|
Christmas Cakes |
CHRISTMAS CAKE
:
Ingredients :
2 (2 ounce) packages slivered, blanched almonds
2 (8 ounce) packages candied cherries
1 (8 ounce) package mixed peel
2 cups raisins
1 cup currants
1 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
6 eggs
3/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup apple juice
Preparation :
Combine fruits, nuts, and brandy. Dredge with 1/2 cup flour, and allow
to stand 2 hours or
overnight. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Grease,
line with brown paper, and
grease again an 8 x 8 x 3 inch fruit cake pan. Stir or blend together
flour, baking soda,
spices, and salt. In a large bowl, cream butter. Gradually blend in
brown sugar and eggs.
Mix together molasses and apple juice. Add sifted dry ingredients
alternately with liquid to
the creamed mixture. Make 4 dry and 3 liquid additions, combining
lightly after each
addition. Fold in floured fruit. Turn into prepared pan. Bake for
3 to 3 1/2 hours, or
until cake tests done with a toothpick. Remove from pan, and lift
off brown paper. Cool cake
completely, and then wrap loosely in wax paper. Store in an airtight
container.
Go to the top
FUDGE CAKE :
Ingredients :
Quantity/Servings:
(i.e., Serves 6-8)
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup margarine
3 tbsp baking cocoa
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup Amaretto Liquor
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs...................and cinnamon to taste
Preparation :
1. Combine flour and sugar in mixer bowl, mix well.
2. Combine margarine, cocoa, shortening, and water in saucepan; bring
to boil, stirring
frequently. Add to flour mixture, beat well. Add amaretto liq., mix
well. Mix remaining
ingredients in bowl.
3.Pour batter into greased cake pan (I prefer bundt cake pan). Bake
at 350 F for 25 minutes
or until done.
4. Cool in pan. Frost with fudge frosting.
Bake:
Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes or done.
This cake can also be topped off with walnuts or pecans
Go to the top
|
|
Christmas Breads |
DATE AND NUT BREAD
:
Ingredients :
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 1/2 cups dates, chopped
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts, chopped
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Preparation :
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease loaf pan. Pour the hot water
over the dates and let
stand until cooled. Sift the flour and baking soda together add the
sugar and salt. Stir in
the cooled dates and water. Add the melted butter, beaten egg vanilla
and walnuts. Mix well.
Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees
C) for 1 hour or until
a toothpick insert near the center comes out clean. Let bread cool
in pan for 10 minutes.
Remove bread from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Makes 1 -9x5 inch
loaf pan Back to the
top of page
Go to the top
CRANBERRY AND NUT BREAD :
Ingredients :
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup coarsely chopped cranberries
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup orange juice
Preparation :
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one 9x5 inch loaf pan. Combine
the flour, sugar, salt,
baking powder and baking soda. Add the cranberries and chopped nuts,
stir to coat with
flour. Combine the egg, oil, orange juice and grated orange peel.
Add the egg mixture to the
flour mixture and stir until just combined. Spoon the batter into
the prepared pan. Bake at
350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 50 minutes or until a toothpick
comes out clean. Let bread
sit for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan and place on a cooling
rack. Let cool
completely before slicing.
Go to the top
|
|
Christmas Cookies |
BUTTER COOKIES :
Ingredients :
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. orange juice
1/2 t. orange extract
3 c. sifted flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
Preparation :
Cream butter until very light. Add sugar gradually and continue creaming
until light and
fluffy.
Add orange juice and extract.
Sift together flour, salt, soda and powder. Add to creamed mixture
bit by bit.
When well mixed, cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill at least 1
hour (or overnight) in
the refrigerator.
Roll out on floured surface and cut with cookie cutters. Brush lightly
with water and add
colored sprinkles if desired.
Place on ungreased cookie sheets or use baking parchment (easiest)
and bake at 350 degrees F
for about 13 minutes or until delicately brown. Cool before storing.
Go to the top
DREAMZ COOKIES :
Ingredients :
3 cubes of butter - 3/4 pound
3 cups flour, unsifted, sifted.. I never bothered
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ammonium carbonate - this is really important. You can
get this at a good
delicatessan..
in a pinch, can substitute baking soda, but results won't be the same
1 teaspoon vanilla
Blanched almonds - halves or slivers (used on top of cookie)
Preparation :
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.. get out baking sheet.. no need to grease
it
Brown butter over medium heat. I mean really get it brown. The butter
will get all foamy:
don't be alarmed. Keep stirring occasionally.. don't want it to burn.
Stir in rest of ingredients, except slivered almonds.. and add everything
right into the
same pan you used to brown butter.
You might want to let this mixture cool a bit first to handle; Roll
the dough into balls the
size of walnuts. Place on your cookie sheet. Top with almonds. Press
the almonds into the
cookie a bit so it will stay, but don't flatten the cookie like a
pancake.
Bake for 12 - 15 minutes. Let these cool on a sheet for a few minutes;
hot cookies are
pretty fragile most of the time.
Transfer to wire racks to cool the cookies completely before you store
them.
Go to the top
PECAN CRESCENT COOKIES
:
Ingredients :
Quantity/Servings:
(makes 64 cookies)
I cup butter (at room temp)
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup pecans (finely chopped)
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (for decoration) confectioner's sugar
Preparation :
1. Mix butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Stir in flour and pecans.
2. Shape into crescents. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until firm but not brown.
4. Gently roll each cookie in powdered sugar; cool on wire racks.
Bake:
350 F oven for 10 minutes
Drizzle cookies with melted chocolate. Let stand on waxed paper until
chocolate is firm.
Go to the top
ULTIMATE COOKIES :
Easy to do. Cooking necessary. Very colorful and delicious. Makes
about 3 dozens cookies.
Ingredients :
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 12 oz pkg. M&M's Semi-Sweet ..OR..
(1 12 oz pkg. Milk Chocolate Mini Baking Bits)
Preparation :
1) Preheat oven to 350 F.
2) In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
3) Beat in egg and vanilla.
4) In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.
5) Blend in creamed mixture.
6) Stir in M&M's and nuts.
7) Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto un greased
cookie sheet.
8) Bake 10-13 minutes.
9) Bake 10-13 minutes. Do not over bake.
10) Cool one minute on cookie sheet; cool completely on wire racks.
11) Store in tightly covered container.
Go to the top
|
|
Desserts |
CHRISTMAS PUDDING :
Ingredients :
4 ounces self-rising flour
6 ounces bread crumbs
4 ounces margarine
8 ounces brown sugar
4 ounces currants
8 ounces sultanas
8 ounces raisins
1 ounce mixed orange or lemon
1 grated apple
1 ounce chopped almonds
1 orange, juice and rind of
1 teaspoon mixed spice
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 pint beer
1 teaspoon salt
Preparation :
Mix together all dry ingredients. Stir in all liquids. Grease 1 or
2 pudding basins. Pour in
mixture and cover with Reynolds Wrap making a fold on the top to allow
for rising. Steam for
4 hours. Serve with cream or custard. Happy eating.
serves 8
Go to the top
GRANDMA'S FUDGE :
Ingredients :
2/3 cup cocoa
3 cups sugar
1 ½ cups Minot
2 tbsp. butter
½ tsp. vanilla
Preparation :
Measure 1 cup Minot then fill remaining half cup with water. Put all
ingredients into medium
sauce pan. On high heat bring mixture to a full boil for ten minutes.
Turn down temperature
to medium. Stir constantly to avoid mixture sticking to bottom of
pan. After ten minutes,
take a drop of the batter and drop into cold water. If a small ball
forms, the fudge is
ready. If not, cook on medium for another fifteen minutes. Remove
from heat. Add 2 tbsp.
butter and ½ tsp. vanilla. Keep stirring. Put pan into sink filled
half way with cold water.
If mixture should harden, add leftover Minot to reverse the process.
Spoon teaspoonfuls of
fudge onto wax paper and let harden.
Go to the top
|
|
Mocktails |
HOT CRAN-APPLE CIDER
:
Ingredients :
2 quart of apple cider
1-1/2 quarts cranberry cocktail
1/4 cup brown sugar
3-inch cinnamon sticks
1-1/2 teaspoons whole cloves
Preparation :
Heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Strain.
25 servings (about 1/2 cup
each)
Go to the top
LEMON-STRAWBERRY PUNCH :
Ingredients :
1 can (6 oz) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 pkg. frozen sliced strawberries
1 can (6 oz.) frozen lemonade concentrate
1 quart carbonated water
1 quart ginger ale
Slice bananas (garnish)
Slice oranges or lemons (Garnish)
Preparation :
Combine frozen lemonade, the strawberries half-thawed with juice),
and the orange juice.
Place in a punchbowl with ice. Just before serving, add carbonated
water and ginger ale.
Garnish with thin slices or orange or lemon. 20 servings.
Go to the top
SPICED CIDER :
Ingredients :
1 quart cider
1/2 cup sugar
Dash Salt
12 whole cloves
1 (4 inch) cinnamon stick
8 whole allspice
Preparation :
Combine all ingredients in 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil, string
until sugar is
dissolved. Cool. Refrigerate covered, several hours. Just before serving,
reheat slowly.
Strain to remove spices. Serve hot, in mugs or punch cups, along with
cookies. Makes 8
servings. |
|
|
