Peppermint Patty Cookies

From Neighbor, Paulanne G in December, 2000

These are my middle brother’s favorite Christmas cookie. He shared the recipe with me this year. I’ve never had them! I am sure they are very good. A Chocolate and Peppermint cookie. 

Ingredients:

2/3 Cup Butter - softened

1 Cup Sugar

1 Egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

1/3 Cup Hershey’s cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon milk

12-14 small (1 1/2”) York peppermint patties

Directions: 

1) In a large mixer bowl, beat butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla, blending well. 

2) In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. 

3) Add butter mixture alternately with milk, blending well. 

4) Refrigerate dough about 1 hour or until firm enough to handle. (Dough will be a little soft.) Lightly grease cookie sheet.

5) Heat oven to 350 degrees F. 

6) Shape small portion of dough around unwrapped Peppermint Pattie, completely covering candy. 

7) Place on prepared cookie sheet; flatten slightly and crimp with tines from a fork, if desired. 

8) Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. 

9) Cool 1 minute, remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. 

10) Cool completely. 

Makes about 12-14 cookies. 

Apples and Cranberry Compote

4 medium Macintosh apples, about 1 1/4 lbs
1 scant cup raw cranberries
5 T light brown sugar

Peel apples and cut into 1/2 inch pieces, removing cores and seeds.  Place in a 4-quart saucepan with cranberries, sugar and 1 cup water.  Bring to a boil.  Cover pot and cook over moderate heat about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until apples and cranberries are broken down and sauce is fairly smooth.  Let cool, then refrigerate until cold.

Serves 4.


From the Cookbook:  "Healthy 1-2-3" by Rozanne Gold
A great cookbook!  Fewer ingredients, yummier, not-so-messy kitchen, less expensive!

My Favorite Sweet Potatoes

4 large sweet potatoes, about 3 lbs.
2 juice oranges
2-inch piece fresh ginger

Scrub potatoes, do not peel.  Place in a pot with enough cold water to cover.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium.  Cook for 50 minutes, or until potatoes are very soft.

Meanwhile, grate rind of 1 orange on the file holes of a box grater to yield 1 t grated zest.  Cut oranges in half and squeeze 2/3 cup juice.  Set aside.

Drain potatoes in colander and peel thoroughly under cool running water.  Cut into large chunks and place in bowl of a food processor.

Using a small sharp knife, peel ginger and mince.  You should have almost 1/4 cup.

Add orange zest, juice, and ginger to food processor with potatoes.  Process until very smooth.  Transfer mixture to a saucepan and add kosher salt to taste. 

Do not add pepper, as the ginger provides enough heat.  Reheat gently before serving.

Serves 8.


From the Cookbook:  "Healthy 1-2-3" by Rozanne Gold
A great cookbook!  Fewer ingredients, yummier, not-so-messy kitchen, less expensive!

Reindeer Bark

1 1/4 cups whole raw almonds
1 T olive oil
1/4 t fine sea salt
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 •

In a medium bowl, combine the almonds, olive oil & sea salt. Spread them on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until toasted & fragrant ~ 8-10 minutes. Set aside.

Turn the oven down to 250 • F.

Line a 17x11" rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread both kinds of chopped chocolate all over the sheet. Place in the oven until soft, about 5 min.

Remove from oven and spread the chocolate with a spatula or dull knife evenly to the edges. Immediately sprinkle with the toasted and salted almonds. Bury the nuts in the chocolate.

Refrigerate the bark for 2-3 hours, then cut it into bite-sized pieces. Wrap in parchment and store in a plastic container in the refrigerator 2-3 weeks.

Makes 1 pound.

Posted from Blogium for iPhone

Sugar Plums

Habitat: United States/Portugal

Description: These are small candies made from a melange of dried fruit and they are great to make with kids, in which case, use the orange juice. Otherwise, for an adult version, go for the “spirited” variation. There are several ways to finish them off and I suggest that you choose at least two of the options.

Field Notes: The original version may have originated in Portugal where fresh black figs and cooked green plums were used to make a similar candy. I always associate them with the Sugarplum Fairies from The Nutcracker ballet. I think this is what the fairies eat when they want to sneak a sweet treat!

Special Characteristics: Quick to make, Extra fancy, Sturdy enough for mailing, Keep well, Fun to make with kids

Ingredients:
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup finely chopped dates
1/4 cup finely chopped dried figs
1/4 cup finely chopped dried plums (prunes)
1/4 cup finely chopped dried cherries
1/4 cup finely chopped golden raisins
1/4 cup unsweetened grated coconut
2 tablespoons rum, orange liqueur or orange juice
Sugar

Optional Toppings:
Powdered sugar
Finely chopped pistachios
Finely grated bittersweet chocolate
Cocoa
Unsweetened grated coconut

Directions:
The key to this recipe is to have the nuts and fruits all the same small size. You may chop them by hand, or, chop one by one in food processor fitted with metal blade, pulsing on and off until the desired size is reached.

Place nuts, all the dried fruit, coconut and liquid of choice in medium bowl. Mix together by hand until thoroughly combined; the consistency should hold together when compressed. If it is dry, add a little more liquid.

Roll mixture into 1-inch balls compressing the mixture so that it sticks together. Place sugar in small bowl and roll sugarplums in sugar to coat completely; place in small fluted paper cups, if desired. For the optional toppings: instead of rolling them in the granulated sugar, roll them in the suggested toppings. Try a few different versions, such as some rolled in pistachios, others in cocoa or coconut for a real variety of flavors, colors and textures. (Sugarplums may be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 month).

Yield: 36 sugarplums

Easy Egg Nog

Egg nog is a pretty simple drink to make. This is the perfect recipe for egg nog novices. It's non-alcoholic, so make enough to share with the kids.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten well
• 3 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg, ground
• 2 1/3 cups milk

Preparation:

Blend all the ingredients together and serve chilled.

Photos of Christmas Cookies

I just updated my Christmas cookie posts with cookie pix! Go see - go see!!

Butterscotch Haystacks

From the butterscotch chip bag.

1 2/3 cups (11 oz pkg.) Nestle Toll House Butterscotch Flavored Morsels
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 can (8.5 oz) or 2 cans (5 oz each) chow mein noodles
3 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Line baking sheets or trays with wax paper.

Microwave morsels in large, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on medium-high (70%) power for 1 minute; stir. The morsels may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10 to 15 second intervals, stirring until melted.

Stir in peanut butter until well blended. Add chow mein noodles and marshmallows; toss until coated. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Double boiler method: Place morsels in top of double boiler over hot (not boiling) water. Do not cover. When most of the morsels are shiny, stir just until melted. (Prevent water from coming in contact with morsels.) Remove from heat; stir in peanut butter. Transfer to large bowl. Add chow mein noodles and marshmallows; proceed as above.

Makes about 6 dozen candies.

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I found this on the Butterscotch chip bag. It looks like a yummy variation on the normal Chow Mein Noodle Candy recipe that Gran used to make. I am definitely going to try this. Maybe it will be the new variation! Yum!

Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar

Servings: 16
Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup diced dried cranberries
6 ounces white chocolate, cut into chunks

Frosting:
4-ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup diced dried cranberries

Drizzled Icing:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons vegetable shortening

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Make cake by beating butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, ginger, and salt and beat well. Gradually mix in flour until smooth.

Mix 3/4 cup diced dried cranberries and white chocolate into the batter by hand. Pour batter into a well-greased 9x13" baking pan. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly across the pan.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until cake is light brown on the edges. Allow cake to cool.

3. Make frosting by combining softened cream cheese, 3 cups powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. When the cake has cooled, use a spatula to spread frosting over the top of the cake.

4. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of diced cranberries over the frosting on the cake.

5. Whisk together 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and shortening. Drizzle icing over the cranberries in a sweeping motion or use a pastry bag with a fine tip to drizzle frosting across the top of the cake.

6. Allow cake to sit for several hours, then slice the cake lengthwise (the long way) through the middle. Slice the cake across the width three times making a total of eight rectangular slices. Slice each of those rectangles diagonally creating 16 triangular slices.

Egg Nog

From Foodtv.com
Goes well with Christmas cookies & Christmas dinner!!

1/2 vanilla bean
3 eggs
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups cream
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Ground mace, to taste

Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds, set aside.

In a bowl over simmering water, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla bean seeds. Keep whisking until a ribbon is formed and the mixture has been heated to 140 degrees.

Hold it at this temperature for 2-3 minutes, and allow the mixture to thicken. Stir this mixture into the milk. Stir in the cinnamon.

Refrigerate this for 2 hours or until cold. Whip the cream and add it to the egg mixture.

Sprinkle the top with the mace before serving.

Butter and Jam Thumbprints

From Food Network Kitchens

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened
2/3 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
1 large egg
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped from pod, or 1/8 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup raspberry, cherry or strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.

In another bowl, whip the butter and the sugar with a hand-held mixer until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until just combined. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing just until incorporated.

Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls with a cookie or ice cream scoop and roll in sugar. Place about 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press a thumbprint into the center of each ball, about 1/2-inch deep. Fill each indentation with about 3/4 teaspoon jam.

Bake cookies until the edges are golden, about 15 minutes. (For even color, rotate the pans from top to bottom about halfway through baking.) Cool cookies on the baking sheets. Serve.

Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

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I found this recipe a year or more ago - it's the most similar at this point to what I can find... that Gran made every year - Gramps' favorite - "Cherry Winks."

Christmas Sausage

Traditional sausage for our family - to eat on Christmas morning after opening the presents. This is from the principal of my Elementary school - Mr. Chase. Churchill Road Elementary School. In the early & mid 80s. He was such a nice principal! He married Mrs. Schulzeburger - the secretary of the school. Fun!

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Bisquick Sausage Balls

1 lb Bulk Sausage (Hot Or Mild)
2 c Sharp Cheddar Cheese Grated
3 c Bisquick

Combine all ingredients and shape into balls the size
of walnuts. Bake on cookie sheet at 350 degrees F.
for 15 minutes.

Makes about 5 dozen.

NOTE:
Sausage Balls may be frozen before or after baking.
If frozen after, defrost and reheat at 350 degrees F

Sparkle Plenty Cookies

This is a recipe from a Mary Englebright Christmas cookbook that I own.

Ingredients:
2 C flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 Tablespoons (1 1/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 C + 2 T granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Favorite vanilla frosting, for decorating
Colored coarse sugar or sanding sugar, for decorating

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

2. In a large bowl of an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat the butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until they are completely combined.

3. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture, beating just until incorporated. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Shape each piece into a disk and wrap in plastic. Place the disks in the refrigerator about 1 hour or up to 2 days.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 piece of dough to a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out stars, using assorted-size cookie cutters and place 2 inches apart on un-greased baking sheets. Insert one 8-inch lollipop stick into each star, pressing to make sure the sticks are secure but not poking through the other side. The dough scraps should be chilled and re-rolled.

5. Bake the cookies 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool 1-2 minutes on the baking sheets on wire racks, then transfer carefully to wire racks to cool completely.

6. With a small knife, frost the tops of the cookies. Gently sprinkle the cookies with the colored sugar; let set for 30 minutes.

Makes about 2 dozen.

Peppermint Patsies

Ingredients:
1 lb. Confectioner’s sugar
3 T unsalted butter, softened
1 T peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 C evaporated milk
2 C semisweet chocolate chips
2 T vegetable shortening
2 oz. White chocolate, chopped
Small red candies, for decorating

1. Cover a wire rack with waxed paper and set aside. In the large bowl of an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the sugar, butter, peppermint extract, vanilla, and salt until combined. Add the milk and mix well.

2. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Using a clean glass with a flat bottom, flatten each ball to a 1/4 inch thickness. Refrigerate 30 minutes longer, then freeze for 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a double boiler over gently simmering water, melt the semisweet chocolate and the shortening; stire until smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes.

4. Dip the patsies into the chocolate mixture, turning to completely coat. Place the patsies on the prepared wire rack. Freeze for 5 minutes to harden the chocolate.

5. In a double broler over gently simmering water, melt the white chocolate. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag. Snip off a tiny corner of the bag. Drizzle the patsies with the white chocolate. Sprinkle with the red candies and let set.

Makes 2 dozen.

Sneaky Chocolate Cherry Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 C sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/3 C flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 C finely chopped white chocolate, melted
1/2 C cherry jam

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In the large bowl of an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. On low speed, beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Roll the dough between sheets of waxed paper to a 1/4-inch thickness. Refrigerate 30 minutes, until firm.

3. With a small cookie cutter, cut out rounds; the scraps should be re-rolled.. Bake the cookies 6-8 minutes until just set. Cool completely on a wire rack.

4. Spread a small amount of the white chocolate on the bottoms of the half the cookies. Set aside.

5. In a medium bowl, beat the cherry jam until smooth. Spread a small amount of the jam on the bottoms of the remaining 1/2 of the cookies and top with the white-chocolate covered cookies, top side up.

Makes about 2 dozen.

it's Christmas Cookie Season!!

It's Christmas cookie season!!

2 years ago, I promised to post all my Christmas cookie recipes on here. That was in November, 2007. (See post below - I've re-dated it to November, 2009. It's the one called "Ginger Creams.") I never did post more than that one recipe.

Well, tonight I've finally gotten around to posting a bunch of my recipes. These are not all that I have, reference or use.... but they are my favorites, or my family's favorites from over the years.

Well, my favorites are really these:

Chow Mein Noodle Candy, Cathedral Windows, Ginger Creams, Choco-Mint Fudge, and the green ones (which I only make because they are SO Christmassy.)

All other recipes I sort of rotate due to my schedule & preference that season... for my own variety & use.

I'm so excited to finally have these on here!!

You can thank my sister-in-law, Deb, if you see her. She complimented my Christmas cookies that I made (the green ones & the Chow Mein Noodle candy - they are all I could do the week before Thanksgiving... and fit into the tiny tins I bought....). I promised her recipes, and I thought "let's put them on the blog!!!"

Long live Christmas Cookie Season!!!

Please find on this blog the reason why my family (which is not German) has a long-standing tradition of Christmas Cookie baking season. It's basically a story of love between my grandparents.

PS: You can tell which recipes I use most / which are the REAL Christmas cookies that I make - based on the fact that I have made them have colors. Primarily red & green, but also with dark blue & purple for comments & such. Any other Christmas like recipes I've found more recently are on here too - but haven't entered my home as "tradition" yet. Maybe at some point.

Choco-Mint Fudge

Ingredients:
2 sticks butter or margarine / "oleo" as my grandmother called it
4 C sugar
Few grains of salt
1 can (1 2/3 C) evaporated milk
2 pkgs (12 oz. total) chocolate chips
1 jar marshmallow cream (7 1/2 oz.)
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 C chopped pecans

Mix sugar, salt, oleo, and evaporated milk in a large sauce pan. Cook and stir over low heat until dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook 7 minutes over medium heat – stirring continuously.

Remove from heat – add chocolate chips, marshmallow, and peppermint. Beat until smooth. Add pecans. Pour into a greased 9x12 pan.

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Notes by Jodi:

Pour into the greased 9x12 pan. Let it sit out in the kitchen by the window where the cold air is coming in even though the window is closed. Let it sit overnight.

Cut into bars or squares depending on how big you want the pieces of fudge.

Peppermint Candy Cookies

Ingredients:
Cookie dough:
1 cup soft butter (or margarine)
1/2 C sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 c all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup walnuts (or other nuts) finely chopped

Peppermint Fudge Filling
1/2 C crushed peppermint stick candy
1/2 C sifted confectioner’s sugar
2 T cream cheese
1 teaspoon milk
1/2 C sifted confectioner’s sugar
red food coloring

For the cookie dough, cream the butter. Add the 1/2 C sifted confectioner’s sugar and vanilla, creaming well. Blend-in the sifted flour and 1/2 C walnuts. Mix thoroughly. Cover.

Prepare Peppermint Fudge Filling. For the filling, combine the crushed peppermint stick candy and the 1/2 C sifted confectioner’s sugar. Set aside.

Blend the cream cheese with the milk until smooth and creamy. Add another 1/2 C sifted confectioner’s sugar gradually; add the peppermint candy and confectioner’s sugar mixture (already combined), as well as one drop of red food coloring. Mix well.

Now, shape the dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls. Make a deep hole in the center of each and fill with about 1/4th teaspoon of the filler. Reshape and seal. Place on un-greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Do not brown.

While warm, roll in remainder of peppermint candy and confectioner’s sugar mixture. Cool; re-roll in candy mixture.

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Jodi thoughts:

I have found that these are a much yummier version of a traditional looking Christmas cookie that many folks make. Many folks call the more traditional ones "Mexican Wedding Cookies" but I don't make those. I think Gran did make those. But I always thought they were so boring. They look like snowballs. It's basically a blah dough in powdered sugar. This cookie is similar, except it tastes like peppermint! At least it tastes like a holiday cookie flavor!

Chocolate Cherry Bars ("Yummy!" – Gran)

Ingredients:
1 package fudge cake mix
1 can 21-oz cherry pie filling
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using solid shortening or margarine, grease and flour 15x10 or 9x13 jelly roll pan. In large bowl, combine the first four ingredients. By hand, stir until well mixed. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 20-30 minutes.
While bars cool, prepare frosting.

Frosting:
1 cup sugar
5T butter or margarine
1/3 cup milk
1 package (6-oz) semi-sweet chocolate pieces

In small saucepan, combine sugar, butter and milk. Boil, stirring constantly, one minute. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate pieces until smooth. Pour over partially cooled bars.

Makes 3 dozen bars.

Chow Mein Noodle Candy

Ingredients:
1 (12-ounce) package of chocolate chips
1 (12-ounce) package of butterscotch chips
1 cup salted nuts
2 (3 ounce) cans Chow Mein noodles

Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips in top of double-boiler until creamy. Mix nuts and chow mein noodles in large bowl. Add to candy mixture. Stir carefully (noodles can break) until all are coated. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper covered surface. Cool until hard.

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Jodi modifications:
2 (12 ounce) packages of chocolate chips
2 (12 ounce) packages of butterscotch chips
1 can of salted mixed nuts + a sprinkling of extra salt
1 12-ounce bag of Chow Mein noodles

Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips in crock pot set on “low.” Stir every few minutes. It doesn’t take that long. Mix in the nuts and stir well. Add the chow mein noodles and stir carefully until all are dark with the chocolate. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper covering the dining room table. Cool until hard. This makes approximately 80 cookies.

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These are my all-time favorite Christmas cookie. I love the Cathedral Windows because they are beautiful. But these I could practically eat by the fistful when I was the most pregnant with my first son... and for years afterwards! These may not look like much on the plate, but once you pop one in your mouth, you're hooked for life & want to eat the whole batch.

The nuts are, of course, optional, but I like the flavor & texture they add. You can use any nuts that you like. I tend to cut them with my Santuko knife - only because I don't have a nut chopper. I like having partial nuts as well as the nut shavings mixed into the chocolate. Yummmmeeee!!!