Well, I guess the holiday season is well and truly upon us now. Time to get baking! Often during the years when my children were growing up I did not have a lot of money to buy gifts for other people and so the thing that I would love to do most of all was to prepare a tray of baking to gift people with. I would spend several weeks baking up my favourite cookies and cakes and freezing them. You could buy cheap Christmas trays at the dollar/pound shop and then in the days just prior to Christmas, I would place an assortment of baking onto each tray, wrap them up in cling film, attaching a pretty tag and ribbon and that is what they would get. I never had a person that was disappointed to receive this gift! Ever! Today I an presenting you a round up of some of the tasty morsels I would include! This type of gift is always most welcome for neighbors or friends, even family.
Holiday Linzer Cookies always go down a real treat. These ones are special, with a buttery nutty and lightly spiced dough and delicious raspberry jam filling, they never fail to delight!
*Linzer Cookies*
Makes about 2 dozen
The quintessential Christmas Cookie. Tender sweet cookies filled with tart raspberry jam. Delicious!!
directions. Drizzle decoratively over top of the shortbread biscuits.
Allow to set before storing in an airtight container.
Nutmeg Fingers, Eggnog Logs . . . whatever you call these, they are a Christmas Tradition for us! Tasty little Nutmeg logs, all buttery and nutmeggy scrummy and covered
with a layer of butter cream and dusted with, what else but more nutmeg. Hmmm . . . hope they like nutmeg!
Fa la la la la . . . la la . . . la . . . la!
*Nutmeg Fingers*
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen
Buttery little nutmeg flavoured logs, slathered in a tasty buttercream and dusted with what else but more nutmeg!
for the logs:
8 ounces butter, softened (1 cup)
5.25 ounces caster sugar (3/4 cup)
1 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
(I love my fine sided microplane grater!)
1 large free range egg
2 tsp pure vanilla
1 tsp rum extract
12.75 ounces plain flour (3 cups)
For the buttercream:
2 ounces butter, softened (1/4 cup)
12 ounces icing sugar, divided (3 cups)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp rum extract
1 TBS cream
1 TBS milk
to finish:
freshly grated nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Get out two large baking sheets. Set aside.
Cream
together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, nutmeg
and flavourings. Mix in well. Stir in the flour to make a stiff
dough. Shape handfulls of the dough into long ropes, 1/2 inch in
diameter. Cut into 3 inch sticks and place at least one inch apart on
the baking sheets, repeating until you have used up all the dough,.
Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottoms. Remove from
the oven and alow to cool on wire racks.
To make the butter
cream, beat together the butter and 8 ounces (2 cups) of the icing
sugar, along with the vanilla and rum extract. When it starts to come
together, beat in the milk, cream and remaining icing sugar, beating
until light and fluffy.
Using a flat knife spread a portion of
icing on the top of each log. Rough up with the tines of a fork. Set
aside to dry. Dust with freshly grated nutmeg. Store in an airtight
container. These also freeze well, tightly covered. Place into a
freezer container, placing parchment paper between the layers.
Candy Cane Cookies. Two colours of almond flavoured and scented dough, rolled into ropes and twisted together then baked in a candy cane hook. I like to drizzle them with white chocolate and sprinkles for an extra festive touch!
*Candy Cane Cookies*
Makes about 30 cookies
Two toned cookies, delicately almond flavoured and buttery, easily shaped into candy canes!
for the white dough:
4 ounces butter softened (1/2 cup)
3 ounces caster sugar (1/3 cup plus 1 TBS)
1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp almond essence
6 1/2 ounces plain flour (approximately 1 1/4 cup)
For the red dough:
4 ounces butter softened (1/2 cup)
3 ounces caster sugar (1/3 cup plus 1 TBS)
1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp almond essence
2 tsp red food colouring
6 1/2 ounces plain flour (approximately 1 1/4 cup)
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/gas mark 7.
Make
the white dough first. Cream together the butter and sugar until
light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk and almond essence. Beat in
the flour until well blended. Shape into a ball, wrap in cling film
and chill for 30 minutes.
To make the red dough do exactly the
same except beating in the food colouring along with the egg and
almond. Wrap in cling film and chill for half an hour.
To make,
tear off walnut sized pieces of the red dough. Using your palms,
shape into ropes about 1/4 inch in diameter and 5 inches long. Do the
same with the white dough. Twist the ropes together and then bend the
top into a curve like a cane. Place on ungreased baking sheets, at
least one inch apart.
Bake for about 8 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store packed in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper.
Spicy Ginger Crackles are a year round winner, but also go very well on a Christmas Baking tray. With their spicy flavours and sweet sugar coating, they are real favourites! Crunchy on the outside yes . . . but nice and chewy on the insides.
Just the way I like them. Of course you could bake them for a few
minutes longer if you want crunchy, but I like chewy. It is my bliss.
12 minutes gets you chewy bliss. 15 minutes gets you crunch.
*Spicy Ginger Crackles*
Makes 3 dozen
A deliicous ginger cookie that is nicely spiced and coated in crunchy demarara sugar!
4 ounces butter, softened (1/2 cup)
7 ounces caster sugar (1 cup)
2.4 ounces molasses (1/3 cup)
1 large free range egg
1 1/2 TBS ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
8.5 ounces plain flour (2 cups)
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
2 ounces chopped candied ginger (about 1/3 cup)
Demerara sugar for rolling
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Cream
together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Berat in the
egg. Sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, soda and a pinch of
salt. Stir this into the creamed mixture, combining well. Stir in the
candied ginger.
Place some demerara sugar in a bowl. You will
only need a couple tablespoonsful. Shape spoonfuls of the dough into 1
inch balls. Roll in the demerara sugar and place about 2 inches apart
on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until
they are lightly browned and crackled. Remove from the oven. Let cool
on the baking sheet for several minutes, and then scoop off to a wire
rack to finish cooling completely. Store in an airtight container.
Note
- the original recipe called for rolling the cookies icing sugar, but I
found it didn't work well. The icing sugar disappeared on baking.
Demerara sugar gives a much nicer finish.
Everyone loves Gumdrop Cookies/Biscuits. Oaty cookied filled with little coloured bits of candy gumdrops. Do not be tempted to use the American Gums they sell over here in the UK. They are just far too hard and not at all like the gumdrops from back home. You can get packs of orange and lemon slices in the cake decorating
section of Morrisons over here. They are little mini sugared gummy candies and are just
the perfect size for these cookies. Oh so scrummy! You won't get quite the variety of colours, but they are still fabulously delish!
*Gum Drop Biscuits*
Makes about 3 dozen
Colourful, chewy and yet crisp at the same time. Very Moreish!
4 ounces white vegetable fat (Trex or Crisco) (1/2 cup)
3.5 ounces soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup packed)
4 ounces granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
1 large free range egg
3 ounces rolled oats (1 cup)
1.5 ounces of cornflakes (1 cup)
5.2 ounces plain flour (1 cup)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 ounces flaked coconut (1/2 cup)
4 ounces cut up gumdrops (no Black) (1/2 cup)
(I have found over here in the UK that those lemon and orange slices work
really well. You can get mini ones in the Cake decoration section at Morrisons.
One packet is just about the right size for what you need.)
Preheat
the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line a couple of baking trays
with parchment paper and then butter the paper. Set aside.
Cream
together the shortening and the sugars until light and fluffy. Beat
in the eggs. Sift together the flour, soda, baking powder and salt.
Stir this into the creamed mixture until well mixed together. Stir in
the remaining ingredients. Drop by heaped spoonfuls onto the prepared
baking sheets.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned
on the bottoms. Remove from the oven. Let cool on the baking sheets
for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Store in an airtight container.
Christmas Porkie Pies. Not pork pies at all, but brown sugar cookie cups filled with a delicious date filling and topped with Vanilla Buttercream icing. Fabulous! A Nova Scotian treat!
*Porkie Pies*
Makes 24
"Porkie Pies" is Cockney Rhyming slang for "telling lies." These are a
sweet little lie as they are not pork pies at all, but tasty little
tartlettes with a crisp cookie crust, a sweet date filling and a creamy buttercream topping!
For the shells:
8 ounces butter, softened (1 cup)
4 TBS icing sugar
280g flour (2 cups)
For the filling:
375g chopped dates (2 cups)
255g of soft light brown sugar (1 1/2 cups)
250ml of water (1 cup)
1 TBS lemon juice
Vanilla butter cream icing(your own recipe or premade)
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Have ready two mini muffin pans, each holding 12.
Beat the butter, flour and icing sugar for the shells together until
you have a smooth mixture. Divide into 25 evenly sized balls and drop
each into the muffin tin holes. Use a wooden dowel or something
similar to tamp the centres down and force the edges up into a crust
shape. Bake in the heated oven for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly
browned. Remove and let cool before popping out of the tin completely.
To make the filling combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring
to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 10
minutes. Allow to cool completely.
To assemble spoon a portion of the date filling into each cookie cup
and top with a bit of butter cream. You can pipe the buttercream on if
you wish, but I am lazy and just spoon it on. These are fabulous!
Note: Making your own Buttercream is simple and easy. 2 TBS softened butter and 280g of icing sugar (2 cups) beaten
together with just enough milk to create a fluffy creamy mixture.Add a few drops of vanilla for flavouring.
Gooey Butter Tarts. You can make these bite sized if you wish. Although they are claimed to be a Canadian Treat . . . having looked at the Scottish recipe
for a similar tart . . . one can clearly see that these delicious
butter tarts have their roots firmly planted in Scottish soil . . .
*Gooey Butter Tarts*
Makes 12
Flaky pastry filled with a gooey sweet filling, all buttery and filled with currants. These are the best!
For the Pastry:
6.5 ounces of plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 tsp salt
2 ounces cold butter, cubed
2 ounces cold shortening, cubed
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vinegar
ice water
For the Filling:
3.75 ounces of Soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup packed)
4 fluid ounces golden syrup (1/2 cup)
1 large free range egg
2 TBS butter, softened
1 tsp each vanilla and white vinegar
pinch salt
3 ounces dried currants (1/2 cup packed)
Whisk
the flour and salt for the pastry together in a bowl. Drop in the
butter and shortening and cut it in with two round bladed knives until
the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk the egg yolk together with
the vinegar and add enough ice water to equal 75 ml. (1/3 cup)
Gradually sprinkle this over the flour mixture, stirring it in with a
fork until the pastry holds together. Shape into a disc, wrap in cling
film and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.
For the filling, whisk the sugar, golden syrup, egg., butter, vanilla, salt and vinegar together vigorously. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 230*c/450*F/ gas mark 7.
Roll
out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness.
Stamp out rounds with a 4 inch round pastry cutter. Fit into shallow
bun tins. Drop a few currants into the bottom of each. Top off with
some of the egg mixture, filling 3/4 full.
Bake in the bottom
third of the heated oven for 12 minutes, or until filling is puffed and
bubbly and the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven. Let stand
one minute, and then immediately loosen and remove to a wire rack to
cool completely before eating.
Chocolate and Almond Glazed Jam Biscuits. Buttery cookies, with jam centres baked until puffy and golden brown and then drizzled with melted chocolate first and then an almond glaze icing second.. Scrumptious and quite pretty!
*Chocolate and Almond Glazed Jam Biscuits*
Makes one dozen
These are so
simple to make and so tasty. You get a nice buttery and short biscuit
with the added bonus of a dab of jam in the middle. Perfect for with
that hot cuppa!
200g self raising flour (approximately 1 1/2 cups)
100g caster sugar (1/2 cup)
100g butter (7 TBS)
1 large free range egg, lightly beaten
4 TBS cherry jam
To Finish:
45g of semi sweet or milk chocolate chips (1/4 cup)
65g of sifted icing sugar (1/2 cup)
few drops almond flavouring
hot water
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Set aside.
Measure
the flour and sugar into a bowl. Drop in the butter. Rub the butter
into the flour mixture, using your fingertips, until the mixture
resembles fine breadcrumbs. You can do this in a food processor if you
wish. Add enough of the beaten egg until the mixture comes together
into a stiff dough. (I needed all of the egg for mine.) Flour your
hands and shape the dough into a roll about 7 inches in length and 2
inches in diameter. Using a sharp knife cut into 12 equal slices.
Place the slices onto the prepared baking sheet. They spread out so
leave plenty of space between them. Using the tip of a wooden spoon,
make an indentation in the centre of each. (Not too deeply). Fill
each indentation with 1 tsp of jam.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes,
until slightly risen and golden brown.
Place the
chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and microwave it at 20 second
intervals until well melted and smooth. Drizzle this chocolate
haphazardly over the cookies while they are still on the baking sheet.
Whisk together the icing sugar, almond flavouring and just enough hot
water to make a thick drizzle icing. Drizzle this haphazardly over the
cookies while they are still on the baking sheet.
Scoop off onto a wire rack to
cool completely and set before eating. Store in an airtight container.
It wouldn't be Christmas without Mince Pies. The shops are full of them of course, but there is nothing nicer than beautiful homemade ones. Perfectly delicious!
*Open Mince Pies*
Makes 2 to 3 dozen
These
pies have a lovely flakey pastry that is made entirely in the food
processor. You can use your own homemade mincemeat, or purchased. I
have given the homemade recipe below. It's the best!
For the Pastry:
450g of plain flour (3 1/2 cups)
250g of unsalted butter (1.1 cups)
the finely grated zest of one lemon
150g of icing sugar, sifted (2/3 cup)
2 small free range egg yolks
milk
1 quantity of mincemeat (see recipe below)
Icing sugar for dusting
To
make the pastry, place the flour and butter into a food processor.
Give it a quick blitz at high speed to reduce it to a crumb like
consistency. Add the lemon zest and the icing sugar and give it another
quick blitz. Add the egg yolks and enough milk to bring the dough
together while the motor is running. Place into a zip lock bag and
allow to chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or overnight.
Preheat
the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Working with 1/2 of the pastry
at a time, roll it out on a lightly floured board to 1/4 inch
thickness. Using a fluted round pastry cutter, cut into rounds to fit
into nonstick bun tins.. (shallow tart tins) Place in the tins and
fill with a heaped teaspoon of mincemeat. Roll the trimming out and
cut into star shapes or Christmas trees slightly smaller than the
diameter of each pie. Place in the centre of each, on top of the
mincemeat. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pastry is a pale gold.
Leave to cool before slipping out of the tins. Dust with icing
sugar. Serve warm or cold. To reheat, place into a 170*C/325*F/ gas
mark 3 oven for five minutes. Store in a tightly covered container.
These can be quite successfully frozen.
*Homemade Mincemeat*
Makes approximately 1 pound
(enough for approximately 3 dozen mince pies)
A delicious blend of dried fruit, nuts, spices, brown sugar and brandy. (I use apple juice)
150g of currants(1 cup)
125g of raisins (3/4 cup packed)
25g of blanched almonds, finely chopped (1/3 cup)
1 knob of preserved stem ginger, finely chopped
1 eating apple, peeled and grated
50g of shredded beef or vegetable suet (1/2 cup)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
the finely grated zest and juice of one lemon
2 TBs brandy
1 TBS dark muscovado sugar
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside for at least 12 hours to macerate.
Now that you have made your own mincemeat, how about some Holiday Split Seconds! A buttery crisp cookie, the centres filled with mincemeat and then topped with a nutty streusel that you bake in logs and then cut into diagonals, and glaze. Delicious!
*Holiday Split Seconds*
Makes 4 dozen
Called
split seconds because they can be thrown together quickly and baked
just as quick as a wink. These are lovely additions to your holiday
cookie trays. Great keepers and very tasty.
280g plain flour
(2 cups)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 ounces butter, softened
(3/4 cup)
75g golden caster sugar
(2/3 cup)
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 to 3/4 small jar of purchased mincemeat
Streusel Topping:
285g brown sugar
(1/3 cup)
70g plain flour
(1/3 cup)
2 tsp water
1 tsp cinnamon
2 TBS softened butter
50g chopped toasted pecans
Glaze:
140g icing sugar, sifted
(1 cup)
milk as needed to make a runny glaze
Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Line two shallow baking trays with parchment paper. Set aside.
Sift together the baking powder, flour and cinnamon. Set aside.
In
a large bowl, cream together the butter and the caster sugar until
light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla, beating until smooth.
Beat in the flour mixture until the dough is well mixed. Divide into
quarters.
Shape each quarter into a long thick sausage shape on
the parchment paper, each about 13 inches long and about 3/4 of an inch
wide. Place the logs, 2 inches from the edges of the pan and at least
four to five inches apart from each other. Press it a bit flat with
your gingers and square it off at the ends. Taking the handle of a
wooden spoon make a depression down the centre of each log lengthwise
about 1/4 of an inch deep. Spoon the mincemeat carefully down the
centre of each, filling in the depression.
Make the streusel by
rubbing all the ingredients together to make a crumbly mixture.
Sprinkle some of this over each log. You will not need it all.
Place
in the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they start to
colour and firm up a bit. Remove from the pan and while they are
still warm, using a sharp knife, cut each log into 12 diagonal slices.
Slide the paper onto wire racks to allow them to cool completely before
separating them. Once they are completely cold, make a glaze by
whisking the icing sugar together with enough milk to make a smooth
drizzle. Drizzle some of this over each cookie. Allow to harden before
stroring in airtight containers. Will keep at least a week, if you
have them that long! They also freeze very well.
I could go on and on, but I won't. I think that I have probably given you enough food for thought here today! (Every pun intended!) There's a Merry Christmas in the Baking! Happy Days!
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