolk mixture back into the pan with the remaining pudding. Turn heat back up and whisk to combine. Let mixture simmer for two minutes, then turn off heat and add vanilla and butter. Whisk to combine. Pour pudding into a sieve over a bowl. Discard any solid bits that collect in the sieve. Place plastic wrap over the pudding, allowing the wrap to touch the entire surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Make Whipped Cream:

In a medium bowl, add cold cream and whip with a hand mixer (or standing mixer) until it just starts to thicken. Slowly add the powdered sugar while mixing, and increase mixer speed until cream is thick and forms soft peak when the beaters are lifted. Mix in vanilla at the end. Keep refrigerated until ready to assemble the trifle.

Assemble the Trifle:

Have everything ready to go into the trifle: cake, pudding, whipped cream, dulce de leche, chopped candy bars, and popcorn. Cut or tear the cake into large chunks and cover the bottom of the trifle dish with one third of the cake pieces. Top with dollops of pudding (one third), dollops of whipped cream (one third), one third of the SKOR candy and one third of the dulce de leche. Repeat layers, and end with the last of the dulce de leche. Top the trifle with a mound of the caramel corn. Serve right away or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. It is best eaten within 4 hours of assembly.

Natalie Mikles is a mom of three – 12-year-old twin girls and an 11-year-old boy. She writes about food, sharing recipes for busy families and picky eaters. She has been recognized for her food columns as well as features on families and issues affecting local children. She loves pizza and movie nights with her family.