America’s favorite holiday cookie has Holcombe ties
Little did Freda Strasel Smith know, when she made do with what was in her pantry one fateful day in Ohio, that her improvised cookie would become a household favorite, across the nation.
By Ginna Young
But Holcombe resident Amanda Hansen doesn’t have to wonder, as the recipe has been in her family, literally from the start. Amanda’s great-grandmother (on her father’s side), Freda Strasel Smith, was the creator of the now-famous cookies.
The recipe was born in Freda’s Gibsonburg, Ohio, kitchen one day, when the baker was trying to make peanut butter cookies. Freda ran into a snag, when she discovered she was out of chocolate chips.
Finding some Hershey’s Kisses in her pantry, Freda improvised; she baked the peanut butter dough, then placed a single kiss on top of the warm cookie.
“And that’s kind of how the recipe started, because she was out of chocolate chips that day,” said Amanda.
Dubbed Black-eyed Susans, Freda’s cookies were a hit That wasn’t the only exciting thing to come out of Freda’s trip. The Ohio baker brought home third place, along with her prize of a GE range stove, a mixer and $100, and, of course, a publication in the Pillsbury cookbook.
“Her recipe is actually in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.,” said Amanda.
Freda’s cookie, which was renamed Peanut Butter Blossom by Hershey’s, is also in the Pillsbury Hall of Fame, as of 1999, and after that lady passed away in 1963, Pillsbury flew her daughter and granddaughter to New York, N. Y., to make a commercial making the famous cookie.
“It’s just a really neat thing…I see everyone taking their pictures of their favorite Christmas cookies and there are always the Peanut Butter Blossoms,” said Amanda. “It’s like, oh, my great-grandma invented those.”
The tradition of making the Peanut Butter Blossoms lives on, handed down to Amanda by her mother, with Amanda showing her own children, Cooper and Cienna, how to make the holiday favorite – even if they’re not as aware of how famous the family recipe really is.
“I don’t think they know the extent of it, that they’re literally made in households across the country and everybody knows them,” said Amanda. “I don’t think Cooper and Cienna quite get how awesome it is.”
Even though she didn’t win the bake-off in 1957, Freda’s recipe is still listed on the back of Hershey’s Kiss bags and is a tradition for many families, each holiday season.
“How crazy it is,” said Amanda, “that even though she came in as the third place winner, her cookie has taken off and is more of a favorite than even the cookie that won that year.”
with the family, as well as everyone else who tried them. With her original creation, Freda entered the Pillsbury Bake-off in 1957, becoming one of 100 contestants to make it to the finals.
Pillsbury flew her out to Beverly Hills, Calif., to the Beverly Hills Hotel, where Freda had an interesting encounter – although she didn’t know it at the time. When she was at the hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., the emcee for the show was a young actor, who leaned over at one point and gave Freda a kiss.
“She didn’t realize that the guy that gave her smooch, was the future American president – Ronald Reagan,” said Amanda.
Cienna Hansen takes a bite of the finished product of her family’s favorite holiday cookies, as a fifth-generation baker of the sweet treat. Submitted Photo[/caption]
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Cooper Hansen helps out with the family tradition of making Peanut Butter Blossoms, the recipe created by his great-great-grandmother, Freda Strasel Smith. Submitted Photo[/caption]
