Christmas Baking

This past Saturday I spent most of my day baking all my Christmas goodies!!! It was a lot of fun, but made for a long day. My back was killing me by the end, but that’s not the point!! The goodies all turned out great!!! I was excited, as was my very patient taste tester husband. He enjoyed his role on Saturday!!!

I made chocolate fudge. This was my first time making fudge, and I am so happy that it turned out creamy and soft not gritty and hard! I used the recipe off the Marshmallow Cream Jar, “Fantasy Fudge” I have grown up on this very fudge and was excited to try it myself! I did omit the nuts though…I am not a nut person.

Fantasy Fudge
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup margarine
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 12-oz. (340 g) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 7-oz. (198 g) jar Kraft Marshmallow creme
1 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Traditional method:Combine sugar, margarine and milk in heavy 2-1/2 quart saucepan; bring to full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate till melted. Add marshmallow creme, nuts & vanilla beat till blended. Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Let cool and cut into 1-inch squares.Microwave method:Microwave margarine in 4-quart microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) 1 minute or until melted. Add sugar and milk; mix well. Microwave on HIGH 5 minutes or until mixture begins to boil, stirring after 3 minutes. Mix well; scrape bowl. Continue microwaving on HIGH 5-1/2 minutes; stir after 3 minutes. Stir in chips until melted. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Cool at room temperature; cut into squares. Makes 3 pounds.



Next on the list: Peppermint Bark. This was easy. I made it up. I used two bags of Ghirardelli white chocolate chips. First I melted the chocolate chips in the microwave (I was too lazy to get out a pan) I threw in a splash of peppermint extract…just a splash (then I proceeded to spill almost the entire bottle all over my counter) and a handful of crushed candy canes. I put in enough to see the candy throughout the white chocolate. I spread it out on a piece of wax paper and after it got all nice and hard I broke it into pieces. I must say it kind of melts in your mouth…yummy!


Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing. These are a must for Christmas baking! The reason: you get to make them all nice and pretty. I made candy canes and Christmas Trees. Later on in the evening I used Royal Icing to decorate them. By that point I was grateful for only making two shapes, and 3 colors! So much work. I used the Sugar Cookie Cut Out recipe from my Better Homes cookbook. And the Royal Icing recipe from the Wilton Jar of Meringue Powder. To frost the cookies I first outlined them with thicker royal icing in disposable decorating bags (I found these are so much simplier with this kind of icing). Then after that sets I added a bit of water to the icing and put it the candy bottles to “flood” the cookies. I used a toothpick to spread out the thinner icing. Then I used the thicker stuff for the detail work on top when it had set. They were so pretty!!!! I found I just needed to be patient with myself to frost the cookies.

Sugar Cookie Cut Outs (http://www.bhg.com/recipe/cookies/sugar-cookie-cutouts/)

Ingredients
· 2/3 cup butter, softened
· 3/4 cup sugar
· 1 teaspoon baking powder
· 1/4 teaspoon salt
· 1 egg
· 1 tablespoon milk
· 1 teaspoon vanilla
· 2 cups all-purpose flour
· Powdered Sugar Icing (optional)
· Decorative sprinkles and/or small candies (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half. If necessary, cover and chill about 30 minutes or until dough is easy to handle.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough at a time until 1/4 inch thick. Using a 4-1/2- to 6-inch cookie cutter, cut dough into desired shapes. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack; cool.

Royal Icing (http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Royal-Icing)

· 3 tablespoons Meringue Powder
· 4 cups (about 1 lb.) confectioners' sugar
· 6 tablespoons warm water
Makes: About 3 cups of icing.

instructions
Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks (7-10 minutes at low speed with a heavy-duty mixer, 10-12 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer).
NOTE: Keep all utensils completely grease-free for proper icing consistency.
* For stiffer icing, use 1 tablespoon less water.
**When using large countertop mixer or for stiffer icing, use 1 tablespoon less water.
Thinned Royal Icing: To thin for pouring, add 1 teaspoon water per cup of royal icing. Use grease-free spoon or spatula to stir slowly. Add 1/2 teaspoon water at a time until you reach proper consistency.

Ok, so next up: Shortbread Cookies. These are by far one of my favorites!! Again I got this from Better Homes Cookbook. I rolled them into rolls, cut them in half and rolled them in colored sprinkles. Then I cut the log so I had small circle cookie!! They didn’t really expand, so they were small bite size cookies, but oh sooooo good!!!

Shortbread Cookies (http://www.bhg.com/recipe/cookies/shortbread/)

Ingredients
· 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
· 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
· 1/2 cup butter
Directions
1. In a medium bowl combine flour and sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling. Form the mixture into a ball and knead until smooth.
2. To make shortbread wedges*, on an ungreased cookie sheet pat or roll the dough into an 8-inch circle. Make a scalloped edge. Cut circle into 16 wedges. Leave wedges in the circle. Bake in a 325 degree F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until bottom just starts to brown and center is set. Cut circle into wedges again while warm. Cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Makes 16 wedges.
*Note: To make shortbread rounds, on a lightly floured surface roll dough until 1/2 inch thick. Using a 1-1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut into 24 rounds. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. To make shortbread strips, on a lightly floured surface roll dough into an 8 x 6-inch rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Using a knife, cut into twenty-four 2 x 1-inch strips Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.


My next project was these delicious Peanut Butter Drops. Basically they are peanut butter cookies, a reeses PB cup stuffed in the middle and a chocolate/pb glaze on top. I added some Christmas Sprinkles for some color. I got the recipe from my Mother in Law who got it from my sister in law’s neighbor, Katie. So I don’t have it to add to this blog, but one day I will. DELICIOUS!


My last item of the day was Chocolate Peppermint Biscotti. This was a favorite last year, so I had to bring it back. My friend who is Italian loved it, and she knows Biscotti!!!! I must say it’s a favorite dipped in hot chocolate!!! I found the recipe at Betty Crocker.

Chocolate Peppermint Biscotti (http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/chocolate-peppermint-biscotti/c5d64564-1b5e-4d5a-acf5-b3d3d52f15c6)

1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
3 eggs
3 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coarsely crushed hard peppermint candies
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Semisweet chocolate chips, if desired
Crushed hard peppermint candies, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Lighly grease cookie sheet. Mix sugar, butter, peppermint extract and eggs in large bowl with spoon until blended. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in 1/2 cup candies and 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dough will be stiff). Divide dough in half. Shape each half into 10x2-inch rectangle on cookie sheet.
2. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on cookie sheet 15 minutes. Cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Place slices, cut sides down, on cookie sheet. Bake about 15 minutes or until light brown and crisp. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
3. Melt chocolate chips over low heat, stirring occasionally. Dip half of each biscotti into melted chocolate; sprinkle with crushed candies. Cool completely on waxed paper.


Enjoy these yummy, festive Recipes!! I hope they bring you as much joy as they have me!!! Merry Christmas! (Pictures will be coming soon...I hope!)

Peanut Butter Choc. Chip Brownies

For a co-workers birthday, I decided to make these yummy peanut butter chocolate chip brownies…and believe it or not, they are only 125 calories, which is nice for those watching their weight (for me, it’s watching it go straight to my hips….).

Well I found the recipe on cooking light’s website. Here is the link: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=223313 (I also used their picture)


Here is the recipe too:
Ingredients
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate minichips
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Coat bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray (do not coat sides of pan).
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, chocolate chips, soda, and salt in a bowl.
Combine sugars and remaining ingredients in a bowl; stir until well-blended. Add flour mixture, stirring just until blended. Spread batter in bottom of prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Last night I was in the mood for chocolate. Chocolate Cake, lathered in a rich peanut butter frosting.

So I made some Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes. They are rich and yummy. I used the peanut butter frosting recipe from Annie's Eats(http://annies-eats.com)who got it on the Food Network (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chocolate-cupcakes-and-peanut-butter-icing-recipe/index.html) I omitted the Heavy cream and just used milk until I got the correct consistency. I added some shaved chocolate to the top. The pictures are ones I made before, only with reeses on top. Both are filled with the frosting inside. YUMMY!

I want to eat one right now.

Cookie Extravaganza!!!

A couple of weeks ago one of my co-workers asked me to make some cookies for his son who is at the Naval Academy. So I took on the challenge. My friend suggested a couple of types, I decided to make all of them.

I sent his son two dozen football shaped sugar cookies topped with Royal Icing (I finally got the flooding to work). 2 Dozen each Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Raisin. Then I added a batch of mini brownies. Phew...it was a big task, but I did enjoy myself.

I say my first "baking job" was a big hit!! I got word that some of the guys at the Academy thouroughly enjoyed the cookies!! I am so glad.

Next job: cake and cookies for my Sis in Laws shower!!! Then! I get to decorate cupcakes for my friends wedding in March! My dream of becoming a baker is starting to happen!!! Now, if I could just do it full time!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscotti

My co-worker loves biscotti. I made some at Christmas that were chocolate peppermint and she enjoyed them. Today is her last day, so I decided as a goodbye I would make her chocolate peanut butter biscotti! What a hit!!

I used this recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/peanut-butter-and-chocolate-biscotti-recipe/index.html. I used normal peanut butter as opposed to "natural" as the recipe calls for. I would also use less peanuts. I melted some chocolate chips and drizzled them on the top, as well as some peanut butter.

They turned out really well. This is a pretty easy recipe, you just have to make sure they get crispy enough...but not too done!

What a yummy morning treat!


Ingredients

* 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons)
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
* 3 large eggs
* 1 1/4 cups sugar
* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter, room temperature
* 1 1/4 cups dry roasted peanuts
* 1 1/4 cups chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chunks (about 6 ounces)

Directions

Position racks evenly in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Melt the butter over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally. Continue to cook until the butter browns and gets a nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.

Beat the eggs in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar while beating. Then slowly add the butter and vanilla until evenly mixed, about 30 seconds more. Add the peanut butter and mix until combined.

While mixing slowly, add the dry ingredients to the wet, in 2 additions, mixing just until absorbed. Fold in the peanuts and chocolate pieces.

Divide the dough evenly into thirds, and put each portion in the center of a baking sheet. Shape the dough with slightly wet hands into logs about 2-inches wide and 15 inches long. Bake until set and brown around the edges, about 25 to 30 minutes. (For even baking take care to rotate the pans-- top to bottom and front to back--about half way though.) Cool logs on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes.

Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting board. Cut logs crosswise, with a long serrated knife at about a 45 degree angle, into 1/2-inch thick cookies. Place cookies cut side down on the baking sheets. Bake until crisp, about 8 minutes. Flip the cookies over and bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes more. Cool biscotti on the baking sheets. Serve.

Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.