All-Time Favorite Holiday Cookies

Have you baked your favorite cookies for Christmas yet? If not, there is a whole weekend ahead of you. Gather around kitchen table with your family and make the most special holiday treat. Here are some ideas may help you to decide which one to bake. I love every one of them, I bake few varieties of cookies every holiday season. We always share our sweets with friends and neighbors. Happy Holidays my dear readers!!! And have a very sweet weekend!

Chicken Dumpling Soup

Warm chicken dumpling soup for the cold evenings.

Christmas Cookies #4: Anise Cookies with Chocolate Chips

"Anise is a favorite sweet spice in Europe, especially in the Scandinavian countries and in Germany. Our modern wedding cake is said to date back to the anise-flavored cakes eaten by the Romans after elaborate meals.

Tomato Soup with Meatballs, Carrots & Parmesan Cheese

What is the better way to persuade picky children or uneasy adults to eat a healthy portion of vegetables than to make a superb soup? Tomato soup is an old favorite, but it can be made special by an addition of fresh parsley and parmesan cheese. Sweet tender carrots find their moment of glory in this scrumptious dish. Deliciously smooth texture of the soup and rustic meatballs makes it very desirable.

Strawberry Smoothie Popsicles

This frozen refreshment is perfect for hot days. You don't even need to have an ice cream maker to make it. Also, a healthy snack for kids.

Vanilla Chocolate Chips Bars

Nothing can compare with a homemade Vanilla Chocolate Chips Bars for bringing a touch of pleasure to a coffee break or tea-time.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/8 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position.

Line a 9X13-inch baking pan with foil, letting the excess hang over the edges of the pan by about 1 inch so you can grab those edges and pull the brownies from the pan after they have baked. Spray the foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the melted butter and sugars in a large bowl until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well.



Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined; do not over mix. Fold in the chocolate chips and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula.

Bake until the top of the bars is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start pulling away from sides of pan, 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature.

Remove the bars from the pan by lifting the foil overhang and transfer them to a cutting board. Cut into squares and serve with tea or milk.

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Pistachio Cookies with Apricot and Surprise -)

Filled with chocolate chips, apricots and toasted pistachios, these cookies are just right with a glass of cold milk.

I have another version of Chocolate chip cookies, also very unique, with Flax, Chia and Hemp Seeds, for recipe visit here.

And the surprise -)) Recently, I received  an amazing song about the Chocolate chip cookies from Notebook Noise.

Notebook Noise just finished his 3rd album Strange Tongue.  You can download it free. Thaddeus is from Chicago and wrote the song Cookies for his daughter and his mom.  The song features his 9 year old daughter too.  It's acoustic and catchy. Enjoy! We sure did-)




Makes: 2 dozen

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 white chocolate chips
• 1 cup roasted, unsalted toasted shelled natural pistachios, coarsely chopped, plus more about 2 Tbsp for sprinkle the top
• 3/4 cup dried apricots, chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner.

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer; beat on medium speed until smooth. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating on low speed to incorporate between additions, then add the vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until smooth. Stop to scrape down the bowl.



Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, gradually add to the bowl, beating on low speed until well incorporated.
Stir in the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, then 1 cup of the pistachios and the dried apricots.

Drop heaping tablespoons of the dough, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle some of the remaining pistachios on the top of each cookie. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are just set but still soft to the touch. Cool completely before serving or storing. Repeat to use all of the dough.

Vanilla Almond Half-Moons or Vanillekipferl, Austrian Cookies

Vanilla Almond Half-Moons or Vanillekipferl, Austrian Cookies

You must make them! They are magical.
These melt-in-your mouth buttery cookies are simple to make and delicious for any occasion. Great for a mid-afternoon get-together or a light, after-dinner dessert.
It’s basically a crescent-shaped vanilla almond biscuit, dusted with lots and lots of vanilla icing sugar.
They are in fact made the same way you’d make a shortbread or shortcrust pastry. All the ingredients are mixed together, the dough formed into logs, wrapped in clingfilm and chilled in the fridge for an hour or so. Once the dough has firmed up, you cut slices off, and mould them into crescents. Once they’re baked, dust them with a generous helping of vanilla icing sugar so that they get their snow-dusted look.



Servings: About 30
Prep Time: 10 minutes, plus one hour’s chilling
Cook Time: 10-15 Min

Ingredients:

• 300g flour
• 150g ground almonds
• 175g butter, cut into small cubes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 100g sugar
• 1 packet vanilla sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• confectioners' sugar and vanilla sugar for rolling and dusting

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix all the ingredients to a short-crust dough, wrap and refrigerate until firm for one hour. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Pinch off tablespoons of dough and roll into short ropes. Bend into crescent moon shapes on baking sheets, leaving about two inches between cookies.



Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned. Mix confectioners' sugar and vanilla sugar together, then toss the hot cookies in the mix. Carefully roll warm cookies in the vanilla sugar.
You can store the cookies in a sealed tin for several days.

Happy New Year, my dear readers!

Molded Gingerbread Cookies with Clear Sugar Glaze

I love Springerle cookies, they are so beautiful and delicious, white or painted  they are perfect for holidays. But I like to try this year something different using Springerle molds.

Here is one very good recipe of Molded Gingerbread Cookies with Clear Sugar Glaze from House on the Hill.
They can be printed with Springerle molds. Be sure to choose a deeply and boldly carved design, one without really fine details.You’ll make the non springerle lovers very happy!
You can easily adjust the spices. For instance, if you are not a fan of cloves, leave them out. Crazy about ginger? Then add an extra ½ to 1 teaspoon.
If you use all molasses (instead of molasses and dark corn syrup) add the extra flour as the all molasses version is stickier.

Ingredients for the flour mixture:

•  3 cups plus 4 tablespoons unbleached flour
•  3/4 teaspoon baking soda
•  1/2 cup sugar
•  1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
•  1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
•  2 teaspoons ground ginger
•  1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
•  1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for the liquid mixture:

•  1/2 cup vegetable oil
•  1/2 cup molasses (you may use 1 cup molasses and no dark corn syrup if you prefer)
•  1/2 cup dark corn syrup
•  2 tablespoons water

Ingredients for the clear sugar glaze:

• 2 1/2 cups powered sugar
• 2 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla if desired
• food coloring if desired 

Direction for the clear sugar glaze:

Combine sugar, water, butter corn syrup and vanilla in a small bowl and mix until powered sugar is moistened. Beat at medium speed until smooth, adding additional water if necessary. Tint with food color.

Direction for the gingerbread cookies:
Combine the flour mixture and the liquid mixture together either by hand or in a heavy standard mixer using the flat blade (not the whisk). Mix until the dough holds together, adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of water only if necessary to bind the dough. Knead the dough into a solid mass and place into a tightly sealed zipper bag. Let the dough rest for 1 hour or refrigerate overnight.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough with a plain rolling pin about ½ to 5/8 inch thick, depending on the depth of your cookie mold. Using a pastry brush, flour the surface of your cookie mold. Press firmly onto the flat surface of the dough and then lift the mold straight up. Re-flour the mold for every pressing.



Cut and place the cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Let cookies dry for 8 — 12 hours.
Bake at 300 degrees for 12 minutes. Large cookies will need 14-15 minutes.
If desired, glaze the gingerbread cookies as soon as they come out of the oven and before you remove them to a cooling rack.
If needed, soften cookies with slices of apple on firm bread (rye) for a day or two. Keeps well.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon and Cranberry Glaze

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 (8-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 2 Tbs.lemon juice
• 1 zest from one lemon

For glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tbs.lemon juice
• 2 Tbs. cranberry juice
• sprinkles for decoration

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375F.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop the dough by level tablespoons, about 2 inches apart, onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges (cookies will be soft). Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the wire rack for 20 minutes.
When cookies are cool, prepare glaze. Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and cranberry juice in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Sprinkle with sprinkles. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Pack the cookies into a decorative container.

 

A Glimpse at Recipes of The Past: Lumberjack Cookies

I have a small but very treasured collection of cooking books. I have Russian cooking books with recipes prepared for the Czarist family and recipes cooked for the French Aristocracy, as well as a collection of recipe books that I bought here in America, dating back to our American ancestors.
Why do I like these old books so much?
Firstly, the illustrations found in these books are a rare sight indeed nowadays, because each illustration is beautifully drawn in detail, giving insight to a modern-day person of the dedicated and personal atmosphere that emanated from that time period.
Secondly, each recipe in these books has its own story. It’s not just a list of ingredients thrown into a pot and boiled---it’s an entire experience beginning from the detailing of the recipe’s origination to its eventual passage from generation to generation. This is why I have decided to begin a column on this blog dedicated to posting and discussing recipes taken from these books. There’s something very sentimental about making history come back to life.
Feel free to add to our historical recipe collection.



From "Favorite New England Recipes" 1972

Lumberjack Cookies
Lumbering is a unique occupation and projects a day-to-day life unlike any other. In the upper reaches of the rivers, when spring freshets deepen the water enough to float the logs, men of a particularly courageous breed shepherd the raw wood down the rivers, sometimes for hundreds of miles, to the sawmills. They spend many days on the logs and on a raft with a shanty on it that brings up the rear. In the shanty is a man at whom the others characteristically jeer but deeply value - the cook.



One morning early in this century, such a log drive was moving along the Muskegon past a riverside farm, when a dignified little woman marched to the water's edge and waved to them. She wished to parley with the lumberjack cook. Just why is explained by Mrs.Paul V.Bretz of St.Paul, Minnesota. "The great lumbering industry of Michigan was beginning to wane, but there was still some lumbering along the Mu. When the logs where being floated down the river to the mills, there was always a cook shanty on a raft following the log drive. It was a great treat for children to have a meal with the lumberjacks on this river raft. They could look forward to fried salt pork, boiled potatoes, boiled beans, hot breads, cookies, and strong black coffee. Good hearty fare.
"These were molasses cookies and so good that my husband prevailed upon his mother to go to the river and learn the recipe from the cook. We always called them 'Lumberjack Cookies,' and here is the recipe:"

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup shortening
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 cup sour milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ginger, vanilla, and mace (or nutmeg) to taste
• flour enough to make a soft dough

Directions:
Drop by tablespoons on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake in a moderate oven (350F) until done, about 10 minutes.

Crunchy Sesame Seed Cookies

IMPORTANT Note: The WINNER of Box of Tea Forte with porcelain tea cup ensemble, and Pear and Vanilla Jam is Penny Hayes Snyder. Penny, send over your mailing address to cooking [at] melangery [dot] com and I'll send the gift right away. CONGRATULATIONS!

Cookie time. -)
Awesome cookies, very crunchy, very light, addictive, a little hard, so you need to make them thin.

Ingredients:

•  1tbsp black sesame seeds or chia seeds
•  1 tbsp white sesame seeds
•  1 tbsp flax seeds
•  ¼ cup raw sugar
•  2¼ cups all-purpose flour
•  1 tsp cream of tartar
•  1 tsp baking soda
•  ¼ tsp salt
•  1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, very soft
•  1 cup granulated sugar
•  1 large egg
•  2 tsp bourbon

Direction:
Center the oven rack and preheat the oven to 375F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Mix the seeds and coarse sugar in a shallow bowl and set aside.
Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda,and salt in a medium bowl and whisk thoroughly.
With a spoon in a medium bowl or with a mixer, mix the butter with the granulated sugar until smooth and well blended but not fluffy. Add the egg and bourbon and mix until smooth. Add the flour mixture and mix until completely incorporated.



Using a small ice cream scoop (or just a tablespoon), measure out the dough and roll into 1-inch balls. Press each ball into the seed mixture on both sides, flattening the ball to about 1/2-inch thick. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet spacing them 2 inches apart.



Bake the cookies, in batches, for about 14 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned, rotating the baking sheet from front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. Set the baking sheet or just the parchment on rack to cool. Cool completely before stacking or storing. May be kept in an air-tight container for at least 2 weeks.

Butternut Squash, Apple and Walnut Muffins and The Last Pumpkin Field Trip

The Anxious Leaf: Autumn Short Stories - Fall
Once upon a time a little leaf was heard to sigh and cry, as leaves
often do when a gentle wind is about. And the twig said, "What is the matter, little leaf?" And the leaf said, "The wind just told me that one day it would pull me off and throw me down to die on the ground!"
The twig told it to the branch on which it grew, and the branch told it to the tree. And when the tree heard it, it rustled all over, and sent back word to the leaf, "Do not be afraid. Hold on tightly, and you shall not go till you want to."

And so the leaf stopped sighing, but went on nestling and singing. Every time the tree shook itself and stirred up all its leaves, the branches shook themselves, and the little twig shook itself, and the little leaf danced up and down merrily, as if nothing could ever pull it off. And so it grew all summer long, till October.
And when the bright days of autumn came the little leaf saw all the leaves around becoming very beautiful. Some were yellow and some scarlet, and some striped with both colors. Then it asked the tree what it meant. And the tree said, "All these leaves are getting ready to fly away, and they have put on these beautiful colors because of joy."
Then the little leaf began to want to go, too, and grew very beautiful in thinking of it, and when it was very gay in color it saw that the branches of the tree had no bright color in them, and so the leaf said, "O branches! why are you lead-color and we golden?"

"We must keep on our work-clothes, for our life is not done - but your clothes are for holiday, because your tasks are over," said the branches.
Just then a little puff of wind came, and the leaf let go, without thinking of it, and the wind took it up and turned it over and over, and whirled it like a spark of fire in the air, and then it dropped gently down under the edge of the fence, among hundreds of leaves, and fell into a dream, and it never waked up to tell what it dreamed about.

Butternut Squash, Apple and Walnut Muffins recipe adapted from Cannelle et Vanille

The cupcakes came out just perfect: airy, buttery and moist. The recipe would make a beautiful cake, too. I love the color of my creation, it's the autumn on my table. -)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 small butternut squash puree, peeled, seeded and diced
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (50 g) natural cane sugar
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (70 g) garbanzo bean flour
• 1/2 cup (70 g) cake-flour
• 1/3 cup (45 g) almond meal
• 3 tablespoons (20 g) potato-starch (potato-starch is excellent in cakes, it makes them light)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 Gala apple, peeled and diced into 1/8-inch pieces
• 1 ounce (30 g) chopped walnuts

Direction:
Preheat oven to 350F (180C).
Steam the diced squash until tender, about 10 minutes. Puree it in the food processor and measure 1/2 cup (115 g). Reserve the rest for another use.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the butternut squash puree, eggs, light brown sugar, natural cane sugar, coconut milk, coconut oil and vanilla extract.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the garbanzo bean flour, cake-flour, almond meal, potato starch, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and whisk to combine. Fold in the diced apples and walnuts.
Pour the batter into the muffin molds or baking cups and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes before serving. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Makes 12 muffins.

Decorated Pumpkins Contest and Chocolate Rice Crispies

Every year our Town has the “Paint Our Town” competition. Last year my daughter and I entered for window painting. We were assigned a big window in one of the restaurants. We liked our idea: we invented a new character, the Tree-Cula, a big happy tree with a cape and Dracula teeth. Our Tree-Cula turned out very funny and very nice. We did such a great job and had lots of fun. Although we did not win anything, our experience was wonderful.



This year we decided to do something different, and we entered  the “Decorating Pumpkin” contest. One of the rules was not to carve our pumpkins. My husband gave us the idea about how to do the snow man, and we liked that-))
Three white pumpkins were carefully collected from our local Styer Orchard farm. We worked diligently and every day came up with new ideas for the decoration. After a week of creative work I proudly can show you our splendid results.



Although, our pumpkins were white in the beginning, we gave them a little color for a rustic effect. The bottom one we decorated with fallen leaves from our backyard, the tummy piece with apples that we cut from the fabric I have. We found wild pecan nuts in the park and converted them into buttons for our snow man. The nose is a stem from the middle pumpkin, and an old lamp shade was turned into the hat. When the snow man was done we decided to call him Fall-Man, after all he is made from pumpkins and has a scarecrow on his head.
Enjoy!



For more photos visit Newtown Window Painting 2011

After a hard work and lots of fun we treated ourselves with the Crunchy Chocolate Rice Crispies.

Kids love to make them, specially round them with a coconut oil hands-)))



Ingredients:

•  8 tbsp (4 oz, 120 g) unsalted butter
•  1/3 cup (32 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
•  Two 10-oz bags (565g) mini marshmallows
•  10 cups (300 g) crisp rice cereal
•  ¾ cup (150 g) semisweet mini chocolate chips

Preparations:

Combine the butter and cocoa powder in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Let the butter melt, and stir so that the mixture is well combined. Add the marshmallows and let them melt completely.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rice cereal.



When it is well coated in the marshmallow mixture, stir in half the chocolate chips. Let the mixture cool for about 5 minutes, then stir in the remaining chocolate chips.
Let cool to room temperature.

  

Oil your hands with coconut oil, and shape some of the cereal mixture into a ball the size of a golf ball (1.68-inch, to be exact). Using an ice cream scoop for measuring helps to achieve the uniform size of the balls. Place the ball on a baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining mixture. Let the balls set, then store them in an air-tight container in a dry, cool environment for up to 3 days. If you like you may refrigerate them, they will harden. I like them that way.
What are you eating these days?