Baked Berry Brie

1 sheet frozen puff pastry
2/3 C berry preserves
8 oz round brie wheel
¼ C chopped hazelnuts or pecans
1 egg
1 Tbls water

Thaw puff pastry; unfold on a lightly floured surface and roll gently to seal any cracks. Spoon preserves onto center; place cheese on top of preserves. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. (I'm allergic, so I skip this step...but I'll leave it in the recipe for the rest of you.) Fold pastry to cover cheese; trim excess pastry and press to seal seams.

Whisk egg and water in a small bowl. Brush pastry seams with egg mixture. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet. (I line mine with parchment, some cheese and berry juice always seems to seep out no matter how well I seal the seams; the parchment saves me from needing to scrub my cookie sheets.) If desired, cut pastry scraps into decorative shapes and arrange on top. Brush with egg mixture.

Bake 25 minutes (or until golden brown) at 400°. Let stand 20 minutes before cutting. Serve with crackers and/or sliced fruit (apple and pear are delicious).

Raspberry Sorbet

I got an ice cream maker for Christmas. :) Here's my first creation...right out of the recipe book that came with it. I hope to get more creative in the future, but I figured I'd start simple.

2 c water
1½ C sugar
pinch salt
4 C raspberries

Heat sugar and water in a saucepan until sugar is completely dissolved. Add salt and raspberries. Using an immersion blender, blend mixture until smooth. Pour mixture through a strainer to remove seeds, using a spatula to aid the purée through the strainer. Cover and refrigerate 2-3 hours (or overnight).

Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and mix about 20 minutes until thickened. Sorbet should be soft and creamy. For a firmer consistency, transfer to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. (Mine definitely needed extra time in the freezer! Then...delicious!)

Cinnamon Rolls

¼ C warm water
1 pkg yeast
¼ C + ½ tsp sugar
3 C flour
1 tsp salt
¼ C shortening
¾ C milk, slightly warmed
1 egg

butter, cinnamon, sugar, raisins, nuts...

In a small bowl or glass, mix yeast and ½ teaspoon sugar with warm water and set aside.

In a large bowl, cut shortening into flour, salt and remaining sugar. Add warm milk, egg and yeast mixture. Up to ½ C more flour can be added, but dough should be sticky, just handle-able. Knead 5 mintutes. Form ball; let rise, covered, 1 to 1½ hours. Punch down. Roll out to oblong (about 15x9"). Spread with butter; sprinkle generously with sugar (I use brown), cinnamon, nuts, raisins, etc. as desired. Roll into a long log, pinching ends together. Cut into 12 rolls. Place in greased pans. Let rise until double (about an hour). Bake at 375°, 25-30 minutes.

Butter alone or a simple powdered sugar icing is all these really need, but they're especially tasty with a cream cheese icing. :)

OR...

Same recipe, just a different technique for preparing the dough & filling. Not exactly the same, but inspired by BH&G (https://www.bhg.com/recipe/gingerbread-cinnamon-rolls/) 

I did not use the BH&G recipe -- with molasses & mashed potatoes -- just the basic technique. I used the cinnamon roll recipe above.

Meringues

Meringues...or, as my family sometimes calls them: Styrofoam cookies.

½ tsp peppermint extract
2 egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar
¾ C sugar
1 C chocolate chips
(the mini ones are great in this recipe)

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add cream of tarter and sugar. Gently fold in peppermint (and food coloring if desired). Add chocolate chips. Cover cookie sheets with aluminum foil. Drop meringue by spoonfuls onto covered cookie sheets.

Preheat oven to 350°. Put cookies in oven and TURN OVEN OFF. "Bake" cookies 6 hours (or just leave them in overnight). Gently remove cookies from aluminum foil.

Cream Wafers

Wafers:
(makes about 100 cookies)
1 C butter, softened
1/3 C heavy cream
2 C flour
sugar

Thoroughly mix butter, cream and flour. Roll out thinly. Cut in tiny rounds using a cookie cutter or mini-biscuit round. Put a thin layer of sugar on a plate or shallow dish. Turn (flip) wafer rounds in sugar, pressing gently on both sides. Place on ungreased cookie sheeets; prick with a fork. Bake 7-9 minutes at 375°. Cool completely.

Buttercream Filling:
½ C butter, softened
1½ C powdered sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla

Mix butter, egg yolks and vanilla until creamy. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Spread buttercream filling on a wafer, top with a second wafer...


Decorating the top really adds to the visual appeal (red and green 'holly' for festive Christmas cookie plates; pastels or brights for showers or other holidays, etc). But they're so light and creamy and buttery they'll be a favorite even served without any embellishments!

This recipe uses egg yolks. I often make meringues or divinity with the egg whites. :)

Black & Whites --or-- Chocolate Crinkles

½ C butter, melted
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 C white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 C chocolate chips
½ C powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350° Stir chocolate into melted butter until melted and smooth. Mix in the sugar, eggs and vanilla. Gradually blend in flour and baking powder. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover dough and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. Roll the chilled dough into 1 inch balls; roll each ball in powdered sugar. Place cookies 2" apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake 9-12 minutes, until tops are cracked. Remove from cookie sheets to cool.

Christmas Punch

1 C sugar
1 C lime juice
½ tsp mint extract
1 C rum
48 oz cranberry juice
(or cran-raspberry, cran-apple, cran-grape...)

Combine all ingredients, stirring well until sugar is completely dissolved. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs, cranberries, or lime slices.

For a non-alcoholic, sparkling alternative, skip the rum and add gingerale instead.

Cranberry Blondies

Ingredients:
½ C butter, softened
½ C sugar
½ C brown sugar
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1¹/₃ C flour
½ C dried cranberries
½ C coarsely chopped white chocolate
½-1 C fresh cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Cream butter and sugars. Blend in eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combined flour, soda, powder and salt.

Stir dry ingredients into creamed sugar & egg mixture. Gently blend in dried cranberries and white chocolate chips. Spread mixture evenly in 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with fresh cranberries and gently press them in halfway using a rubber spatula.

Bake 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Let cool in pan at least 10-15 minutes before cutting into squares or bars for serving.

Makes 12 roughly 3” squares, or 24  3” x 1½” bars (or 48 1½" bite-sized squares...pictured).

Toffee

½ pound butter
1 C brown sugar
optional: 1 C nuts or chocolate chips

Melt butter in a saucepan; stir in brown sugar. Heat to 300° on a candy thermometer, stirring constantly. Pour immediately into a 9x9" pan. Cool completely.

To serve, invert the pan...the toffee will fall out. 'Whack' it to crack it into bite sized chunks. :)

Optional: Before pouring in the hot toffee, throw a cup of chopped nuts and/or chocolate chips into the bottom of the pan; pour the hot toffee over them -- do not stir.

Chewy Molasses Cookies

Ingredients
¾ C shortening
1 C brown sugar
1 egg
¼ C molasses
2 tsp soda
2¼ C flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cloves
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
sugar for dipping

Directions
Mix shortening, sugar, egg and molasses until smooth and creamy. Add dry ingredients all at once. Chill dough. Roll into balls. Dip in sugar. Place 3" apart on baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 375°.

Makes about 4 dozen small 1½" cookies.








As an alternative...skip dipping the cookies in sugar, top them with a vanilla and powdered sugar icing and colored sugar sprinkles.

Gingerbread

These photos are from past years; I'm not sure if I'll make one this year. They're scanned, and the color isn't great, but here are a couple of my gingerbread house creations. ...and a shot of my nephew Tate and I enthusiastically preparing to devour one. :)

1/3 C shortening
1 C brown sugar
1½ C dark molasses
6 C flour*
2 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp each: allspice, ginger, cloves, cinnamon







Mix shortening, brown sugar, molasses and 2/3 C cold water until thoroughly combined. Combine flour, soda, salt and spices; stir into molasses mixture until well combined. Chill dough 1 hour. Roll and cut into desired shapes. Bake 15 minutes at 350°.

* For gingerbread houses (or gingerbread men), add another cup of flour. The firmer cookies are easier to build with. :)

Sweet Spiced Nuts

1 egg white
2 Tbls cold water
1½ C nuts (peanuts, walnuts, almonds,
pecans...or a mixture)
½ C sguar
1½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ginger
¼ tsp nutmeg

Beat egg white and water until very frothy. Stir nuts into egg mixture to coat, then drain briefly in a colander. Mix sugar and spices in a plastic bag. Add nuts and shake to coat.

Spread coatead nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Place nuts under broiler on high for 2-3 minutes until mixture is bubbly. Remove from oven briefly; stir. Return to oven, under broiler, for another 2 minutes. Remove from oven; stir to separate. Cool. Store in air tight containers.

OR...

Spread coated nuts in a single layer on a microwave safe plate; microwave on HIGH 1½ minutes or until mixture is bubbly. Stir. Microwave another 1½ minutes. Stir to separate; cool.

I have nut allergies, so I use all peanuts. This is an easy recipe to play around with different spice combinations. :)