Holiday baking

Here's a little glimpse into the 2013 holiday baking extravaganza that occurred in our kitchen!  I didn't keep track of how many pounds of butter I went through, but between the cakes and muffins and cookies and bars that I made during the month, the 25lb bags of sugar and flour I got at Costco are now empty!  Some things were new and others I had made before, and there were a couple things I had hoped to make, but didn't get to.  Next year!

chocolate mint crackle cookies
I"ve been making these for a few years.  I created the recipe by taking the chocolate cookie dough recipe from some Rolo cookies I had tried and added in peppermint extract and then rolled them in the sugars to make the 'crackle'.  Yummy!

2 1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup softened butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp peppermint extract
2 eggs
white and powdered sugar for rolling

- Combine 1st three dry ingredients and set aside.
- Cream butter with sugars until fluffy.
- add vanilla, peppermint, and eggs to butter/sugar mixture.
- Slowly add dry ingredients to wet.
- Cover and chill.
- Roll Tbsp sized balls of dough in white sugar and then powdered sugar, and then lightly flatten them with the bottom of a glass.
- Bake
- When they are hot out of the oven, the tops are nice and soft and you can make 'decorations' stick (crushed candy canes or Andes mint chips) if you want

lemon bars
I made these for the first time last year when the lovely woman on our street gave us some of the Meyer lemons off her tree.  I was excited to make them again this year - but I had to settle for plain old lemons form the grocery store this time around.  Maybe in a few years, our tree will be gifting us fruit to use instead!

butter tart squares
Butter tarts are a Canadian thing.  A Canadian thing that I never really 'got'.  But this year I came across a recipe for maple butter tarts and I reeallllly wanted to give them a shot.  But I was FAR too lazy to make my own tart shells.  And finding them proved impossible at the couple of grocery stores I checked.  And I was even too last to cut and use sheets of puff pastry or pre-made pie crusts.  Instead, I figured I needed to make a bar version.  I combined a couple recipes and came up with this deliciousness.

base:
- combine 1/2 cup softened, salted butter, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, and 1 cup flour and press into 8x8 pan
- bake 10 mins at 350
*I will double this amount of base next time

filling:
- combine 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1 Tbsp flour, 1/4 tsp packing powder, 1/3 cup maple syrup, 2 Tbsp corn syrup, 1/4 cup melted, salted butter, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla

assembly:
- plump 3/4 cup raisins in boiling water
- spread raisins over base
- pour filling mixture over raisins
- bake at 350 for 25-30 mins until golden, bubbly, and still a little jiggly

white chocolate and cinnamon sugar pretzels
I made these last year without the white chocolate drizzle.  And without the extra dousing of cinnamon sugar post-baking.  These two additions made these AMAZING.

Mix one bag pretzels (mini twists) with 2/3 cup oil, 1/3 - 1/2 cup sugar, and 2tsp cinnamon.  Spread evenly on baking sheet and bake at 300 for 30 minutes.  Stir once or twice.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with 1/2 cup cinnamon sugar.  Drizzle with melted white chocolate chips.

white chocolate peppermint popcorn
I used to make this when we lived in the Bronx.  It was my friend Darlys' favorite.  I always think of her when I think of this popcorn.  I lost the link to the recipe I used to use, but I found this one for those of you wanting a recipe to follow.  I just air popped some popcorn, tossed it with melted white chocolate chip and sprinkled with candy cane sprinkles.

gingersnaps
I've also been making these for several years.  We like them on the softer, chewy end of the spectrum and not super crispy.  But if some accidentally get over baked, the crispy ones are good, too!

layered mint fudge
I hadn't made this before, and I am so glad I did.  A little square after a meal was a delicious little treat!

1 ½ tsp butter, softened
2 c (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk, divided
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c vanilla or white chips
3 tsp peppermint extract
1 to 2 drops green food coloring

1. Line a 9” square pan with foil; grease the foil with butter and set aside. In a heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips and 1 c milk over low heat; cook and stir for 5 to 6 minutes or until smooth. Remove from heat. Add vanilla; stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until creamy. Spread ½ the mixture into prepared pan. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until firm. Set remaining chocolate mixture aside.
2. In a heavy saucepan, melt the vanilla chips and remaining milk over low heat; cook and stir for 5 to 6 minutes or until smooth (mixture will be thick). Remove from heat. Add peppermint extract and food coloring; stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until creamy. Spread evenly over chocolate layer. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until firm.
3. Heat reserved chocolate mixture over low heat until mixture achieves spreading consistency; spread over mint layer. Cover and refrigerate overnight or until firm.
4. Using foil, lift fudge out of pan. Gently peel off foil; cute fudge into 1” squares. Store in refrigerator.

Heath Bar shortbread cookies
If you know me well, you know that I love Skor Blizzards from Dairy Queen (and if you know Roy well, you know he is anti-Dairy Queen because he thinks it's over priced!).  Dairy Queens weren't easy to access when we lived in NYC, so when we'd go on vacation, I'd get pretty excited to spot one.  But, for some reason there are usually Heath Bar Blizzards in the US and not Skor.  I do not think this is right.  I want it to change.  But, until Dairy Queen obliges, Heath Bar will do ;)  I just HAD to try this recipe that mixed Skor (or Heath Bar because there are no Skor bits here that I've found) and shortbread.  Who thinks of this stuff??!!  Whoever it is, I love them.  Almost as much as Skor Blizzards.

nuts and bolts
I remember people making this but I don't think I had ever tried.  I was really wishing for it after seeing some on Pinterest and decided to give it a shot.  Leighton really liked it, but I think it was a bit salty for Riley.  The peanuts I used were so crunchy and salty before being mixed in and baked, but afterward they were a bit soft and 'meh'.  I think next time I will mix the peanuts in after everything else is baked.

1 cup wheat Chex
1 cup corn Chex
2 cups Cheerios
3 cups pretzels
1 cup everything bagel chips
1 1/2 cup peanuts

1/2 cup melted butter
2 Tbsp W sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp seasoning salt

Baked at 225 for 35-40 mins and stirred a couple times while baking

gingerbread muffins
I have made these a couple times.  Both times I made a couple mistakes but both times, they were really yummy!

eggnog scones
These were VERY yummy.

eggnog coffee cake muffins
I made some eggnog muffins last year, but I couldn't remember the exact recipe when I was about to bake some again so I googled and found this recipe.  Leighton seems to love them, but I haven't had a chance to taste them or photograph them yet!

decorated sugar cookies
I had seen sooooo many different designs I wanted to try on Pinterest.  I tried out several of them, but I am already excited for next year when I can try more!  Or maybe I will just do it in the middle of summer if I can't wait that long!

*royal icing recipe is Wilton
*sugar cookie recipe
- beat 2 cups softened, salted butter with 2 cups sugar until pale and fluffy
- beat in 2 eggs
- slowly add 6 cups flour
- add in 1.5tsp vanilla
- separate into 2 or 3 discs.  Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 45 mins.
- cut out cookies and freeze for 15 minutes.
- bake at 325 for 12-14 minutes.

The two things on the list I didn't get to were:
salted caramel shortbread bites

whipped shortbread
*cream together 1 cup softened butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar
*gradually add in 1/2 cup cornstarch and 1 1/2 cup flour
*roll Tbsp sized balls
*use the bottom of a glass (dipped in powdered sugar so it doesn't stick) to slightly flatten the balls
*bake at 300 for 12 minutes
*makes 30-33 cookies