Sweet Treats: Recipes From 'The Moonglow Christmas Series'
Page 6
Stir in the flour. This dough should be soft. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
Roll out small amounts of dough at a time, with LOTS of flour on your rolling surface, put flour on top of the dough and on your rolling pin (this dough is very sticky otherwise). Roll to 1/8-inch or thinner. Keep the un-used dough covered to prevent drying out.
Cut the dough into long strips, about 1 1/4-inches wide. Then further cut the strips into 2 1/2 or 3-inch segments, diagonally (they will look like 2 1/2-inch long and 1 1/4-inch wide diamonds.) Make a slit in the center (about 1/2-inch long in the middle, lengthwise...) Grasp the bottom tail of the Khrustyky, put it through the slit in the middle, and pull it gently back down to the bottom (this will form a twist in the dough). Continue to do this to each piece of dough. (I roll out a small portion, cut and form my Khrustyky, and set them on a plate. Once my small bit of dough that I've rolled out is all used up, I fry these in the deep fryer before moving on to another piece of dough to roll and cut).
Deep-fry a few at a time in oil at 375 degrees F until light brown. These puff up as you fry them, making a delectable treat. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.
Peanut Brittle
(Submitted by Olivine Kenyon)
*Pre-grease a cookie sheet
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup raw peanuts
3/4 cup white Karo syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:
Put sugar, syrup, and peanuts in pan, mix well and cook to a light golden color. Add salt and stir well.
Turn off burner, put in soda, stir about 15-25 seconds and dump quickly on well-greased cookie sheet.
Tip all corners of sheet and allow candy to spread all on its own. *This last process must be done very quickly!
Cool fast and eat. To break up bang cookie sheet on countertop!
Swedish Coconut Cookies
(Submitted by Nettie Moore)
Prep time: 35 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 45 mins
Makes: 72 cookies
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 cups butter, softened
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Directions:
Combine all ingredients except coconut in large bowl.
Beat at low speed with a hand mixer, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.
Stir in coconut.
Divide dough in half; shape each half into a 12x2-inch log.
Wrap each log in plastic food wrap; refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm.
Heat oven to 350°F.
Cut logs into 1/4-inch slices.
Place 2 inches apart onto parchment lined cookie sheets.
Bake 10-14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to cooling rack.
Recipes from
Nutcracker Sweets at Moonglow
Excerpt from Nutcracker Sweets at Moonglow
In the short time Mist had spent with guests in the front parlor, a dozen additional townsfolk had shown up for the cookie exchange.
“Can you believe the variety this year?” Betty sidled over near Mist and offering her some mocha candied nuts. “Clayton’s mother brought peanut brittle that cooks in a microwave. Imagine that! And I don’t know how Maisie managed to pull off Minty Chocolate Macarons with little Clay Jr. crawling around, but she did.”
“I may have gained five pounds just walking into this room,” Mist said, eyeing a basket of assorted cookies on its way in.
“Marge brought wire baskets lined with parchment paper for everyone to fill,” Betty said. “She’s been using those for gift baskets this year. I’ve seen a few of them displayed in her store. It’s nice she had enough to share with everyone here today.”
“Christmas brings generosity out in people,” Mist said. Seeing Betty’s non-committal look, she whispered, “not always, I know, but often enough that we can believe in little miracles.”
“You simply must try this,” Maisie said, one arm securing Clay Jr. on her hip, the other balancing a chocolate-toffee concoction. “Millie’s niece Kim brought it over. It’s called Christmas Crack.”
Betty and Mist both leaned forward to inspect the goods. “Looks like it would go well with a cup of tea later,” Mist said. “Maybe you could hide a couple pieces in the kitchen?”
“And hide them well, where Clive won’t find them” Betty added, laughing. “He’ll be looking for sure.”
Christmas Crack
(Submitted by Kim McMahan Davis, from her blog, Cinnamon and Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder)
Ingredients
1-1/4 sleeves saltine crackers (about 50 crackers)
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 (12-ounce) package chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, or dark)
1 (8-ounce) package toffee pieces
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F)
Line a baking sheet with foil.
Lay the saltine crackers on the baking sheet, arranging so no space remains between the crackers. It's okay to break the crackers into pieces to fit as needed.
Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat then add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and boil for 4 minutes.
Immediately pour over the saltine crackers and using a spatula, make sure all the crackers are covered with the mixture.
Bake for 7 - 9 minutes, or until bubbly. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top and return to the oven for 1 minute.
Remove from the oven and using a spatula, spread the chocolate over the tops of the crackers. Make sure the chocolate covers the entire surface.
Sprinkle the toffee pieces over the top of the melted chocolate.
Cool to room temperature for 30 minutes then place in the refrigerator for 30 - 60 minutes, or until the chocolate is firm.
Remove the Christmas Crack from the pan and break into pieces.
Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
White Christmas Fudge
(Submitted by Jean Daniel)
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup quartered candied cherries
1 cup chopped walnuts (could also use pecans)
Directions:
Combine sugar, sour cream, milk, butter, corn syrup and salt in heavy saucepan. Stir on moderate heat until the sugar completely dissolves, and mixture reaches boil.
Boil over medium heat 9-10 minutes or until it reaches 238 on candy thermometer. Remove from heat and allow to stand for an hour. It should reach at least 110 before you add the vanilla.
Beat until the mixture loses its gloss, which may take a little bit and some elbow grease but it will get there.
Stir in cherries and the nuts. Pat into a buttered pan. Cut into squares.
Cathedral Cookies
(Submitted by Teri Fish)
Ingredients:
½ cup butter
1 (16 ounce) package milk chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 (16 ounce) package colored miniature marshmallows
2 cups flaked coconut
Directions:
Melt butter and chocolate chips in heavy saucepan over medium heat; mix until smooth and creamy; remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Fold in marshmallows and walnuts.
Scatter about half of the coconut onto a large baking
sheet lined with wax paper. Pour the mixture into log on the coconut lined wax paper pour more coconut on top of it and with the wax paper roll the mixture into a log. Refrigerate until log is firm, about 1 hour.
Cut log into ¾ inch slices. Keep refrigerated to keep from melting.
Option: You can also microwave chocolate chips for 30 seconds on high then add butter and microwave in 30 second increments until smooth. Then add vanilla, marshmallows and nuts.
If you don’t like or can’t use coconut you can use powdered sugar. I have poured chocolate mixture onto wax paper rolled into log and then sprinkled powdered sugar over all sides.
Molasses Sugar Cookies
(Submitted by Bea Tackett)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Melt shortening in a saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; let cool.
Add sugar, molasses and egg; beat well.
Sift together flour, salt, and spices. Add to first mixture; mix well.
Form into 1" balls; roll in sugar and place on greased cookie sheet, 2" apart.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Peanut Butter Fudge
(Submitted by Petrenia Snodgrass Etheridge)
Ingredients:
1 bag of peanut butter chips
1 tub of milk chocolate cake icing.
Directions:
Melt peanut butter chips in microwave or double boiler.
Gradually stir in icing and pour into 9x9 baking dish.
Allow to set for several hours and cut into squares.
Note: Use chocolate chips for regular fudge, or add pecans or walnuts for variety.
Lemon Crinkles
(Submitted by Kim McMahan Davis, from her blog, Cinnamon and Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (7.1 ounces) granulated sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 to 1 teaspoon lemon extract, depending on how lemony you want
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 cups (7.2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup granulated sugar (for rolling dough)
Directions:
Don't preheat the oven yet. The cookie dough will need to chill first.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, whip the butter and granulated sugar together until fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium speed.
Add the egg and beat until fully incorporated.
Mix in the vanilla, lemon extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
With the mixer running on lowest speed, slowly add the flour mixture. Beat just until it is fully incorporated.
Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or even overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
Place remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a shallow bowl.
Form cookie dough into small balls, about a heaping teaspoon.
Roll the balls in the granulated sugar and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Don't crowd the cookies as they spread. You should have 12 cookies per baking sheet.
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. The edges should just be turning light golden and the tops should be crackled.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Cool completely and store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes:
These cookies are ideal for making ahead of time and freezing for spur-of-the-moment freshly-baked cookies! Simply roll the dough balls in the sugar, then freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. When solid, transfer the dough to a freezer-safe ziplock bag. When ready to bake, place the dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet and allow to sit at room temperature while pre-heating the oven. You may need to bake an additional minute, depending on how chilled the dough is when you start baking.
Makes 30 - 40 cookies depending on size.
Krum Kake Cookies
(Submitted by Lynette Ausland Eads)
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
½ cup melted butter (or oleo)
½ teaspoon vanilla flavoring
3 eggs
½ cup whipping cream
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ to 1 teaspoon cardamom
Directions:
Beat cream and set aside. Beat eggs until very light, then add sugar, spices, melted butter, cream, & flavoring. May add almond or lemon flavoring instead of vanilla. Stir in flour.
Heat Krumkake iron on medium heat on stove top. Put a teaspoonful of batter on the iron. Close the iron, and bake one minute or less, turn iron over and bake until lightly browned. Remove cookie from iron and quickly roll on cone – shape form. Store in air tight container.
Notes:
Enjoy plain or filled with whipped cream.
Cranberry Drop Cookies
(Submitted by Jan Knight)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons orange juice plus the zest of 1 orange
2 1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped cranberries
Directions:
Wash cranberries in sieve. Drain on paper towels.
Cream butter & sugars. Beat in milk, orange juice, & egg.
Blend dry ingredients with whisk in a separate bowl. Add to mixture. Stir in nuts, cranberries, & orange zest.
Drop by teaspoonful onto nonstick baking sheet or parchment paper.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 12 minutes or until light brown. Let cool.
Option: Finish with a powdered sugar glaze tinted pink for a festive touch! Keep in a single layer in storage container.
Double Chocolate Walnut Brownies
(Submitted by Valerie Peterson)
Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine
4 sq. unsweetened chocolate
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sifted flour
1 ½ cups coarsely chopped walnuts
1 package chocolate chips
Directions:
Melt butter and chocolate together.
Stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
Add flour and mix well.
Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan.
Sprinkle with nuts and chocolate chips
Bake at 350 degrees for 35minutes.
Granny’s Butter Rolls
(Submitted by Petrenia Snodgrass Etheridge)
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
3 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup shortening
2/3 cup milk
1 or 2 sticks margarine
Directions:
Mix 3 cups milk, vanilla, and sugar and bring to a boil.
Knead flour and enough milk and shortening to make dough, as if making biscuits.
Roll out dough on
cooking sheet or foil until it’s thin.
Spread margarine with knife all over dough and sprinkle with sugar.
Roll dough up into a roll and cut in about 2-inch pieces.
Drop in milk mixture in deep casserole dish.
Bake at 350 degrees until rolls are brown.
Christmas Hard Candy
(Submitted by Betty Escobar)
Ingredients:
3 ½ cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
¼ - ½ teaspoon cinnamon or peppermint oil
1 teaspoon red or green food coloring
Directions:
In a large heavy saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup and water.
Cook on medium-high heat until candy thermometer reaches 300 degrees (hard-crack stage,) stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat. Stir in oil and food coloring, keeping away from face, as odor is very strong.
Immediately pour onto a greased cookie sheet. Cool and break into pieces. Store in airtight containers.
Lingonberry Macarons
(Submitted by Lisa Maliga, from her book, Baking Macarons: The Swiss Meringue Method)
Ingredients:
160 grams powdered sugar, sift with almond flour