December's Recipes of the Month
The weather has changed and cold snowy days will soon be upon us. It’s time to bake cookies…nothing feels better than a warm kitchen and fresh cookies for the jar. These cookies come from the Food Network and were chosen in past years as “Cookies of the Year”. Want to get this year’s cookies delivered to your email box? Go to www.foodnetwork.com and sign up for the Twelve Days of Cookies.
Ginger Cookies
2 ¼ C. flour
¾ C. soft butter
1 ½ t. ground ginger
½ C sugar (more for rolling)
1 ¼ t. soda
¼ C. dark brown sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1 egg yolk
½ t. allspice
1 t. vanilla
½ t. ground mustard
½ C. molasses
½ t. salt
2 T. ginger preserves (found in most grocery stores)
dash pepper
Whisk flour, ginger, soda, cinnamon, allspice, mustard, salt and pepper in medium bowl.
Beat butter and sugars with mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla and beat about 20 seconds. Add molasses and ginger preserves and continue beating until light in color, about 30 seconds more. Add dry ingredients all at once until well combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes. Put ½ C sugar in small bowl. Scoop out a heaping T. of dough and roll into balls. Roll tops of balls in the sugar and pace on sprayer cookie sheet. (2” apart) Chill until firm. Bake at 375 about 15-20 minutes. Cool briefly and transfer to racks.
Platinum Blondies
¾ C. plus 2 T. brown sugar
½ t. soda
1 large egg
1/8 t. salt
2 t. vanilla
1 C. pecans, toasted
8 T. melted butter
4 oz. white chocolate chopped or ¾ C chips
1 ½ C. flour
Butter an 8” pan. Beat sugar and egg about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and butter and mix well. In small bowl mix flour, soda and salt and add to butter mixture. Do not overmix. Spoon in the pecans and chocolate. Spoon into pan and smooth top. Bake 25-30 minutes at 325 degrees. Cool and cut into squares.
Date Bar Cookies
In a medium saucepan over low heat combine 3 C. coarsely chopped dates, ¼ C. sugar and 1 ½ C. water. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened, about 15 minutes. Cool completely and set filling aside. Mix with mixer 1C. brown sugar, 1 ¾ C flour, ½ t. soda, 1 t. salt and 1 ½ C old fashioned rolled oats. Mix on low speed until combined.
With mixer running add ¾ C. cold butter cut into cubes. Mix until crumb like with lumps no larger than pea size. Using hands press half of mixture into a greased 9 X 13 pan. Spread cooled filling over crust. Cover with remaining crumb mixture, patting lightly. Bake 25-35 minutes at 400 degrees. Cool slightly and cut into bars.
Hazelnut Crunch (a bit harder to prepare but worth the trouble)
1 ½ C. sugar
2 ½ C coarsely chopped hazelnuts
1 C. water
2 T. butter
½ C. light corn syrup
½ t. salt
1/3 C. dark corn syrup
1 t. soda
Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir sugar, water, both syrups in heavy saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and boil without stirring to 260 degrees (about 20 minutes). Reduce heat to medium low and stir in nuts, butter and salt. Cook to 295 degrees (stirring constantly…about 15 minutes) Quickly stir in soda. Immediately pour caramel onto prepared pan spreading thin. Let stand until hard. Break brittle into pieces.
Paula Deen’s Loaded Oatmeal Cookies
Using a mixer, cream together: ½ C soft butter, ½ C shortening, and 1 ½ C brown sugar.
Add 2 eggs and beat until light in color. Add ½ C buttermilk.
Sift together: 1 ¾ C flour, 1 t. soda, ½ t. salt, 1 t. baking powder, 1 t. ground ginger,
1 t. nutmeg, 1 t. cinnamon, ¼ t. ground cloves and ½ t allspice. Stir into creamed mixture. Fold in 2 ½ C quick cooking oatmeal, 1 C. raisons, 1 ½ C chopped walnuts and
1 t. vanilla. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet and bake 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees.
November's ROM
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Last updated 12/1/06 by quilts@prairienet.org