Holiday cookies, etc.

[TicklingDuo]

Well, with the holidays fast approaching (and some already here), I thought it might be nice to share some of our fav. recipes. Here are a couple of the goodies I'm planning to bake this season...

Tea Time Tassies

Ingredients
Pastry:
1 3oz package cream cheese
1 stick margarine
1 cup sifted plain flour
Filling:
1 egg
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon soft margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt
2/3 cup broken pecans(meats)

Recipe
Pastry: Let cream cheese and margarine soften at room temperature. Blend. Stir in the flour. Chill 1 hour. Shape in 2 dozen balls. Place in tiny ungreased 1 3/4 inch muffin pans. Press dough in bottom and up sides of cups to form a crust.

Filling: Beat together egg,sugar,butter,vanilla and salt. Divide 1/2 the nuts among cups. Add about 1 teaspoon of filling on top of pecans and top with remaining pecans. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool and remove from pan.


Creme de Menthe Squares

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups butter or margarine
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar -- sifted
1 egg -- beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup creme de menthe
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

For bottom layer: In sauce pan combine 1/2 cup of the butter and the cocoa powder. Heat and stir until well blended. Remove from heat; add 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar, the egg and vanilla. Stir in graham cracker crumbs. Mix well. Press into bottom of an ungreased 13x9x2" baking pan.

For middle layer: Melt another 1/2 cup of the butter. In small bowl combine the melted butter and creme de menthe. At low speed of electric mixer beat in the remaining 3 cups powdered sugar until smooth. Spread over the chocolate layer. Chill 1 hour.

For top layer: In small sauce pan combine the remaining 1/4 cup butter and chocolate pieces. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Spread over middle layer. Chill 1 to 2 hours. Cut into small squares. Store in refrigerator.

Hope everyone enjoys these and joins in the fun of sharing our recipes! BTW, this doesn't need to be just cookies....ANY holiday recipe.

Ann

 

[venray]

Yummies..Cant wait to help you make those.



Ray

 

[luv2bt&tickled]

Ann you got me hungry for these now. They sound yummy thanks for sharing, got anymore?

 

[TicklingDuo]

Ann ... got anymore?

I have plenty more!

Snickerdoodles

1 c Margarine or butter
3/4 c Sugar, brown; packed
3/4 c Sugar
2 Eggs
1 3/4 c Flour, all purpose
2 c Oats, old fashioned
2 ts Cinnamon, ground
1 ts Baking soda
1/2 ts Salt; (optional)
1 tb Sugar

Heat oven to 375F. Grease cookie sheet. In large bowl, beat together butter, brown sugar and 3/4 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs; mix well. In medium bowl, combine flour, oats, 1 ts cinnamon, soda and salt. Add to sugar mixture; mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet. In small bowl, combine remaining 1 Tb sugar and 1 ts cinnamon; sprinkle lightly over each cookie. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire cooling rack.


Kiffles
This is my all-time favorite.

Ingredients:
dough -
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 lb. margarine/butter
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups salt
filling -
1 lb. chopped nuts
2 well beaten egg whites
1 cup confectioners sugar

Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, salt and flour. Chill dough.

Preheat oven to 350F. Beat egg whites until frothy. add in confectioners sugar and blend well. Mix in nuts. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll into thin sheets. Cut into 1" X 2" squares. Add filling. (This is easiest if you roll the filling into skinny logs and cut it to fit.) Roll dough around filling. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 min. Cool. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar.
NOTE: Your fav. thick fruit preserves can be used in place of the nut filling. Apricot is quite tastey.

Hopefully others will add as well.

Ann

 

[kandykisses]

I have plenty more!

Snickerdoodles

1 c Margarine or butter
3/4 c Sugar, brown; packed
3/4 c Sugar
2 Eggs
1 3/4 c Flour, all purpose
2 c Oats, old fashioned
2 ts Cinnamon, ground
1 ts Baking soda
1/2 ts Salt; (optional)
1 tb Sugar

Heat oven to 375F. Grease cookie sheet. In large bowl, beat together butter, brown sugar and 3/4 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs; mix well. In medium bowl, combine flour, oats, 1 ts cinnamon, soda and salt. Add to sugar mixture; mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet. In small bowl, combine remaining 1 Tb sugar and 1 ts cinnamon; sprinkle lightly over each cookie. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire cooling rack.


Kiffles
This is my all-time favorite.

Ingredients:
dough -
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 lb. margarine/butter
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups salt
filling -
1 lb. chopped nuts
2 well beaten egg whites
1 cup confectioners sugar

Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, salt and flour. Chill dough.

Preheat oven to 350F. Beat egg whites until frothy. add in confectioners sugar and blend well. Mix in nuts. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll into thin sheets. Cut into 1" X 2" squares. Add filling. (This is easiest if you roll the filling into skinny logs and cut it to fit.) Roll dough around filling. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 min. Cool. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar.
NOTE: Your fav. thick fruit preserves can be used in place of the nut filling. Apricot is quite tastey.

Hopefully others will add as well.

Ann

Ann, you have a new fan! LOL I love sweets! I wrote the last one down and going to try to make it tonight! Thanks for sharing, most people will not give out their recipes. *hugs* Kandy

 

[TicklingDuo]

Ann, you have a new fan! LOL I love sweets! I wrote the last one down and going to try to make it tonight! Thanks for sharing, most people will not give out their recipes. *hugs* Kandy

My pleasure! Just be sure to chill the dough for at least an hour before rolling it out. I put it in gallon size ziplock bags and flatten it out some to help it chill more quickly. (I do that with all my doughs that require chilling.) The kiffles are a bit time consuming. Sometimes I cheat and try doing longer logs to save a little time. But, they're harder to roll up.

I've got some links to sites with great recipes if anyone's interested.

Ann

 

[slave4tickles]

My pleasure! Just be sure to chill the dough for at least an hour before rolling it out. I put it in gallon size ziplock bags and flatten it out some to help it chill more quickly. (I do that with all my doughs that require chilling.) The kiffles are a bit time consuming. Sometimes I cheat and try doing longer logs to save a little time. But, they're harder to roll up.

I've got some links to sites with great recipes if anyone's interested.

Ann

Yummy! Hey Ann, do you think I could bake these? I am no cook! LOL They sound soooooo good! 🙂 Katherine

 

[QBWeaver]

Ann... you made me laugh when I saw this post. We have everything laid out at home to do baking this entire weekend! Snickerdoodles, Russian Tea Cakes, Lace Cookies, Chocolate Chip cookies, Decorated Sugar cookies, Lemon squares, Peanut Butter Kisses and a Gingerbread House.

Anyone want to come over to help?

 

[Venus51099]

Ann thank you for sharing your recipes, my Mom would always give me her recipe but some how it never turned out nearly as good as her's. There goes my diet! Oh well, I have some great ways to work it off!LOL

Rose

 

[Venus51099]

For Ann or anyone.....got a good recipe for Cheese Cake? Carrott Cake? Thanks in advance 🙂 Rose

 

[TicklingDuo]

Anyone want to come over to help?

Tell ya what, Jan. I'll fly out to help you this weekend if you come help us on Thursday. 😛 Seriously, have fun with your baking!

I actually got in the mood after posting these and started mixing up the doughs this afternoon. I also baked spiced pecans while I was mixing the doughs. Ray & Tracy are going to join us to bake things. So, I doubled up on everything. I'll be putting more dough together tonight and tomorrow. So, we'll have a bit of a headstart when we bake them.

Katherine, though the kiffles are kind of tedious/time consuming to make, it's not too difficult. If you're short on chunks of time to do things, I recommend putting the dough together one day and baking another. It will keep well for 8-10 days in the refrigerator.

Ann
PS - I'll be adding more recipes soon for those who are interested.

 

[TicklingDuo]

For Ann or anyone.....got a good recipe for Cheese Cake? Carrott Cake? Thanks in advance 🙂 Rose

There goes my diet! Oh well, I have some great ways to work it off!

I have good ones for both, Rose. I'll post them in a bit. Gotta go find them. As for the diet....I hear ya! But, I refuse to do too much dieting over the holidays...jest won't totally overdo things.

Ann

 

[QBWeaver]

Who needs a diet around Christmas. My mom always said that anything you eat around the holidays is fat free and calorie free. And my mom wouldn't lie to me!

LOL

 

[JoBelle]

As IF I didn't already have enough to keep me busy with baking and decorating this weekend, one little Miss Annie-Pants shares a recipe for Kiffles and Snickerdoodles in one single post. 😛

I figure adding those two to my work load will cancel out any caloric intake I may experience in the pre-bake stage! *hehe*

Thanks Ann, what a sweet gift (pun intended-neener~!) that you've given us! I have a good fudge recipe I'll share...just let me get it typed up!
Joby

 

[TicklingDuo]

Who needs a diet around Christmas. My mom always said that anything you eat around the holidays is fat free and calorie free. And my mom wouldn't lie to me! LOL

Sounds good to me, Jan! And, I'm sure it will taste even better! 😉

As IF I didn't already have enough to keep me busy with baking and decorating this weekend, one little Miss Annie-Pants shares a recipe for Kiffles and Snickerdoodles in one single post.

Joby, Joby, Joby! How many times have I told you to stop peaking in my windows? What? Well, how else would YOU know I was wearing pants?! lol

Seriously, tis my pleasure to share these. Not all are my own, BTW. Some are from friends. And the one for the Creme de menthe cookies I found online the other day and thought they sounded yummy.

A few more goodies and the requested items coming up...

Ann

 

[TicklingDuo]

quick and easy party treats...

Spiced Pecans

4 cups pecans (roughly a 1 lb. bag)
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300F. Thoroughly beat the egg whites in a bowl big enough to hold everything. Pour in pecans and mix until all are well coated. Mix cinnamon and sugar in seperate bowl. Pour sugar mixture over moist pecans. Mix until evenly coated. Spread on cookie sheet. Bake 20-25 min. Cool well. (You may need to flip the nuts over to let the bottom side dry if you had lots of yolk.) Once cool and dry, store in airtight container. These keep for several weeks. So, they're good to prepare in anticipation of upcoming events.

For those who like a little more kick, try beating 2 tsp of chili powder and 1 tsp. garlic powder into the egg yolks before coating the nuts. Then, skipping the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Seasoned Oyster Crackers

1 lg box oyster crackers
1/2 cup veg. oil
1 envelope Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
1 1/2 tsp dill weed

Pour crackers onto a large cookie sheet. Sprinkle dressing mix and dill weed onto crakers. Drizzle oil over crackers. Mix thoroughly. Let stand 5 min. Mix again. Let stand 10 min. Store in air tight container.

Lazy Double Chocolate Cake with Coconut Pecan Frosting

1 box chocolate cake mix (which ever you prefer)
1 box chocolate fudge instant pudding mix
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Mix cake and pudding mixes together. Finish preparing cake batter according to cake box directions. Add chips and nuts. Mix well. Bake accodring to cake box directions. Let cool. Frost with Betty Crocker Coconut Pecan Frosting. Cover and store in a cool place.

Note: I have yet to find a recipe for coconut pecan frosting that's better than Betty's. 😉

Enjoy!
Ann

 

[TicklingDuo]

For Ann or anyone.....got a good recipe for Cheese Cake? Carrott Cake? Thanks in advance 🙂 Rose

Here ya go, Rose. 🙂

Philadelphia 3-Step Cheesecake

2 - 8 oz pkgs cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla (I prefer a full tsp. myself)
2 eggs
1 ready to use graham cracker crust

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add eggs. Mix until well blended. Pour mixture into crust. Bake 40 min. or until center is nearly set. Cool. Refrigerate at least 3 hours. Serve plain or with topping.

Carrot Cake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting
Cake:
3 cups grated carrots
2 cups flour
2 cups white sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups veg. oil
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 - 8 oz can crushed pineapple (with natural juices)
3/4 cup chopped pecans
Frosting:
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 - 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine grated carrots, flour, white sugar, baking soda and baking powder. Mix well. Stir in eggs, veg. oil, 1 1/4 tsp vanilla, pineapple and nuts. Mix until thoroughly blended. Spoon into greased and floured 9" X 13" cake pan. Bake 30-35 min.
Allow cake to cool thoroughly before icing.

For Frosting: Combine conf. sugar, cream cheese, butter, 1 1/4 tsp vanilla and pecans (if used). Mix well. Spread lightly over cake once thoroughly cooled.

Enjoy!
Ann

 

[TicklingDuo]

How could I forget?

I never put in gingerbread cookies. Here are recipes for that and buchta (that yummy nut roll everyone so likes around the holidays).

Ginger Bread Cookies

1/3-cup soft shortening
1-cup brown sugar
1 1/2-cup dark molasses
2/3-cup cold water
7-cups flour
2-tsp baking soda
1-tsp salt
2-tsp ground ginger
1-tsp allspice
1-tsp ground cloves
1-tsp ground cinnamon
Creamy Frosting (below)
4 cups powdered sugar
5 tbsp half-and-half
1 tsp vanilla
Food coloring, if desired

Mix brown sugar, shortening, molasses and water in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm.
Heat oven to 350º. Lightly grease cookie sheet. Roll one-forth of dough at a time 1/4 inch thick floured surface. Cut with floured gingerbread cookie cutter or other favorite shaped cutter. Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched in center. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely. Prepare Creamy Frosting and spread on cookies.

Frosting: Mix all ingredients until smooth.


Buchta (Nut Roll)

Dough:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
4 eggs
1 package yeast
1/4 cup warm water
4 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
Filling:
4 cups chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cups sugar, half brown, half white
1 stick of melted butter
2 eggs, beaten

Cream sugar and butter together. Add eggs one at a time Dissolve 1 yeast in 1/4 cup warm water and add to creamed mixture. Sift 4 cups flour and 2 tsp. salt together. Add to mixture and mix. Place in greased bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Mix all filling ingredients together.
Roll out 10" X 14" size dough, spread half of the nut filling on and roll up. Repeat with second dough roll. Seal edges, cover with towel and place in warm spot until dough rises, or for an hour, whichever comes first. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Brush with melted butter if desired the last fifteen minutes before roll is done.

Enjoy!
Ann

 

[Celticrose2001]

Ann

Now you've done it women.. got my mouth watering and hands itching to do some holiday baking THIS weekend instead of putting it off till next weekend... Gotta look thru my recipe books and return the favour by posting some of my mom's myriad cookie recipes( my mother goes baking-crazy the whole month of December.. good thing I'm not going down there this yr or I'd probably come back 20 lbs heavier! 😱


Maggie

The carrot cake and Double choclate Cakeb are right up my alley( gotta see if I can "tweak" it somewhat so I can make it more low carb)

 

[TicklingDuo]

The carrot cake and Double choclate Cakeb are right up my alley( gotta see if I can "tweak" it somewhat so I can make it more low carb)

If this is because of being diabetic or because of watching weight, you might check the following links for some alternates...

http://www.diabetic-diet-and-recipes.com/index.php3
http://home.teleport.com/~jbdubois/SugarFree.shtml
http://www.diebetic-recipes.com
http://www.fatfree.com
http://www.healthrecipes.com

Ann

 

[Celticrose2001]

Thanks AGAIN Ann.... .. I'm definately gonna check out those links. You ROCK!!

The carb issue is right now more for weigh-loss and trying to avoid the diabetic curse(the disease is rampant in both my family and hubby's) by getting healthy.

Thanks again and I'll have the cookie recipes I promised by tomorrow(my mom's e-mailing them to me)

Ticklishly
Maggie

 

[TicklingDuo]

My pleasure, Maggie. Glad to be of help. I'm looking forward to seeing what you get from your mom!

Ann

 

[kandykisses]

If this is because of being diabetic or because of watching weight, you might check the following links for some alternates...

http://www.diabetic-diet-and-recipes.com/index.php3
http://home.teleport.com/~jbdubois/SugarFree.shtml
http://www.diebetic-recipes.com
http://www.fatfree.com
http://www.healthrecipes.com

Ann

Ann thanks for these links! I can just walk by a doughnut and gain weight! LOL You're the best! *hugs* Kandy

 

[ticklemebreezy]

Hey!

Hi everyone! I just found this post and wanted to say "thank you" for your contributions and making me hungry at 1 am here in Wisconsin! LOL!🙄 I hope I am not too late in sharing with you. I have never made these yet til this year, but the picture makes them look really yummy....


Butterscotch Pecan Cookies

Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup salted butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract *(for an authentic butterscotch flavor, the vanilla may be substituted with an equal quantity of scotch whiskey)
1 cup (4 oz.) chopped pecans
1 cup (3 oz.) whole peacans

Caramel Glaze:
8 oz. Caramels
1/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
In medium bowl combine flour, soda and salt. Mix well with a wire whisk. Set aside.

In large bowl with electric mixer beat sugar and butter. Mix to form a grainy paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs and vanilla (or whiskey), and beat at medium speed until soft and lumpy. Add the flour mixture and chopped pecans, and mix at low speed until just combined. Do not over mix.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Place one whole pecan in center of each cookie. Bake 23-25 minutes or until cookie edges begine to brown lightly. Transfer immediately to cool, flat surface with spatula.

To prepare Caramel Glaze:
Melt the caramels with the cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir with wooden spoon until smooth. Remove from heat.

Drizzle cooled cookies with caramel glaze into desired pattern using a spoon or a fork.

Make sure that the glaze flows from the fork in a think stream in order to achieve the most decorative effect.
Yield: 2 1/2 dozen cookies

 

[ticklemebreezy]

And this one...

Coffee Toffee Chocolate Crunch

6 Tbsp. salted butter
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tsp. coffee liqueur
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup (3oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish.
In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine butter, sugar and water.
Heat over medium temperature, stirring with a wooden spoon until sugar dissolves. Cover pan for 2 mintues to wash down any sugar crystals.

Uncover pan and increase heat to high. Without stirring, continue cooking until mixture begins to turn golden brown.

Quickly remove from heat; stir in coffee liqueur and baking soda. Pour immediately into prepared baking dish. Spread thin with a wooden spoon. Cool to room temperature.

In small sauce pan, melt chocolate chips, stirring constantly until smooth. Then, dip a fork into the chocolate and drizzle lattice patterns and interesting circles over the toffee candy. Let stand until chocolate is set. Break toffee into irregular-sized pieces. Store in an air tight container.

Anyone have any really delicious ham recipes?