Increase the speed to medium high and slowly add the sugar, a little (1-2 teaspoons) at a time. Continue to whip egg whites and sugar for a few minutes, then add the vinegar. Increase the speed to the highest setting and whip the egg whites until they are glossy and stiff peaks form when the whisk is lifted, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the crushed peppermints (and the mini chocolate chips, if you are using).
Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. If you are using parchment paper, you can put a dollop of the meringue mixture in the corners of the pans before placing the parchment paper on them, to help secure the parchment paper in place. Either use a spoon to drop teaspoonfuls of the meringue mixture onto the cookie sheets (spaced an inch apart) or use a pastry piping bag (can make one with a plastic freezer bag with the corner cut off) to pipe mounds (1 1/2 inches wide) onto the lined cookie sheet.
Put the cookie sheets in the 300°F oven, close the door. Wait for one minute only, then turn the oven OFF. Do not open the door for another 3 hours. You can leave them in the oven overnight. The meringues will gently cook in the residual heat of the oven. When done, the meringues will be lightly crisp on the outside and light and airy on the inside. If they are still a little chewy after 3 hours, leave them out for a few more hours.
Store in an airtight container.
Chocolate Lace Cookies
Ingredients:
1 C quick-cooking oatmeal
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 C sugar
1 teaspoon orange juice
½ C butter, melted
3 tablespoons flour
1 egg, slightly beaten
½ teaspoon salt
6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350° F.Mix together oatmeal and sugar, add melted butter and mix well. Add egg and beat until blended. Mix in vanilla extract and orange juice. Add flour and salt, stir until blended. Mixture will be a somewhat thick batter.Line cookie sheets with foil. Drop batter by ½ teaspoons onto foil, about 2” apart – cookies spread out quite a bit.Bake for 8-10 minutes until evenly brown.Cool on foil until crisp, gently peel from foil. Melt chocolate chips over very low heat. Sandwich a bit of chocolate between two cookies, place on wire rack until chocolate is set. Makes 30 sandwich cookies.
Christmas Holly
Yield: 2 dozen
Prep Time: 25 min
Cook Time: 10 min
The kids love these cute little holly cookies- anything gooey and green! Their flavor is reminiscent of Rice Krispy treats.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
25-30 large marshmallows
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons green food coloring
3 1/2 cups corn flakes
red cinnamon candies
Directions:
1. Melt butter and marshmallows, stirring constantly. Add vanilla and food coloring. Mix in corn flakes. Grease a spoon and drop spoonful’s of mixture on greased cookie sheet, or vegetable oil sprayed wax paper. Place 3 red cinnamon candies on each bunch of "holly," pressing slightly so that they stick.
2. Let sit until they have hardened.
Buttery Christmas Trees
Ingredients:
10 oz (280g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg yolk
3 oz powdered sugar+1 heaping tablespoon sugar (100g)
1/4 teaspoon salt
11 oz (310g) all-purpose flour
4 oz (110g) corn starch
3 tablespoons milk powder, optional
2 tablespoons full cream/whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Christmas sprinkles
Cream the butter with sugar, egg yolk, salt and vanilla extract until fluffy. Add in the milk powder, full milk, and mix well. Fold in the all-purpose flour and corn starch. Mix until the dough becomes soft and not stick to hands. Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Transfer the cookie dough into the cookie press with your desired pattern. Ratchet the dough out onto the baking sheets. Make sure to leave some space in between the cookies. Top the cookies with some sprinkles and place the baking sheets in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when baked. Bake for about 13-14 minutes, or until cookies are completely cooked through inside or turn slightly brown. Cool on rack.
Pecan Crescent Cookies
(Makes about 3 dozen, depending on the width of your finger.)
Ingredients:
2 cups shortening (Grandma used 1 cup of Crisco, 1 cup of butter. I don’t even know if you can buy Crisco these days. I use butter or margarine.)
2/3 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3-1/3 cups flour
1-1/3 cups finely chopped pecans (If the pieces are too large, it’s harder to form the crescent shape.)
Thoroughly mix all ingredients – and don’t be afraid to dig your hands in and get messy. Everything should be well blended. Separate the dough in half and form into two “logs.” Wrap the logs in waxed paper or plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator at least a couple hours (I leave overnight). To form cookies, cut slices of the chilled dough and roll in your hands until about the size of your pinkie. Bend into a slight crescent shape. Place cookies about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 ° about 15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. (The bigger the cookies, the longer it takes. J) Set the cookies (still on the sheet) aside to cool for a few minutes. Until they set, they’re fragile and liable to fall apart. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a bowl, mix thoroughly. I start with about a quarter to a third of a cup of sugar and add cinnamon to taste. If you run out, you can always make more. While the cookies are still warm, but after they have firmed up a little (about 5 minutes or so), roll each cookie in the sugar/cinnamon mixture (careful handling still required!), then place on some waxed paper (or paper towel) in single layer to finish cooling. These are probably one of the few cookies I’ve ever made that taste better after they’ve cooled, so you might want to wait before sampling. Enjoy!
Fun Fudge
Ingredients:
3 packs of bittersweet chocolate (170 grams each)
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup mini marshmallows
½ cup Chex cereal or Cheerios
Nuts and Dried Fruit (if desired)
Melt Chocolate with Milk. Remove from heat, Stir in remaining ingredients. Spread on wax paper and chill. Break off pieces or cut after 4 hours in fridge.
Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
1 and 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cups softened butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg white
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1- three oz. package of gelatin powder
Beat the butter and sugar together. Add the egg white and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix the flour and baking powder then combine with butter mixture. Knead the gelatin powder into the dough. Shape into balls and flatten onto an ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart with a spoon or fork. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Let cool for a couple minutes before removing from cookie sheet.
* This is an easy way to make holiday-themed cookies by using the appropriate gelatin flavor for the desired color (e.g., cherry for red, lime for green).
Pecan Pralines
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
2 cups light brown sugar
½ stick butter
1 lg. can evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 or 3 cups pan roasted pecans
Cook all ingredients except nuts until it reaches softball stage. Add pecans, beat and drop by spoonsful onto parchment paper.
Hot Fudge Sauce
Ingredients:
1 cup Sugar
1/3 cup Cocoa (
powdered)
3 Tbs Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Milk
1 Tbs Butter
1 tsp Vanilla
Mix dry ingredients.
Add milk and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until thick and smooth.
Remove from heat.
Add butter and vanilla, stirring thoroughly to mix.
Serve warm over ice cream.
Chocolate Macaroons
Melt 4 squares (or 4 ounces) bittersweet chocolate with 1/2 cup Crisco in mixing bowl set over a pan of water.
When cooled, add
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, one at a time
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Mix well. Cover bowl and refrigerate until firm.
Roll 1 rounded teaspoon of dough into a ball, then roll in confectioner’s sugar.
Place on cookie sheet an inch or so apart. Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes. Makes 50 cookies, depending on size of balls.
The nice thing about this recipe is you don’t have to make it all at once. You can just roll out however many cookies you want to make and then keep the remaining dough in the fridge until next time. The dough will keep for about a week.
Mini Lemon Tarts
Ingredients:
Pastry:
¾ cup unsalted butter
6 tbsp water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp sugar
Pinch of salt
2 cups flour
For the lemon filling:
¼ cup white flour
1 cup sugar
½ cup lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
zest from 1 lemon, grated
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
Pinch of salt
Method:
To make the tart pastry, preheat the oven to 400° F. You will need two mini tart pans. Place the butter, water, oil, sugar and salt in an oven proof bowl. Put the bowl in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the butter is melted, bubbling, and just beginning to brown around the edges.
Carefully remove the bowl from the oven and add the flour all at once. Stir rapidly, until the dough comes together and pulls away from the side of the bowl.
Put a teaspoon of dough into one mini tart cup, and press it into the base and up the sides with your fingers. Repeat with remaining dough, filling all the tart cups.
Prick the bottom of each cup with a fork once or twice.
Bake for 8 – 12 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown all over.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
To make the tart filling, reduce the oven to 300° F.
Combine the flour and sugar in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice and zest and mix well to dissolve the sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and the egg yolk along with the salt.
Add the eggs into the lemon and sugar mixture and whisk until combined.
Pour the filling into each pastry case and return the tart tins to the oven.
Bake for 5 – 10 minutes, until the centers are just set. Decorate cooled tarts with a sprig of lemon zest before serving.
Makes 36 mini lemon tarts.
Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients:
Blend together:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
¼ cup milk
1 cup brown sugar
Add:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground ginger
Optional:
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions:
Mix first five ingredients thoroughly.
Add dry ingredients and mix well.
Add nuts and stir—optional.
Pour into muffin paper lined muffin pan.
Baking time and temperature:
350˚F
Baking time and amount of muffins depends on the size of the muffins. For mid-size muffins, approximately 25-35 minutes—check for doneness by inserting a wooden toothpick in the center of one—if it comes out clean, they are ready to come out of the oven. You can also make this into pumpkin bread using 2 medium size loaf pans (bake for 55 – 60 minutes).
Cherry Pie with Never-Fails Pie Crust
Double Pie Crust (Top and bottom--9" pie pan works best)
2¼ cups flour (I use unbleached)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
Pinch of salt...Mix all above together.
3/4 cup (12 Tbsp) butter-flavor Crisco
Using a pastry cutter, mix Crisco with dry ingredients until the pieces resemble small peas.
Add 1/3 cup cold water and use fork to blend. Shape into 2 balls and if you have time, chill in fridge for ½ hour wrapped in plastic wrap. When ready, use rolling pin to roll into bottom crust using extra flour. Fill, then roll other crust. You can get fancy and make strips if you want to make a lattice top crust. Or not.
Sour Cherry Filling
{If using canned sour cherries, use 4 cans...drain the juice and use part of it, then drink the rest. Otherwise use 4 cups of pitted sour cherries.}
Mix with ¼ tsp. almond extract and set aside.
In small pot, mix 3/4 cups sour cherry juice with 1½ cups sugar+ 2 Tbsp cornstarch and 2 Tbsp. Tapioca (instant)
Cook over low heat until bubbly and the juice begins to gel slightly. Mix in cherries and pour into pie crust. Put top crust on and crimp edges with your fingers. (Or use a fork to make what my Mom used to call "bird's feet") Use a fork to make tiny "steam escape" holes, then sprinkle 1 Tbsp. sugar on top crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.
Hint: Line the bottom of the oven with a sheet of aluminum foil in case the pie bubbles.
Sour Cream Apple Pie
Ingredients:
Pie crust dough
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5-6 medium-large tart apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup finely chopped pecans
Directions:
Prepare pie crust dough.
On a lightly floured surface roll out larger portion of pastry to 1/8-inch thick and 2 inches larger than pie pan. Arrange pastry in pan, leaving edges untrimmed. Heat oven to 375°.
Beat together sour cream, sugar, egg, salt, vanilla and flour. Fold in apples, coating them with sour cream mixture. Spoon into prepared pie pan.
Stir together brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over apple mixture, then add chopped nuts.
Roll out remaining pastry to 10-inch diameter and cut into 3/4 to 1-inch strips. Weave the strips on top of the pie to create a lattice. (Hint: Freeze the strips on a baking sheet for 30 minutes to make handling easier.) Trim the lattice strip edges. Press the edges of the bottom crust and lattice strips together and fold underneath, then crimp to make a decorate edge.
Bake about 50 minutes until crust browns and apples are bubbling. (Cover lightly with foil if crust begins to overbrown.)
We hope you all get to take time to enjoy some of these recipes. Happy Holidays from all of us to all of you! ~ The Authors of Romancing the Holidays
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days: Twelve Christmas Romances - Benefits Breast Cancer Research
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