Ice is Nice

...when you can stay home because church is canceled.  Waiting to see if today's piano recital is, too.

Advent Activities: Cookies!!

Today

Appreciating the ordinary miracles of a snowy day with my family, especially today.

My Annual List of Holiday Party Indulgence

Always a wonderful time (last year went unposted, but there was 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, and 2007!)

• truffle-oiled popcorn
• buffalo chicken pizza
• cheese pizza
• boneless General Tso's chicken wings
• mapo tofu
• purple sweet potato salad
• quinoa vegetable salad with almond oil vinaigrette
• baby greens salad with blue cheese and walnuts
• mini falafel
• MY FAVORITE:  truffle-oil portobello mushroom cannoli
• Maine lobster roll
• clam strips
• salt and vinegar kettle chips
• pulled short rib soft taco
• black bean and chard empanada
• Second favorite:  Bacon, lettuce, fried green tomato mini sandwich
• thick-cut maple bacon on a stick
• assorted sushi
• seared tuna bite
• vanilla mousse cake
• chocolate mousse cake
• spiced apple caramel tartlet
• lemon bar
• black and white cookie
• decorated sugar cookies

and those are just the ones we actually ate!  We missed quite a bit . . . . 

For Snow Day

As we look at the weekend forecast of some snow here in Connecticut, I'm reminded of several posts, mine and others, on snow day activities:

• Things to do outside in the snow
• Things to do inside and outside on a snow day
• And two posts on Motherlode on snow days, here and here
• 89 Indoor Activities from Artful Parent

We'll probably be making sugar cookies for our cookie decorating party, making candy cane art (10 minutes at 200F, on parchment, then shape for fun), watching "Doctor Who" and some Christmas shows, writing Christmas cards for teachers and friends, wrapping presents, who knows what else.

They're Strong to the Finish

 . . . 'cos they ate their spinach!!

I can't believe it, but I got the kids to eat--and enjoy!!--spinach.  I'm realizing that as long as I make questionable vegetables, like last week's green beans, a tad soy-saucey, they'll eat them.  Sis had two servings!!

It's all part of our attempt to increase our consumption of fruits and vegetables.  We try to mark off as many letters of H-E-A-L-T-H as we can each day, aiming at least for the "L."  It's almost a game.  And so far, we're winning.

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Mandola’s Family Table Spinach

2 tablespoons each:  olive oil and chopped garlic (garlic powder can suffice)

2 pounds fresh spinach

20 oz (2 1/2 cups) chicken stock (or water)

1 teaspoon each:  salt and black pepper

            Heat oil in saute pan over medium heat.  Add garlic and heat until transparent.  Stir in spinach and chicken stock; simmer 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serves six.

Gommie’s note:  Do not brown garlic.

Gommie Hungry

                                                                                                                      

Today Was a Wonderful Day

It was a good day to have a birthday, even if it was pretty bitterly cold.

In the morning, a group of friends came over for coffee and treats and stayed for almost three hours chatting about pretty much everything.  We had kettle doughnuts, muffins, that caramel cream cheese dip for apples, a new Pesto Cream Cheese Dip and the very popular so-called German baked eggs.  It was a delightful time.

Soon after, Mama and I headed to an event at the kids' school, a "Can-a-Character" Expo, where we saw the projects everyone made on their favorite realistic fiction book.  Sis and Bud were excited and happy to see us (they'd invited me to lunch, and so had Mama separately, but the Expo took precedence.)

Especially because we pulled them early and fetched an Italian feast from our nearby deli.  Afterwards, there were more Doctor Who characters for the Christmas Village (we voted that it might be on Gallifrey!), including both a blue T.A.R.D.I.S and a clear "disappearing" one as well as a Cyberman, all 11 doctors, two store-bought Daleks, and Amy.

And then while Bud was at kung fu, I spent down more of the historic house grant money at the local craft store with Sis's help--piles of glue, scissors, cheesecloth, paper, paints, tapestry needles, embroidery floss, hoops, Aida fabric, and other items for school tours at the historic house.

Then we all had Froyo!  And went to watch the meteor shower on a local hilltop.  We didn't see a thing because of the bright moon, but it was fun just the same.

PLUS I got word this evening that my Aunt Sis is improving, having been dangerously ill.  Yay!

All of that plus cards, phone calls, FB posts, and emails contributed to a pretty great day.

Thank you!!


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Pesto Cream Cheese Dip
8 oz cream cheese
1 container pesto (yes, you could make it; I didn't this morning)

Place block of cream cheese in a baking dish; smoosh a little.  Spread pesto on top of cream cheese.  Bake at 350F until bubbly and hot through.  Serve with crackers.

inspired by 100 Days of Real Food

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German Baked Eggs 

12 large eggs, lightly beaten ¼ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups (16 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
½ cup butter, melted
2 cups cottage cheese
1 teaspoon baking powder

- Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into a 9x13x2” pan
- Bake at 350º for 40 to 45 minutes or until eggs are set nd top is lightly browned

Above is the basic recipe for this dish. I modified it by changing the cheese to the
Mexican cheese mixture, added 2 small tins of green chilies and some red pepper flakes.
Feel free to add anything you like to the recipe.

Note: this recipe freezes well as long as you use a cheese with low moisture content. It
also freezes well in individual portions.

Favorite Family Stories

Having seen the post on FB, I just read an article about telling family stories to kids alongside books and imaginary tales and I got to thinking that we don't tell that many family stories.  But the kids do ask, most often about Aunt Banana stories (her funny Ramona-like antics--sorry, Banana!)

So why don't we tell more family stories?  I suppose in a way this blog is one long, detailed, rambling story of our everydays.  Sometimes, family stories just don't have much in the way of narrative arc or deeper meaning, and I often misremember or even make up details, but I can see that they still have value in creating a sense of belonging and connection and shared values.  So I've been thinking on the stories we already tell and the ones I probably should tell.

We do retell (and this is most but definitely not all):

• Aunt Banana stories:  the time she hung upside down in the coat closet; the time she tried to go to school in nothing but a plastic rain coat; about sleepin in her backyard fort
• Pop:  wanting a bicycle but his siblings told him he was getting a hand-trained parrakeet; riding the city bus to school; his mom taking him to the circus in a real circus tent; Aunt Sis taking him to see Sophia Loren in a movie; (we don't not talk about him and the Wildwood boys being mean to cats);
• Mommy:  planting my feet in the mud and saying I would grow; how I met Mama at the university library; catching a fish with no bait; insisting as a child on baking the exact same number of snowmen, gingerbread men, etc; being a Brownie and later working at Girl Scout camp for children with special needs; learning how to juggle; trying so hard to learn to crochet; 
• Mama:  drawing with her grandmother;
• Goo:  practicing for years to play piano;
• Sis:  "The Empress;" Shirt and Amy; in utero, she hit him during an ultrasound; she liked to pet and follow Morgan the cat; she would resist falling asleep in the car by twirling her hair and kicking her foot; how Sis scooted across the top of the snow after the blizzard
• Bud:  "Waving Bud;" (we don't tell about his stitches in his finger from the deer feeder or the staple in his head from the playground); loveys; in utero he would kick when I ate pineapple; he would fall asleep in the car with his arms tucked behind his head; 
• Sis and Bud together:  how they would roll over on each other and not be able to roll back; how they both liked to empty the contents of boxes; how I switched them at the hospital and didn't know I had til I changed the diaper!

Wow, that's not a lot.

Some I could tell:

• scary stories with silver linings:  hiding in the basement during the microburst when the tree hit the house and van; the blizzard with 3' of snow and higher drifts; being without electricity during Hurricane Irene; about Gommie and Pop's fire; also about the burglary when I was young; Ma and Gong in Hurricane Sandy; Mama and I living in NYC on September 11;  we already talk about Newtown.
• adventures:  my archaeological dig in Carthage, Tunisia; Mama climbing the rocks near the lighthouse in Maine; Mama and her family seeing the sunset over the mountains and driving fast to catch it over the ocean; Mama going skiing with Ma and Gong;  
• inspiring:  my cousin who found his calling as a Catholic monk in France; Goo working so hard to be a doctor; Ma and Gong immigrating to a foreign country (and their parents doing it before them!); my "life in a bed" and getting better; 
• funny or embarrassing:  my speaking to 1000 teachers only to discover later that my shirt was on inside-out!  Mama almost fainting when we found out we were having twins!  Gommie, who was in a cast with a broken foot, then getting gum in her hat's veil while shopping "in the big city."
• family history:  my ancestors fighting the Civil War; Mama's grandfather leaving China for Bangkok; Gong as a Buddhist monk; Gommie's dad fighting in WWII; the KKK running Gommie's grandad out of town because he was Catholic; (later) Gommie's mom being saved from an abusive husband by her brother; Pop's grandmother running a boarding house at the turn-of-the-20th century; Pop's mom going all the way to Berkleey in the twenties and earning her MA in History with a thesis on the Colfax riots; my great grandmother working at Camp Hulen during WWII and meeting her husband there;
• trips to Disneyworld and Disneyland (both Mama and I as kids separately, as adults together, and now with the kids); Nashville, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, "the bay," New Orleans twice (once during a tropical storm, no less), Chicago, Washington DC, Arkansas, Georgia, Philly, Boston, and NYC plus Greece, Italy, Turkey, Tunisia, England, France, Japan, Korea, and Thailand.

But there have to be others.  

For those of you who know me IRL (in real life) as they say, what would you add?  I'm going to work on remembering and valuing them as stories to pass along.

As a friend commented to me, when I said I couldn't remember many good stories:

Maybe there are no good ones. There are explanations of how things came to be, how you learned to do or not do things, things that remind you of other things. I think you just observe and talk - and observe and listen to your children, because they have stories too. Everyone should have the experience of being heard and considered.

C is for Christmas Cookies

We're gearing up for cookie season over here.  I attended our old church's annual cookie cafe and purchased tins full to give away and to freeze for visits with both sets of grandparents.  And next week, the kids are hosting some friends for a cookie decorating party (our second annual.)

But I'm not hosting a cookie swap this year.  My most stalwart cookie-swap friend, Mama Teacher, is too swamped, with which I empathize.  So I got her a cookie magazine instead! But I'm not sure when or for whom I will do an obscene amount of baking, much less what.

Because I love to contemplate Christmas cookies, I'm including a huge batch of my recipes here below.

Happy baking!

The recipes below do NOT include all of my snickerdoodle, shortbread, snowball/tea cake/wedding cookie, or sugar cookie recipes (each link is separate.)  They are listed randomly.

1001 Cookie Recipe Mixture

5 cups flour

3 ¾ cups sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

1 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened

Spoon flour into measuring cup and level with spatula. Put in large bowl with at least 4 quart capacity.

Measure sugar, baking powder, and salt into flour. Stir until thoroughly blended.

Add butter and use pastry blender or clean hands to work into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Makes 10 cups. Store covered in airtight container in fridge or freezer. Use mix at room temperature.

Domino Sugar

Fudge Balls from 1001 Cookie Recipe Mix

2 cups 1001 Cookie Recipe Mix

½ cups plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Mix together in large bowl all ingredients except powdered sugar.

Shape into 1” balls and roll in powdered sugar to coat lightly. Place 1” apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375°F for about 8 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Makes about 36 balls.

Domino Sugar

1001 Gingery Snaps

4 cups Domino Sugar 1001 Cookie Mix

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon1 egg

1/4 cup dark molasses

Granulated sugarPreheat oven to 350°F. Grease cookie sheets. In large bowl, mix together all ingredients except sugar. Drop dough by slightly rounded teaspoons into small bowl of sugar. Roll to coat lightly. Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes. Do not brown. Let cool 2 minutes and remove to rack to cool. Makes 48 cookies.Gingerbread Men: Prepare Gingery Snaps dough. Divide in half. Cover and chill 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle. Roll dough, half at a time on floured board to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into Gingerbread Men using cookie cutters. Arrange cutouts 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes. Do not brown. Cool on wire rack. Makes 48 cookies.

1001 Cranberry Nut Cookies

3 cups – Domino Sugar 1001 Cookie Mix

1 tablespoon - grated orange rind

1 teaspoon - cinnamon

1 - egg

1 cup - fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup - chopped nuts

Domino(r) Granulated Sugar

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease cookie sheets. Mix together in large bowl cookie mix, orange rind, cinnamon, and egg. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Shape into 1-inch balls and roll in granulated sugar to coat lightly. Place 3 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Remove at once to wire racks.Makes about 48 cookies.

Sugar Cookies from 1001 Cookie Recipe Mix

4 cups 1001 Cookie Recipe Mix

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla or 1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 egg

sugar

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Mix together in large bowl all ingredients except sugar. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.

Roll dough, half at a time on floured board to 1/8” thickness. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Arrange cutouts 1” apart on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes. Do not brown. Cool on wire rack.

Makes about 48 cookies

Domino Sugar

Tipsy Balls

Makes 100 balls

small 12-oz. box vanilla wafers (3 cups)

4 jiggers whiskey

3 tablespoons karo syrup

1 cup powdered sugar, dissolved (?)

2 cups chopped nuts (fine)

Mix, roll in balls, coat in powdered sugar.

Grandma J

 

Chocolate Orange Dreams

These taste just like those Pepperidge Farm Orange Milano cookies.

4 dozen cookies

Cookies:

1cup Butter flavor Crisco

1 cup sugar

1-3 oz. pkg cream cheese softened

2 eggs

2 t. grated orange peel

2 t. orange juice

½ t. salt

2 cup flour

1 cup chocolate chips

Glaze:

½ cup powdered sugar

2 ½ t. orange juice

1 ½ t. orange liqueur (Grand Marnier)

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Grease cookie sheet.

Combine crisco, sugar, and cream cheese. Beat on medium. Beat in eggs, orange peel, orange juice, and salt. Add flour. Mix well. Add chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls two inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes or until edges are light brown.

While baking, combine powdered sugar, orange juice, and liqueur. Stir. Brush on cookies immediately upon removing from oven.

American Cookie Celebration II

W.Y.'s Cinnamon Tea Cakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon , divided

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar , divided

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Makes:  About 3 dozen cookies.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In small bowl, combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and salt. In large bowl, beat butter, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture; mix only until combined. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets, placing 2 inches apart.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. Remove to cooling grid; cool 5 minutes. Combine remaining 3/4 cup sugar with remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Roll warm cookies in sugar mixture; cool completely.

Mama Teacher’s Soft Almond Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 C white sugar

2/3 C butter (cold)

2/3 C shortening (room temp)

2 eggs

2 tsp almond extract

2 3/4 C cake flour

1 C all purpose flour

1 Tbsp cornstarch

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

sugar in the raw (I like raw sugar for this, but any coarse sugar would work)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking sheet.

Cream sugar, butter and shortening.  Stir in eggs and almond extract.  Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt and add to butter/egg mixture.  Use electric mixer to ensure dough is thoroughly combined.  Chill dough in fridge for 30 minutes.

Roll 2 tsp of dough (I used a small cookie scoop) into a ball and roll in raw sugar.  Place on prepared pan.

Bake cookies for 7 minutes.  Remove from oven and gently press rounded tops of cookies flat with the back of a spoon while the cookies are still warm and pliable.  The cornstarch will keep the dough from spreading, so this step just makes them look better!

Return remaining dough to fridge in between baking each batch.

Allow to cool on pan for 1 minute.    Remove to cooling rack.  Allow to cool completely.

A tip: ~DO NOT bake longer than 8 minutes!!  They may seem under-baked, but when they cool they will firm up.

Mommy Hungry's Irish Cream Delights (from Penzey’s)

1/4 Cup butter, softened (1/2 stick)

1/4 Cup shortening

1 Cup sugar

1 TB. Irish cream liqueur (more if you like)*

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. CREAM OF TARTAR

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. PURE VANILLA EXTRACT

13/4 Cups flour

Frosting:

3 TB. butter, softened

2 TB. Irish cream liqueur*

3 Cups powdered sugar

3 TB. half & half

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl combine the butter and shortening and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the sugar, liqueur, baking soda, CREAM OF TARTAR and salt and beat until combined, scraping often. Add the egg and VANILLA and mix well. Stir in the flour. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Frosting: Mix the butter and liqueur until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Beat in the half & half until smooth. Frost the cooled cookies.

* Feel free to use whatever coffee-based liqueur you like. We mixed our own with 2 TB. strong coffee, 1 TB. cream, 1 TB. whiskey and 2 tsp. VANILLA SUGAR. You can also leave out the whiskey, if desired.

Yield: 4 dozen

Miss J.S.'s Chocolate Crinkles Recipe

4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter

8 ounces (230 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Topping:

1 cup (110 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

Chocolate Crinkles: In a heatproof bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the eggs and sugar until thick, pale, and fluffy (about 3 to 5 minutes). (When you slowly raise the beaters the batter will fall back into the bowl in slow ribbons.) Then beat in the vanilla extract. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and beat until incorporated.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to shape into balls (several hours or even overnight).

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the sifted confectioners sugar in a shallow bowl. First, form the chilled dough into 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls, and then roll each ball in the sugar. Make sure each ball is completely coated, with no chocolate showing through. Place the sugar-covered balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.

Bake cookies for about 8 to 10 minutes or just until the edges are slightly firm but the centers are still soft. (For moist chewy cookies do not over bake. Over baking these cookies will cause them to be dry.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. These cookies are best eaten the day they are baked.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Vanilla Butter Cookies

1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I used my new bottle of Penzey's single strength)

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat well. Blend in vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt; add to creamed mixture.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 mintues or until golden brown.

Makes 3 dozen.

McCormick's Pure Vanilla Extract label

Chocolate-Almond Biscottini

3/4 cup natural whole almonds

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa

2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder (I didn't have this so just added a tad more cocoa)

2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 large egg whites, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 egg white, lightly beaten

Adjust oven rack to center of oven; preheat to 350F. Place almonds on small cookie sheet and toast until the skins are a deep golden color, about 9 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, cool slightly, chop coarsely, and set aside. Leave oven on.

Line a 14 x 17" cookie sheet with parchment paer; set aside.

Place flour, sugar, cocoa, coffee powder, and baking powder in bowl of electric mixer. Run machine on low speed to combine, about 40 seconds.

In a small bowl, whisk together whole eggs, 2 egg whites, and vanilla extract. Add to flour mixture and beat on low speed until dough starts to come together in a crumbly mass, about 30 seconds. Stir in almonds. Turn dough onto a well-floured work surface (dough will be soft and sticky). With well-floured hands, gently knead 2-3 times until dough begins to hold together in a sticky mass; divide dough into thirds. Shape into 3 ropes, each approximately 11" long. Place ropes 3" apart on lined pan. With fingertips, lightly flatten each into a log 1/2" high, 2 1/2" wide, and 13" long. Brush logs with lightly beaten egg white.

Bake in preheated oven until logs are firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Place cookie sheet on wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 325F. Transfer logs to cutting board. Leave parchment on baking sheet. With a serrated knife, cut logs crosswise at a slight diagonal into 1/2"-thick slices. Place half of the slices cut side down on pan, spacing them 1/2" apart. Return to oven and bake until surfaces are dry to the touch, about 7 minutes on each side. Transfer biscotti to wire rack and cool completely. Reline pan with fresh parchment and repeat with remaining slices. Biscotti can be stored in a tin lined with wax paper for 3 weeks.

My hints: I used my silicon baking sheet. Also, when arranging once-baked slices on cookie sheet, put them all the the same direction (i.e. flat side towards you, or vice versa) so that when you flip them, you can tell which ones you've done.

Our Chicago friend

Orange Butter Cookies

Adapted from “The Sweeter Side of Amy’s Bread” by Amy Scherber and Toy Kim Dupree (Wiley, 2008)

Time: 1 hour

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 2/3 cups cake flour or more all-purpose flour (cake flour gives a finer texture)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter

2 packed teaspoons freshly grated orange zest

1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

FOR THE ICING (SEE NOTE):

1 orange

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 to 4 tablespoons whole milk

2 drops almond or vanilla extract

Pinch fine salt.

1. Position two oven racks in top and bottom third of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl, whisk flours, baking soda and salt together. In a mixer, cream together the sugar, butter and orange zest at medium speed until light and smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of bowl frequently. Add egg and mix. Add one egg yolk and mix. Add remaining egg yolk and mix. Stir in dry ingredients just until combined.

3. Scoop tablespoons of dough onto parchment, leaving more than 1 inch between cookies. Press each one down lightly with 2 fingers to flatten to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Leave any ridges and valleys on top of cookie intact, but smooth the edges.

4. Bake about 15 minutes, rotating cookie sheets halfway through. Cookies should be pale but baked all the way through. Cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool before storing in airtight containers up to 1 week.

5. When ready to serve, make icing: Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Peel orange, being careful to remove only outer orange zest, and cut into thin strips. Blanch in boiling water 1 minute; drain. Sift confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Whisk in 2 tablespoons milk. Whisk in more milk if needed to make mixture thin enough to spread. Add extract, salt and zest, and whisk to combine.

6. Place cookies on a rack and drizzle icing over each one (make sure there is some orange zest in each spoonful). Icing will settle into cookie crevices; let harden.

Yield: About 4 dozen cookies.

Note: Instead of icing, cookies can be sprinkled with coarse crystal sugar before baking.

Almond-Brown Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup whole blanched almonds (2 1/2 ounces) (*see blanching instructions below)

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then beat in egg and vanilla. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until a dough just forms. Stir in whole almonds. Divide dough in half. Using a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper as an aid, form each piece of dough into a log 9 to 9 1/2 inches long (about 1 1/4 inches in diameter). Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until very firm, at least 4 hours. Freeze 30 minutes to facilitate slicing.

Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut 1 log of dough crosswise into slices less than 1/8 inch thick with a thin sharp knife, rotating log after each slice to help keep round shape. (If dough gets too soft to slice through nuts easily, freeze briefly.) Arrange cookies about 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through, until golden brown all over, 12 to 15 minutes total.

Transfer cookies on parchment to racks to cool. Repeat with remaining dough (cool baking sheets and line with fresh parchment).

Cooks’ notes: •Dough can be chilled up to 3 days or frozen, wrapped in plastic wrap, then foil, 1 month (thaw in refrigerator just until dough can be sliced).•Cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week.

Gourmet, December 2008

How to Blanche Almonds

Buy almonds with skins on at your local grocery store.

Step2 Fill a medium saucepan half full of water and bring to a boil. Slide the skin-on almonds into the boiling water for about 30 seconds. Drain.

Step3 Grasp the warm almond between your thumb and forefinger and slide the skin off the almond from the wide end of nut.

Step4 Pat almonds dry and store for up to one week in the fridge.

eHow.com

Brown Sugar Pinwheel Cookies

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

½ cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

Beat brown sugar and butter in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla and beat until creamy.  Stir together flour, baking powder and salt.  Gradually add to sugar mixture.  Divide dough in half and add cocoa to one half.  Roll dough separately on floured waxed paper into 2 rectangles about ¼ inch thick.  Top one with the other and press together with a rolling pin.  Roll up lengthwise, jelly roll fashion.  Trim edges, wrap and chill until firm.  Once chilled, remove from refrigerator and preheat oven to 350.  Cut roll into ¼ inch slices and bake on well greased cookie sheets 12 – 15 minutes.

Miss L’s Mom

Basic Gingerbread Dough

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup unsulfured molasses

2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Sanding sugar and miniature candies, for decorating

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg; mix well. Beat in molasses, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add flour a cup at a time, mixing until incorporated.

Divide dough into quarters; shape into disks, and wrap into plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees with racks in top and bottom third. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out a dough disk to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out cookies, rolling out any scraps and additional disks as needed until you have about 20 kids. Transfer to parchment-paper-lined baking sheets, leaving 1 inch between cookies. With remaining dough, cut out additional kids to make clothes, jewelry, and hair as desired. Dress cookies, and refrigerate 20 minutes.

Bake cookies, two sheets at a time, 7 minutes; rotate pans top to bottom and front to back, and continue baking until cookies are firm when touched, about 6 to 8 minutes more. Let cool on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool completely. Decorate cookies as desired.

KK's Vanilla Orange Balls

1 (12-ounce) box vanilla wafer cookies

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 tablespoon butter    

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup orange marmalade

2 tablespoons corn syrup

In a food processor, combine vanilla wafers with almonds and coconut; process until fine crumbs form. Add powdered sugar and process until blended. Or, pour wafer mixture into a bowl and add powdered sugar.

In microwave-safe bowl, combine white chocolate chips and butter. Cook on 50% power for 1 minute, remove, and stir. Continue microwaving for 30-second intervals on 50% power until mixture is smooth and blended.

Stir into wafer mixture along with orange juice, marmalade, and corn syrup.

Form 1" balls. Roll into additional powdered sugar or coconut, then let stand until firm. Store, tightly covered, at room temperature.

Makes about 48 cookies.

LL's Hermit Bars

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.

1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 cup molasses

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with the nonstick spray. Line the pan with a piece of parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides; spray the parchment with the nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, then the molasses. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until

incorporated. Mix in the raisins and walnuts.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely in the pan. Holding both sides of the paper overhang, lift the cake out of the pan, transfer to a cutting board, and cutinto 24 squares.

Makes 24 bars

Almond Bar Cookies

1/2 cup packed canned almond paste* (about 5 oz; not marzipan),

coarsely crumbled

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg, separated

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sliced almonds (about 1 1/2 oz)

Pulse almond paste in a food processor until broken up into small bits, then add salt and 1/4 cup sugar and continue to pulse until finely ground, about 1 minute.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan, then line with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 opposite sides, and butter foil.

Beat together butter and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a stand mixer (preferably fitted with a paddle attachment) or 6 minutes with a handheld. Add almond mixture, egg yolk, and almondextract and beat until combined well, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed tolow, then add flour and mix until combined. Spread batter evenly in pan with an offset spatula. Lightly beat egg white in a small bowl, then brush some of it over batter and sprinkle evenly with almonds.

Bake until top is golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 1 hour. Transfer with foil to a cutting board, then discard foil. Cut into squares or rounds.

Gourmet.com

Peppernuts

from Wilton

3 1/4 cups flour

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cloves (for more traditional--and spicier--cookie, uses 1 tablespoon)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 cups firmly-packed brown sugar

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 325F. Line cookie pan with parchment paper.

In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and spices; set aside. In another bowl, combine sugar and eggs, mixing well. Add dry ingredients slowly to egg mixture, forming a soft dough. Roll dough into logs about 1/2" thick (like a pencil). Cut dough crosswise into 1/4" pieces (about the size of a peanut). Sprinkle dough pieces onto cookie pan; separate any that stick together.

Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely. Cookies will become crunchy as they cool. Break apart any cookies that have baked together.

Makes about 12 cups.

Thumbprint Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

2 cups flour

1/4 cup jam, any flavor

Preheat oven to 300F.

Cream the butter with the sugars and salt for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until blended.  Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.

*The directions say to chill the dough in a disk-shape for an hour in the fridge but it's not necessary.

Shape the dough into 1" balls. Place the balls 1" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Gently press the center of each ball with your thumb. FIll the depression with a heaping 1/4 teaspoon jam (or to your liking--clean up any extra jam that gets on the cookie sheet to avoid burning).

Bake for 25-27 minutes or until the tops of the cookies are light golden brown. Cool for 1 minute and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Sesame Street's Yummy Cookies: Baking with Kids

Sugar Thumbprints with Chocolate Chips

Instead of jam in the sugar thumbprint cookie (or nutella after it bakes!), try placing 2-3 chocolate chips. Yum!

Chocolate-Hazelnut Thumbprints

from Cooking Light

4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)

1 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon instant espresso (optional)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup finely chopped hazelnuts, toasted

1/3 cup hazelnut-chocolate spread (such as Nutella)

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt; stir with a whisk. Place butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Stir egg yolks with a whisk, adding espresso, if desired. Add the yolk mixture and vanilla to butter; beat well. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat at low speed just until combined.

3. Turn dough out onto a sheet of wax paper; knead 6 times or until smooth and shiny. Shape dough into 28 (1-inch) balls. Roll sides of balls in nuts, pressing gently. Arrange balls 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Press thumb into center of each cookie, leaving an indentation. Bake, 1 batch at a time, at 350° for 10 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks. Spoon a scant 1/2 teaspoon hazelnut-chocolate spread into center of each cookie.

My MEXICAN CHOCOLATE SURPRISES

Sift together: 

1 1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup cocoa

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

pinch of black pepper

pinch of cayenne pepper

Cream:

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sugar

Beat in: 1 egg

Mix creamed and dry ingredients. Form into 1 or 2 rolls 2" in diameter and roll in waxed paper. Freeze and then cut into 1/4" thick slices and place on ungreased cookie sheet.Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Note: I usually make a double recipe and measure 1/8 teaspoon each of the peppers.

Miss Mary

K’s Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

1 (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick butter, at room temperature

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (18-ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls. Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner's sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and "gooey." Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Mama Teacher's Peanut Butter Blossoms

½ cup shortening  

 2 TBS milk

¾ cup creamy peanut butter 

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup sugar   

1 ½ cups flour

1/3 cup brown sugar  

1 tsp baking soda

1 egg     

½ tsp salt

Hershey Kisses

Heat oven to 375. Remove wrappers from Hershey Kisses. Beat shortening and peanut butter in a large bowl until well blended. Add sugar and brown sugar, beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla – beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture. Shape dough into 1-inch balls, rolls in additional sugar, place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 – 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a Hershey kiss into the center of each cookie. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Mary Baird's Christmas Cookies

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

4 oz. bitter chocolate (approximately 2/3 cup), melted and cooled

4 cups flour (KAF unbleached, of course)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups (1 pound) walnuts or pecans, ground or chopped finely

Preheat oven to 325F.

Cream butter and sugar together until light. Beat in eggs. Melt chocolate and let it cool slightly before adding it to the butter/sugar mixture.

In separate bowl, combine flour, powder, and salt. Add this flour mixture to wet ingredients in three stages, mixing thoroughly after each.

Grind nutmeats in a blender or food processor, or chop them very finely. Stir them into dough.

Roll walnut-sized pieces into balls and place on greased (or lined) cookie sheet. (They do not need a lot of space as they don't really spread). Bake for about 13 minutes (or until set--they didn't really seem ever to brown).

After they have cooled, store them somewhere to "mature." (Apparently these are better after awhile).

Makes 7-8 dozen.

The King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook

Cocoa Crinkles

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease two cookie sheets.

Stir together the flours, cocoa, salt, and soda in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and white and brown sugars in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat until well blended. Add the flour mixture; beat just until blended.

Place the powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll heaping teaspoonfuls of the dough into balls or spheres. Roll the balls in powdered sugar until they are all coated. Place 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.

Bake for about 11 minutes or until the cookies are set and no longer shiny. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen (my note: no way!)

Sesame Street Yummy Cookies Baking with Kids

Pignoli (Pine Nut) Cookies

1-1/2 lb. almond paste

1/2 lb. pignolis

1-1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

Mix sugar and eggs. Add paste. Chill in freezer one hour. Grease cookie sheet. Make small (1 tsp.) balls and roll in pignolis.

Bake in 325 oven for 15-20 minutes.

You can also roll the balls, make a thumbprint and put pignolis, or slivered almonds, chopped walnuts, jam, etc. in the center.

Just as good and far less expensive than the pignolis!!

Reindeer Droppings

A recipe for Christmas, the kiddos may be able to help.

2 cups of sugar

1/2  cup milk

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup cocoa (powder)

2 cups quick oats amd 1 cup of desicctaed coconut 

US or UK cups will do, or even Lapland.

Boil the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa together.  Remove from the heat and

add in the oats and coconut.  When cool enough to handle let the kids mix

together to form a homogeneous mass.    Then , with a table spoon, let them

make their own 'sweets' with the mixture on some wax paper.  Let it set.   

To add texture put some chocolate raisins into a few.

The name for this delicacy, chocolate reindeer droppings.

Go wild, put it on your blog with acknowledgement to The Childrens Society

of England.

Lambeth

French Cookies

Cream together:

            1 stick margarine or butter (softened)

            1 cup brown sugar

            1 cup of ½& ½

Add to above:

            3 cups crushed graham crackers

            2 cups finely chopped walnuts

            1 12oz. bag of mini-chocolate chips

Spray small muffin tins with cooking spray.  Fill each cup full.  Bake at 350 for approximately 12 – 15 minutes.  Let stand a few minutes in the pans to cool.  Remove from pans (you might need to go around the edges of the cookies with a butter knife).  Let cool completely before frosting. 

Frosting:

            2 Extra-Large Hershey Bars.  Melt in microwave a little at a time.  Frost cookies with melted chocolate. 

*I sometimes put the cookies on a cookie sheet and slip them into the fridge or freezer for a few  minutes to harden the chocolate frosting.  Then you can stack them in a tin or Tupperware for storage.  You should get about 48 – 50 cookies. 

Miss D.R.

Miss M’s Welsh Biscuit/Teacakes

Sift together:        

4 cups flour

                           1 cup sugar

                           1 teaspoon salt

                           2 teaspoons baking powder

                           1 teaspoon nutmeg

Cut in:                  1/2 cup butter

                            1/2 cup shortening (Crisco is good)

Beat together:        2/3 cup milk

                            2 eggs

Gradually add milk/egg mixture to flour mixture.  Stir in 1/2 box of dried currents.  Roll out thinly (cookies puff up as they bake) on a floured board and cut into rounds.  Bake in an electric frying pan set at 350 degrees for about 3 minutes on each side or until cookies are browned.

Yield:  4 dozen

Mary

Joe Frogger Cookies

A Colonial ginger cookie loved by generations of New Englanders, these were originally made by Black Joe Brown and Aunt Crese of Gingerbread Hill. Seamen took them on long voyages as they kept well.

3 ½ cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon allspice
1 cup molasses
½ cup vegetable shortening
1 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons Dark rum
1/3 cup hot water

Instructions:
Mix flour, salt, ginger, baking soda,cloves, nutmeg and allspice in a medium bowl. In a large mixmaster bowl, beat together the molasses, shortening and brown sugar. Combine hot water and rum.

To the sugar-molasses mixture, add alternately the dry ingredients and the diluted rum. (If the dough is dry, add an additional tablespoon or two of water, one at a time.)

Roll out the dough between two sheets of waxed paper until ¼ inch thick. Refrigerate for at least two hours. (If desired, refrigerated dough may then be put into freezer bags and frozen for later use).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 2 baking sheets.

Cut the dough into 3-inch cookies with a cookie cutter (or coffee can for the traditional larger size). Place them on greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 for 10 -12 minutes. Cookies should be dark around the edges and firm in centers. Set baking sheet on a rack to cool for 3 minutes. Then remove the cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Helen’s Hermits

¾ cup Crisco, NO substitutes

1 cup sugar

1 egg

¼ cup dark molasses

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¾ teaspoon cloves

1 cup raisins

Cream the Crisco and sugar with spoon.  Add egg and molasses; mix thoroughly.  Sift dry ingredients into a bowl and mix with Crisco-sugar mixture.  Add raisins.  Bake in strips (which you roll like caly in your hands).  Make the strips fairly thick and cut into manageable lengths.  Bake on foil-lined cookie sheets at 325F for 15 minutes.  When baked, rest on cookie sheet on cooling rack for 2 minutes before cutting into squares and finishing cooling directly on rack.

Cordelia Keegan

OKEECHOBEE BOBBERS

Moist coconut and a touch of orange add tropical flavors to these rich butter cookies.

Preparation time: 45 min   Baking time: 8 min 

Yield: 5 dozen cookies

2   cups sugar

1   cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened

3   eggs

1   teaspoon baking powder

1   teaspoon salt

1   teaspoon orange extract

1   teaspoon vanilla

3 1/2   cups all-purpose flour

1/2   cup flaked coconut

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients except flour and coconut in large mixer bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy (2 to 3 minutes). Stir in flour and coconut by hand until well mixed (2 to 3 minutes).

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

APRICOT COCONUT BALLS

1 cup chopped dried apricots
2 cups flaked coconut
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/8 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together. Spray hands with non stick spray and roll into 3/4 to 1 inch balls.
Place on baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes.

Carli

EGGNOG COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup eggnog
3 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
ICING:
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
3 TBSP eggnog
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. Grease cookie sheets. Cream together butter and sugar. Stir in the egg and eggnog. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmmeg and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden. Allow cookies to cool completely.
To prepare icing, put the confectioner's sugar and nutmeg into a small bowl. Stir in the remainning eggnog one tablespoon at a time until the desired consistancy is reached. Spread onto cooled cookies. Decorate with sprinkles or colored sugar if desired.


ENJOY my friend!

Peace, Joy, Serenity, Love and Light,
Carli

Benne Wafers

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1 cup toasted sesame seeds

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, baking soda, and egg. Add the flour and mix till smooth. Stir in the sesame seeds.

Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls (our tablespoon cookie scoop works well here) onto parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheets. Bake the wafers in a preheated 350°F oven for 8 to 9 minutes, or until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, allow them to cool for 1 minute on the pan, then transfer the wafers to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 3 dozen 3-inch wafers.

Pam’s Oatmeal Fruit and Nut Cookies

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup peeled and grated apples

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup dried cranberries   or raisens

1/2 cup chopped walnuts     or almonds....

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a large bowl, combine oil, honey, grated apples, egg and vanilla (measure oil first to keep honey from sticking to the measuring cup). Add the dry ingredients to the honey mixture and stir just until combined. Fold in cranberries and walnuts. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or coat lightly with oil or cooking spray. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheet and use a fork to flatten slightly. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until cookie bottoms are golden.

My Favorite Almond Macaroons (or Almond Horns/Crescents)

1 roll (7 oz.) almond paste

¾ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup egg whites slightly beaten

1 tablespoon flour

            Blend almond paste and sugar in electric mixer.  Add egg whites until smooth but not runny.  Finally add flour.  Pipe out on greased and floured aluminum foil to a diameter of one inch.  Leave room for macaroons to double in size.  Bake at 325°F for 15 minutes or until golden.  Do not remove from aluminum foil until cool.  Makes about 30.  Note:  If you pipe them in the shape of crescents and then press slivered almonds on the outside before baking, they are more like the NYC bakeries' almond crescents.

AT’s Apricot Dreams

Makes 5 dozen

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

salt

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

2 eggs

1 tablespoon milk

2 tablespoons melted butter

12 oz. apricot jam

½ cup chopped nuts (unsalted walnuts, pecans, cashew, pistachios)

¼ cup sugar

            Heat oven to 325F.  Mix together flour, baking powder, and 1/8 teaspoon salt.  Beat in softened butter, a stirred egg and milk, and beat until mixture is thoroughly blended.  Evenly pat out dough in jellyroll pan, 10 x 15 inches.  Spread the jam over the dough.

            Beat the remaining egg, and mix with melted butter, nuts, and sugar.  Brush this mixture over the jam.

            Bake 25 minutes in the middle of the oven.  Cool slightly and cut into diamonds or squares.  Refrigerate for as long as 3 days or freeze for a couple of weeks.  If frozen, allow to sit at room temperature about an hour before serving.

CK’s Bon Bons

The recipe of my boss at the Hallmark, these were in a tin in the backroom and I must have eaten twenty!

1 cup finely chopped dates

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

½ cup chopped pecans

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon butter, softened

            Roll into 1 ½ inch balls and dip into chocolate mixture.  Place on cookie sheet to set.

Chocolate mixture:

1-12 oz. chocolate chips

2 inch square of paraffin wax

            Melt in microwave until liquid consistency.

                       

AT’s Coconut Macaroons

Makes 36 cookies

1-7 oz. package flaked coconut

2/3 cup sugar

6 tablespoons flour

¼ teaspoon salt

4 egg whites

1 teaspoon almond extract

whole candied cherries or whole natural almonds, optional

chocolate, optional

            Heat oven to 325 F.  Mix coconut, sugar, flour, and salt in large bowl.  Stir in egg whites and almond extract until well blended.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased and floured cookie sheets.  Press 1 whole candied cherry or almond into center of each cookie, if desired.  Bake for 20 minutes or until edges of cookies are golden brown.  Immediately remove from cookie sheets. Cool on wire racks.  Drizzle with semisweet chocolate.

            Optional:  Add white chocolate chips into mixture.

Grandma Mildred’s Forgotten Cookies

2 egg whites

2/3 cup sugar

1 pinch salt

1 cup chopped nuts, pecans or walnuts (optional)

1 cup chocolate chips or caramel chips (or flavored chips)

            Beat egg whites until thick and foamy and gradually add sugar and beat until stiff.  Stir in salt, pecans, and chips.  Preheat oven to 350°F.  Drop by teaspoon onto foil which has been placed on cookie sheet.  Place in oven and turn oven off.  Leave in oven overnight and remove from sheets next morning.

Peach Chewies

2 large egg whites

½ cup superfine sugar

1 cup chopped dried peaches or dried apricots

1 cup sliced almonds

1 tablespoon cornstarch

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon.

Heat oven to 300°F.  Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites at medium speed until foamy and beginning to hold their shape. Slowly add sugar to make a meringue that is thick and glossy and holds soft peaks.

In another bowl, combine peaches, almonds, cornstarch and cinnamon. Mix well, and fold into meringue.

Spoon 1 1/2 to 2-inch dollops of meringue mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or other nonstick liner. Bake until lightly browned and crisp on outside, 35 to 40 minutes.

NF’s Pepparkakor

(Swedish Spice Cookies)

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter

½ cup molasses

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

2 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon cloves

            Mix above in given order.  Chill in refrigerator overnight.  Roll 1/8 inch thick.  Cut in rounds.  Place ½ almond in center of each cookie.  Bake 8-10 minutes in 350°F oven.

            Note:  Keep dough in refrigerator while rolling out cookies, taking out only enough for a small amount at a time.  Return to refrigerator if it gets too soft to handle.  Try to work quickly and not to handle dough too much or it will get tough.

                                                                                                           

MN’s Sour Cream Cookies

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, well-beaten

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon nutmeg

3 cups flour

            Add ingredients in order.  Plop onto a cookie sheet by spoonfuls and bake at 425°F for 8-12 minutes.

                                                                                   

Thanksgiving Cookies 

3 cups raisins

½ cup bourbon

¼ cup butter

½ cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

½ cup whole-wheat flour (pastry)

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup each coarsely chopped:  cranberries, walnuts

            In a medium bowl, soak raisins in bourbon for at least 1 hour.  ½ hour before preparing cookies, place butter in a large bowl to soften at room temperature.

            Gradually cream brown sugar into butter until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs.  Stir in raisins along with their liquid.  Set oven at 325°F.

            Rinse and dry raisin bowl.  In it, wire-whisk together flours, soda, and spices.  Stir dry mixture into liquid mixture to almost completely moisten.  Stir in cranberries and walnuts to finish.

            Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto buttered cookie sheets and bake for 14-15 minutes—or until firm.  Transfer to cool cookies on wire racks.

Fat Rascals

Makes 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes

 Scones:
150g plain flour, sieved (approx. 1 cup)

150g self-raising flour, sieved (approx. 1 cup)
1 tsp baking powder
130g cold butter, cubed (a little more than 9 tbsp)
90g caster sugar (not quite 1/2 cup)
Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
150g mixed dried fruit (try currants, raisins and sultanas in equal quantities) (approx. 1 cup)
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
50 ml milk (approx. 1/4 cup )

Glaze:
1 medium egg yolk
1 tbsp water
Pinch of salt

Glacee cherries and blanched almonds, to decorate

Preheat the oven to 200C, gas mark 6 (basically, a 400F oven). 

Sieve both flours and the baking powder into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, citrus zests, spices and dried fruit and mix well. Add the beaten egg and enough milk (about 50ml) to bring the mixture together into a soft dough. Form the mixture into 6 saucer-sized rounds, about 2 cm deep. Mix the egg yolk, water and salt together to make a glaze and brush this over the fat rascals. Decorate with the cherries and almonds. Transfer to non-stick baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

 Fat rascals are best served warm from the oven but they can be frozen and reheated in a low oven. You can serve them alone or with plenty of butter and they're also gorgeous for brunch served with vanilla-scented Mascarpone.

This recipe was first published on Waitrose.com February 2005.  This recipe is from Waitrose Food Illustrated.

Chocolate Rum Balls

3-1 oz. squares unsweetened baking chocolate

1 cup almonds 

1-3 oz. package cream cheese 

1 cup confectioners' sugar 

1 teaspoon instant coffee crystals 

1/4 cup rum 

1/2 cup chocolate sprinkles (jimmies) 

               In the microwave or in a bowl over simmering water, melt chocolate, stirring occasionally until smooth.  Process the almonds in a food processor. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, instant coffee and rum. Blend in

the melted chocolate. If dough is too soft to form balls, chill for 1 hour.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Roll the balls in the chocolate sprinkles. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator until serving 

time.  

  Makes 3 dozen.

allrecipes.com

Festive Florentines

2/3 cup granulated sugar

½ cup (1 stick) salted butter (or unsalted butter plus ½ teaspoon salt)

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 tablespoons milk

1 cup sliced almonds

½ cup flour

4 tablespoons total:  candied cherries, candied citron, candied orange peel

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

            Heat oven to 350°F.  Line baking sheet with aluminum foil; grease (you may also use muffin top or muffin tin, greased).

            Combine sugar, butter, corn syrup, and milk in saucepan.  Over medium heat, cook until mixture registers 235°F (soft ball stage). 

            Remove from heat.  Stir in almonds, flour, candied fruit, and vanilla.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto prepared cups or 4 inches apart on pan.

            Bake in 350°F oven until edges brown, 7-8 minutes.  If free-form, shape into circles while warm.  Loosen cookies with spatula; remove from cups to wire rack to cool.  If cookies stick to cups, return to oven for 30 seconds.  Repeat with remaining batter.

            Melt chocolate chips in microwave.  Spread smooth side of cookies with chocolate and make a sandwich.  Chill to set chocolate.

Family Circle