The following contains a reprint of some of the cookie recipes from last year, plus some new ones. They are relatively simple so that the children can join in the fun. The Cut Out cookies are tender and delicious caused by using confectioners sugar for the rolling out process rather than flour. The chocolate balls are easy, and sinfully good.

Holiday Cut-Out Cookies Cream together 1 1/2 Cup sifted 10x Sugar
1 cup butter
Add one egg
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp
almond
extract
Mix together
then blend
with above
2 1/2 Cups
Flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp cream
of tartar

Decorating sugars

Mix all together, chill, roll out with 10x sugar instead of flour, cut out (dipping cutters in sugar as well) decorate, bake 6-8 minutes at 375 degrees…take off the pan right away and cool on rack. Note; I sometimes pat out large disks of batter, wrap them in wax paper, and chill, using one or two at a time. That way perhaps a half hour would be enough to chill them.. Or you can use the freezer.

Apricot Nests

Their only drawback is that you can’t stack them after filling

Cream together 1/2 cup of butter and 1/3 cup sugar

Add 1 egg yolk (save white for later)

Add 1/2 tsp vanilla

Add (sifted together) one cup flour and 1/2 tsp salt

1/2-1 cup chopped slivered almonds

Apricot jam

Mix together, roll in small balls, roll in slightly beaten reserved egg white, roll in chopped nuts. Place on baking sheet make indentation with thimble or end of the handle of a wooden spoon that has been dipped in powered sugar. Bake at 300 degrees about 30 minutes. Remove from pan quickly. Cool on rack. When cool, fill centers with sieved apricot jam

Chocolate Balls

Combine 1/2 cup softened butter, 5 Tablespoon quick chocolate-flavored mix, 2 3/4 cups sifted 10x sugar, and 1/8 tsp salt. Beat until creamy. Knead in 1/2 cup 10x sugar, chill. Shape into small balls; roll in chocolate shot or chopped pistachio nuts or a combination.

Or: to make chocolate covered balls: after chilling mixture above, form into small balls as above. Pearce balls with tooth picks. Dip them in chocolate mixture below to make delicious candy.

Dipping mixture: (mixture may be doubled.) Melt over warm water, 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 inch square paraffin, stir until melted. Add 5 drips vanilla extract.

Take from stove, wait till almost cool, dip balls quickly, holding by pick, then invert and stick in the foam to dry and let drain. Place in candy cups and give as gifts.

Note: for drying dipped candy balls: cut a rectangle (about 12x20) of 2 inch foam, cover it with cling wrap, or place dipped candy on rack or wax paper.

Pecan Puffs

( Don’t send them through the mail….they arrive “cookie crumbs”)

1/2 cup butter beat till soft Add 2 Tablespoons sugar, cream with butter

Add one tsp vanilla

Measure, then grind 1 cup pecans

Sift before measuring, 1 cup (scant) cake flour

Add ingredients together

Roll into small balls, bake 300 degrees 30 minutes, Roll while hot in 10x sugar and again when cool

Almond clusters

(This one gets too hot for young children to handle)

1 cup almonds (slivered) 1/2 cup sugar 1 Tablespoon butter Aluminum foil 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

salt

Place a sheet of Aluminum foil on the counter, about 12x18. Cook almonds in butter and sugar in heavy skillet, stirring constantly, till liquid has caramelized and almonds have begun to be browned. Remove skillet from fire, and add vanilla, mix immediately. Spread mixture out thinly on aluminum foil with wooden spoon, and sprinkle with salt. Break in small clusters when cool. A great gift.

Vanilla Meringues

This comes from Mark Bittman, “the minimalist” who says with the recipe, that he doesn’t use pastry bags (they drive him crazy, he looses the tips and they are messy) instead using a Ziplock bag with the end cut out. He likes his a little bit chewy so he doesn’t cook them as long..it’s all a preference thing!

2 egg whites, at room temperature

2 pinches cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped from pod; or 1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup superfine sugar

Heat oven to 200 degrees. Use an electric mixer to beat egg whites with cream of tartar, salt and vanilla. When whites begin to hold stiff peaks, gradually add half the sugar. When peaks become glossy, gently fold in remaining sugar

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and use a pastry bag with a star tip or a Ziploc bag with a corner cut out to form small mounds of meringue mixture, each about an inch wide and tall

Bake meringues until hard, about 2 hours. Meringues are ready when they release from parchment paper. Turn oven off prop door open and allow meringues to sit in oven for another hour or so. Yield: About 2 dozen

For chocolate meringues: Omit vanilla and sift 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder with half the sugar. Add to egg whites, cream of tartar and salt. Continue with step 1

For pink vanilla meringues: after adding the first 1/4 cup sugar, add a drop or two of pink or red food coloring to mixture. Continue with step one.

Meringues do not expand when they cook, so you can put them close together.

This is the time when we create memories for our family, or relive our own, simply, with a bowl and a few ingredients and time to dream. pgg.