Preheat the oven to 275 F, and spray a large cookie sheet with
nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on medium
speed,
beat two large egg whites until they become frothy. Use
eggs that have been warmed to room
temperature to guarantee full volume.
Now add a pinch of cream-of tarter and three fourths of
a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Beat at high speed, adding 1 / 3 of a cup of sugar, a
little at a time.
Continue beating until the egg whites hold stiff peaks.
Drop the batter by heaping teaspoons, 5 centimeters, 2
inches apart, onto the prepared
cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cookies
are golden and the centers are
set.
Let the kisses cool for a few minutes, and then transfer
them to a wire rack to finish
cooling. Almond or Maple extract can be substituted for
the vanilla. You can also add many
chocolate chips or chopped nuts.
These banana nut muffins smell
wonderful while baking, yet another festive aroma! They
taste delicious with diet margarine and sugar free fruit
spreads.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly
spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine one cup of mashed banana with
one half cup of thawed frozen apple juice concentrate
and two tablespoons of canola oil.
In a separate bowl, whisk together one and a quarter
cups of rice flower with one and a half teaspoons of
baking powder.
Dig a well in the center of the flower mixture, and pore
in the apple juice mix.
Stir until the ingredients are combined and then add one
fourth cup of pine nuts. Spoon the batter into the
prepared muffin cups and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or
until the muffins are a golden brown color. Let the
muffins cool on a wire rack, and then enjoy.
3 cans buttermilk refrigerator biscuits (10 biscuits per
package)
1 cup chopped pecans
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Bundt pan
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease Bundt pan. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, brown
sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir until sugar is
dissolved. Set aside. Separate biscuits. Cut each
biscuit into quarters. Sprinkle 1/3 cup pecans in bottom
of pan. Arrange 1/3 biscuit pieces on top of pecans.
(Biscuits will be crowded). Pour 1/3 of syrup mixture
over biscuits. Repeat the layers two more times. Bake
for 30 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in a
biscuit comes out clean.
1 (20 ounce) can cherry pie filling or other flavor
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line the
sides of one 10
inch springform pan with lady fingers then line the
bottom with lady
fingers (cutting lady fingers, if necessary). Cream the
cream cheese and
sugar together. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating
after each
addition. Stir in the extracts and fold in the sour
cream. Pour batter into
the prepared pan. Cover tops of lady fingers with foil.
Bake at 375 F for 50 to 60 minutes, until
almost set in the
middle. Remove cake from oven and let stand for 1/2
hour, then remove sides
of pan. Place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
Before serving
top with canned pie filling.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix well first 4 ingredients.
Divide dough in half and chill 1
hour. On lightly floured surface, roll out 1/8 inch
thick. Use a 2 inch diameter round
cookie cutter to cut 3 dozen bases. Place on ungreased
cookie sheet. Put 1/4 teaspoon preserves in center of
each base and sprinkle with nuts. Use a 1 inch diameter
round cookie cutter to cut out tops from remaining
dough, re-rolling scraps as necessary. Place a 1 inch
top over the preserves on each 2 inch base. Bake 8-10
minutes. Store in sealed container.
Note: As with all things
chocolate, the quality of the chocolate used dictates
the result. Chocolate chips are widely available, and
are satisfactory, but try to locate a richer chocolate
the pound for truly luscious candy!
Ingredients:
2 cups of chopped hazelnuts (optional)
12 ounces of semi sweet chocolate
12 ounces of sweet baking chocolate
7 ounces or 1 pint of marshmallow cream
13 ounce can of evaporated milk
3 tablespoons of butter
4 & 1/2 cups of packed brown sugar
Lightly toast the hazelnuts in a nonstick pan, and set
aside. Break up the chocolates into small pieces.
Combine with the marshmallow, and set aside. Combine the
remaining ingredients in a saucepan, and slowly bring to
a low boil, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking and
stirring for 6 minutes. Pour the syrup over the
chocolate/ marshmallow mixture, stirring until chocolate
melts. Stir in the nuts until will blended. Pour into a
buttered 9 by 13 inch pan,
cool and cut.
Mix the dry ingredients together and blend in the melted
butter or margarine. Press two thirds of the mixture
into a lightly buttered 8 inch square cake pan. Cover
with pie filling and sprinkle with remaining oatmeal
mixture.
Bake in a preheated 350 F for
30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool and cut
into squares. Serve topped with ice-cream or
whipped-cream.
To make an easy
Graham Cracker gingerbread house, you'll need 5 graham
crackers per house and either store-bought frosting in a
tube or the following ornamental frosting. (Caution: if
the frosting you buy in a tube is intended for cakes, IT
WILL NOT HARDEN. You can decorate your graham cracker
house with it, but intend on eating your house soon,
because it cannot be moved very easily.)
ORNAMENTAL FROSTING
1/4 c butter or margarine
4 c sifted powdered sugar
2 unbeaten egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 to 2 tsp light cream
With pastry blender, cut butter into powdered sugar
until its the consistence of cornmeal. (If you don't
have a hand pastry blender, a food processor -- or even
a fork can work well for cutting.) Add egg whites,
vanilla, and cream of tartar. Beat thoroughly. Stir in a
little light cream till the frosting is juts a bit
stiffer than spreading consistency. Tint frosting with a
few drops of liquid food coloring, if desired. Place in
pastry tube and squeeze onto graham crackers to make
decorations.
Decorate the walls and roof of your gingerbread house,
either let dry or be VERY careful with your walls.
Later, set your graham crackers up like a house of
cards, pipe frosting onto the joints to hold the house
together.
2 cups of crispy rice cereal, cinnamon candy,
(optional),
1 quart of ice cream
Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Melt butter in a
large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add sugar and stir
well. Add three to four drops of green food coloring and
stir well. Add cereal and stir gently. Spoon cereal
mixture onto waxed paper and divide into four pieces.
Form each piece into a wreath. If you like, decorate the
wreaths with cinnamon candy.
Refrigerate wreaths for about 1 hour or until set.
Before serving, place a scoop of ice
cream in the middle of each wreath. Serves 4.
Cream shortening and sugar. Beat in egg, molasses, and
vinegar. Sift together dry
ingredients and blend into creamed mixture. Chill 3
hours. Roll dough on lightly floured
surface to 1/8 inch thick. Cut in shapes. Place 1 inch
apart on cookie sheet.
Bake at 375F for 5 to 6 minutes. Cool slightly on cookie
sheet and then remove to rack.
Makes about 5 dozen
Directions:
For the logs: Beat margarine/oleo until soft; add brown
sugar and beat until fluffy; beat in egg, flavoring and
1 half of a tablespoon of salt. add flour and beat well.
Chill 1 hour. Roll dough into logs. bake at 375 F on ungreased cookie sheet for 8
to 10 minutes; cool on wire rack. Frost to look like
logs.
For the Frosting: Beat the margarine/oleo until fluffy;
add 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat well, beat in 3
tablespoons of milk and 1 tablespoon of maple flavoring.
Gradually beat in up to 1 & 1-quarter cups powdered
sugar to make spreadable. Serves 48.
Mix butter, sugar, and vanilla.
In large bowl mix flour, salt, and baking powder
Mix dry ingredients into butter mixture
Mix in nuts
Chill at least 1 hour
Roll dough into 1 inch balls
Place on a greased cookie sheet (cookies don't spread)
Bake at 400 F for 10 to 12 minutes
While still warm roll in powdered sugar
Let cool
Re-role in sugar
1. Mix frosting, corn syrup, vanilla and water.
2. Beat at high speed for 5 minutes, or until stiff peaks
form.
3. Reduce speed to low and gradually add sugar.
4. Stir in nuts.
5. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper.
6. Allow to dry at least 12 hours.
7. Store in airtight container.
Cream shortening, sugar, egg, honey and lemon extract
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt
Combine flour mixture to shortening mixture
Wrap in plastic wrap, chill at least one hour
Roll out dough to 1/4" thickness, cut cookies
Place cookies on lightly greased cookie sheet, 1 inch
apart
Bake at 350 F for 8 to 10 minutes
Cool on sheet for several minutes, than transfer to wire
rack
When cooled may be iced.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For a change do the following substitutions:
Brown sugar for sugar
Molasses or honey
2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon ginger or lemon
extract
This is sweet biscuit type recipe.
Scottish Shortbread is famous in many parts of the world
and although it is traditionally eaten at Christmas, it
is enjoyed the year round.
Ingredients:
4 ounces of flour
2 ounces of rice flour or ground rice
4 ounces of caster sugar
4 ounces of butter
some extra caster sugar for sprinkling.
Directions:
Sift the flour and rice flour or ground rice together.
Add the sugar and rub in the
butter. Lightly knead the dough on a floured board until
smooth. Press the dough into a floured mould or into a
greased and lined baking tin. Prick the dough with a
fork and bake at 375 F for about
25 minutes or until it is beginning to turn brown.
Remove from the oven and cut the shortbread into fingers
but leave it in the tin or mould to cool. Sprinkle with
caster sugar to serve.
Shortbread Recipes
For many, no Christmas Season's baking efforts would be
right without at least one variety of this old-time
standard.
Recipe 1
Ingredients:
2 cups of salted butter (no substitutes)
1 cup of fruit sugar
1 cup of rice flour
3 cups of all-purpose flour
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
F. Cream together butter and sugar. Mix in rice
flour until well blended. Add all-purpose flour. Remove
the dough from bowl. Knead it for 5 minutes. Roll the
dough out and place in a greased and floured 9 by 13 inch pan. Prick the top with a fork.
Bake 35 minutes or until golden brown and a knife
inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cut into bars
and allow to cool in the pan. This recipe makes 2 dozen.
Recipe 2
Ingredients:
1 cup of butter (8 ounces)
2 & 1-half cups of flour (8 ounces)
1-half of a cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon almond essence
Directions:
Cream the butter until soft. Add sugar gradually; add
almond essence and then stir in
sifted flour. Knead with hands until dough is well
blended. Divide into halves and press
into two buttered baking trays. The dough should be one-half of an inch in thickness.
Score with a knife into finger-sized portions for easy
cutting later. Bake in oven at 350
to 400 F, for about 25 minutes or until golden
brown. Don't over-bake! Cut while warm, then place on
racks to cool.
Recipe 3
Equipment:
A medium mixing bowl
Vegetable pan spray
14 by 20 inch aluminum cookie
sheet
Bell, holly, Christmas tree and candy-cane cookie
cutters
Ingredients:
1 cup of butter
2-thirds of a cup of confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1-eighth of a teaspoon of salt
2 & 1-quarter cups of flour
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a
medium mixing bowl cream butter,
sugar, vanilla and salt. Add 2 cups of flour and mix
until dough is smooth. If the dough
feels sticky add additional 1-quarter cup flour as
needed. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Roll
into 1 & 1-quarter inch balls and place
onto ungreased cookie sheet. Spray cookie cutter with
vegetable pan spray. Dip the cutter in flour; shake off
excess (repeat flour as needed). Gently but firmly press
dough with desired cookie cutters. Bake 10 to 12 minutes,
or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes on sheet, cool
completely on wire rack. This recipe makes 2 or 3 dozen.
Heat and stir sugar, syrup and water in a heavy 3-quart
saucepan until the sugar
dissolves. Cook over medium heat to soft ball stage (234
degrees). Add nuts and salt. Cook to hard crack stage
(305 degrees), stirring often. Remove from heat.
Quickly, stir in butter and soda. Pour at once onto 2
well-buttered 15-1/2 x 10-1/2 x 1-inch pans, spreading with
spatula. If desired, cool slightly and pull with forks
to stretch thin. Break up when cold.
Yield: About 1-1/2 pounds of peanut brittle.
