Music: I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Lizzie's & Honey's
Christmas Cookies
and Other Sweets For Santa
Mexican Wedding Cakes
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-pupose flour
1 cup chopped pecans (black walnuts are good too!)
1/4 teaspoon salt
powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 325F. In a large bowl combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla. Blend well. Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds together. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 15-20 minutes until set but not brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets. Cool slightly and roll in powdered sugar. Cool completely and reroll in powdered sugar.
Neiman-Marcus Cookies
(YES! The Cookies Of Urban Legend Fame)
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups blended oatmeal (blend in a blender to a fine powder)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
12 oz. chocolate chips
4 oz. hershey bar (grated)
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add chocolate chips, hershey bar, and nuts. Roll into balls, and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 or 11 minutes.
Santa's Whiskers
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup red candied cherries, finely chopped
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 cup flaked coconut
In a large mixer bowl beat butter till softened. Add sugar and beat till fluffy. Add milk and vanilla and beat well. Add flour and beat until well mixed. Stir in cherries and pecans. Shape into three 7" rolls. Roll in coconut to coat. Wrap and chill for several hours. Preheat oven to 375F. Cut into 1/4" thick slices. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 12 minutes or until done. Remove and cool.
Black Walnut Cookies
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon maple flavoring
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups chopped black walnuts
Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and add flavoring. Add in flour and baking powder dissovled in a couple drops of water. Add nuts and mix well. Divide dough into thirds and roll into logs. Refrigerate until firm (about 1 hour.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
Slice logs into thin cookies. Bake for 9 minutes or until light brown in color.
Mocha Macadamia Shortbread
3/4 cup (3-1/2 oz) salted macadamia nuts
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into half inch pieces
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Mocha Icing (recipe follows)
Place the macadamia nuts and sugar in a food processor and pulse for about 30 seconds, or until the mixture resembles a fine meal. Add the vanilla extract and butter. Process just until smooth. Add 1 1/4 cups of the flour and pulse just until the flour is incorporated. Stir in the remaining cup of flour and process just until the dough starts to form a ball. Briefly knead the dough to fold in any loose crumbs. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a log about 8 inches long on a sheet of waxed paper or plastic wrap. Wrap the waxed paper or plastic wrap tightly around the dough and twist the ends closed. Chill for several hours or overnight.
Peheat the oven to 350 F. Cut the chilled dough into 1/3-inch thick slices and place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake in the center of the oven for about 8 to 9 minutes, or just until set but not brown. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack (careful, they're fragile while they're still warm).
Glaze the cookies while still warm with mocha icing, using a pastry brush. Store completed cookies in an airtight container, well-wrapped these may be frozen. Separate the cookies with sheets of waxed paper or the icing may stick together.
Mocha Icing:
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
3 tablespoons boiling water
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Dissolve the coffee in boiling water. Whisk in the melted butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Cover the icing with plastic wrap, with the wrap actually touching the icing surface, until you use the icing.
Lemon Slice Cookies
2 cups unbleached flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 large lemons
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
On a sheet of waxed paper, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. From lemons, grate 1 tablespoon of zest and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice. In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and powdered sugar until creamy. Beat in vanilla, lemon zest and juice until blended. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture just until combined. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into 6 inch long log. Wrap each log in waxed paper and refrigerate dough overnight. Preheat oven to 350�F. Keeping remaining log refrigerated, cut 1 log into scant 1/4 inch thick slices. Place slices, 1 1/2 inches apart, on ungreased large cookie sheet. Sprinkle lightly with some of remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Bake 12 minutes or until lightly browned at edges. Cool on cookie sheet on wire rack 2 minutes. With wide spatula, transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough and sugar.
Mom got this recipe from one of her really good friends -- Marlene. Mom said Marlene was one of the nicest person's she'd ever met, and she was a good cook too. Marlene is no longer with us and Mom said she misses Marlene an awful, awful lot! Mom said I would have liked Marlene because she was soooooo nice, I'm sorry I didn't get to meet her.
Marlene's Lemon Bars
The Crust:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 cup butter
The Filling
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Additional powdered sugar for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the 2 cups of flour and the 1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture clings together. Press the mixture into a 13"x9"x2" pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly brown.
Beat together the eggs, the granulated sugar and the lemon juice. Sift together the 1/4 cup of flour and the baking powder then stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Pour the egg mixture over the baked crust. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with additional confectioner's sugar. Cool. Cut into bars. Serve at room temperature.
Mom said these are the most bestest brownies she's ever tasted. I wouldn't know 'cause she won't let me and Honey have any chocolate at all! That makes me soooooo mad 'cause I know she used to give chocolate to Brandy dog.
I said to Mom: HOW COME, MOM you gave Brandy dog chocolate but you won't give me & Honey chocolate???
She said "Because at the time I didn't know that chocolate was bad for dogs, that's HOW COME Little Missy!" (I'm not sure, but I think I heard her say something under her breath about "a little brat"...I guess Honey must have done something to make her mad!)
Sharon�s Brownies
2 cups sugar
1 cup melted butter (no substitute)
4 eggs beaten
4 bars melted chocolate (8 oz. total)
2 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup (scant) flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsps vanilla
Combine all ingredients, pour into greased wax paper-lined 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 325o F. for 30-45 minutes. Do not over bake, a toothpick inserted in the middle of the pan of brownies should come out a little wet - it should not be dry. Invert pan and remove paper. Cut immediately and cool on a rack.
These two candy recipes came from our Uncle Gail, he got the recipes from his Aunt Ruth. Uncle Gail said these recipes are the best he's come across. His sister (our Aunt Gloria), makes 2 pounds of fudge every year for him at Christmas time!
Uncle Gail's Fudge Candy
4 cups sugar
1 large can Pet brand evaporated milk
Mix together and boil until the mixture forms a firm ball in cold water ( very important to firm up candy ). Take the mixture off the stove, add:
1 large Hershey Bar (8 oz.) or 5 average size bars, chopped small
4 cakes (1 oz each) Hershey�s bitter chocolate
1/4 lb. butter
1 pint Marsh mallow cream
1 cup nuts
1 tsp. vanilla
Stir and beat until stiff, put on buttered pan and cool. Makes 3 lbs.
.
Uncle Gail's Divinity Candy
3 cups sugar
1 cup corn syrup (white red label Karol)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. vinegar
2 egg whites beaten dry
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup broken nut meats (walnuts preferred)
Combine sugar, water, corn syrup and vinegar in covered pot. Cook about 5 min., remove cover and cook to 265 degrees or until it spins thread from spoon. Cool slightly and pour over beaten egg whites. Beat vigorously until very stiff. Add nuts and vanilla, pour onto buttered dish and cool.
Peanut Butter Cookies
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Cream butter with sugar, brown sugar and peanut butter, creaming after each addition until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix thoroughly. Add flour mixture gradually. Beat until smooth. Drop mixture, 1 teaspoon at a time and about 2" apart on to an undressed baking sheet. Flatten with a fork 2 times to form a criscross pattern on the cookie surface. Bake in a 350 F oven for 8-10 min. Remove from oven and cool.
Puppy Chow For People
1 stick butter
1 cup peanut butter
12-oz. chocolate chips
1 large box Crispix cereal
1 lb. powdered sugar
Melt butter, peanut butter and chocolate morsels together. Pour over Crispix cereal. Coat, mixing thoroughly. Place coated cereal and peanuts in large brown paper bag. Add powdered sugar to bag. Shake. Lay out to dry before storing.
Snowman Soup
1 package hot chocolate mix
3 Hershey Kisses
15 or so miniature marshmallows
1 candy cane
Place all the above in a mug, attach the following poem.
Snowman Soup Poem
Was told you've been real good this year.
Always glad to hear it.
With freezing weather drawing near,
You'll need to warm the spirit!!
So here's a little Snowman Soup,
Complete with stirring stick.
Add hot water, sip it slow,
It's sure to do the trick!
Candy Coal
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. black paste food coloring
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. anise extract
Line 8" square baking pan with foil, extending edges over sides of pan. Lightly grease foil with butter. Combine sugar, corn syrup and water into heavy 2-quart saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a boil, being careful not to splash sugar mixture on side of pan. Carefully clip candy thermometer to side of pan (do not let bulb touch bottom of pan). Cook about 15 minutes until thermometer registers 290 degrees F., without stirring. Immediately remove from heat. Stir in anise extract and food coloring. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Cool completely. Lift candy out of pan using foil. Place candy between 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Pound with mallet to break candy into 1-2" pieces. Put the broken candies into a clear jar and attach the following poem!
Bag of Coal
Poem by Shirley At Craftsayings.com
Now don't get all high and haughty
'cause you know you've been naughty.
Being good may have been your goal,
but Santa peeked and you're getting coal!
