Recipes for the holidays
Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
• 8 large candy canes or 30 peppermint candies, crushed
• 2 pounds white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed for 1 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, and add the egg, then the yolk, beating well after each addition. Beat in peppermint extract. Slowly add flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated. Shape dough into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
2. Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 1 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out circles and place 1-inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Freeze cookies until firm, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining disk.
3. Bake until cookies are dry to the touch, about 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool. (Undecorated cookies will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.)
4. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water. Remove from heat. Dunk cookies into melted chocolate. Using a fork, turn to coat, let excess drip off, and gently scrape bottom against edge of bowl. (I found it necessary to occasionally put the chocolate back over the simmering water to give it a good dipping consistency.) Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, and sprinkle with crushed candy pieces. Refrigerate until set and store in a tin in a cool place.
Makes 5 Dozen Cookies
Apple Pie Baked in the Apples
Ingredients:
5-6 Granny Smith Apples
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 Cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
Pie crust
Preheat Oven to 375 degrees F
Step 1: Cut off the top of 4 apples off and discard. Remove the inside of each apple with a spoon or melon baller very carefully, as to not puncture the peel.
If you’re a skilled interior apple excavator, salvage as much as you can so you can use it for Step 2. I, on the other hand, am not skilled so I just had to throw my interior apples away and chop up additional apples for filling.
This recipe will make 4 baked apple pies (in the apple).
Step 2: Remove skin from remaining apple(s) and slice very thinly. These apple pieces will give you the additional filling needed to fill the four apples you are baking. Mix sliced apples with sugars and cinnamon in a bowl. If you prefer more or less cinnamon make adjustments as desired. Same goes for the sugar. Scoop sliced apples into hollow apples.
Step 3: Roll out pie crust and slice into 1/4 inch strips. You can also add a strip of pastry inside the top of the apple almost like a liner to add a little more texture/sweetness to the pie. Cover the top of the apple in a lattice pattern with pie crust strips.
Step 4: Place apples in an 8×8 pan. Add just enough water to the cover the bottom of the pan. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and sliced apples are soft
Double-Layer Pumpkin Pie
Time prep: 20 min
total: 4 hr 20 min
Servings total: 10 servings
What You Need
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1cup plus 1 Tbsp. milk, divided
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
1 HONEY MAID Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.)
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
2 pkg (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
Make It
BEAT cream cheese, 1 Tbsp. milk and sugar in large bowl with whisk until blended. Stir in half the COOL WHIP. Spread onto bottom of crust.
WHISK remaining milk, pumpkin, dry pudding mixes and spices 2 min. (Mixture will be thick.) Spread over cream cheese layer.
REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm. Serve topped with remaining COOL WHIP.
GINGERBREAD MEN
________________________________________
Yield: about 50 gingerbread men. Equipment: hand-held electric mixer; 4 inch gingerbread man cutter; pastry bag fitted with small decorate tip (optional). Store in airtight containers.
2 sticks (1 c.) unsalted butter, softened
1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 lg. egg
1 c. dark unsulfured molasses
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
5 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
In a large bowl with mixer cream the butter, add the sugar, and beat until fluffy. Beat in the egg, molasses, and vinegar. Into a bowl sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and the salt and stir the mixture into the butter mixture, a little at a time. (The dough will be soft.) Quarter the dough, dust it with flour, and wrap each piece in wax paper. Flatten the dough slightly and chill it for at least 3 hours or overnight. Butter 2 baking sheets and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Roll out the dough, one piece at a time, 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface. Flour the cookie cutter and cut out cookies. Transfer the cookies with a spatula to the baking sheets, arranging them 2 inches apart, and bake them in the middle of the oven for 6 to 8 minutes, or until no imprint remains when they are touched lightly with the fingertip.
Transfer the cookies with the spatula to racks and let them cool. Make cookie with the dough scraps in the same manner. If desired, pipe the sugar icing decoratively on the cookies using the pastry bag. Let the cookies stand for 20 minutes, or until the icing is set.
Spiced Pumpkin Bread
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, or a combination of all-purpose and whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup regular sugar
1 1/4 cup (about 330 grams or 11.5 ounces) pumpkin puree
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together sugars, pumpkin, oil, and eggs. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the wet mixture, and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Don’t overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean with just a crumb or two attached, about 1 hour, plus or minus 5 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes; invert pan and transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the glaze, if desired, combine the 1 cup powdered sugar with 1-2 tablespoons in a small bowl. Mix until combined. The mixture should be smooth, but thick. Add more powdered sugar or water to reach the consistency you like. Pour over the top of the cooled loaf and allow 15 minutes for the glaze to set
Pan De Polvo (Mexican Shortbread)
By Ernesto Carreon on May 07, 2002
Ingredients:
Cookie:
2 lbs flour
1 lb vegetable shortening
Cinnamon Anise Tea:
6 cinnamon sticks
4 tablespoons anise seeds
2 cups water
3 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup ground cinnamon
Directions
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
• 8 large candy canes or 30 peppermint candies, crushed
• 2 pounds white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed for 1 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, and add the egg, then the yolk, beating well after each addition. Beat in peppermint extract. Slowly add flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated. Shape dough into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
2. Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 1 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out circles and place 1-inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Freeze cookies until firm, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining disk.
3. Bake until cookies are dry to the touch, about 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool. (Undecorated cookies will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.)
4. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water. Remove from heat. Dunk cookies into melted chocolate. Using a fork, turn to coat, let excess drip off, and gently scrape bottom against edge of bowl. (I found it necessary to occasionally put the chocolate back over the simmering water to give it a good dipping consistency.) Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, and sprinkle with crushed candy pieces. Refrigerate until set and store in a tin in a cool place.
Makes 5 Dozen Cookies
Apple Pie Baked in the Apples
Ingredients:
5-6 Granny Smith Apples
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 Cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
Pie crust
Preheat Oven to 375 degrees F
Step 1: Cut off the top of 4 apples off and discard. Remove the inside of each apple with a spoon or melon baller very carefully, as to not puncture the peel.
If you’re a skilled interior apple excavator, salvage as much as you can so you can use it for Step 2. I, on the other hand, am not skilled so I just had to throw my interior apples away and chop up additional apples for filling.
This recipe will make 4 baked apple pies (in the apple).
Step 2: Remove skin from remaining apple(s) and slice very thinly. These apple pieces will give you the additional filling needed to fill the four apples you are baking. Mix sliced apples with sugars and cinnamon in a bowl. If you prefer more or less cinnamon make adjustments as desired. Same goes for the sugar. Scoop sliced apples into hollow apples.
Step 3: Roll out pie crust and slice into 1/4 inch strips. You can also add a strip of pastry inside the top of the apple almost like a liner to add a little more texture/sweetness to the pie. Cover the top of the apple in a lattice pattern with pie crust strips.
Step 4: Place apples in an 8×8 pan. Add just enough water to the cover the bottom of the pan. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and sliced apples are soft
Double-Layer Pumpkin Pie
Time prep: 20 min
total: 4 hr 20 min
Servings total: 10 servings
What You Need
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1cup plus 1 Tbsp. milk, divided
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
1 HONEY MAID Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.)
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
2 pkg (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
Make It
BEAT cream cheese, 1 Tbsp. milk and sugar in large bowl with whisk until blended. Stir in half the COOL WHIP. Spread onto bottom of crust.
WHISK remaining milk, pumpkin, dry pudding mixes and spices 2 min. (Mixture will be thick.) Spread over cream cheese layer.
REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm. Serve topped with remaining COOL WHIP.
GINGERBREAD MEN
________________________________________
Yield: about 50 gingerbread men. Equipment: hand-held electric mixer; 4 inch gingerbread man cutter; pastry bag fitted with small decorate tip (optional). Store in airtight containers.
2 sticks (1 c.) unsalted butter, softened
1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 lg. egg
1 c. dark unsulfured molasses
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
5 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
In a large bowl with mixer cream the butter, add the sugar, and beat until fluffy. Beat in the egg, molasses, and vinegar. Into a bowl sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and the salt and stir the mixture into the butter mixture, a little at a time. (The dough will be soft.) Quarter the dough, dust it with flour, and wrap each piece in wax paper. Flatten the dough slightly and chill it for at least 3 hours or overnight. Butter 2 baking sheets and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Roll out the dough, one piece at a time, 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface. Flour the cookie cutter and cut out cookies. Transfer the cookies with a spatula to the baking sheets, arranging them 2 inches apart, and bake them in the middle of the oven for 6 to 8 minutes, or until no imprint remains when they are touched lightly with the fingertip.
Transfer the cookies with the spatula to racks and let them cool. Make cookie with the dough scraps in the same manner. If desired, pipe the sugar icing decoratively on the cookies using the pastry bag. Let the cookies stand for 20 minutes, or until the icing is set.
Spiced Pumpkin Bread
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, or a combination of all-purpose and whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup regular sugar
1 1/4 cup (about 330 grams or 11.5 ounces) pumpkin puree
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together sugars, pumpkin, oil, and eggs. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the wet mixture, and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Don’t overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean with just a crumb or two attached, about 1 hour, plus or minus 5 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes; invert pan and transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the glaze, if desired, combine the 1 cup powdered sugar with 1-2 tablespoons in a small bowl. Mix until combined. The mixture should be smooth, but thick. Add more powdered sugar or water to reach the consistency you like. Pour over the top of the cooled loaf and allow 15 minutes for the glaze to set
Pan De Polvo (Mexican Shortbread)
By Ernesto Carreon on May 07, 2002
Ingredients:
Cookie:
2 lbs flour
1 lb vegetable shortening
Cinnamon Anise Tea:
6 cinnamon sticks
4 tablespoons anise seeds
2 cups water
3 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup ground cinnamon
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cut shortening into flour until mixture resemble coarse corn meal.
- Add hot cinnamon and 1/4 cup anise tea and kneed dough until smooth.
- This will take a while.
- Roll dough into 1 inch diameter logs about 12 inch long.
- Cut logs into 1/4 in thick circles.
- Place close together on cookie sheet, but not touching.
- They spread very little to not at all.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until bottom side of cookie become lightly golden brown, and when cookie is cut in half, it looks baked all the way through.
- Combine granulated sugar and ground cinnamon.
- While cookies are still hot, roll each one in sugar and cinnamon coating with a fork until well coated.
- Place the cookies on cooling rack and cool completely.