Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Peppermint Patties

1 egg white
4 cups powdered sugar (10x)
1/3 cup light corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
cornstarch
12 ounce bag of chocolate chips (either semi-sweet, or milk)

Beat the egg white until frothy, but don’t let it get stiff.

Begin adding the powdered sugar, blending with a mixer, if you have one. A fast whisk if you don’t.

Add in the corn syrup and the peppermint extract. You will need to knead this with your hands — add in more powdered sugar if you need to, until the mix isn’t sticky.

Cover a surface with cornstarch, and roll our the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Using a cookie cutter (think fun shapes for holidays), cut out the dough. If you use a 2 inch cutter, you should be able to get about 20. Set the cut out pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. If refrigerating overnight, cover with plastic wrap.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate. Use a microwave, and do short 30 second burts, stirring in-between, so the chocolate melts slowly, and isn’t broken.

Remove the peppermints from the refrigerator. Grab a second baking sheet, and line it with more parchment paper. Dip each piece into the melted chocolate (use a couple of forks, drop the piece in, lift out with the forks, and remove the excess chocolate by tapping the bowl. Place the peppermints on the parchment to cool. If this goes slowly for you, reheat the chocolate, again using the 30 second method, until the chocolate is melted again. Continue to dip the peppermints until you are finished. Don’t forget to lick the forks when you are done ;)

Refrigerate the peppermints for 30 or so minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened up. Wrap in candy wraps, and store in a cool dry area for up to 2 weeks.

Here We Come A Wassailing

Christmas Wassail

5 apples
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup port
4 12-ounce bottles of ale or dark beer, plus 1/4 cup
4 cinnamon sticks
4 cloves
1 Lemon, zest only
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground all spice
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Slice apples in half, and core.  Place the apples in a baking dish, and cover with one cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of ale, and the port.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 350F.

In a large pot, pour in the beer – 48 ounces (1.5 Liters).  Add in the cinnamon sticks, cloves, lemon zest, ground cinnamon, ground allspice, ground cardamon, and the ground ginger.  Bring to a simmer and then turn the heat to low.

One the apples have finished, pour the entire contents (including the juices) into the pot with the ale and spices.  Allow to simmer over low heat for 30-35 minutes.

Serve hot, garnished with a slice of fresh apple, and a cinnamon stick.

Christmas Wassail (Non alcoholic)

1/2 gallon (about 2 liters) apple cider/juice
1/2 gallon (about 2 liters) cranberry juice
1 quart (about 1 liter) orange juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1-2 teaspoon ground cloves
4 cinnamon sticks
4 whole allspice

Add all the ingredients to a large pot, or a crockpot/all day cooker.  Stir well.

Over medium heat, continue to stir, to mix the spices in.  Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Keep this on low to keep warm, stirring occasionally.

Serve hot, with a cinnamon stick as garnish.

Copper Cookie Press

I remember so vividly making spritz cookies (spritzgebäck.) at Christmas every year.  I loved making the tree shaped ones, as well as the stars.  We always made trees, stars, wreaths, and camels.  And always used food coloring — red, green, yellow, and sprinkled them with sugar or decoration. What I especially remember was eating the trees — one little tree ‘section’ at a time, until all that was left was the very tip, where there was a shiny candy “ornament”.

I always enjoyed making spritz cookies, because of the many different shapes that were possible – mostly because I really dislike making rolled out cookies — they take way too long and you are never finished when they come out of the oven — you have to decorate every single one.  Spritz cookies, on the other hand, are yummy tasty, shaped nicely, and handled minimally.  A bonus for Christmas time, imo.

There are quite a lot of cookie presses on the market — everything from electric and battery operated, to hand crank, press, gun, and screw extruders.  I’m most familiar with the type shown here to the left.   The bottom twists off so you can change the shapes easily, and fill quickly.  It’s easy to clean, doesn’t have a ton of moving parts, and if the one I have is indication of the length of time these last, mine is just about 50 years old (my Gram gave it to me about 12 years ago).  Take a look in your mother/aunt/grandmothers cabinets, and you may find one similar to this.  I’ve collected about 40 different shaped disks over the years, so you may find a fun assortment.

Using a old press such as this is simple, but needs a good bit of wrist movement.  Choose the shape you’d like to make, and then fill the cookie press 2/3′rds full, packing the dough.  Insert the screw and tighten.  Place the press on the cookie sheet, and twist one full twist around, and then slightly backwards.  Lift, and then repeat until you’ve filled the cookie sheet.  If the dough is too soft (warm), it will stick.  Put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes (20 or so), and then start again, (careful -  if the dough is too cold, it won’t extrude.)  Press the cookies onto a cool cookie sheet, not one just out of the oven.

Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies (Spritzgeback)

1 cup butter, softened
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg (yolk only)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Oven should be set to 350F

Mix butter and cream cheese together well.  Add sugar, and mix until fluffy.  Add egg yolks, vanilla and lemon peel.  Mix well and then gradually add in the flour and salt.

Using a cookie press, press the cookies onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until lightly browned.  If you don’t use parchment, just use an ungreased cookie sheet.

Allow to cool about 5 minutes before removing from the cookie sheet, and then remove and cool completely.  These will keep fine in a tightly sealed container or bag, and freeze wonderfully.

White Chocolate Chips

December has always been the time to make all those delicious recipes you’ve saved up for the Christmas season.   And this, in my house, is one of those.

I first had cherry almond fudge at my Mothers house one year when we were there for Christmas.  She had purchased it from a local candy maker, and didn’t have a recipe.  Once I was back home in New York, I did a search and came up with the following recipe.

I’ve never really changed it, though I do add a bit more chopped almonds. And I have had to substitute white chocolate chips for regular chocolate chips, as well as “white candy making disk” like things I found at a craft store in the candy section.

This recipe takes about 10 minutes to prep, and a minimum of 2 hours to cool, so it is relatively quick.  I really like to individually wrap each piece in candy foil, which makes a great presentation.

Enjoy!

Easy Cherry Almond White Chocolate Fudge

2 cups or 12 ounces white chocolate chips
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup candied cherries chopped
1 teaspoon almond extract

Use an 8×8 square pan — Spray with pam, and then line with parchment paper.  Alternativly, you can line the pan with the non-stick foil that is on the market nowadays.

Mix the chocolate and milk together, and then microwave on high, stirring every 30 seconds until the chocolate is smooth.

Stir in the almonds, cherries, and almond extract.  Pour the mix into the pan.  Chill for at least 2 hours, but best after at least 6.

Lift out the fudge, or turn out onto a cutting board.  Remove the paper or foil, and cut the fudge into 1 inch squares.

Notes:

• I like this with extra nuts – up to 3/4 cup chopped almonds
• IF you can’t find white chocolate chips, replace them with chocolate chips, or white candy discs.
• Hand wrap these in candy foil wraps.

The second Hot Buttered Cider –  quick and nice to serve anytime in the Autumn/Winter months.

Old Fashioned Hot Buttered Rum

This is a fantastic way to end an afternoon of decorating the yard for Halloween or Christmas.  It just hits the spot perfectly. The original recipe does not contain apple cider (water instead), but it really adds a wonderful layer to the drink.

4 cups vanilla ice cream, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

4 cups Apple Cider
4 ounces Rum ** See note below
nutmeg for garnish

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg.  Cook over low heat, stirring, until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, without letting the butter set back up.

Combine the mixture with the softened ice cream in a large mixing bowl.  Use a hand mixer to mix, if you have one.  Otherwise stir and stir and stir until it’s smooth.  Freeze until totally frozen again.

To serve this heat the apple cider in a sauce pan.  Meanwhile, using 4 mugs or cups, add a scoop or two of the ice cream mixture to each mug.  Pour one ounce of rum over the ice cream, and then top with the hot apple cider.  Garnish with freshly ground nutmeg.

***To make this without the rum, use 1-2 teaspoons of rum flavoring added to the simmer, and do not add the rum when serving.

Hot Buttered Cider (Non Alcoholic)

1 orange, sliced and seeded, with skin still on
6 cups apple cider (apple juice)
4 cinnamon sticks
4 teaspoons butter

Place 1/2 of the orange slices, apple cider and cinnamon into a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil.  As soon as it has come to a boil, reduce the heat to low.  Simmer for about 5-8 minutes.  Remove cider from the heat, and discard the oranges.  Remove the cinnamon sticks, reserving for serving.

To serve, place 1 teaspoon of butter into a mug, garnish with the remaining orange slices, and a cinnamon stick.

I would not use these for icing/decorating style cookies – there are other recipes better suited for decorating — this contains too much oil/butter, and really won’t hold up well with heavy icings.  Just a sprinkle of sugar, before baking, or some powdered sugar very lightly sprinkled over top after they have completely cooled if you must.  I almost never add anything to these. 

I’ve changed out the vanilla for almond flavoring, and pressed a sliced almond into the cookie before baking and had good success with it as well.

Enjoy!

The Best Sugar Cookies

(aka Grams Sugar Cookies)

1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Cup Softened Butter
1 Cup Cooking Oil
2 eggs
4 1/2 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Cream of Tarter
1 tsp Vanilla

Cream the sugars, butter and oil until light and fluffy.  Add in the eggs and vanilla, and mix well.  In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cream of tarter.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until combined.

You can spoon these onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and flatten.  Bake at 375, for 10-12 minutes.

OR

You can chill these 2-3 hours, and roll out, and use as for cutouts. Bake as above.

You can sprinkle these with a light coating of powdered sugar once completely cooled.

These keep about 1 week, in a tightly covered container.

My notes:

Gram used Lard, but I use softened butter.

I like these as cutouts, so I lay the dough on a piece of saran wrap, flatten, lay another piece of saran wrap on top and roll out.  I then chill for at least an hour before cutouts are made.  Repeat the process once the dough has softened.

Also, I make this in large batches (4-5 batches), lay out as above with the saran wrap in small batches, and freeze.  Let dough thaw in the refrigerator before using.

Also, I have made this as a ‘slicing log’ — i.e….. I’ve rolled it up into a log shape, refrigerated and sliced and baked.  This also freezes well.

I like these cookies a little on the ‘thick’ side.

Pecan Butter Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup flour
1 cup powdered sugar (10x or icing sugar)

Mix the butter, sugar and vanilla together.  Add the pecans, and mix well.  Add the flour and mix.  Don’t over mix the flour – mix just until it comes together.

Roll dough into small balls – about the size of a large marble, or about 3/4 of an inch big.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment.  You can place these closer together than normal cookies — instead of 3 across on a cookie sheet, you can do 5 -6.

Bake at 300F for 30 minutes.

Allow the cookies to rest a few minutes, and then remove them from the parchment.  Allow to cool completely.

Once these are completely cooled, roll in powdered sugar.

This makes about 40 or so cookies, if you keep them about 3/4 of an inch big.

You can also roll these while they are still hot in the powdered sugar, and then return them to the oven for about a minute to glaze.  Allow them to cool and serve.

These keep a few days in a covered container.  They never actually last that long, though ;)

3 Cups Sugar
3/4 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Evaporated Milk
1 Cup Peanut Butter (Crunchy is optional)
10 Oz Marshmallow Cream
1 Tablespoon Vanilla

Grease an 8×8 baking dish

In a large mixing bowl, put peanut butter, marshmello cream and vanilla.  Set aside.

Put sugar, butter and milk in a pan and turn heat to high, stiring constantly.  Once at a full boil (bubbles in from outside edges to center for 1 minute), turn heat to simmer (keeping bubbles going lightly) and cook for 5-6 minutes.  If using a candy therm, heat to soft ball stage (240F).

Once time is up, pour over peanut butter, marshmello cream and vanilla,  stiring quickly to mix well.  Once well mixed, pour into your pre-greased 8×8 pan.  Sprinkle with salted peanuts and allow to cool before cutting.

Optional:

Use ‘chunky’ peanut butter

Mix in 1/3 cup peanuts

Variation:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge:
Make a batch of regular chocolate fudge, using two 8×8 pans, pouring half of the fudge into each pan, sprinkle with peanuts.  Allow to cool.  Make a batch of this peanut butter fudge and pour half over each chocolate fudge.  Allow to cool.

Note: 

This recipe does not work well with ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ peanut butters unless well mixed.  I just end up using ‘Jif’ or ‘Skippy’.

* Marshmello cream seems to come in 7oz or 16oz containers.  I usually weigh the cream on a scale.

2 Cups toasted pecans
2 teaspoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon water

Lay the pecans on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast for about 2-3 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Watch them carefully

Remove and place the pecans in a food processor and grind until fine.  Add the remaining ingredients and continue to process until the mix starts forming a ball and pulling away from the sides of the bowl.

Press into a 9 inch pie pan, pressing the mix evenly across the bottom and up the sides.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

These are just.. yummyness.  One of the girls in my office brought macaroons in last week.. premade/packaged things.  They were okay, but.. well… incredibly heavy and greasy.  They made me in the mood for the ones I make.   They are just exactly what a macaroon should be – light and fluffy.

This recipe comes from a neighbor I grew up next to back in Nebraska.  She made amazing macaroons and did all sorts of lovely things to them (See the notes below the recipe for additions – some are hers, some are mine, some come from other people, but I don’t know who, as the additions were made to the recipe card over time).  Ruth made these at Christmas, and again in the summer.  Odd times, but when her grandson came to visit, she always made these, and she always had plenty for my brothers and I, too.

Granted, this isn’t a traditional recipe if you don’t live in the US, and even if you do, there are tons and tons of variations.  But one thing is the same – a coconut macaroon is not exactly a cookie.. but not exactly a candy…it’s a kind of cross between both, and that is what makes this particular cookie so good.  It has that sweetness to it a candy should have, but the body and crispness of a cookie.  I don’t know where this fits in exactly – a cookie — or a confection, but I do know that it goes amazingly well with a glass of milk.. with just the right amount of coconut left at the bottom of the glass to scoop out ;)

Enjoy!

Coconut Macaroons

14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large egg whites at room
temperature
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix together  the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl.  

In a second bowl, whip the egg whites and salt on high speed until it makes medium-firm peaks.  I use a hand mixer. Then, GENTLY fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture, and fold together using a spatula, without crushing the egg whites. 

Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheet lined with parchment.  You can also use a small ‘ice cream scoop’ – maybe 1-1 1/2 inch, or so scoop.  

Bake  for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Try not to eat them hot (or you’ll burn your mouth), allow to cool and serve.  Allow to cool completely, and cover tightly.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days, or on the counter for 5. 

Notes:

I like to store these in a container in layers separated by parchment.

Variations and Additions:

Add a cup of the mini chocolate chips, or 4 ounces of melted unsweetened chocolate.

Push a chocolate kiss candy or a star candy into the top of the cookie right after you take them from the oven

Add 1 cup of chopped pecans and 2 tablespoons maraschino cherry syrup, and press a maraschino cherry into the top of the cookie before baking.

Dip in chocolate, or just dip part of the cookie in chocolate

Add 1/2 cup crushed macadamia nuts

Add 3/4 cup of raisins and 1 teaspoon rum flavoring

Change the vanilla to 1 1/2 teaspoons of almond extract

Add 3/4 cup of walnuts and 1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring

Add 3/4 cup of oats and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts