Breakfast Pull-Aparts

This is a Christmas morning favorite in my family. Very easy, as it uses prepared bread dough. This recipe needs to be started the night before.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
20 frozen bread dough buns
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup glazed cherries, halved
1/3 cup corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a small pot. Stir cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl. Dip frozen dough buns in melted butter, then roll in sugar mixture. Place 10 in a greased bundt pan. Sprinkle with half of the almonds and cherries. Repeat with remaining buns. Mix corn syrup and remaining butter. Drizzle over buns. Cover with a damp tea towel and let sit over night. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Mint Chocolate Brownies

York peppermint patties are the secret ingredient here. From cooks.com.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups butter, melted
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
5 eggs
2 cups flour
1 cup Hershey cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
24 small York peppermint patties

Instructions

In large bowl, stir together butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, stir until blended well. Stir in flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Blend well. Reserve 2 cups of batter; set aside. Spread remaining batter in prepared pan. Arrange peppermint patties in single layer over batter, about 1/2 inch apart. Spread reserved 2 cups of batter over patties. Bake in a greased 9 by 13-inch pan at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.

Chocolate Date Squares

I found this recipe in a Company's Coming Christmas collection. They are very easy to make, despite the somewhat lengthy list of ingredients, and are always popular.

Square Ingredients

1 egg
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped dates

Square Instructions

Beat egg in large bowl. Add margarine, sugar, brown sugar, salt, flour, and baking soda, combining well after each addition. Add milk and orange juice, combining well. Add walnuts, chocolate chips, and dates. Pour batter into a greased 8-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients

1 cup icing sugar
2 tablespoons margarine, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 teaspoon dry orange rind

Frosting Instructions

Beat together margarine and orange juice. Add icing sugar until desired consistency is reached. Stir in orange rind. Spread over cooled squares.

Molasses Sugar Cookies

A very tasty and chewy spice cookie. This is a family favorite. These keep very well in an airtight container.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups shortening
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
4 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt


Instructions

Melt the shortening in a large pan on the stove, and cool. Add sugar, eggs, and molasses. Beat well. In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together and add to molasses mixture. Mix well and chill 3 hours or overnight. Form chilled dough into balls. Roll in sugar. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Chocolate Caramel Brownies

This is a somewhat fussy recipe and a little time consuming, but I guarantee it will be time and effort well spent. This recipe is courtesy of allrecipes.com. It uses a chocolate cake mix, which saves a little time. These brownies are fantastic on their own, or with a little vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate or caramel sauce.

Ingredients

14 ounces caramels
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 (18.25 ounce) package German chocolate cake mix
1/3 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions

Peel caramels and place in the top of a double boiler. Stir in 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Heat and stir until all caramels are melted. In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, melted butter, and chopped pecans. Place 1/2 of the batter in a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Place the remaining batter into the fridge. Remove brownies from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Drizzle caramel sauce over chocolate chips. Remove brownie mix from refrigerator. Using a teaspoon, make small balls with the batter and press flat. Very carefully, place on top of the caramel sauce until the top is completely covered. Bake for an additional 20 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Delicious and very easy to make... and eat! From allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Instructions

Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside. Cream together butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well. Shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.

Chocolate Mint Mousse

This is a recipe I took from epicurious.com. I made it last year for a potluck, and it disappeared in about 10 minutes. My advice: if you are taking this to a potluck, take two. I made it in one large bowl instead of stemmed glasses.

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups heavy cream
Pinch of salt
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies

Instructions

Heat 1/3 cup cream in a saucepan over low heat until hot. Whisk in chocolate with a pinch of salt until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Beat remaining cup cream with peppermint extract in another bowl until it just holds soft peaks. Add cooled chocolate mixture and beat until mousse just holds stiff peaks. Fold in 1/4 cup candy and spoon into 4 stemmed glasses,or a nice serving dish, then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup candy. Chill until cold, about 1 hour.

Chocolate Ball Crisps

Another wonderful, delicious, and very simple Christmas recipe!

Ingredients

1/4 cup margarine
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 cup icing sugar
1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 block Perowax

Instructions

Combine margarine, peanut butter, icing sugar, and Rice Krispies. Roll into balls. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt chocolate chips and Perowax. Place balls in slightly cooled chocolate. Remove with slotted spoon and place on waxed paper to cool. Keep covered and refrigerated.

Cholate Mint Wafers

I'm not going to lie, these cookies are a lot of work, and very time consuming. But my oh my, are they ever worth the effort! This is a great recipe, from marthastewart.com.

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 cup cocoa
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons flour
Icing sugar, for dusting
1/4 cup heavy cream
12 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Instructions

Cream together butter and sugar until completely smooth, about 3 minutes. Add egg, and continue mixing until well combined. In a small bowl, whisk together cocoa powder and flour. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture, and continue mixing, until just combined. Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a small disc; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. *The dough can also be made a day ahead and refrigerated overnight. Place the chilled dough on a work surface lightly dusted with icing sugar. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut out the cookies, and place on cookie sheets lined with silicone mats or parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool. Meanwhile, make the ganache. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil over medium-high heat. Finely chop 6 ounces of chocolate, and add to hot cream. Stir with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Add peppermint extract. Let cool slightly, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer ganache to a pastry bag. Pipe out quarter–size amounts of chocolate, about 1 teaspoon each, onto the center of half the cooled wafers. Top with the remaining wafers. Chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 10 minutes. Melt remaining chocolate in the top of a double boiler over medium heat. Let cool slightly. Dip one side of the cookie sandwich to coat. Remove excess chocolate by scraping the cookie against the side of the bowl. Return to the refrigerator until chocolate is set, about 10 minutes.

Oatmeal Cherry Cookies

These are a very tasty drop cookie. These cookies come out much better when baked on parchment paper or on a silicon baking sheet.

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 pound tart dried cherries
Coarsely chopped toasted almonds

Instructions

Beat together butter, brown sugar and salt together until mixture is creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg is added. Stir in milk. In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, combining well. Stir in oats and cherries. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours. Drop chilled dough by tablespoonful about 3 inches apart onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes, or just until cookies puff and are light golden brown.

Ginger Cupcakes With Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

All I can say about these cupcakes is yum. I made them once, for a Christmas party, and they disappeared rather quickly! This recipe was discovered on 101 Cookbooks.

Cupcake Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk

Cupcake Instructions

In a small bowl, mix together flour, ground ginger, baking powder, and salt. Stir in candied ginger. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add flour mixture and milk alternately, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Scoop mixture into lined muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 23-28 minutes. Allow to cool in muffin tin for 10 minutes before removing. Allow to cool completely before icing.

Frosting Ingredients

This recipe doubles nicely, if you like lots of frosting!

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cup icing sugar, sifted
1/4 cup candied ginger, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of salt

Frosting Instructions

Beat together cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add icing sugar slowly until desired consistency is reached. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Spread evenly over cupcakes.

Applesauce Spice Cake With Brown Sugar Icing

I found this recipe while pouring over my grandmother's old cookbooks for the 1940's. The icing has a very think and fudgy consistency, so spread it over the cake while it is still warm.

Cake Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup buttermilk

Cake Instructions

Beat together butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. Stir into butter mixture alternately with applesauce and buttermilk. Make 3 additions dry ingredients and 2 of the wet ingredients. Pour dough into greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees about 35 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack.

Icing Ingredients

1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups icing sugar

Icing Instructions

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil jut until blended, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir milk and vanilla into butter mixture. Beat in icing sugar until smooth and spreadable. Allow to cool for 1 minute. Spread icing over top of cake. Allow icing to drizzle over edge.

Butter Pecan Coils

These are deceptively simple and very tasty. A holiday favorite.

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans
1 egg white, beaten

Instructions

Beat together butter, icing sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. Stir in flower in two additions to make a soft dough. Stir in 1/2 cup of the pecans. Divide dough into quarters. Shape each quarter into 8-inch log. Spread remaining pecans on waxed paper. Brush each log with egg white.
Roll logs in pecans. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. With a sharp knife, cut logs into generous 1/4-inch slices. Arrange on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 325 degrees until firm and just beginning to turn golden, about 16 minutes. Transfer to racks and allow to cool.

Lime Squares

The lime in this recipe gives a nice twist to classic lemon squares. You can substitute the lime juice and rind for lemon, if you prefer.

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons grated lemon rind
1/2 cup lime juice
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon icing sugar

Instructions

In a bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and salt until fluffy. Stir in flour. Press into the bottom of a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Prick with a fork. Bake at 325 degrees until golden, about
25 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat eggs, with sugar until thickened. Add lime rind and juice, flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat until smooth. Pour over base. Bake until edges are brown, about 30 minutes. Dust with icing sugar.

Chocolate Candy Brownies

You can use just about any type of chocolate-covered candy bar for this recipe. Rollos are an excellent choice as well.

Brownie Ingredients

2/3 cup butter
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt

Brownie Instructions

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter and chocolate. Set aside and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Whisk in sugar and vanilla. Whisk in eggs one at a time. Stir in flour and salt. Scrape into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before topping.

Topping Ingredients

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup whipping cream
1 cup chocolate covered candy bars, chopped

Topping Instructions

Place chocolate in a bowl. In a saucepan, heat cream to boiling. Pour over chocolate and whisk until smooth. Let cool 3 minutes. Spread over brownies. Sprinkle with candy bar pieces. Cut into bars.

Fudge Meltaways

A very simple holiday square.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup cocoa
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup margarine, melted
2 tablespoons water
2 ups icing sugar
1/4 cup margarine, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Mix together cracker crumbs, coconut, cocoa, and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir in melted margarine and water. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9-inch pan. Place in refrigerator. Mix together margarine, milk, and vanilla. Beat in icing sugar. Blend until smooth, adding additional milk if necessary to achieve a smooth consistency. Spread over graham cracker base. Refrigerate 1 hour and cut into squares.

The Holiday Cookie Mix Collection... Cherry Coconut Bars

This is one of my favorite holiday recipes.

Ingredients

4 cups Holiday Cookie Mix
1/2 cups margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup flaked coconut
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup chopped nuts

Instructions

Mix Holiday Cookie Mix and margarine. Press into an ungreased 9 by 13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Mix together remaining ingredients, except nuts. Spread over baked layer. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake about 25 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely before cutting.

The Holiday Cookie Mix Collection... Chocolate Bourbon Cookies

A tasty frosted cookie.

Cookie Ingredients

4 cups Holiday Cookie Mix
1 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
Icing sugar

Cookie Instructions

Mix together Holiday cookie Mix, nuts, margarine, vanilla, almond extract, eggs, and melted chocolate. Shape dough into balls. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Roll in icing sugar, if desired, or frost.

Frosting Ingredients

1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Frosting Instructions

Combine all ingredients. Mix well and until of a spreadable consistency. Spread on cooled cookies.

The Holiday Cookie Mix Collection

Again from the Betty Crocker Christmas collection, the basic holiday cookie mix is a multi-purpose mix that can be used in a number of different recipes.

Ingredients

8 cups flour
4 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups shortening

Instructions

Mix flour, brown sugar, salt, and baking soda. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Place in large plastic containers or bags and seal. Refrigerate until needed, up to 10 weeks. Makes 15 to 16 cups of cookie mixture.

And now a recipe that uses the Holiday Cookie Mix...

Toffee Bars

Ingredients

4 cups Holiday Cookie Mix
1/2 cup margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
4 ounces chocolate candy, chopped (I use Skor bits)
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Instructions

Mix cookie mix, margarine, vanilla, and egg. Press into bottom of a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Layer will be light brown and soft. Remove from oven and immediately spread candy pieces over baked layer. Let stand until soft; spread over bottom layer. Sprinkle with nuts. Cut while still warm.

Cocoa Shortbreads

A chocolatey take on an old classic.

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups margarine
1 1/3 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

Sift together flour, cocoa, and salt. In a large bowl, cream margarine. Slowly beat in icing sugar. Add vanilla. Gradually blend in flour mixture. Refrigerate dough for about 15 minutes. Roll out onto a floured surface. Cut into desired shapes. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

Cheese Shortbreads

This is kind of an odd recipe, handed down from my grandmother. They are very tasty, and excellent with tea.

Ingredients

1/2 pound McLaren's soft cheese
1 cup margarine
4 tablespoons icing sugar
2 cups flour

Instructions

Cream together cheese an margarine very well. Sift together icing sugar and flour. Add to cheese mixture. Roll dough to 1/8-inch (approximately) thickness. Cut with a small round cookie cutter. Or, if you prefer, the dough can be rolled into logs, wrapped in plastic wrap, and refrigerated for about 1 hour. Remove from refrigerator and slice. Place cookies on cookie sheets and bake at 250 degrees until light brown, about 20 minutes.

Fudgy Rum Brownies

These are a really great holiday recipe with a high yield. This recipe makes a 9 by 13 inch pan. Also found in the Betty Crocker Christmas Collection.

Brownie Ingredients

1/2 cup margarine
2 cups chocolate chips
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons rum
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs

Brownie Instructions

Heat margarine ad chocolate chips over low heat in a large saucepan, stirring constantly, until chocolate is completely melted. Beat in remaining ingredients in the order given. Bake in a greased 9 by 13 inch pan at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients

2 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup margarine
1 teaspoon rum
1-2 tablespoons milk

Frosting Instructions

Beat together margarine, rum, and milk until smooth. Slowly mix in icing sugar until smooth. Icing should be light and fluffy. Spread evenly over cooled squares.

Sugar Cookies

These are a multi-purpose cookie. Typically, we make them for holidays and special occasions and cut them into holiday shapes, and ice them with brightly colored icing.

Ingredients

3/4 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Cream together margarine and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Sift together remaining ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Cover; chill in refrigerator for 1 hour. Place dough on floured surface. Roll out to 1/8-inch (approximately) thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 6-8 minutes, or until golden brown.

Chocolate Crinkles

My mom found this recipe in a Betty Crocker Christmas collection. It has since become a holiday favorite amongst my family and friends.

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
4 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup icing sugar

Instructions

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat together margarine, sugar, vanilla, and peppermint extract until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. At low speed, add cocoa. Add flour mixture and stir until blended. Cover; chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Place icing sugar on a plate. Drop dough by teaspoonful onto icing sugar. Roll dough into a ball and coat well with icing sugar. Place cookies on greased cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees for9-10 minutes, or until a slight imprint remains when cookie is touched lightly in the middle. Remove to racks immediately to cool.