The Everything Family Christmas Book (63 page)

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2½ cups all-purpose flour

Red and green sugar crystals

Colored jimmies

Small silver-ball candies

1. Preheat oven to 350°F; grease a cookie or baking sheet.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together margarine and sugar.

3. Beat in egg, extract, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add in flour.

4. Add salt and baking powder. Gradually add in flour. Mix well.

5. On a floured surface, knead dough by hand and shape into a large ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill up to 2 hours, until firm.

6. Roll dough out on floured surface to ¼” thickness. Cut out shapes with Christmas-theme cookie cutters. Gather trimmings; roll out and cut more cookies. Decorate with sugar crystals, jimmies, and candies.

7. Bake in batches for 10–12 minutes, or until brown.

Coconut Wreath Cookies

A real sign of the season!

½ cup butter or margarine, softened

½ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 (3½-ounce) pack of shredded, sweetened coconut

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

Red and green candied cherries, sliced

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Grease and flour a baking sheet.

3. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar.

4. Blend in egg and coconut. On low speed, add flour, ½ cup at a time, until blended.

5. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for several hours.

6. On floured surface, roll ? of dough at a time to ¼” thickness. Using a 2½” doughnut cutter, cut dough into rings. Gather trimmings; roll out dough; cut more cookies.

7. Remove any excess coconut from edges; edges of cookies should be smooth.

8. Place cookies on prepared baking sheet 1” apart.

9. Arrange cherry slices on cookies to resemble flower petals; press into cookies.

10. Bake cookies in batches for 10 minutes, or until brown.

Crunchy Christmas Candy

A favorite with the little ones.

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup evaporated milk

¼ cup margarine

¼ cup crunchy peanut butter

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup old-fashioned dry oats

½ cup peanuts

1. Bring sugar, evaporated milk, and margarine to a boil, stirring frequently.

2. When sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla.

3. Mix in oats and peanuts. Drop mixture by rounded teaspoon onto wax paper so that each morsel has a peak. (If mixture is too stiff, add a few drops of milk.)

4. Chill candy until firm.

Crunchy Christmas Nut Treats

Leave some of these out for Santa—you’ll be glad you did.

1 cup solid vegetable shortening

¼ cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

½ cup chopped almonds

½ cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.

2. In a large bowl, beat together shortening, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract.

3. At low speed, beat in flour.

4. Stir in nuts.

5. Shape dough into round balls and place several inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

6. Bake in batches for 15–18 minutes. Check frequently near end of cooking time; do not scorch.

7. Transfer cookies to a wire rack. Roll warm cookies in confectioners’ sugar.

8. Let stand until cool, 30 minutes.

Gingerbread from Home

Real home-style gingerbread—perfect for holiday snacks!

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

⅓ cup butter

½ cup light molasses

1 teaspoon baking soda

1¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 large egg

½ cup boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.

2. Grease and flour an 8” square baking pan.

3. In a large bowl, mix together brown sugar and butter. Mix in baking soda and molasses.

4. Add flour, cinnamon, and ginger. Mix well.

5. Add in egg.

6. Add boiling water. Mix well.

7. Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top.

8. Bake gingerbread until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, approximately 40 minutes.

Gingerbread Men

Decorate these men with the season in mind!

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup solid vegetable shortening

½ cup light molasses

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 large egg

Green and red prepared frosting

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together sugar and shortening.

3. Add egg, salt, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and molasses. Add flour ? cup at a time, beating until dough forms.

4. Shape dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for up to 2 hours or until firm.

5. On floured surface, roll dough out to ¼” thickness.

6. Using a gingerbread-man cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet at least 1” apart.

7. Bake cookies in batches for 8–10 minutes for small men, 12–15 minutes for larger. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack to cool.

8. Spread frosting over cookies. Decorate with candies.

Fruitcake Trio

You’ve all heard the jokes, but Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without fruitcake. Grease 3 9” × 5” baking pans, then line with aluminum foil, then grease again. Now you’re ready to prepare the main batter first, and then follow the individualized instructions for making 3 quite different fruitcakes to suit any taste.

Main batter

1½ cups butter or margarine

1½ cups granulated sugar

1½ cups dark brown sugar, packed

9 large eggs

5 cups flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons salt

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1½ teaspoons ground nutmeg

1½ cups almonds, coarsely chopped (optional)

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars.

2. Beat in eggs at low speed, one at a time.

3. Slowly combine flour into butter mixture until it forms a light, fluffy batter.

4. In a small bowl, blend next 4 ingredients. Mix into large bowl.

5. By hand, fold chopped almonds into the batter.

6. Preheat the oven to 300°F.

At this point, divide batter into 3 different bowls to make 3 different kinds of fruitcake. (You can choose to make 3 fruitcakes all of the same kind, but remember the amounts that follow are calculated for just one of each loaf.)

continued….

Dark Raisin Fruitcake

As directed above, take ⅓ of the batter formed in the Main Batter section and add in the following until well blended:

¼ cup molasses

¼ teaspoon cloves

½ teaspoon ground allspice

2 cups each dark raisins and golden raisins

⅓ cup chopped dates

Morning Sunshine Fruitcake

As directed above, take ⅓ of the batter formed in the Main Batter section and add in the following until well blended:

¼ cup orange juice

¼ teaspoon crushed cardamom seed

½ cup each orange peel and lemon peel, chopped

1 tablespoon lime juice

1½ cups mixed candied green cherries and yellow candied pineapple, chopped

Nut-Lovers’ Fruitcake

As directed above, take ⅓ of the batter formed in the Main Batter section and add in the following until well blended:

1 cup each pecans and walnuts, chopped

½ cup hazelnuts, chopped

1½ cups candied mixed fruit, chopped

If desired, wrap fruitcake in brandy-soaked cheesecloth and then in foil. Remoisten cloth every other week. Or wrap without liquor. Store for up to 2 months; freeze for longer periods. Before giving, glaze tops with small quantity of pineapple preserves, apple, jelly, or orange marmalade. Decorate with halved nuts and candied fruits.

1. Pour each batter into 1 prepared 9” × 5” pan.

2. Place a shallow pan of water on the lower oven rack to prevent drying.

3. Place the 3 pans containing the batter next to each other, but not touching, on the top rack.

4. Cook for 1½ hours or until cake tester inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. If the tops of the cakes start to become too brown near the end of cooking time, cover them with aluminum foil.

5. Cool in pans on cooling racks for 15 minutes. Using aluminum foil, carefully pull cakes out of pans and let cool on cooling racks.

Holiday Fudge

It’s the hint of marshmallow that makes the difference in this recipe. And there’s no baking!

4½ cups granulated sugar

1 can evaporated milk

¼ cup butter

12 ounces of milk chocolate bar

12 ounces chocolate chips

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

⅛ teaspoon salt

1 pint marshmallow spread

2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped

1. Grease a 13” × 9” pan.

2. In a large saucepan, heat sugar, milk, and butter for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

3. Dissolve chocolate bar and chocolate chips in saucepan.

4. Mix in vanilla, salt, marshmallow, and walnuts.