Tried and true holiday baking recipes

[Really]

I'm looking for a good gingerbread recipe that I can make/decorate cutouts from, and that isn't too crunchy to bite into. I've scanned the allrecipes site, but I really don't know which one to use. Just to be fair, I'll share my mother's shortbread recipe, which was her mother's.

Nannie's Shortbread

1 lb margarine (not butter, and not the soft margarine)

Beat it until light and fluffy.

Slowly add, in order, the following:

1/2 c cornstarch
1 c icing sugar
2 3/4 c flour

After the dry ingredients are all mixed in, add

1 tsp vanilla

Continue to whip until light and fluffy.

Spoon onto cookie sheet and press with a fork, or you can roll it out and cut it out with cookie cutters. Decorate with coloured sugar, maraschino cherries, or chopped nuts, whatever you desire.

Bake 15 min at 300 - 350F on ungreased cookie sheet.

[Prancer]

Try this one: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/S...Cutout-Cookies It's not really gingerbread, but you can add up to one more tsp. of ginger if you want more gingery taste.

I am not particularly fond of making cutout cookies, but I made those once in the past and they were relatively soft. You do have to keep a close eye on them while they bake.

I love shortbread .

[hollygrove]

Nancy Baggett's recipe and the demo she did for the Food Network are available at this link.

http://www.kitchenlane.com/2011/12/a...read-boys.html

This is one of those recipes that involve boiling a molasses-sugar-butter mix, then adding this mix to the dry ingredients. You get a pretty tender ginger cookies this way. Nancy's recipes always give a very involved way of cutting out rolled cookies, but this prevents a dry, tough texture from using too much flour during the rolling process.

[Really]

Thanks! I put together the recipe Prancer linked...it's in the fridge chilling now. Won't get to baking it until tomorrow night.

[AragornElessar]

I love shortbread .

Get in line.

We've got an awesome recipe my sister's best friend gave us a couple of years ago. Her shortbread's so yummy and light, we could never figure out what her secret was. It's rice flour of all things.

They're getting excited, as an unexpected addition to the Family arrived a couple of months ago. Unexpected in the way they were told Lorna would never be able to get pregnant. Evan's First Christmas and Grandma and Grandpa's already got a pile of stuff to go under the Tree for him.

Kind of like what this place will be like as soon as we can get to a toy store. We've also got a new addition in this Family to be excited about Christmas w/. Great Auntie already has one present for Parker stashed for wrapping time.

Sorry about that, but understandably...Yeah.

We have a really great and easy to make Christmas Cake recipe if anyone's interested. I'd share our Gingerbread Man recipe, except it's one of the crunchy ones.

Not sure if we're doing the Sugar Cookies tomorrow or not. I know Mom wants to get them done and out of the way first, as it's the biggest job out of all our Holiday Baking. I just hope she remembers she's banned from adding the yellow dye to the Icing sugar for the Stars. W/her Macular Degeneration *and* Cataracts, you can imagine what her sight's like. Last year, she wasn't sure about how much she'd put in, due to how bright the colours were, so she kept adding dye until she could see it and...

You could have lined those things up outside and they would have doubled nicely as Runway Lights for Santa and his Sleigh.

[Christina]

Please share your Christmas Cake recipe!

I have a dessert contest at work on Wednesday. I am thinking of making my fabulous Pumpkin Cheesecake, but I'm open to suggestions. I need something fabulous, tasty and that can be made the night before. Any ideas?

[Marge_Simpson]

My coworkers beg me to make these cookies. You can double the recipe if you like

Chocolate shortbread
3 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch of salt

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (or use 2 saucepans if you don't own one) and set aside to cool to lukewarm.
In a large bowl, cream the butter, then beat in the melted chocolate. Then beat in the rest of the ingredients. Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls, place on ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten with a fork to about 1/4 inch thickness. Leave about 2 inches between cookies as they will spread during baking. Bake for 8-10 minutes, just till they appear set. Don't overbake, they will firm up while they cool. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Makes about 30 cookies.

[AragornElessar]

I'll post it sometime tomorrow Christina, as it's in Mom's recipe book upstairs, I don't know where she put it and she's now in bed after deciding not to watch her Christmas movie she needs to see every year. She told me she'll watch it later on in the month when it's back on.

As I told her, that might not happen, but...Oh well.

[shutterbug]

I'm looking for a good gingerbread recipe that I can make/decorate cutouts from, and that isn't too crunchy to bite into. I've scanned the allrecipes site, but I really don't know which one to use.

A bit late to the party, but here's a recipe I've had very good success wth: http://www.chatelaine.com/recipe/kid...c-gingerbread/ All of the variations are worth trying, especially the peppery version.

[pair mom]

Chocolate Cherry Squares:

Bottom Layer:
½ Cup Butter or marg.
¼ Cup Granulated sugar
⅓ Cup Cocoa
1 Egg, beaten
1 ¾ Cup Graham cracker crumbs
½ Cup Coconut (optional)
⅓ Cup Walnuts, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. Water
Second Layer:
¼ Cup Butter or marg, softened
2 Tbsp. Maraschino cherry juice
1 Tsp. Almond flavouring
2 Cups Icing sugar
⅓ Cup Chopped maraschino cherries
Third Layer:
2 Tbsp. Butter
⅓ Cup Choc. chips


Bottom Layer: Put butter, sugar and cocoa in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. When melted, stir in fork beaten egg and cook til slightly thickened. Remove from heat and add remaining bottom layer ingredients. Press very firmly into ungreased 9”x9” pan.
Second Layer: Beat butter, cherry juice, flavouring and icing sugar together well. Blot chopped cherries with paper towels and stir in. Drop dabs over crust then spread. Let stand 10 min or so. Using your hand, pat smooth.
Third Layer: Melt butter in small saucepan. Add chips and stir to melt. Pour over second layer. Tilting pan to flow chocolate over all surface. Work quickly so don’t bring second layer up to the top. Chill. Cuts into 36 squares

Our family's all time favourite. Can double to make a 9x13 pan. Like a Naniamo bar but cherry! Merry Christmas to all!

[AragornElessar]

Sorry it's taken a couple of days for me to post this, but it's been busy around here...

Christmas Cake

Combine a 6 ounce can of frozen Orange Juice
1/2 C Molasses
3 C Raisins

Together in a pan and bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 mins and let cool.

Then add...

2 C Mixed Floured Candied Fruit
1 C Cherries
1/2 C Walnuts

and w/a wooden spoon, mix everything together

In a separate large bowl, cream together...

1/2 C Margarine
2/3 C Sugar
3 Eggs
1 and 1/4 C Flour
1/8 t Baking Soda
1 t Cinnamon
1/4 t Cloves
1/4 t All Spice
1/2 t Nutmeg

Once those are creamed together, add the contents of the first bowl and mix together w/a wooden spoon. Then pour mixture into prepared loaf pans and bake at 275 F for 2hrs.

[dbell1]

When I bake these cookies, people show up at my door with plates (normally my son's friends). They're an easy to make winner...
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocola...with-sea-salt/

[Really]

Love all the recipes! Keep them coming!

[pat c]

Cherry Almond Squares

Butter (not margarine) 1 c. 250 ml
Brown sugar, packed 1 c. 250 ml
All purpose flour 2 c. 500 ml
Glazed cherries, finely cut 1/2 c. 125 ml -- I have used maraschino cherries as well, if you go that route, pour them into a colander and let the juice drain into a bowl for 1/2 or so.
Blanched almonds, finely cut 1/2 c. 125 ml

Combine butter, sugar and flour in a bowl. Mix together like you were making pie crust. Add cherries and nuts, squeezing in as best as you can to distribute evenly as possible.
Press into ungreased 9 x 9 inch pan. Bake in a slow oven 325 F for 20-30 minutes until set and a golden brown. Frosting is below, cut while still warm, 36 squares.

Icing
Icing Sugar 1 1/2 c.
Butter or margarine 3 tbsp.
cherry flavoring 1/2 tsp - ok if you use maraschino cherries, substitute the maraschino cherry juice for the cherry flavoring
water 5 tsp