Christmas Cookies - Chocolate Mint Surprise

A friend gave me this recipe and she got it from her mother.  I love recipes that pass from generation to generation, giving a continuity to flavors and memories.  Now I make these and give them out to my friends and you.  The recipe will continue.

Makes 4 dozen

Ingredients

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 TBS water
1 tsp vanilla
2 packs Andes Candies

Here's how:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place parchment paper on cookie sheets.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour baking soda and salt.

In a mixer combine butter and sugars.

Add eggs and mix to combine.

Mix in water and vanilla.

Slowly add in the flour mixture until blended completely.

Break the candies in half.

Wrap 1 TBS of dough around each candy half and form into a ball.

Bake for 8-9 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet then move the cookies and parchment to a wire cooling rack.

Melt the extra candies in a small bowl.  If you do not have enough candy to drizzle all the cookies, add chocolate chips to it to make it go further.

Drizzle the melted candies on the cookies.

Let dry for 30 minutes.

Thanksgiving Dinner - Sweet Potato Muffins

                                                     

Thanksgiving dinner at my home is rooted in traditions.  One tradition is getting a turkey from the local farm.  Another is making mashed turnips, the way my mom did - with a bit of nutmeg grated in.  The tradition that is my favorite is making recipes reminiscent of America's past.  One of the recipes I make is from "The Williamsburg Cookbook," which has recipes that bring Colonial America back to life.  I bought this cookbook on a visit to Colonial Williamsburg after having a great meal at Christiana Campbell's Tavern.  There, they place a bread basket on your table with these small muffins.  Now, these are a staple of my meal.  Try them out as a nice change to those usual white biscuits.  These can be made in advance to save you time Thanksgiving morning.

Makes 3 dozen

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp lemon peel, grated
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins, chopped

Here's how:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Wrap the sweet potato in foil and bake for 45 minutes, or until tender.  Cool to room temperature.

Peel the sweet potato, then mash.  Reserve 2/3 cup.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Grease or place liners in a mini muffin tin.

Cream the butter and sugar.

Butter and sugar

Beat in reserved sweet potato.

Beat in egg and lemon peel.

Sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Sift the dry ingredients together with a whisk

Add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk.  Do not overmix.

Combine wet and dry ingredients

Fold in the nuts and raisins.

Fill muffin tin to 3/4 full.  You may sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of each muffin if desired.

You should get 3 trays this size from the batter

Bake for 20 minutes.

Place in a basket for serving

Eat and enjoy.

Slow Cooker Lentil Soup

After a big holiday dinner or family dinner, I usually have a ham bone left over.  I know most people make a pea soup with it, but not me.  I want to make lentil soup with it.  I use the slow cooker so I can put it on in the morning and when I get home in the evening, it is waiting for me.  So, Sunday's ham turns unto Monday's soup.  Try it out.  If you are a vegetarian leave out the ham and substitute the chicken stock for vegetable stock.  I make mine with organic ingedients (except for the ham).

Makes 4 quarts

Ingredients

1 cup dried organic lentils (find them in the bulk bins) 

1 cup chopped organic carrots (2 large carrots) 

1 cup chopped organic celery (3 stalks)

1 cup chopped organic onion (half of a large onion)

2 cloves organic garlic, minced

1 ham bone with ham bits still on it

1/4 teaspoon dried organic thyme

2 organic bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

32 ounces organic chicken broth

1 cup water

1 15 oz can organic diced tomatoes with Italian Herbs

Here's how:

In a slow cooker combine the lentils, carrots, celery, onion, garlic and ham

Crock Pot is ready.  Be sure to use a crockpot liner.

Diced carrots

Celery

Onions

Minced garlic

Left over ham bone

 Add thyme, bay leaf, pepper, chicken broth, water and tomatoes.

Chicken broth

Diced tomatoes, they add seasonings of their own

 

 Cover and cook on High for 6 or Low for 11 hours.

 

All in the pot, time to cook

6 hours later.

Stored for eating later

Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Christmas Cookies - Raspberry Brownie Cups

This is another favorite of mine from the 2005 Woman's Day Annual Cookie Cookbook.  It is easy to make and looks impressive.  I have adapted to use a mini-muffin pan with mini-muffing cups instead of the foil cups on a baking sheet called for in the recipe.  The raspberry flavor is subtle but good.  If you are doubling the recipe you do not need to double the topping - it makes more than enough.  If you have extra, the icing freezes really well, as do the brownies themselves.  The photos below are of a tripled recipe.

Makes 56

Ingredients:

For the Brownies:

2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 TBS raspberry extract
1 cup flour

For the Chocolate Topping:

3/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp raspberry extract

Here's how:

Preheat the oven to 350.

Line a mini muffin tin with mini muffin liners.

Make the brownies:

Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat.  Do not brown it.




Melt the butter

Add the chips and melt them until smooth.  Remove the pot from the pan and add in sugar, eggs and extract.

Add eggs and extract

All incorporated. Ready for the flour

Stir in flour until completely blended.

Flour added.  Mix well.

Incorporated well

Fill each muffin cup with 1 TBS of batter.

Ready for the oven

Bake for 15 minutes until the tops are cracked.

Cool on a wire rack in the pans.

Baked with cracked tops

Make the topping:

Heat cream in a saucepan until bubbles form on the edges.  Remove from the heat.  Add chips and let sit for 5 minutes, then add extract.

Stir until smooth and glossy.

All mixed and ready for the brownies

Dip each brownie into the topping. Let dry.

Dip the brownies into the topping

All dipped and drying

Christmas Cookies - Ginger Drop Cookies

I was looking for a recipe that cuts down on the sweetness of the usual Christmas cookie that incorporated the flavor of gingerbread - which is the ultimate Christmas flavor.  I found this recipe in the Woman's Day 2005 Annual Christmas Cookie Cookbook and knew it was the right one.  It is has a spice to it that is different from what you are used to in a cookie and the flavor of the pepper is upfront.  Try these cookies if you want a grown up cookie in your repertoire.

Makes about 60 cookies
Ingredients:

For the cookies:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp finely ground pepper
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup minced ginger

For the icing:

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 TBS milk

For decorating:

red and green nonpareils

Here's how:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Beat butter, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, pepper and vanilla in the mixer until fluffy.

Mix ingredients together

Beat until fluffy

 Add egg and mix until blended.  Beat in molasses.

Molasses added

Add in flour and ginger.

Mince ginger in the food processor on pulse

Flour mixture.  Whisk until evenly distributed.

All mixed and ready to bake

Place cookies on parchment paper lined cookie sheet in one inch scoops.

Using a scoop keeps them uniform

Bake 10 minutes until light brown. Remove and cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes.  Slide the parchment and cookies onto a wire rack.  Cool completely.

Move to rack and keep the parchment. This will help with clean up.

Make icing - combine all ingredients and mix until smooth.

Mix until smooth

Drizzle icing over cookies while they are on the parchment paper.  Sprinkle on nonpareils.

Use a knife to put icing on the cookies.  Move it back and forth to get the lines.

Add nonpareils and they are done

Let dry for at least 30 minutes.