Tag Archives: recipe

Christmas Cookie #3  – Christmas tree cookies!

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These cookies are the favorites of children, as well as any adults who love sprinkles on everything!  They are rolled and cut with a tree shaped cutter.

1/2 cup softened butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 room temp. egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 & 1/2 cups unsifted, all purpose-flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder (I use Hershey)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Frosting…

1 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon softened butter

1 tablespoon butter flavor Crisco

2 tablespoons 2% milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Green food coloring and sprinkles

Cream butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla in large mixing bowl until fluffy.

In a medium bowl, whisk together everything except the frosting. Add to creamed mixture in three increments until well combined.

Depending on how warm your kitchen is, you may need to chill this dough if it is too soft to roll. 

Roll dough to about 1/4″ thickness.

When I roll these cookies I use a combination of cocoa powder and powdered sugar on a silicone mat. Dust your surface lightly with my mixture or lightly with flour.

Dip your cutter each time you cut, knocking off any extra.  This helps make nice edges on your chocolate trees.

I use a very flexible plastic bench scraper I got from King Arthur.  It is ideal for getting these cookies on the baking sheet.

Place cookies on parchment lined sheets, and bake in pre-heated oven for 5-9 minutes. It is 8 & 1/2 minutes in my oven due to the size of my trees. Cool 2 minutes on the sheet, then carefully transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.

While cookies are cooling, prepare frosting and sprinkles.

Combine all ingredients except the food coloring. Beat until smooth, and add color till you reach the desired intensity. Gel coloring is preferable to keep frosting consistency. Make sure the color is fully mixed in. Have sprinkles at the ready, as the frosting dries quickly! 

Use a butter knife or small icing spatula, and swirl green icing onto one cooky at a time, quickly adding sprinkles on top. This year, I added edible glitter for a sparkly effect! 

Place the trees back onto the wire racks until the frosting is dry.

“In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:2

sage

Christmas Cookie #1 – Fruit Drops!

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These are old fashioned cookies that store well, much as a fruitcake does. They are not difficult to make, but do get a comfortable seat for all the chopping! 

1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco

1/2 cup softened butter

2 cups packed brown sugar

2 room temp. eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk

3 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 & 1/2 cup broken, not chopped, pecans

1 cup chopped red candied cherries

1 cup chopped green candied cherries

2 cups, chopped, pitted, dates

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the Crisco, butter, suger, and eggs well. Stir in the buttermilk. 

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture.

Next, add pecans, dates, and cherries. This is better accomplished with a large, sturdy spoon or spatula.

Next important step!  CHILL!  Do not skip chilling for this very soft cooky dough. My favorite method of chilling is the ice bowl method.

Fill a very large bowl half way with ice, and nestle the dough bowl inside it. Even the softest cooky doughs will stay chilled and workable with this method.

Use a cooky scoop, and drop onto parchment paper lined cooky sheets. My preferred sheets are insulated, covered with parchment. This makes for a perfect cooky bottom.

A dozen cookies per sheet, and bake about 8-10 minutes, until lightly golden brown as shown in the picture. Cool on the sheet for 4 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Happy homemaking!

sage

Hints for Home Schoolers – Breakfast Brain Food

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Okay supermoms!  Home schooling is a HUGE undertaking as well you know.  Now here I am, asking you to feed your little scholars something other than cold cereal.  You may be thinking I’m asking too much – after all – how could I possibly know how much you have on your plates?  Well, I’ve been there and done that.  Including wallowing in the guilt that accompanies the slap-dash breakfast that is all we think we can manage on busy school mornings. 

  Just how important is breakfast?  Hugely important!

Eating breakfast is important for everyone, but is especially so for children and adolescents. According to the American Dietetic Association, children who eat breakfast perform better in the classroom and on the playground, with better concentration, problem-solving skills, and eye-hand coordination.  http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/many-benefits-breakfast

Well, dear ones, I have the answer to that troublesome issue.  It is a recipe I developed while observing my family’s eating behaviors over the years.  After finding it was impossible to get everyone (different grade levels and schedules) to the breakfast table at the same time – I finally came up with something that served the needs of all family members and schedules – including mine.  If you read the article about Saturday baking, then you will see how this is accomplished.  During the Saturday bake (cookies and treats) I also bake enough of my “Oatmeal Power Bars,” to feed my family breakfast for a week.  Everyone loves these.

The basic recipe for Oatmeal Power Bars:

6 eggs beaten

1 cup olive oil (not extra virgin)

1 1/2 cups honey

4 cups old fashioned rolled oats

4 cups quick oats (not instant!)

In a LARGE mixing bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer, then add oil and honey,  beating  until well blended.  At this point, you will add your “enhancements.”  Extracts should be blended in with the oil and honey, and the dry add- ins get mixed in with the oats.  The 8 cups of oats and dry add- ins will need to be mixed with a sturdy spoon or spatula – they are very dense!

  • Chocolate chip – add 4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • Apple cinnamon – add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract,  1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 cup chopped dried apples, and 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • Cranberry – add 4 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/2 cup Craisins, 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, 1 cup chopped pecans
  • Cherry – add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons almond extract, 1 cup dried cherries, 1 cup sliced or slivered almonds

There are many other options to flavoring these bars.  I only share with you my family’s favorites.  Raisins are not popular at our house – but I’m sure you could come up with a raisin variation your family would love.  They are soft, chewy, and you can really sink your teeth into them.  They are so good in fact, that  a young athletic man ( a neighbor) pays me to make him a pan every week.  He says he “has to have one every morning!”

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray, and dump the mixture in, flattening it with your spoon or spatula.  Put directly into a cold oven, set it to 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.  The edges should be golden brown.  If your oven has poor circulation, rotate the pan half way through the baking time.

This recipe can be halved and baked in an 8 in. square pan – and it can also be doubled if you have two 9 x 13’s and a really huge mixing bowl!

Allow to cool completely before cutting.  These bars are even suitable for toddlers, if crumbled in a bowl, and softened with milk.  I just popped it in the microwave for 30 seconds, and my little ones loved it.

High in soluble fiber and protein – gluten free as well.  These will transform your mornings – I guarantee it.  And since you make enough to last for a week – this is the most instant of breakfasts – but oh so much better for your family than anything you could buy from any store.  I buy my oats from Aldis – the absolute cheapest place to buy them – and they are excellent quality.  I also buy my eggs from Aldis – because there is a Bible verse inside each carton.  I buy honey and vanilla extract from Costco. 

Psalm 118:24

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.