Welcome to our annual collection of community holiday recipes. Each year, the 91Ô­´´ Advance Times casts a wide net asking for local people to share Christmas recipes that hold some significance to their family or themselves. This year, there's everything from cookies, pancakes, and fruit pizza to scalloped potatoes and cornbread.

We hope you enjoy this year's feature. And while one of the recipes is provided below, the entire section is available for viewing by clicking into our eEditions here.

Happy holiday, one and all.

•â¶Ä¢â¶Ä¢â¶Ä¢â¶Ä¢â¶Ä¢â¶Ä¢â¶Ä¢â¶Ä¢â¶Ä¢

Since I was really young, every December my mom would make sugar cookies for us (myself, siblings and some of my cousins) to decorate.

With my love of baking, I took over the baking of the sugar cookies in my teens.

And as adults, we still carry on this tradition every December.

So I thought I would share my sugar cookie recipe.  

– Tarah Dionne, patient care coordinator at Doug and Fran MacDonald 91Ô­´´ Hospice Residence

Almond sugar cookies
(Makes approx. 48 cookies if using a 2 ½ inch sized cookie cutter)

Prep time:
2 hours total, including 1 hour chill. Oven temp: 350°F. Bake: 7 min per batch 

Ingredients:
•  1 cup butter, softened
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp almond extract
• ½ cup ground blanched almonds
• 3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:
• In a large mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer on medium high for 30 seconds
• Add sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat until well combined
• Beat in eggs, milk, vanilla, and almond extract until combined 
• Beat in ground almonds and as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. If needed, finish mixing in flour with a wooden spoon 
• Divide dough in half and cover 
• Chill for at least 2 hours in the fridge
• Preheat oven to 350°F
• On a lightly floured surface, roll one dough portion at a time to 1/8 to ¼ inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters into desired shapes. 
• Place cutouts one inch apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
• Bake 7-10 minutes or until edges lightly brown
• Transfer cookie to a wire rack and cool. 
• If decorating with icing, make sure cookies are cooled completely