Christmas Baking Recipe Exchange

[marmalady]

Keep your eyes peeled at the grocery store for the Better Homes and Gardens Christmas cookie booklet - I just picked it up and it's got some awesome recipes in it!

 

[Psiguyy]

In regards to baking powder, I don't know if anybody else does what I do. I keep mine in the freezer. Stays fresh for at least two years. When I'm baking something that uses baking powder, it's the first thing I take out. I give it enough time to rise in temperature before I open the can.

 

[AllenOK]

I rarely have Baking soda loose it's potency on me. I use mine to fast, as I use it more for polishing silver than actually baking with it.

Make a paste with about a Tbsp of both baking soda and water. Drop in the silver (if it's small), and gently rub with your fingers until it's shiny and the tarnish is removed. Rinse with water and dry. This won't work on some heavily tarnished silver. You need Tarnex for that.

 

[wasabi woman]

I got the BH&G Christmas Cookies magazine. You were right! Great collection of recipes! One recipe that really got to me was the Danish Pebbernodder; my husband's grandmother used to make these at Christmas - I had forgotten - the picture on page 36 looks just the way I remember them. I dug her recipe out... it is slightly different from the BH&G one with quite a bit more spices and no anise. I will make her recipe, but use the advice from BH&G and "place portions in freezer bags for up to a month then thaw overnight in the refrigerator" - so will see how that goes...

Peppernuts

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temp
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1/4 cup sorghum molasses
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Cream butter and sugar. Add the egg and molasses.
In another bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder, soda, and spices.
Blend the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture.
Shape the dough into a ball.
Wrap the dough in wax paper and chill (at least overnight, & for up to a week!).
Cut off a piece of the dough and roll between your hands and a floured board to make ropes about 1/2-inch thick and about as long as a pencil.
Place some of the ropes (5-6?) on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Cut ropes into 1/2-inch pieces using a sharp knife. Separate pieces.
Bake for 8-10 mins. till the cookies are golden.
Remove from the oven; cool on the baking sheet.

Lots of good recipes in the magazine - am going to try the Snickerdoodle Pinwheels for sure!

 

[marmalady]

I know those Snickerdoodle pinwheels looked awesome - would look great with the chocolate pinwheels, too!

 

[AllenOK]

If anyone's interested, I have an older cookbook titled, "Visions of Sugarplums", and is an international Christmas cookbook. I know there is a version of the "Peppernuts" cookies, as well as other cookies, candies, drinks (several different versions of Eggnog), etc. I'd be willing to type recipes and post them here (with credit given).

 

[marmalady]

Post away, Allen - pick some of your faves!

 

[AllenOK]

Here's a different eggnog I like to make. I'm going to warn you, it's really, extremely, rich. About all I can handle at one time is a double-jigger.

Coquita
Coconut Rum Eggnog
Yields: about 14 servings

4 coconuts
4 small cans evaporated milk
12 eggs
4 small cans condensed milk
3 T vanilla, or to taste
3 – 4 c white rum, to taste

Prepare coconut milk, using evaporated milk instead of water for liquid, by covering the ground coconut meat with the evaporated milk, and bring it to a boil. Remove from the heat, and let stand 30 minutes. Strain off the milk, squeezing as much moisture as possible from the coconut meat. This is best done by straining through a large section of cheesecloth, then, gathering the corners together, start twisting the cheesecloth until you have a “ball” of coconut meat. Then continue twisting, forcing the milk out, until either there is no more milk left in the coconut meat, or you run out of strength. Cool the milk. Beat the eggs thoroughly until light and fluffy and combine with coconut milk, condensed milk, vanilla, and rum. Beat well. Bottle and chill thoroughly. This is a very rich drink, and is usually served in small liqueur-type glasses.

 

[wasabi woman]

thanks for the Coconut Rum Eggnog recipe AllenMI, sounds like just the thing for a Holiday party! I'll be trying it for sure!

here's a little tip I got from America's test kitchen for making your own colored sugars for decorating cookies.
Generally in the store you can only find one or two colored sugars.
Making your own you can create any color you wish!

Sprinkle 1/2 cup granulated sugar envenly over a pie pan.
Add 5 drops of food coloring and mix throughly.
To be sure the color is evenly distributed, push the sugar through a fine sieve.
Spread the sugar back in the pie pan or on a cookie sheet to dry completely.

Ho Ho Ho!

 

[wasabi woman]

came across this and thought you might like it...

Martha Stewart's Christmas Cookie Glossary

 

[marmalady]

Bumping this up, as I saw a similar thread -

 

[marmalady]

Bumping up for all!

 

[marmalady]

Bump!

 

[AllenOK]

Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Cookies
Yield: 40 - 48 cookies

½ # unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 c light brown sugar, packed
1 c granulated sugar
2 t pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 c good unsweetened cocoa
1 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t kosher salt
12 oz good white chocolate, coarsely chopped
12 oz chopped macadamia nuts

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cream the butter and 2 sugars until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix well. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt and add to the mixer on low speed until just combined. Fold in the chopped white chocolate and nuts. Portion cookies with a #40 scoop. Dampen your hands and flatten the dough slightly. Bake for exactly 15 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone). Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

And I'm thinking of making some peanut butter fudge the next day, and sandwiching some cookies together with the fudge.

 

[cara]

christmas is just around the corner, so it`s time to get this up again....

Spitzbuben

420 g flour
210 g sugar
250 g Butter
125 g ground hazelnuts
2 eggs

currant marmalade for the filling

make a pastry (shortpastry?), cool for at least 1h
roll out, cut out (?) cookies, half of them with a hole in the middle.
bake untill light yellow at 190°C (375°F)
paste the two halves with the marmalade
sparkle with powder sugar

Rumkugeln

100 g Butter
2 tblsp Kakao
2 tblsp Rum
200 g chocolate
200 g ground hazelnuts
powder sugar
chocolate granules

foam the butter, fold in the cacao and drip in the rum
melt the chocolate, let it cool down a bit and add together with the hazelnuts to the butter
knead in the powder sugar as long as the batter is to be firm.
form little balls and roll in the granules, keep cool and let it dry..

 

[mudbug]

good timing, cara. thanks for bumping this one up!

 

[marmalady]

Yes, thank you!

 

[QSis]

AllenMI,

Is that 1/2 pound of butter in the Chocolate White Choc. Macademia cookies?

Lee

 

[JMediger]

Not really a cookie but a yummy (and easy!) treat to add to your trays or baskets ...

1 bag round pretzels - circles, NOT knots
1 bag kisses, unwrapped (my nieces are pro's at this part)
1, 1/2 lb bag holiday M&M's

Spread pretzels out on a baking sheet covered with wax paper, place an unwrapped Kiss in the center of each one. Place in a 350 degree oven for about 7 mintues. Remove and press down on the Kiss with an M&M (not hard, it shouldn't take much). Move wax paper to counter and allow to harden.

We always do a few testers to get the timing just right. Your Kiss will look like it's still solid but when you place the M&M on top, it should sink in and fill the pretzel.

Enjoy & Thank you for the wonderful ideas to add to my assortments!

 

[cartwheelmac]

Snickerdoodles

Here is one of our favorite cookie recipes. They are better the day of baking.
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Cameron
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SNICKERDOODLES​

2 sticks butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl cream at medium speed butter, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Scraping sides of bowl occasionally. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture until well blended. Refrigerate dough 30 minutes. Combine the sugar and cinnamon. Form dough into balls (walnut sized) and roll in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place 2" apart on baking sheet. Bake about 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool on rack. Snickerdoodles will puff up at first and then flatten out during baking.