Sweet Treats: Recipes From 'The Moonglow Christmas Series'
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1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1-1⁄2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 3⁄4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
Directions:
Mix butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar and eggs thoroughly in a large bowl.
Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture.
Chill dough, and chill an ungreased cookie sheet for about 10-15 minutes in the fridge.
Meanwhile, mix 3 tablespoons sugar, and 3 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl.
Scoop 1 inch balls of dough into the sugar/ cinnamon mixture.
Coat by gently rolling balls of dough in the sugar mixture.
Place on chilled ungreased cookie sheet, and bake 10 minutes at 375ºF.
Remove from pan immediately.
Sharon's Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Submitted by Sharon Guagliardo)
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 package chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix the remaining dry ingredients together. Hand mix all ingredients together. Drop by rounded tablespoonful on ungreased cookies sheet and bake at 375ºF for 8 to 10 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen 2 inch cookies, or about 4 dozen 1 1/2 inch cookies.
Odessa’s Pumpkin Cookies
(Submitted by Odessa Green)
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups granulated cane sugar
1 1/2 cups pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
1 egg
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt in a bowl mix until combined. Set aside.
In another bowl, cream sugar and butter until blended. Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla paste.
Add flour mixture slowly to pumpkin mixture. Drop by tablespoon onto cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until light brown.
**Frost or serve plain
Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs
(Submitted by Pam Greenslate)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
2 1/2 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Granulated sugar or colored sugar
Directions:
Mix powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract and egg in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients except granulated sugar. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Heat oven to 375ºF. Lightly grease cookie sheet.
Divide dough in half. Roll each half 1/4-inch-thick on lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes with 2- to 2 1/2-inch cookie cutters. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Place on cookie sheet. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are light brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.
Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Submitted by Catherine Ojalvo)
Makes about 24 cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup super-chunky peanut butter
1 cup(packed) golden brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips (about 6oz.)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Mix first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Mix in chocolate chips. Using moistened hands to form generous 1tablespoon dough for each cookie. Arrange on 2 ungreased baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake cookies until puffed, golden on the bottom and still soft in the center, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool completely.
Snowball Cookies
(Submitted by Keri Knutson)
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon almond extract
36 maraschino cherries, rinsed and patted dry
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
2 cups coconut flakes
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Whisk together the flour, almonds, and salt.
In another mixing bowl, beat together butter and ½ cup sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the water and almond extract. Stir in the flour mixture until a dough forms.
Take tablespoons of dough and form a ball around each cherry. Place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake for 18-20 minutes or until bottoms are browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
To Glaze:
In a small bowl, mix a cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon milk. Dip the cooled cookies in the glaze and then roll in shredded coconut.
Makes 3 dozen cookies.
Grandma's Opera Fudge
(Submitted by Keri Knutson)
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup chopped candied red cherries
Directions:
Line a 5-3/4x3x2-inch loaf pan with foil or parchment paper and butter or spray with cooking spray.
In 2-quart saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, half-and-half, corn syrup and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Keep boiling and stirring constantly until a candy thermometer reads 236ºF (soft ball stage).
Remove saucepan from heat and add butter and vanilla. Cool at room temperature for 20 minutes, and then beat for five minutes. Stir in cherries. Pour into loaf pan and spread evenly. Place in refrigerator to cool. When chilled, remove fudge from pan and cut into pieces.
Makes 2 dozen pieces.
Dutch Sour Cream Cookies
(Submitted by Sherri Titus)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup soft butter (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon orange or lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon soda
1/4 cup sour cream
Directions:
Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and flavorings; beat well. Add flour, soda and sour cream.
Shape dough into a long roll, 2 inches in diameter; wrap in waxed paper, and chill 2 to 3 hours or until firm. Unwrap roll and cut into ¼ inch slices; place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 375˚F for 8-10 minutes.
Yields 4 dozen
Soft Raisin Cookies
(Submitted by Sherri Titus)
Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups flour
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup soft butter or margarine
> 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup dark seedless raisins
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
Make early in day or up to 2 weeks before serving.
Into large bowl – measure all but raisins and nuts. With mixer at low speed, beat ingredients until just mixed. Increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Stir in raisins and nuts until they are well blended.
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Drop batter by heaping tablespoon about 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet.
Bake 12-15 minutes until lightly browned around the edges. With pancake turner, remove cookies to wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in tightly covered container.
Makes 2 1/2 dozen.
Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies
(Submitted by Sherri Titus)
Ingredients
1 package wild blueberry muffin mix
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 tablespoon milk
1 egg
Directions
In a medium bowl combine all but the blueberries: mix well. Drop from a teaspoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Make a deep depression in the center of each cookie and fill with 7-8 well-drained blueberries. Push dough from sides to cover berries and pat down.
Bake at 375ºF for 8-10 minutes, until light brown.
Recipes from
Gingerbread at Moonglow
Excerpt from Gingerbread at Moonglow
“Any idea how many people are participating in the cookie exchange?” Maisie asked.
“I’d say fifteen to twenty,” Mist said. “All the regulars, plus a few new residents of Timberton. Betty made sure to let them know they were welcome.”
Maisie nodded, placed the last dried dish in a cupboard and set the towel aside. “Well, I know Millie will be here. She stopped by the shop the other day to pick up a holly wreath, and said she’d be bringing Ginger Snaps – a special recipe from her grandmother.
“I’m not surprised,” Mist said. “I suspect we’ll have more ginger-related treats than other years. The gingerbread house seems to have inspired that theme.”
“Don’t worry,” Maisie said. “There’ll be all types of cookies. I heard Sally is bringing at least one variety of French macarons, Marge made ‘Kitchen Sink Cookies’ and Glenda’s contributing vegan sugar cookies. The church guild ladies are bringing several batches of cookies, but didn’t say what kind.” She left to check the café, and returned to the kitchen. “Should I start setting everything up, maybe put out paper plates now, for people to fill with cookie assortments?”
“We’re using baskets this year,” Mist said, smiling.
“Baskets?” Maisie asked as Betty entered the room, back from the gallery.
“Yes,” Betty said, jumping into the conversation. “Mist found some light balsa wood baskets, like berry baskets, but a little bigger. They’re just the right size to hold a couple dozen cookies. I loved the idea of sending people home with something they can reuse. Mist even decorated them with her usual artistic flair.”
“I simply painted a holly leaf on one side of each basket,” Mist said. “We’ll have clear cellophane and red organza ribbon, so they can be wrapped as gifts.”
Gingerbread Cookies
(Submitted by Kim Davis, from her blog, Cinnamon and Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder)
Ingredients:
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup molasses
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cloves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:
In a standing mixer beat butter and sugar together at medium speed until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until thoroughly combined, then mix in molasses.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt, spices and baking soda, then slowly add to butter mixture, mixing on low speed until well combined.
Divide the dough into two portions and wrap well with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out 1/4 inch thick and cut out shapes using your favorite cookie cutters. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes or until lightly browned, rotating baking sheet half way through. Cool cookies on baking sheet for five minutes then finish cooling on a wire rack. Frost with your favorite icing and/or sprinkles.
Cherry Pecan Holiday Cookies
(Submitted by Vera Kenyon)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans
4 or 6 ounces each: red and green candied cherries, chopped into four pieces (cutting with kitchen scissors works well)
Directions:
Using an electric mixer, cream butter, margarine, sugar, egg, and vanilla at medium speed until light and fluffy. At low speed, add flour. Stir in chopped pecans.
Divide dough in half; add red chopped cherries to one half, green cherries to the other half. Shape each half into a 2-inch-diameter log. Wrap in waxed paper and chill for 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut logs into 1/4-inch slices; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until light golden brown.
Makes 4 1/2 dozen cookies. The cookies freeze well, so they are great to make ahead.
Gingerbread-Eggnog Trifle
(Submitted by Kim Davis, from her blog, Cinnamon and Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder)
Ingredients:
1 (14.5 ounce) box gingerbread cake mix baked according to the package directions*
1 (5.1 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups eggnog (store bought and low-fat version is fine) *Or use Homemade Eggnog recipe
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
2 (8 ounce) containers Cool Whip
Mini gingersnaps or gingerbread boy cookies for garnish (optional)
Directions:
Bake the cake mix according to package instructions. Cool completely before assembling the trifle.
Add pudding mix to a large bowl and whisk in the eggnog and bourbon if using. Whisk for 2 minutes until the mix is thoroughly smooth. Chill for at least 30 minutes, or can be made up to 1 day in advance.
Once the cake is cool, crumble half the gingerbread into the bottom of a trifle or glass bowl.**
Spread half the pudding mixture over the cake, then spread 1 container of Cool Whip over the pudding.
Repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients.
Chill at least 6 hours or overnight.
Garnish with mini gingersnap or gingerbread boy cookies as desired.
Tips:
*If you can't find a gingerbread cake mix, you can substitute a spice cake mix. Add 2 teaspoons ground ginger and replace 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil called for in the mix with 2 tablespoons molasses. Bake as directed on package.
**You can also make individual servings using wine goblets or cocktail glasses.
Homemade Eggnog
(Submitted by Kim Davis, from her blog, Cinnamon and Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder)
Ingredients:
3 cups whole or 2% milk (if you want to be extra decadent, use half and half)
4 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
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Pinch of salt
Dash of fresh grated nutmeg
Directions:
In a heavy saucepan, whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt and nutmeg together. Set aside.
In a microwave safe bowl, heat the milk in the microwave until hot. Don’t boil. I use my ‘beverage’ button for this step.
Once the milk is hot, slowly add it to the egg mixture continually whisking to keep the eggs from overheating.
Place saucepan over medium-low heat on the stovetop and, whisking constantly, heat the mixture to 160 degrees (F). If you don’t have a thermometer, the mixture should coat the back of a spoon, but for safety, use a thermometer.
Remove eggnog from heat and pour through a strainer.
Completely chill the eggnog before using.