Almond Rocca Bars

From: Mrs. Mousekin’s Book of Christmas Nibbles, page 13

 

1 cup butter

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

1 beaten egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups cake flour

2 (10 oz.) bars sweet chocolate

½ cup finely chopped almonds

Mix butter and sugars together until light. Add beaten egg yolk and vanilla and mix well. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Spread mixture thinly on ungreased 11×17-inch cookie sheet with sides. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. While baking, melt chocolate in double boiler. Spread chocolate over warm baked cookies. Sprinkle copped almonds over chocolate and press down lightly. Cut into bars while warm.

Nancy’s Notes: First made December 1976 – very chocolaty taste, bakes a large batch.

I purchased this little cookbook at a craft fair show in 1976. I’ve made several of the 26 recipes – always with success.

White and Dark Macadamia Kahlua Cookies

From: Meadow Creek B&B Inn – Pine, Colorado

1 ½ cups brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 cups butter-flavored shortening

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 tablespoons very strong coffee (or Kahlua)

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 bag (16 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1 bag (12 ounces) white chips

1 small can (3.5 ounces) macadamia nuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream sugars and shortening well. Beat together eggs, vanilla and coffee in a separate bowl. Stir into creamed sugar mixture. Mix together flour, salt and soda; add to cream\ed mixture – do not overmix. Add chocolate and white chips and macadamia nuts.

Drop large teaspoons of dough 2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes. Loosen and cool on pan before removing to cooling rack. Makes about 3 dozen.

Nancy’s Note: I use the Kahlua instead of coffee. Sometimes I use all white chips in place of white and dark. Use a spring-loaded scoop to drop cookies onto baking sheet.

Mocha Gems

From: Denver Post – Date Unknown

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine, softened

1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 cup unsifted flour

Mocha filling (recipe follows)

Powdered sugar (optional)

With pastry blender, blend together butter and cheese. Cut in flour, mixing until pastry holds together. Gather pastry into a ball. Wrap in foil. Refrigerate until chilled. Divide pastry into 24 portions. Roll each into a ball. Place each in a tiny, ungreased tart tin, about 1¾-inches in diameter. Press dough evenly on bottom and up sides of cups.

Mocha Filling

6 tablespoons cocoa

½ stick (1/4 cup) butter or margarine, melted

½ cup sugar

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon powdered instant coffee

2 teaspoons hot water

Stir cocoa into melted butter. Add sugar, egg and vanilla. Dissolve coffee in hot water. Blend into chocolate mixture.

Divide filling evenly among pastry-lined cups. Bake in preheated 325° oven 25 minutes or until filling is set and wooden pick inserted in center of tarts comes out clean. Cool completely in thins. With tip of knife, carefully remove from pans. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Makes 24 cookies.

Nancy’s Notes: I think these little pastries make a nice addition to a cookie platter.

Double Dip Chocolate Slices

From: Land O Lakes Butter

These cookies are a great make-ahead cookie. Make the dough one day, bake the next and dip later!

1 cup sugar

1 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

3 (1-ounce) squares semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted, cooled

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Coating Ingredients

20 ounces vanilla-flavored candy coating

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

4 to 8 drops green food color

11 (1-ounce) squares semi-sweet baking chocolate

1 tablespoon shortening

Combine sugar and butter in large mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add egg, milk and peppermint extract; continue beating until well mixed. Add 3 ounces melted chocolate; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour, baking powder and salt; beat until well mixed.
Divide dough in half; shape each half into 8 x 1 3/4-inch long roll. Wrap each roll in waxed paper or plastic food wrap. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
Heat oven to 350°F. Re-shape each dough half into a round roll before unwrapping, if necessary. Cut rolls into thin 1/8-inch slices with sharp knife. (If cookies are cut too thick, they will not be crisp.) Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely. Yield 6½ dozen.

Melt candy coating in 2-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in peppermint extract and food color. Tipping saucepan slightly, dip cookies halfway into melted coating. Lightly shake off excess coating. Place on waxed paper. Let stand until coating is firm (at least 20 minutes).

Melt 11 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate and 1 tablespoon shortening in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth (6 to 8 minutes). Remove from heat. Tipping saucepan slightly, dip cookies into melted chocolate, overlapping half of green coating. Lightly shake off excess coating. Place on waxed paper at least 2 hours or refrigerate 20 minutes to set chocolate. Store in single layer between sheets of waxed paper in loosely covered container in cool place.

VARIATION: Mocha Chocolate Slices: Omit peppermint extract in cookies and coating. Combine 1 tablespoon milk and 1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or coffee granules in small bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Combine cookie ingredients as directed above adding milk mixture with egg and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon with flour.

TIP – Vanilla candy coating is sometimes called almond bark coating. It is sold in the baking or candy aisle of your supermarket. It is usually packaged in trays of cubes in 16-ounce or 20-ounce packages.

TIP – If coating or chocolate becomes too thick, reheat over low heat until melted.

TIP – If dough is chilled for more than 2 hours, allow to stand at room temperature 10 to 20 minutes before slicing.

HIGH ALTITUDE: Increase flour to 2 3/4 cups. Increase baking time to 12 minutes.

Nancy’s Notes: Tammy really, really likes these. After the first time I made these I decided they didn’t need the second chocolate dipping. I like the look with one end green – especially nice for Christmas.

Dreaming of Christmas Cookies

A Recipe for Each December Day – Plus

When I start dreaming of a decadent plate of Christmas cookies so many favorite recipes from years of collecting, baking and tasting come to mind. Which to choose for this year? Not an easy task, this decision making. Plus, there are always new tempting recipes to try for the first time. While making a baking plans I try to balance the variety: some with nuts – some without, fruits and jams, buttery, chocolate, spice, iced and powdered sugared. Time to start baking.

 

Almond Rocca Bars – An easy, big pan of almonds, brown sugar & chocolate

Apricot Foldovers – Flaky and delicate

Basic Butter Cookies – Spritz

^**Belgian Christmas Cookie – Easy, 30 minutes start to finish

Butterscotch Gingerbread Cookies – Better with butterscotch

Carmel Nut Tartlets – Technically not a cookie but a nice addition

Cherry Bonbons – A sweet, red surprise with the first bite

Cherry Walnut Bars – Best use of maraschino cherries I know

Chocolate Peppermint Bars – Attractive bars for the holiday

Christmas Fruit Cookies – The best of fruitcake flavor but much easier

**Cranberry & White Chocolate Cookies – At least the oats are healthy

Cream Wafers – Time consuming and delicate to work with but worth it

Double Dip Chocolate Slices – a Tammy favorite

^**Eggnog Squares – New this year, interesting procedure, great success

Good for You Cookies – Cranberries, raisins, apples, oatmeal and walnuts

Hungarian Fruit Squares – A family classic from Mary Helen Kondrad

Lemon Cheesecake Squares – Easy and good. Great flavor with fresh lemon juice

^Lime Hazelnut Zinger – I like this unlikely combination

^Melting Moments – A Yackel holiday necessity

Mexican Coffee Crisps – A recipe from Liz, topped with candied coffee beans

Mexican Wedding Cakes – Great use for Mexican vanilla, I omit the nuts

^Mocha Gems – Pastry filled with mocha

^Moon Cookies – Almond Crescents – a Grandma Mary specialty

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies – The boys like these from Vicki Zeigler

Raspberry-Almond Cookies – A variation on the classic Thumbprint

**Raspberry Filled White Chocolate Bars – Four cups of white chips

Shimmering Citrus Snowflakes – Let it snow, let it snow

**Snowcapped Cookies – Chocolate and cherries, what’s not to like?

Sugar Cookies – Cutouts to decorate, plain or fancy

**Triple Ginger Cookies – Great ginger flavor in a drop cookie

Two Sister’s Gems – A prize winner from a Colorado B&B

White and Dark Macadamia Kahlua Cookies – A favorite for Michael McPheron

**Wildflour Famous Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting – Sweet

** New recipe tried in 2009

^ Made for Christmas 2009

Rather it’s enjoying a plate of cookies at home with family or sharing the bounty with friends it wouldn’t be Christmas without some home made treats.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

From: Vicki Ziegler

4 cups unsifted flour

2 cups oatmeal, uncooked

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups butter or margarine

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 can (16 oz.) pumpkin

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup raisins optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, oats, soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

Cream butter, gradually adding sugars, and beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well. Alternate dry ingredients and pumpkin, mixing well. Stir in chocolate chips.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Nancy’s Notes: My boys like these.

Cranberry & White Chocolate Chip Cookies

From: A Slice of Paradise – Junior League of the Palm Beaches

½ cup butter, softened

1 1/3 cups sugar

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1tablespoon cinnamon

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, unsifted

1 cup rolled oats

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup dried cranberries

2/3 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth and creamy. In a separate bowl, mix together the cinnamon, flour, oats, baking soda and salt until well combined. Gradually add the dry mixture to the butter mixture. Continue to mix until an even consistency is reached; add the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips, stirring to blend.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto a non-stock cookie sheet, or a cookie sheet lightly coated with a non-stick spray; bake for 10-12 minutes. Yield 3 dozen.

Nancy’s Notes: With the rolled oats we can even pretend they’re good for us.

Chocolate Peppermint Bars

From: Colorado Cache – Junior League of Denver, page 331

Layer #1

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

½ cup butter

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

½ cup sifted flour

½ cup copped almonds (optional)

Melt chocolate and butter. Cream eggs and sugar. Add flour and chocolate mixture. Mix well. Bake in 8×8-inch pan at 350° for 20 minutes then turn oven off and bake 5 more minutes.

Layer #2

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

2-3 tablespoons cream

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Cream sugar and butter. Blend in cream and peppermint. Spread on cooled first layer. Refrigerate until chilled.

Layer #3

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

3 tablespoons butter

Melt chocolate and butter together and pour over peppermint layer. Chill. Cut into small squares.

Note: Mint cream can be tinted red or green for Christmas.

Nancy’s Notes: I make 1 and ½ times the recipe in a 13×9-inch glass baking dish. Very pretty for Christmas.

Lemon Cheesecake

From: Colorado Cache – Junior League of Denver, page 365

Crust

2 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs

(about 25 single crackers, crushed)

¼ cup sugar

6 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Combine cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press into sides of an 11- or 12-inch springform pan. Bake at 350° degrees for 5 minutes. Cool before adding filling.

Filling

3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened for 8 hours

3 eggs

1 1/3 cups sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1 pint sour cream

3 tablespoons sugar

Beat cream cheese with electric mixer at high speed until completely smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Continue to beat, gradually adding 1 1/3 cup sugar, then lemon juice and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in lemon rind. Pour into cooled crust and bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Blend sour cream with remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and 3 tablespoons sugar. Set in warm place, Remove cake from oven. Gently spread sour cream over top of cake. Return to oven and bake about 12 minutes. Cool on rack for 30 minutes. Refrigerate until topping is cool but not completely chilled.

Glaze

½ cup sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

½ cup water

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Make glaze by combining sugar and cornstarch, blending in water and lemon juice until smooth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until thickened. Cook 3 minutes. Chill until cool but not set. Spread top of cheesecake with lemon glaze. Chill several hours or overnight. Can also be frozen.

Nancy’s Notes: I admit this has lots of steps and takes time to complete but this is one of my favorite cheesecakes ever.

Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies

From: Gold’n Delicious – Junior League of Spokane, page 223

1 cup butter, softened

1 ½ cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 eggs

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups rolled oats

1 cup (6-ounce) white chocolate chips

1 ½ cups fresh cranberries

Cream butter and sugar together in a medium bowl. Add baking soda and eggs and mix well. Add flour and oats and mix well. Fold in chips and cranberries and drop by heaping tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet.

Bake at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes or until done. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Nancy’s Notes: Made Nov. 11, 2009 – So-so, they were very crisp before storage. Seemed to “melt” more than I expected. I would add ½ cup of flour next time. I added the baking soda to the flour instead of the eggs and it didn’t seem to disperse evenly, some bites had a strong baking soda taste.