Christmas Cookies

Christmas Cookie Party with Melissa, Melissa and Silas

Double Chocolate with Ghirardelli Chocolate

Cranberry Almond Shortbread- Martha Stewart

Gingersnap- Melissa's Favorite

We also dipped pretzels, dried mangos, clementines (which were the favorite) and made a store bought Better Crocker sugar cookie mix and a Pillsbury peanut butter cookie dough for the traditional Hershey's Kiss cookie.

Melissa's Gingersnap

3/4 cup butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

2 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Sift all dry ingredients together, set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and molasses. Add dry ingredients and mix. Form 1" balls and roll in a dish of sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Cranberry Raisin Oat Cookies

Tender Cranberry-Raisin Oatmeal Cookies from King Arthur Flour

I didn't have alot of the spices but they still turned out great. We skipped the rum, used 100% Vermont Maple Syrup, sliced almonds and added Ghiradelli Chocolate for the last dozen.

1 cup unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon spiced rum (optional)
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons (2 ounces) boiled cider (for great flavor; substitute maple syrup)
1 cup dried cranberries, packed
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup chopped pecans or almonds
2 cups King Arthur 100% Organic White Whole Wheat Flour
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats


Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt, vanilla, and rum, beating until smooth.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; then add the boiled cider or syrup. Stir in the fruit and nuts, then the flour, beating gently until well combined. Add the oats last, making sure they’re thoroughly distributed throughout the bowl.

Now, you can make these cookies three different sizes. A tablespoon cookie scoop will make traditional 2 ½" cookies. A heaped scoop of dough, using a tablespoon cookie scoop (3 tablespoons, about 2 ounces), will make 3 ¼" cookies. A muffin scoop (1/4 cup) will make big 4" cookies, suitable to wrap individually and sell at a bake sale. Drop balls of dough onto the prepared sheets, leaving about 2" between them.

Bake the cookies until they’re just barely set on top–about 12 minutes for the small cookies, 13 to 14 minutes for the medium cookies, and 16 minutes for the large cookies. Remove them from the oven, and cool them on the baking sheets, or transfer them to a rack to cool. Yield: about 4 dozen small, 30 medium, or 2 dozen large cookies.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

From Better Homes and Gardens

For 12-14 Muffins but I made it into a loaf
Heat oven to 375

1. Small mixing bowl
2 ounces cream cheese (the recipe calls for 2 tbl sour cream but I changed it to cream cheese)
1/3 cup packed b.sugar
2/3 cup chopped pecans (optional)

2. Medium bowl mix together
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves

3. Medium mixing bowl
1 beaten egg
3/4 buttermilk or sour milk
3/4 can pumpkin
2/3 cup packed b. sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

Combine bowls 2 and 3

Bake 20-25 for muffins
45-50 for loaf

Asparagus Chicken Roulades

Ingredients:
1 box long grain rice
2 medium skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 lemon
3/4 lb asparagus - trimmed
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbl olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth

Method of Prep:

Cut chicken almost in half, not all the way through
Lay aparagus on one half
Roll up
Secure with toothpicks
Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Heat oil in medium skillet
Cook 9-11 minutes

Add broth and lemon to pan juices
Boil and serve over rice and roulades
Remove toothpicks and cut slices of roulade

Tortellini Pasta Salad

3 cups cooked tortellini- cooling

Dice:

1/2 green pepper- removing seeds

1/8 cup onion

Shred 2 carrots

1 pint grape tomotoes

1/2 cucumber diced - without seeds

Combine all veggies into a medium size bowl

Add white balsalmic vinegar (yes white!)

Add pasta (can be any type)

Salt

Black Pepper

Basil - preferably fresh athough in a pince I used dried

Kraft Italian dressing

Toss together - keep chilled

Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups flour
2-3 Tbl instant coffee
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

2 sticks butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

1 lb chopped dark chocolate

1. Mix together flour, coffee, soda and salt- set aside
2. Cream together the butter and sugar
3. Add eggs and vanilla
4. Add chocolate

Bake at 350 for 8 minutes

- Julia Child

Corn and Broccoli

1 can cream style corn
2 Tbl all purpose flour
1 can sweet corn
1 1/2 cups small broccoli florets
1/4 cup sliced green onions
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1/4 cup crushed wheat wafers

1. Stir together cream corn and flour in medium bowl
2. Stir in corn, broccoli, onions, eggs and pepper
3. Spray a 9" pie plate
4. Sprinkle with crackers

Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes.