Me and my 10 lb baby.
Christmas and cookies just go together. In fact, I think a jolly cookie fever sweeps through this time of year leaving everyone feeling sugared and stuffed. People love to make and eat cookies they don’t want regularly because of tradition and family. Cookies just taste different during the holiday season. Personally, I’ve never been a big cookie baker. Chocolate chip cookies tend to be my standard along with a favorite holiday cookie/candy, the chocolate peanut butter ball.
Since I had the time, I spent the days before Christmas making different kinds of cookies each week (most were new recipes for me) and then gave them away to friends, neighbors, and the seniors at the community center. I liked playing Santa. It was fun to catch neighbors backing out of their driveways and scout out friend’s homes I haven’t visited in years all for the sake of a little sweet cheer.
Supplies.
Did I sample all of these treats more than once, yes. Did I buy three jars of marshmallow Fluff, yes. Did I even get close to the number of cookies my Aunt Bec made, NO. I heard she made twenty different kinds. She is a baking saint.
Week One: Vanilla Caramels and Fudge.
*There’s no visual record of the my first attempts at candy making. Although the first few bites of caramel tasted good, they quickly turned rock hard in under 30 minutes. The old-time fudge solidified in the pan and I could lift the whole thing up with the cemented candy thermometer. It was not a good day in the kitchen, I was lucky to salvage the pot and the thermometer. I laughed and learned, what else can you do.
Round Two of fudge went much easier. I turned to the time-tested and trustworthy Fluff.
Mamie Eisenhower’s recipe was so good, I ended up making it twice. I did add smashed candy canes to the top (mostly to make it more Christmas-y, but it actually tasted really good).
Eisenhower Fudge
Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups of sugar
pinch of salt
2 Tablespoons butter
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
12 ounces (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
12 ounces of German Chocolate (in baking section of store)
2 cups marshmallow creme
5 candy canes (crushed into bits) – optional
How-To:
In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, salt, butter and milk. Boil for 6 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the chocolate chips, German chocolate, and marshmallow creme.
Pour hot milk mixture over the chocolate mixture and stir with wooden spoon for at least 5 minutes, until the chocolate has melted and the fudge has begun to thicken.
Line a 9 by 13 inch pan with lightly buttered wax paper. Pour the fudge into the pan and let sit.
If you’re adding crushed candy canes, feel free to add them after the fudge has cooled a little (maybe 15-20 minutes).
Cover fudge and let it sit on the counter overnight until it’s firm enough to cut into squares.
Week Two: Rocky Road Cookies
*These were so yummy, we pretty much ate them all in one night. Luckily the recipient of them joined us for dinner, so she got her share too.
Rocky Road Shortbread
Ingredients:
1 1/4c flour
1/3c pecans, chopped finely
1/2c butter
1/3c sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4c mini-marshmallows
1/2c walnuts, chopped coarsely
1/2c chocolate chips, either milk or semi-sweet
How-To:
Pre-heat oven to 350′, grease baking sheets. Beat together butter, sugar & vanilla until creamy. In another bowl mix dry ingredients together – flour & finely chopped pecans. Slowly stir into creamy mixture.
Use a 1″ cookie scoop, scoop dough and place on baking sheet. Gently flatten until about 1/2″ thick, with smooth-ish edges. Bake 16 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges.
Just before cookies come out of oven, melt chocolate chips. I use the microwave – high for about 1 minute, then stir until completely melted. Watch out, microwaves vary and it is easy to scorch your chocolate.
Remove cookies from oven, spread with approximately 1 tsp. chocolate/cookie, then top with coarsely chopped pecans and marshmallows. Return to oven for 2 more minutes for the marshmallows to soften.
Remove from oven and place on racks to cool.
Week Three: Peppermint Whoopie Cookies and Lep Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting (separate blog to come on this Farris classics).
*I was a little nervous about the Whoopie Cookie, which is basically like a moon pie. I didn’t think it would travel well, but it just looked so cute, I gave it a go. I’m glad I did. It was fun to make and ended up holding together great after being in the fridge for about an hour! Yes, I added candy canes to this recipe too, (I heart peppermint).
Peppermint Whoopie Cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1-oz. bottle red food coloring (2 Tbsp.)
1 recipe Whoopie Pie Filling, recipe below
1/4 cup of crushed candy cane
How-To
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment; set aside. In medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In large mixing bowl beat butter on medium to high 30 seconds. Beat in brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk, beating after each addition just until combined. Stir in food coloring.
3. Spoon batter in 1 or 2-inch diameter rounds, about 1/2-inch high on prepared baking sheets, allowing 1 inch between each round.
4. Bake 7 to 9 minutes for 1-inch cookies or 9 to 11 minutes for 2-inch cookies, or until tops are set. Cool completely on baking sheets on rack. Remove cooled cookies from baking sheets.
5. To fill, dollop Whoopie Pie Filling on flat sides of half the cookies. Sprinkle candy cane on top of the filling. Top with remaining cookies, flat sides down. Makes 60 one-inch or 42 two-inch cookies.
6. Whoopie Pie Filling: In medium mixing bowl beat 1/4 cup softened butter and half an 8-ounce package softened cream cheese until smooth. Fold in one 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme. I did add candy cane to the filling, maybe 1 1/2 table spoons.
7. To store: Refrigerate in airtight container up to 4 days. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.
Week Three/ Part One: Butter Pecan Cookies, Swedish Tea Cookies and more Fudge.
* There are three treats that mean Christmas to me and Butter Cookies and Swedish Tea Cookies (some people call them wedding cookies or mexican wedding cookies) are two of them. In my mind, they taste like our family holidays. Mom came over to teach me the recipes and bake all day.
Butter Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
whole pecans
How-to:
Cream butter and sugar together. Add flour. Mix well.
Chill for 2 hours.
Roll into small balls.
Flatten each with your thumb.
Decorate with a single pecan placed in thumbprint.
Bake 12 minutes at 375.
Makes 3 dozen.
Swedish Tea Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1 cup margarine or butter softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup finely chopped pecans and almonds
1/4 tsp salt
Extra powdered sugar
How-to:
Beat 1/2 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla until fluffy.
Add flour, nuts, and salt. Mix until dough holds together.
Shape into 1 inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 325 for 15 to 20 minutes (until set, but not brown).
Remove from pans, cool slightly, roll in powdered sugar. Cool and roll again.
Makes 5 dozen.
The Fudge, revisited.
Week Three/ Part Two: Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls, Peanut Butter Cookies with Hershey Kisses and Chocolate Chip Cookies.
*Christmas Eve morning I got up and baked to Perry Como and falling snow. Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls (or Buckeye’s) are my other favorite Christmas treat. I can’t get the recipe out of my Grandma, she has to ask her sister and well, that’s family for you. I found a recipe online that pretty much tastes the same. Mine are messy, not smooth like Gladys’. I’m considering calling them Lumps of Coal from now on.
My Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls or Lumps of Coal:
Ingredients:
1 Cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup Rice Krispies Cereal
1 cup powdered sugar
I package of Almond chocolate bark
wax paper
How-to:
Mix peanut butter, powdered sugar and Rice Krispies together in a large bowl.
Spread wax paper on a tray or multiple plates.
Roll mixture into walnut sized balls and place on covered trays. Chill for 1 hour.
Melt the package of chocolate bark in a medium to small-sized saucepan.
Dip balls into the chocolate with tongs and put them on wax paper covered trays/plates (could be ones from earlier or new trays).
Cool until firm by leaving them on the table or in the fridge!
*Our favorite restaurant in town is Cascones in Overland Park. We had our wedding reception there and love being regulars. Christmas Eve is one of their busiest nights of the year. The staff stays late filling take out orders and making families full and happy. It’s become a tradition for John and I to take them treats and hopefully make working Christmas Eve a little easier. This year the staff got Peanut Butter cookies with Hershey Kisses. Classic and easy to eat on the go!
* When John and I got married I made a point of asking him what cookies meant Christmas to him. He remembered always having Chocolate Chip, not a traditional holiday cookie for the Farris family. Each year I make a batch on Christmas Eve just for my honey. This year I insisted he eat the batter on the beater for breakfast. There wasn’t any pushback, but I wasn’t allowed to take a picture.
looks yummy. i think my 10 pound baby is the extra tubbage i will have gained over the holidays. oh, well. they only come once a year. love your blog. looks like a lot of work. you may have to come back just to rest a bit. happy new year!!