HOLIDAY GOODIES
HOLIDAY CRANBERRY BREAD
Yield: 1 loaf
INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1-½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped in halves
1 egg
1 cup walnuts, chopped
Juice and zest of one orange
2 teaspoons butter
Boiling water
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Grease 8 ½ x 4 ½ x2 ½ loaf pan and line bottom with parchment paper
In an electric mixer, add sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix. Add egg and beat thoroughly. In a ¾ measuring cup, add the juice of orange, orange zest, 2 teaspoons butter and add hot water to fill the ¾ cup. Add liquid to the flour and egg mixture and blend well. To the batter, combine the chopped cranberries and nuts and stir well.
Spread batter evenly into prepared loaf pan and let rest for 20 minutes. Bake in oven for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool for approximately 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan and transfer to a wire rack and allow bread to finish cooling completely.
CHOCOLATE THUMBPRINT COOKIES
Yield: 3 Dozen
INGREDIENTS
1 stick butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 square unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1 egg white, whipped until frothy
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
In an electric mixer, with paddle attachment, blend butter and sugar. Add the sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and melted chocolate and blend until well combined. Add the flour and salt and mix well. Roll into balls and dip into the egg whites until coated. Roll in the chopped nuts and place on a parchment lined baking sheet or Silpat. Gently, press your thumb into each cookie to make a small indentation that will be filled with frosting after the cookies are baked. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are slightly browned. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack for cooling. After thoroughly cooled, frost with your favorite frosting and let frosting dry before storing in an airtight container.
HOLIDAY COOKIE BARS
Yield: 25 bars
INGREDIENTS
1 stick of butter, melted
1 ½ cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup chopped pecans or wanuts
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 1/3 cups sweetened condensed milk
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Pour melted butter into a 13×9x2 inch baking pan and tilt to cover the entire bottom of the pan evenly. Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs evenly over the butter. Sprinkle an even layer of each of the following ingredients: nuts, chocolate chips and coconut. On top of the layers, drizzle the sweetened condensed milk evenly. Bake the bars in the oven for approximately 25 minutes or until the bars are lightly browned and the chips are melted. Remove from oven and cool thoroughly, before slicing.
Note: Evaporated milk is not a suitable substitute for the sweetened condensed milk.