Kitchen Delights
Christmas is coming!
At your holiday party, you will want to welcome family and friends in from the cold with steaming mugs of delicious hot drinks.
Merry Mulled Cider
7 c. apple cider or juice
1 c. cranberry juice
3 T. brown sugar
1-2 cinnamon sticks
2/3 c. orange juice
In a Dutch oven kettle, bring the apple cider, cranberry juice, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks and orange juice to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Yield: 8 servings
Hot Buttered Rum
1 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 c. vanilla ice cream, softened
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. boiling water
1 to 3 T. rum (from the liquor store)
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the ice cream, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cover and store in the freezer.
For each serving: Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup butter mixture in a mug; add boiling water and rum.The amount of butter mixture and boiling water depends on the size of the mug.
Hot Malted Chocolate
4 c. milk
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1/3 to 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. milk chocolate chips
1/3 c. malted milk powder
2 tsp. vanilla
In a large saucepan, heat milk just until buffles form around the sides of the pan.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar; beat until soft peaks form. Whisk in chocolate chips and malted milk powder, until melted. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Pour into mugs. Top with tiny marshmallows.
Yield: 5 servings
Almond Tart Cookies
TART CRUST:
1/3 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1-1/3 c. flour
FILLING:
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. chopped almonds
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/3 c. mini chocolate chips
1 T. melted butter
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl, combine butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour.
Press 1 tablespoon crumb mixture into ungreasted miniature muffin tins. This is enough for 2 pans (24).
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the filling ingredients. Fill each tart shell 3/4 full with filling. (Do not overfill.) Bake for 22-25 minutes, until set. Let cool 10 minutes before taking out of the tins.
Yield: 2 dozen
Creamy Peach-filled Walnut Cookies
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. finely chopped pecans or walnuts
FILLING:
1-1/2 c. powdered sugar
3 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/3 c. peach preserves
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine sugar and butter; add the vanilla, salt and flour. Stir in nuts.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten with fork in criss-cross pattern. Bake for 10-12 minutes (lightly browned on edges). Cool completely.
In a bowl, cream the cream cheese with the powdered sugar; stir in the peach preserves.
Spread a teaspoonful of filling on bottoms of half the cookies. Gently press another cookie over the filling (sandwich style).
Yield: 1-1/2 dozen
Mint Truffle Cookies
1-1/4 c. sugar
1 c. butter, room temp.
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tps. salt
2-1/2 c. flour
1 pkg. Andes® mints (4.67 oz.), coarsely chopped
GLAZE:
8 oz. white almond bark (2 squares)
1 tsp. vegetable oil
2 drops green food coloring
In a bowl, cream the sugar and butter; beat in the eggs, vanilla and cocoa. Stir in the baking powder, salt and flour. Stir in mints. Chill the dough for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1-1/2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool completely.
Melt almond bark with oil in 50% power microwave (medium heat) for 2 minutes, or until melted. Stir in green food coloring. Drizzle glaze to form stripes over cookies.
Yield: 4 dozen
Apricot Streusel Bars
FILLING:
12 oz. pkg. dried apricots, chopped fine
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. water
3/4 tsp. almond extract
Cook apricots with sugar and water until water is completely absorbed. Stir in the almond extract.
CRUST:
2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. butter, chilled
1/2 c. flake coconut
1/2 c. quick rolled oats
1/2 c. finely chopped pecans
In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; cut in butter using a pastry cutter or fork. Stir coconut, oats and pecans into the crumbly mixture.
Press 3/4 of the mixture into an ungreased 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until edges are light golden brown.
Carefully spread filling evenly over crust. Sprinkle remaining crumbly mixture over the top. Bake for 20 minutes.
Yield: 2-1/2 dozen
Snappy Turtle Cookies
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
1 egg + 1 egg yolk (reserve the egg white)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. maple mapleine or maple extract
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 c. flour
1 c. pecan halves, split lenghthwise
FROSTING:
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
In a bowl, cream brown sugar and butter; mix in egg and egg yolk. Add the vanilla, maple, baking soda, salt and flour.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. Arrange pecan pieces in groups of 5 onto prepared cookie sheets, to resemble head and legs of a turtle. In a small bowl, beat egg white. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Dip the cookie bottom into the egg white; press lightly onto pecans. (Tips of the pecans should show.)
Bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheets. Cool.
Meanwhile, melt chips with oil; stir smooth. Frost turtle cookies.
Yield: 3-1/2 dozen
Watermelon Cookies
3/4 c. butter (1-1/2 sticks), softened
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg, separated
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. baking powder
12 drops red food coloring
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. flour (may add a little more)
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
1/3 c. dark green sprinkling sugar
In bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add baking powder, red food coloring and salt. Stir in flour. Add the chocolate chips. Roll into 2-3 logs, chill for 1 hour.
Place egg white in a shallow pan and the green sugar in another pan. Roll each log into the egg white, then in the green sugar (enough to cover the red).
Slice into 1/4 inch slices (if you like, you can cut into halves to resemble watermelon slices). Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes.
Yield: 3-1/2 dozen
Date Balls
1 c. chopped dates
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp.salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 c. crisp rice cereal
1-1/2 c. finely chopped walnuts, divided
1-1/2 c. flake coconut, chopped fine
In microwave-safe bowl, cook dates, butter, sugar, egg and salt. Stir several times. Cook until thickened, stir in vanilla and 1/2 cup of walnuts. Chill for 1 hour. Roll into quarter-size balls, roll half of them in cup of walnuts, the other half into the coconut.
Yield: 4 dozen
Krumkaka
(Made in Krumkaka iron)
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, room temp.
2 eggs
1/2 c. cream (half & half or whipping cream)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
1/2 c. milk
2 c. flour
In mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter. Beat in eggs and cream. Add baking powder, salt, extracts; then stir in milk, alternately, with flour.
Heat krumkaka iron. When it’s hot, spoon a small amount on. Close cover. Cook until browned. As soon as each one is taken out, roll up quickly around the metal cane or round stick.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar (sifted over them).
Yield: 3 dozen
Helpful Hints:
• Baking cookies and bars are best baked on center rack of oven.
• Melt chocolate in a double boiler, in a pan over water, or microwave. Watch closely (chocolate burns easily).
• Nuts have more flavor when roasted. Place on cookie sheet at 275 degrees for 15 minutes.
• If your cookies seem to have baked too long, and get too dark, it could be your oven temperature is too high, or you have baked them a minute or two too long. After you take them out of the oven, they are still baking for 1 minute longer on the hot cookie sheets.
“Sending holiday greetings of love and joy your way.”
