Traditional Decorated Christmas Cookies
Ingredients & Directions 3/4 c Butter, unsalted; softened 1 t Vanilla 1/2 c Sugar 1/4 t Salt 1 ea Egg 2 1/4 c Flour; unsifted 1 T Lemon peel; finely grated 1 T Water; (use 2 if req’d) -ICING- 3 ea Egg whites 2 t Water; (use 3 if req’d) 1 lb Powdered sugar 1 x Food colors, sprinkles, etc Beat together butter and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, lemon peel, vanilla and salt. Gradually beat in flour until thouroughly incorporated. Add water, a few drops at a time, only until dough starts to come away from side of bowl. Wrap dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 deg. Lightly grease 4 cookie sheets. On lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8″ thickness. Cut out var-ious shapes using cookie cutters or homemade cardboard patterns, or free- hand. Reroll scraps and cut out. Make small holes with wooden pick if planning to hang cookies. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until beginning to brown around edges. Removecookies to wire rack to cool before decorating. Prepare icing: Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer until foamy. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Continue to beat untion thick and creamy. Add just enough water to get a good spreading consistency. Tint with food coloring, if you wish. Spread evenly over cookies. Decorate with glitter, sprinkles, dragees and cinnamon red hots, if Yields 48 servings
Beetroot Cake
Ingredients & Directions 8 oz Soft margarine 8 oz Light brown sugar 4 md Eggs – separated Juice of half a lemon 10 oz Self-rasing flour 1 ts Baking powder 4 oz Mixed chopped nuts 8 oz Cooked fresh beetroot, -finely grated. FILLING 4 oz Butter softened 8 oz Cream cheese 8 oz Icing sugar Icing sugar to dust Chopped nuts to decorate Heat oven to gas 4/180c/350 F Grease and line 20cm/8″ deep cake tin (round) Cream margarine & sugar till light and fluffy then beat in egg yolks and lemon juice. Fold in flour baking powder and nuts. Whisk egg whites until stiff then fold into cake mixture with the grated beetroot. Pour into the tin and make slight dip in the middle. Bake for 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 hrs. Remove when skewer comes out clean and allow to cool slightly before turning onto a rack to cool completely. Beat butter, sugar and cheese till smooth. Halve cake and fill with 2 thirds of filling. Spread rest on top and sprinkle with icing sugar and nuts. From Yields 1 Servings
Sweet Potato Pecan Bread
Ingredients & Directions 2 1/4 ts Yeast 3 c Bread flour 4 tb Rolled oats 1/2 ts Cinnamon 2 pn Nutmeg 1 1/2 ts Salt 2 tb Brown sugar; dark 3 tb Powdered milk 3 tb Butter or margarine 3/4 c Sweet potatoes, cooked; -mashed 3/4 c Water 3 tb Raisins; dark 1/3 c Pecans; chopped Place all ingredients in machine and push start. Use raisin bread cycle, adding fruit and nuts at beep. From THE ULTIMATE BREAD MACHINE COOKBOOK by Lacalamita Yields 1 Servings
Hot 'n Nutty Cookies
Ingredients & Directions 3/4 c Unsalted butter; softened 1 c Granulated sugar 1 c Packed brown sugar 2 c Peanut butter; smooth or -crunchy 1/2 c Macadamia nuts; chopped -(optional) 2 Eggs 1 ts Vanilla extract 1 ts TABASCO? pepper sauce 3 c All-purpose flour 1 ts Salt 1 ts Baking soda Preheat oven to 350?F. Lightly butter and flour cookie sheet. In large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Stir in peanut butter and macadamia nuts; mix until well blended. Add eggs, vanilla and TABASCO? pepper sauce. Mix until well combined. In another bowl, mix together flour, salt and baking soda. Add to nut mixture and stir until blended. Spoon about one heaping tablespoon of batter on prepared cookie sheet. Coat tines of fork in flour and score each cookie in crisscross pattern. Bake l5-l7 minute or until edges begin to turn golden. Set aside to cool on racks. Makes 2 dozen cookies. Busted by Karen Sonnessa ksonness@suffolk.lib.ny.us Yields 24 Servings
Milk Chocolate Cheesecake
Ingredients & Directions 1 c Oreo cookie crumbs 1 c Butter cookie crumbs 1/2 c Melted unsalted butter 3 lb Cream cheese; softened 2 c Sugar; divided 6 Eggs 1 c Heavy cream 1/2 c Flour 1/2 ts Salt 1 ts Vanilla 1 c Melted milk chocolate 2 c Fresh raspberries Juice of one lemon 1/4 c Grand Marnier Whipped cream; in a pastry -bag With star tip Fresh mint sprigs Chocolate curls Powdered sugar; in shaker Cocoa powder; in shaker Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the crumbs and the butter together. Mix well and press into a 10-inch springform pan. In a food processor, with the metal blade, mix the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and blend. Add the eggs one at a time to thoroughly incorporate into the cheese mixture. Add the heavy cream. Add the flour, salt and vanilla and blend until smooth. In a steady stream, pour in the melted chocolate. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake is set. Remove from the oven and with a knife loosen the sides from the pan. This will prevent the cake from splitting down the center. Completely cool the cake before cutting. For the sauce: In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients together and allow to sit for 2 to 3 hours. Place a piece of the cake on the plate. Spoon the raspberries over the top. Garnish with whipped cream, chocolate curls, mint sprigs, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder. This recipe yields 12 servings. Yields 12 servings
Creamy Fruit & Cake Delight
Ingredients & Directions 1 Entenmanns Fat Free Loaf 1 pk Jello, sugarfree; 4 serving -Cake -size (any red flavor) 1/2 c Bananas; diced 1/2 c Cold water 1/2 c Strawberries; sliced Ice cubes 3/4 Boiling water 1 c Cool Whip; lite Divide cake cubes and fruit evenly among 6 dessert glasses. Stir boiling water into geltain in large bowl 2 minutes or until completely dissolved. Mix cold water and ice cubes to make 1 1/4 cups. Add to gelatin, stirring until slightly thickened. Remove any remaining ice. Stir whipped topping into gelatin with wire whisk until well blended. Let stand 5 minutes or until thickened. Spoon into dessert glasses. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. 70 calories and 1.5 grams fat. Yields 6 servings
Banana Coconut Cream Pie
Ingredients & Directions FOR THE SHELL 1 c All-purpose flour 3 tb Sugar 1/4 ts Double-acting baking powder 1/8 ts Salt 1/2 Stick cold unsalted butter; -cut into bits (1/4 ; cup) A; (3 1/2-ounce) can ; (about 1 1/3 cups) ; sweetened flaked ; coconut, toasted 1 lg Egg; beaten lightly Raw rice for weighting the -shell -FOR THE FILLING- 1/3 c Sugar 3 tb Cornstarch 3 lg Eggs 2 c Milk; scalded 1 ts Coconut extract 1 ts Vanilla 2 tb Malibu or other -coconut-flavored rum 5 Bananas; abou, up to 6 1/3 c Apple jelly 1 c Well-chilled heavy cream Make the shell: In a food processor or bowl combine well the flour, the sugar, the baking powder, and the salt, add the butter, and blend the mixture until it resembles fine meal. Stir in all but 1 tablespoon of the coconut, reserving the remaining 1 tablespoon for garnish, and the egg, stirring until the mixture forms a dough. Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface several times to blend it well and press it onto the bottom and up the side of an 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Chill the shell for 30 minutes, line it with foil, and fill the foil with the rice. Bake the shell in the lower third of a preheated 375F. oven for 10 minutes, remove the rice and foil carefully, and bake the shell for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until it is golden. Let the shell cool completely in the pan or a rack. Make the filling: In a heavy saucepan whisk together the sugar, the cornstarch, and the eggs, add the milk in a slow stream, whisking, and bring the mixture to a boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly. Simmer the pastry cream, whisking, for 2 minutes, transfer it to a bowl, and stir in the coconut extract, the vanilla, and the Malibu rum. Chill the pastry cream, its surface covered with plastic wrap, for 4 hours, or until it is cold. The pastry cream may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Slice thin on the diagonal enough of the bananas (about 2 1/2) to cover the bottom of the shell in one layer, arrange the slices in the shell, and cover them with the pastry cream, spreading it evenly. Slice thin on the diagonal the remaining bananas and arrange the slices decoratively over the pastry cream in solid layers, making each layer gradually smaller. In a small saucepan melt the apple jelly over moderate heat, while it is still warm brush it over the banana slices, coating them completely, and chill the tart for 1 hour. The tart may be prepared up to this point 1 day in advance and kept covered loosely and chilled. Just before serving, in a chilled bowl beat the cream until it holds stiff peaks, transfer it to a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip, and pipe it decoratively around the edge of the tart. Sprinkle the cream with the reserved 1 tablespoon coconut and remove the side of the pan. Yields 1 servings
