Some Great Holiday Recipes

Joe is resting up from his recent extensive travels (being a bear, a sort of hibernation), and Petal has been away helping her big bro Fuzzy in a hush-hush project. Thankfully, Cablecar Gal (aka the Virtual Spoon), has helped us out and has given us some great holiday recipes.

Wishing you a warm, cozy Holiday Season from the Virtual Spoon, from my family to yours. May all your dreams come true this Holiday Season. May our rolling pins roll and our cookie tins be filled and may we never count all of the calories we take in this Holiday Season. There is always going to the gym next year.

Here are a few of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes. It seems that every year I collect more and more recipes. I am a part of a community cookie exchange. So every year I end up baking 4 or 5 dozen cookies to exchange with family & neighbors. In exchange I get 5 recipes, and of course I get the cookies. I remember only so well, when my Mom and I put out a plate of cookies for Santa. We walked in and DAD got caught red handed with a cookie in both hands - different cookie in each hand. His excuse: "Well, I had to taste them as I am the official taste tester, after all." There is always a cookie monster around somewhere.

The Recipes

• Peanut Chocolate Drop Cookies
  
• Dark Chocolate Fudge with Mint Filled Delightfulls
  
• Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies
  
• Coconut Macaroons
  
• Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Peanut Chocolate Drop Cookies

Ingredients:

• 48 Hershey's Kisses Brand Milk Chocolates
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup Reese's Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Additional granulated sugar(optional)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on greased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Makes about 48 cookies.

Dark Chocolate Fudge with Mint Filled Delight Fulls

Ingredients:

• 4 cup Nestle Toll House DelightFulls Mint Filled Morsels
• 1 2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Dark Chocolate Morsels
• 1 can (14 oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. LINE 8-inch-square baking pan with foil. Coarsely chop 1/4 cup Delightfulls morsels; set aside.

2. COMBINE dark chocolate morsels and sweetened condensed milk in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Warm over lowest possible heat, stirring until smooth.

3. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract. Gently stir in remaining 1/2 cup Delightfulls morsels just until morsels are covered.

4. SPREAD mixture evenly into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with coarsely chopped Delightfulls morsels. Press gently into fudge.

5. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into pieces. Store refrigerated in airtight container

Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups (11.5-oz. pkg.) Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks

Directions

1. PREHEAT oven to 350º F.

2. COMBINE flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.

3. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chunks. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto UN greased baking sheets.

4. BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until cookies are puffed and centers are set but still soft. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients:

• 14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

1.Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl.

3. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.

4. Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or 2 teaspoons.

5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
• 7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
• Raspberry and/or apricot jam

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until they are just combined and then add the vanilla.

3. Separately, sift together the flour and salt.

4. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until the dough starts to come together.

5. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

6. Roll the dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. (If you have a scale they should each weigh 1 ounce.) Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in coconut. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger.

7. Drop 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indentation. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the coconut is a golden brown. Cool and serve.

Joe and Petal are looking for new recipes. Do you have a recipe you would like to share with our readers? Just mail your recipe to the Yellow Gazette, care of Joe. If you have a nice picture of the finished recipe, send us that too. And thanks to Cablecar Gal for her great recipes over these past several issues.