kattitudes

Oh my, I absolutely love white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. They are just divine. I was actually glad when it turned out that migraines drove me away from chocolate because these could actually cause me damage. Long term damage. Oh goodness they are gooood. If you are stuck on which mix in a jar to make up, I really encourage you to try this one. It is really a treat. You will absolutely love it!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
3 ounces coarsely chopped white chocolate
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Layer ingredients and store in airtight container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie Mix

Combine the following until well blended:
1 package mix
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Shape into walnut sized balls and place 2 inches apart on sprayed cookie sheets.
Bake at 375F degrees for 12 to 14 minutes until tops are very lightly browned.

Make these cookies 2 weeks in advance. Springerle cookies are prepared then left to dry overnight before baking.

Ingredients:

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon anise extract
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs on high speed of electric hand-held mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugar; beat at high speed for 15 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in anise extract. Gradually beat in flour and baking soda, beating until well mixed.

Chill dough for 1 to 2 hours. On a well-floured surface, roll out dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.

Roll springerle rolling pin over dough or press with springerle mold. Cut dough around the pattern with a sharp knife.

Place on greased cookie sheets. Roll out scraps and repeat.

Let cookies stand overnight to dry.

Preheat oven to 375°. Place cookie sheets in the preheated oven; reduce heat to 300°.

Bake springerle for 25 to 30 minutes, until slightly golden on bottoms, but white on top. Let cookies cool on wire racks. Store in a tightly covered container for 2 to 3 weeks. Do not freeze.

There have been a number of requests, both here and via email, for the marshmallow fluff fudge recipes that I use. Honestly, they are nothing special. I use the recipes from the back of the Fluff bottle, but rather than use the plastic Fluff, I use my homemade Fluff recipe instead.

Remember that the homemade marshmallow creme (fluff) does not have the preservatives that the canned Fluff has plus it has egg whites, which means that it must be stored in the refrigerator.

Regular Fudge

1 1/3 cup sugar
1 jar (7 1/2 ounces or 1 cup) marshmallow fluff
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup coffee liqueur
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate bits
1 cup milk chocolate bits
2/3 cup walnuts (if desired)
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a 2-quart pot, combine sugar, Fluff, evaporated milk, butter, salt and coffee liqueur. Over low heat, stir until mixed. Bring to full boil over medium heat and boil for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate, nuts and vanilla until mixed. Pour into buttered 8 x 8-inch pan. Makes about 2 1/4 lbs.

“Never Fail” Fudge

2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick butter or margarine
1 can (5.33 ounce or 3/4 cup) evaporated milk
1 jar (7 1/2 ounces or 1 cup) Marshmallow Fluff
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 12 ounces package semisweet-chocolate pieces
1 /2 cup chopped walnuts

Grease a 9-inch square baking pan; set aside. In large saucepan combine first 5 ingredients. Stir over low heat until blended. Heat to a full-rolling boil being careful not to mistake escaping air bubbles for boiling. Boil slowly, stirring constantly, 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and chocolate until chocolate is melted. Add nuts. Turn into greased pan and cool. Makes 2 1/2 pounds.

Peanut Butter Fudge

2 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 stick butter or margarine
1 can (5.33 ounce or 3/4 cup) evaporated milk
1 Jar (7 1/2 ounces or 1 cup) Marshmallow Fluff
3/4 teaspoon salt
9 ounces peanut butter (creamy or chunky)

Grease a 9-inch square baking pan; set aside. In large saucepan combine first 5 ingredients. Stir over low heat until blended. Over medium heat, bring to a full-rolling boil being careful not to mistake escaping air bubbles for boiling. Boil slowly, stirring constantly, 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter until blended. Turn into greased pan and cool.
Makes 2 1/2 pounds.

These cookies, make with a cookie press, taste tangy and tart with a refreshing lemony flavor.

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened (12 tablespoons or 6 ounces)
* 1 tbsp lemon juice, at room temperature
* 1 tsp lemon peel, finely grated
* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
* 1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven at 350°. In a mixing bowl, combine butter or margarine, lemon juice, and lemon peel. In another mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients just until moistened.

Spoon dough into a cookie press with desired template in place. Press cookies about 2″ apart onto lightly greased or sprayed baking sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or lightly browned.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries
3/4 cup shelled green pistachios
2 cups all purpose unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup sugar

Layer ingredients and store in airtight container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti Mix

Combine the following until well blended:
1 package mix
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs

Divide into 2 loaves on cookie sheet, chilling if necessary to make dough easier to handle. Each loaf should be about 9 inches long and 2 inches wide.

Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on sheet for 1 hour.

Cut each loaf diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices using a serrated (bread) knife. Place slices on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 325°F for 8 minutes, then turn over and bake for 8-10 minutes more or until dry and crisp. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons powdered vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Layer ingredients and store in airtight container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

Carrot Cake Mix

1 package mix
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
3 cups grated carrots
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple

Mix and pour into 13×9 baking dish. Bake 40-50 minutes. Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Pulling taffy used to be a family or party activity, but it is something that you absolutely can do by yourself. As an germ-o-phobe, I much prefer to do my own taffy pulling rather than having eleventy dozen people touching my candy, but still, I can see the fun in making candy in a group.

Even I, as a confirmed germophobe, can see the absolute fun in coordinating a taffy pull one night to have your children make a batch of homemade candy as a holiday gift for their friends or a special teacher.

The directions sound a little complex, but actually, if your kids play with their bubble gum, then they are ready to pull taffy. It is the exact same process.

Ingredients:

2 cups unsulfured molasses
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cider or white vinegar

Butter a platter or baking sheet. In a large saucepan, combine all the ingredients.

Stirring constantly, bring to a boil and cook, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 250 degrees F (the hard-ball stage) on a candy thermometer, or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a ball that is hard enough to hold its shape yet is pliable.

Pour onto the platter. Using a spatula, turn the edges toward the center to speed cooling. Pull taffy.

Before you begin, grease a pair of scissors and have on hand squares of wax paper for wrapping.

Let your cooked taffy sit just until it is barely cool enough to work with (if it gets too cool, you can warm it in a 350 F oven for 3 to 4 minutes).

Coat your hands well with cornstarch or butter. Form the candy into one or more balls and start pulling.

Working fast, pull a lump of candy between the fingertips of one hand and the other until it is about 15 inches long.

Double it up and pull again. Continue pulling, as above, until the candy is porous and hard to pull.

Stretch the candy into a rope about 3/4 inch in diameter.

Cut with the greased scissors into 1-inch pieces. To prevent sticking, wrap each piece of candy individually in a square of wax paper; twist the ends to seal. Keep the wrapped candies in a tightly closed tin.

This is an interesting taste combination. The orange zip of the astronaut’s Tang Drink (and if you do not get that reference, go read your American space race history, starting in the 1960s) tastes great combined with the vanilla of the chips as opposed to the ubiquitous flavor of chocolate chips that always go into everything.

Of course, having said that, if you cannot find vanilla, white chocolate would make a great counterpoint to the orange flavor.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Tang Instant Breakfast Drink powder
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups vanilla chips
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Layer ingredients and store in airtight container.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

Tangy Cookie Mix

1 package cookie mix
1/2 cup softened butter
1 egg slightly beaten
1 tsp. Vanilla Mix

Roll heaping tablespoonfuls into balls. Place 2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake at 375F degrees for 12 to 14 minutes or until tops are very lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheet.

Ingredients:

2 (12 ounce) bags cranberries
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup fresh orange juice
zest of 2 oranges

Streusel topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup hard unsalted butter

Combine cranberries, sugar and orange juice in saucepan. Simmer until cranberry skins pop. Cook 7 to 10 minutes, just until tender (don’t let them lose their shape.) Add orange zest.

Knead ingredients for streusel topping until coarse crumb-like. Empty cranberry mix into 9 x 13 casserole or pan.

When cool, cover with topping and pop under broiler for about one minute or until browned.

Tastes utterly fantastic with ice cream.

With thanks to the Libby’s website for the photo and the recipe, this is what we are having for pumpkin pie this year. Rather than fuss with the crust (which we all know I am ambivalent about in the first place), I make my lovely pumpkin pie insides and bake it in my ramekins. Top with gobs of whipped cream and we are in business.

Ingredients:

* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
* 2 large eggs
* 1 can (15 ounces) 100% pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
* 1 can (12 fluid ounces) evaporated milk

PREHEAT oven to 300° F.

MIX sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

POUR into eight 6-ounce ramekins or custard cups. Place ramekins on baking sheet.

BAKE for 45 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted in custard halfway between center and edge of ramekin comes out almost clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.