Holiday Baking

Hello Friends! This will be my last holiday baking post. I hope you have enjoyed them, and gotten some new ideas.

Melting Moments

I received this recipe at my annual neighborhood cookie exchange a few years ago. These are an almond flavored cookie with a light and crumbly texture. Everyone in my family loves them. If you like the flavor of white wedding cake...this is a cookie you must try!

Cookie:

1 cup butter, room temp.

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

3/4 cup cornstarch

1 cup flour

1 tsp. almond extract

Icing:

2 tbsp. butter, melted

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. almond extract

2 tbsp. milk or half and half

Cream butter until light, gradually add sugar&salt. Beat thoroughly, about 3 min. Gradually add cornstarch and flour; blend well. Form dough into walnut sized balls, chill in fridge for 1 hour. Transfer balls to ungreased cookie sheet, & let stand 20 min. Then make a thumbprint on top of each. Bake 15-16 mins. at 350. Cool.

Icing: Combine ingredients until creamy. Tint the icing if you desire. Fill the cookies with icing when they are completely cool.

Cream wafers

This recipe has been a Varghese family favorite since I was in high school. The recipe came from a friend of my mom's who she worked with and who we went to church with. These cookies are light, flaky, and have a buttery taste. They are excellent!

1 cup soft butter

1/3 whipping cream

2 cups all purpose flour

Granulated sugar

Creamy filling (see below)

Mix thoroughly butter, cream, and flour. Cover and chill until you can roll it out. Heat oven to 375. Roll about 1/3 of the dough at a time 1/8 inch thick on a floured surface. Keep the remaining dough in the fridge until ready to roll. Cut into 1 1/2 inch circles. Transfer rounds with spatula to a piece of waxed paper that is heavily covered with sugar. Turn each side so that both sides are coated with sugar. Place on un-greased baking sheet. Prick rounds with a fork about 4 times. Bake 7-9 minutes or until just set but not brown, cool. Put cookies together in pairs with creamy filling. Creamy filling: Cream 1/4 cup soft butter, 3/4 cup confectioners sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla until smooth and fluffy. Tint with a few drops of food coloring.

Orange-Chocolate Cookies

This is another recipe that I got from the cookie exchange. The original recipe is the 2007 Star Tribune Holiday cookie winner. I made the recipe for the first time last year, and I loved it. If you like the flavors of orange and chocolate, make this cookie.

1 cup of butter, room temp

1 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

2 tsp. finely grated orange zest

2 cups flour

1/4 cup orange marmalade

dipping chocolate

Pre heat oven to 375. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg yolk and orange zest. Reduce speed to low and add flour until just combined. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter, cut dough into rounds, re-rolling and re-cutting until all is used. Place rounds on prepared baking sheets. Using your thumb, make a slight indentation in center of cookie and fill with 1/4 tsp. orange marmalade. Bake approximately 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Melt dipping chocolate. Dip each cookie about a 1/3 in the chocolate and place on waxed paper until the chocolate sets.

Layered Peppermint Crunch Bark

If you love peppermint bark...make this!! It is so good and easy!! I have been making this recipe for years...it's Katie's favorite!

Click this for the recipe.

French Chocolate Bark

I made this for the first time tonight. The kids will not go near it. That's o.k. this is a treat that Brian and I don't want to share. I used 1/2 cup dried apricots and 1/2 cup dried cranberries. I used all semi-sweet chocolate. This was delicious the flavors blend so well together, plus you have the chewiness of the fruit and crunch of the cashews. Very easy, but impressive.

Find the recipe here.

It's been fun!!

xoxo

Rach