I am so excited to start my holiday baking this year! Normally my mother and I would bake a variety of things and distribute mixed boxes to 20+ co-workers, friends and family. Unfortunately since I now live several provinces away, she is really scaling back as it is too much work for her solo.
I however am rising to a self imposed challenge of Extreme Solo Holiday Baking Bonanza! I need to bake about 8 dozen cookies for a cookie exchange next weekend, some tasty treats for Christmas dinner with Davros's family and most importantly... a Christmas party! I have been asked to provide some baking for the party, so I am using this as an excuse to bake my heart out. So far I have about 10 different cookies, bars and candies that I am planning on making. If I gather all my recipes, ingredients and serving trays this weekend, I can start Monday night and bake and freeze one recipe per evening right up until the party on December 11th.
I'll post my recipes and progress here and I'd love for people to contribute their favourite holiday recipes and talk about any baking they might be doing this month!
That sounds terrific! I'm avoiding baking this year - past years I've done about a dozen kinds of cookies - but I am trying to reduce temptation. It's not really possible, but I'm trying. I will be baking some things for a couple of parties - I can post those recipies. One is for a bar that wins cheers every time!
My mother's chocolate fruitcake
(I don't like glaceed fruit so I have used whatever dried fruit that sounded good & I preferred that. Also, easy to convert to a vegan recipe using egg replacer and margarine. The soaking rum prevents dryness. This cake will make you forget all those awful fruitcakes you may have eaten.)
Mix together 1/2 lb each golden raisins,dates, chopped dried apricots,glaceed pineapple chopped, 1/2 cup honey & dark rum, 1/4 cup glaceed lemon peel. Macerate covered for 48 hr.
Stir 1/2 cup dark rum into fruit mixture.
Cream together 1 stick butter & 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar until fluffy.Add 3 eggs one at a time. Sift together 1 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa, 1/2 tsp cinnamon,1/4 tsp salt. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the fruit mixture. Stir in 1/4 lb each walnuts, blanched almonds & pecans & combine well.
Line 2 buttered loaf pans 7 1/2 x3 1/2 x 2 1/2 in with wax paper and butter the paper. Pour batter into pans & bake in pre-heated 250 degree oven for 2 hr.
Let cakes cool on rack.
Remove paper, sprinkle more rum if desired. Store, tightly wrapped in cheesecloth & foil in refrigerator.
I made two pans of marshmallow squares tonight. I might even make a third because these tend to be very popular.
Marshmallow Squares
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. peanut butter chips
1/2 c margarine
3/4 c peanut butter
Mix together in a microwavable bowl and melt in the microwave.
Let the mix cool for 5-10 minutes and then add:
1 c. rice krispies
1 tsp vanilla
3 c. mini coloured marshmallows
Mix together and press into a 9x13 pan lined with parchment paper. Chill in the fridge until set. This freezes very well.
After a late start to my morning, I got a bit of baking accomplished today. I made a pan of cheesecake brownies to take to a party tonight and I am halfway through the seven dozen cookies needed for tomorrow's cookie exchange.
I opted to make white chocolate chip and cranberry cookies, which are standard in my holiday baking. This dough whips together very quick and the baking time is short too.
1/2 CUP BUTTER
1/2 CUP BROWN SUGAR
1/2 CUP SUGAR
1 EGG
1 TBSP VANILLA
1-1/2 CUPS FLOUR
1/2 TSP BAKING SODA
1 CUP WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS
1 CUP DRIED CRANBERRIES
CREAM TOGETHER BUTTER, BROWN SUGAR, SUGAR UNTIL SMOOTH
BEAT IN EGG AND VANILLA
COMBINE FLOUR AND BAKING SODA, STIR INTO SUGAR MIXTURE
MIX IN CHOCOLATE CHIPS AND CRANBERRIES
DROP BY SPOONFULS ONTO COOKIE SHEETS LINED WITH PARCHMENT PAPER
BAKE @ 350 FOR 8-10 MINUTES
(12-03-2009 04:08 AM)bellis_coldwine Wrote: [ -> ]I made two pans of marshmallow squares tonight. I might even make a third because these tend to be very popular.
Marshmallow Squares
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. peanut butter chips
1/2 c margarine
3/4 c peanut butter
Mix together in a microwavable bowl and melt in the microwave.
Let the mix cool for 5-10 minutes and then add:
1 c. rice krispies
1 tsp vanilla
3 c. mini coloured marshmallows
Mix together and press into a 9x13 pan lined with parchment paper. Chill in the fridge until set. This freezes very well.
Now this no-bake one sounds like something even I could make. Thanks for sharing it.