9 old-fashioned holiday treats that deserve to make a comeback

There is something about the holiday season that just makes you yearn for the traditional. The vintage. The days of yore when life was simple and all you had to worry about was making it on Santa’s nice list.

No wonder we turn to old music, old movies and, of course, old recipes during this season. In the spirit of keeping alive the vintage and the unforgettable, here are 9 old-fashioned holiday treats that deserve to be revived this Christmas:

1. Coconut Thumbprint Cookies

Is it just us or have coconut thumbprint cookies fallen out of favor? We haven’t seen these on the Christmas table since Ronald Reagan was in the White House. Yet they’re light, flavorful and oh-so-pretty. Find the recipe for this classic Christmas cookie on Unicorns in the Kitchen.

2. Haystacks

Something about haystacks feels so… ’70s. But in a good way. The combination of butterscotch, peanuts and chow-mein noodles is something Millennials may cringe at — until they take a bite! Find the recipe at Lana’s Cooking.

3. Christmas Panettone

When you wake up on Christmas morning, you don’t want to reach for a plain old bowl of Cream of Wheat. You want something special and decadent, something like panettone, otherwise known as Italian Christmas Bread. This fancy holiday bread is made with dried fruit and other flavors of the season, and it deserves a comeback! The full recipe can be found at Chef De Home.

4. ‘Snowball’ Cookies

Pfeffernusse cookies, better known as snowball cookies, are a common part of most of our childhood holiday memories. Made with spicy seasonal flavors like cloves, ginger, cardamom and white pepper, we can’t lie — these cookies were never a HUGE hit when we were kids, but now that we’re all grown and with bills of our own to pay, these snowballs would go down realllll smooth with a cup of coffee. One bite will take you right back to Granny’s house. Find the full recipe at Comfortably Domestic.

5. Pinwheel Cookies

These cookies can be a bit time-consuming to make, but rolling out the dough and slicing out the cookies will no doubt spark special holiday memories of a simpler time. Find the recipe on Modern Retro Woman.

6. Dutch Windmill Cookies

Speculaas, or Dutch Windmill cookies, are traditional German shortbread cookies that are usually served on St. Nicholas’s Day in European regions. But many people also eat this cookie on or around Christmas. Made with butter, dark brown sugar and spices like cloves, white pepper and ginger, they’re ideal for the holiday season. They sometimes include a festive “stamp,” such as that of St. Nick himself. Find the full recipe on The Dutch Baker’s Daughter.

7. Divinity Candy

This southern favorite will bring to mind auld lang syne for sure. Made with egg whites, corn syrup and sugar, you can dye your Divinity Candy to make it a festive color like green or red, or keep it classic white. Find the full recipe on House of Nash Eats.

8. Turtle Candy

Homemade turtle candy is such a retro recipe that it will give you flashbacks to VCRs, rotary phones and “The Wonder Years.” Plus, they freeze well, so you can make them ahead of time and then serve them on Christmas. Find the recipe on The View from Great Island.

9. Coconut Macaroons

Coconut used to be a go-to way to sweeten up desserts back in the day. Bring back that classic ingredient with this party favorite: vintage coconut macaroons. Find the recipe on Laws of Baking.

Which childhood favorite of yours are we missing?