Dec16
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto un-greased cookie sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.
Dec9
Ingredients
2 cups Honey-Nut Cheerios
2 cups chow mein noodles
1 cup honey-roasted peanuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup holiday milk chocolate M&M’s
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup vanilla or white chips
Instructions
In two wide-mouth quart jars, layer all of the ingredients. Cover jars. Decorate with fabric and ribbon. To serve, pour into a bowl and stir to combine. Yield: 7 cups
Dec8
Ingredients:
1 dozen strawberries
1 cup whipped cream
a handful of chocolate sprinkles
Directions:
Using a pairing knife, slice the leafy end off each strawberry so they stand up evenly. Then slice the tip off to make a little hat.
Using a spoon or a large icing tip, place a large dollop (about 1-2 tsp) of whipped cream on top of the strawberry base. Plop the little hat on top. Add another small drop of whipped cream to the tip of the hat to make a pom-pom.
Place two chocolate sprinkles on the face for the eyes. Using a toothpick, place two very small spots of whipped cream down the front of the strawberry for buttons.
Sep8
Ingredients:
Small Pretzels
Hershey’s Kisses (unwrapped)
m&ms
Directions:
Top each pretzel with a Hershey’s Kiss, and place in a preheated 200ºF oven for 10 minutes. Remove and immediately press an m&m into the top of each kiss. Let cool completely.
Sep6
Ingredients:
Chocolate frosting
mini candy canes
teddy grahams
mini snickers bars
Spread a small amount of chocolate frosting on two miniature candy canes. Cut a miniature snickers bar into two pieces (1 piece bigger than the other.) Place the bars lined up with the non-hook end of the candy cane on top of the frosting with just enough space between them to place a teddy graham standing up. Place on waxed paper on a cookie sheet and refrigerate overnight. The frosting will harden to keep the sleigh together.
Ingredients:
1 pack Nutter Butter cookies
1 bag Vanilla Almond Bark
1 bag M&Ms
1 container orange tic=tacs
1 Black Decorator Icing (the gel writing type works best)
Melt the Almond Bark for 90 seconds.
Dip the nutter butter cookies in and make sure they are totally covered. Try not to leave your fingerprints on the cookies when they are wet. Put 3 pieces of the M&Ms on the cookies for the buttons. Add one orange tic-tac as the nose. Draw the mouth and eyes with decorator icing.
Dec13
1 C. packed brown sugar
1/2 C. white sugar
1 1/2 C. semisweet chocolate chips
2 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
Directions
1. Mix the salt and baking soda with the flour, then layer the ingredients into a 1 quart, wide mouth jar. Use scissors to cut a 9 inch-diameter circle from a piece of cloth. Place over lid, and secure with rubber band. Tie on a ribbon to cover rubber band.
2. Enclose a card with the following mixing and baking directions: Chocolate Chip Cookies 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). 2. In a large bowl, cream 1 cup of unsalted butter or margarine until light and fluffy. Beat in 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Mix in cookie mix. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough, spaced well apart, onto a greased cookie sheet. 3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.
Dec12
1 cup pecans
8 ounces vanilla wafers, enough to make 2 cups
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa, divided
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, divided
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup bourbon
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Spread the pecans on a cookie sheet, and place in the oven for 3 minutes. For even toasting, turn the tray, front to back. Toss the nuts with a metal spatula and bake for another 3 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when they give off their fragrant aroma, and be sure to check them so they don’t become overbaked or charred.
Crush the vanilla wafers into crumbs. Add the pecans and process just until they are finely chopped. In a medium bowl, mix together the crumb-pecan mixture, 1/4 cup of the cocoa, and 1/4 cup of the confectioners’ sugar. Add the corn syrup and bourbon. Mix thoroughly. Sift the remaining 1/4 cup cocoa and 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar onto a large plate. Form the crumb mixture into 3/4-inch balls and roll them through the cocoa-sugar to coat. Store in a sealed container for up to 5 days. If necessary, touch them up with a light dusting of the remaining confectioners’ sugar.
Dec8
Serves: 12
Cooking Time: 20 min
What You’ll Need:
1 gallon apple cider
1 orange, sliced
1/2 cup firmly-packed light brown sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
3 teaspoons whole cloves
What To Do:
In a large pot, bring all ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat.
Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Serve hot. Makes about 1 gallon.
Dec8
Save this recipe for the holidays, ’cause when your oven is full of roasted turkey or glazed ham and all the trimmings, it’s nice to know you can make a cheesecake that doesn’t need any baking!
Serves: 9
Chilling Time: 3 hr
What You’ll Need:
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup (½ stick) butter, melted
1 (0.25 ounces) envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 (8 ounces) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup eggnog
1 cup (½ pint) heavy cream
What To Do:
In small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, nutmeg, and butter; mix well. Press into bottom of 8-inch-square baking dish; set aside.
In small saucepan, combine gelatin and water; stir over low heat 3 to 4 minutes, until dissolved. Remove from heat; set aside.
In large bowl, with an electric beater on medium speed, beat cream cheese and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar until well blended. Stir in dissolved gelatin and eggnog until well blended. Refrigerate 8 to 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.
In a medium-sized bowl, whip cream. Fold whipped cream into eggnog mixture, then pour over prepared crust, cover, and chill 3 to 4 hours before serving.
