Kate Collins's Blog, page 245

Christmas Day

 by Maggie Sefton


Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!



I'm presently celebrating with dear friends and family back in Northern Virginia.  I wish all of you dear readers and fans of the Cozy Chicks a Joyous Holiday Season!  

A Wish

by Kate Collins

All of us Cozy Chicks hope you enjoyed Cookie Week. We certainly got some delicious new recipes to try.

In honor of the Christmas holiday, here is my wish for you. Merry Christmas!

An Old Irish BlessingMay love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

Do You REALLY Need Molasses in Molasses Cookies?

by Leann

This is the last day of our cookie extravaganza and I offer up a very old family recipe that also appears in our cookbook, The Cozy Chicks Kitchen. I make these every year at Christmas and everyone LOVES them. The recipe came from my husband's mother's neighbor, Mrs. Jones. They are an interesting cookie, because the first taste doesn't blow you away but for some reason, they get better and better with every bite.

The first time I made them, we had only been married a few years and unfortunately, these are rolled cookies and the dough came out so sticky, I couldn't roll them out, no matter what I did. My husband and I ended up in a very fun and memorable cookie dough fight.


The next year, I decided something was very wrong that recipe--and not wrong with my ability. My grandmother had been a baker and I had learned at the hand of a master. Sure enough an extra cup to cup-and-a-half of flour cured the problem of the sticky dough. The recipe had probably been read off the top of Mrs. Jones to Mike's mom. In other words, it had probably never been written down before. 60 years ago, lots of folks just went by what they remembered and then what the dough looked like. We'd been given "approximations" that were wrong.

Being in this rental house, all my books, including The Cozy Chicks Kitchen, are packed away somewhere. So my friend and fellow Cozy Chick Lorraine sent me the recipe that had been printed in the book. I looked at it and discovered--NO MOLASSES!!! All the ebook copies of the cookbook readers have downloaded are wrong! We fixed that, but if you already have the  book, add a cup of molasses right after adding the sugar--an make a note in your copy. (Embarrassing!) And I promise, these cookies are addictive!

Recipe for those who don't have the book:

1 cup shortening (not butter or cookies will fall apart)
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp baking soda
5 1/2-6 cups of flour


Preheat the oven to 375º Mix the ingredients in the order given. Make sure the dough is a little sticky but when pressed together, doesn’t fall apart. If it does, add a little more flour. These cookies are very dependent on the humidity where you live, so you may have to play with the recipe.Divide the dough into two or three sections; wrap each section in waxed paper (best, though plastic wrap will work) and chill for at least 2 hours, but better overnight. Spread cutting board or counter with a dusting of flour and roll out the dough to about ½ inch in thickness. Cut with cookie cutter. (We use a biscuit cutter—round with scalloped edges.)
 

Bake 8-10 minutes. Do Not Overbake!Cool on wire baking racks and then frost with a confectioners’ sugar vanilla frosting. Let them sit until the frosting hardens and then store in sealed containers. If you leave them out, they will be more like ginger snaps. Yield: 3 dozen cookies

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!
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Don't forget about the Cozy Chicks Kitchen, which has many of our favorite recipes!


  Read all about it here. 

Remember--we have bookplates signed by the Chicks. Let us know if you need one and we'd glad to send you one for your copy.

The Ugliest Cookie You Can't Stop Eating

By Ellery Adams

You've seen lots of gorgeous, sumptuous cookie photos by now so I have to warn you: this is not a pretty cookie. The Haystack isn't even really a cookie. It's sweet and crunchie and unbelievably delicious and it's one of those Southern, cookie-like treats that will disappear from the plate quicker than you can say, "Jingle Bells."

This is a particularly wonderful snack to have around when you have a mixed group of guests because folks of all ages love these and you can make butterscotch or chocolate Haystacks. So here they are and please, don't judge a cookie by its cover. Ho, ho, ho. Happy Holidays, y'all!

Easy-Peasy Ingredients:

15 ounce bag of butterscotch or semi-sweet morsels (I made both)
3/4 peanut butter (creamy)
2 (5-ounce cans) Chow Mein Noodles (you can find them in the International aisle of your grocery store)
3 cups mini marshmallows


Easy-Peasy Directions:

You can either melt the morsels in a double boiler over medium heat or in the microwave safe bowl for one minute. Keep microwaving after that for ten second intervals until chips are melted. Stir in peanut peanut until smooth and well-blended. Add noodles. Add marshmallows. Toss until all ingredients are coated. Drop by rounded "stacks" onto cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Chill until ready to serve. 


(Note - I prefer to melt my morsels on the stove top because I think it's easier to drop the noodles in a big saucepan, but that's just my preference)

Enjoy!

===================
Don't forget about the Cozy Chicks Kitchen, which has many of our favorite recipes!  Read all about it here.

Remember--we have bookplates signed by the Chicks. Let us know if you need one and we'd glad to send you one for your copy.

Cookies and candy galore--oh my!

by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett

I know this is supposed to be a cookie exchange, but this is one holiday recipe I make sure to make every year ... and it goes over really, really well and is incredibly easy to make. The difficult part is waiting an hour for the "candy" to firm up in the refrigerator.


[image error] Simply Crackers Candy
One “sleeve” of saltine crackers (about 35)
2 sticks butter (1 cup)
1 cup brown sugar
1  11.5 ounce package of chocolate chips*
3/4 cups chopped walnuts* (optional)

Line a baking tray with foil and cover with saltine crackers. Boil butter and brown sugar for 3 minutes until frothy. Pour over the crackers.

[image error] Bake at 400° for 5 minutes. The butter/sugar mixture will bubble. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let set for five minutes. Spread chocolate with spatula, and sprinkle with nuts. (Gently press the nuts into the
chocolate.) Refrigerate at least 1 hour; break into pieces. (Refrigerate the leftovers . . . if there are any.)

*I use milk chocolate chips, but you can vary the recipe with semi-sweet chocolate and even peanut butter-flavored chips.

Still want that cookie recipe?  Here's a great one for cut-out cookies.
[image error]
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract*
2/3 cup Crisco shortening
2 slightly beaten eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Mix all ingredients together until it forms a ball. Place dough in plastic bag or covered bowl. Refrigerate for four hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350F.

On floured board roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters of your choice. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes until the edges just start to brown. When completely cool, frost. If you wish to add colored sugars, do so before you bake the dough.

(This recipe doubles well.)

*You can substitute the vanilla extract or any flavor you enjoy (almond, anise, orange, lemon, etc.)
=================================
Don't forget about the Cozy Chicks Kitchen, which has many of our favorite recipes!


  Read all about it here. 

Remember--we have bookplates signed by the Chicks. Let us know if you need one and we'd glad to send you one for your copy.

Christmas Kolacky

by Julie Hyzy
Welcome to our Cookie Exchange! Pull up a comfy chair, grab a cup of coffee or tea, and settle in. I have a wonderful treat for you!
I originally posted this recipe at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen back in 2009, but it's so worth sharing again. I make these little delights every Christmas. They are truly a family favorite.
Every year, I make gingerbread, spritz cookies, chocolate chips, and these. Which ones are the first to disappear? Yep, you guessed it. Give them a try and you'll see why.
Kolacky (ko-LAHCH-kee)

4 cups flour3 Tbsp sugar4 sticks butter, softened1 tsp vanilla1 pint vanilla ice cream, softenedFilling of choice

Bake at 425 for 8 -10 minutes

The original recipe didn't call for vanilla flavoring, and only required 1 Tbsp of sugar. I changed those, and I like the change. I've never substituted margarine but then again, I'm not a fan of the stuff, so I probably never will.

You can halve this recipe, if you like. I used to double the recipe for Christmas, but that's too much for my Kitchenaid mixer to handle at once, even with a dough hook.

The original recipe provided step by step "add this" "cream that" etc. I just put all the ingredients together in the mixer's bowl and hit "on." Turns out just fine.





You do want to chill the dough for several hours and preferably overnight, before rolling it out. That makes the rolling so much easier.









I roll these out pretty thinly, less than a 1/4 of an inch, for sure. And then I cut them into small squares. I don't stress if they're off size or off shape.



I've tried to show, in the photo at the right just how thin I get them. In our family, we like 'em like that. They crisp up a bit better that way.

Solo is my favorite brand of filling. Always great, always dependable. I'm pretty sure my Busia (grandmother on my dad's side) used Solo, too. There are plenty of popular kolacky flavors including prune, poppy seed, cream cheese, and lemon. In our house we stick to apricot, raspberry and strawberry.



I've used only apricot filling in the pictures because I only made one tray for this posting. I'm freezing the dough until we get closer to Christmas. The problem with these is that they disappear very quickly and if I would have made my husband's favorites - raspberry and strawberry - these would be gone in a flash. Apricot is my kids' favorite flavor (and mine too). I have to tell you, every time I pass the tray at home, I have a tough time sticking to my low-carb vow. Bad time of year to go low-carb, lemme tell ya!





Here I've added the filling to my little squares using the two-spoon method I'm sure you're all familiar with. You'll note I didn't skimp. I probably go through 3/4 of a can per sheet of kolacky. Again, my family prefers a heavy fruit to dough ratio.







At this point is when I feel they make the transition from dough and fruit to kolackies.

I pull up opposite sides of each cookie to form a little blanket. To me, this is the true kolacky shape, although you'll see varieties - squares with double-blanket sides and plain round ones. I like these. Plenty of space for the fruit to ooze.

Don't grease the pan, the cookies are buttery enough. Bake them at 425 for about 8 - 10 minutes. Sometimes I turn the pan around in the oven after 5. Watch them, and when the edges start to brown just a little bit, they're done.





Let them cool (I prefer them at room temperature over straight from the oven) and then dust them with powdered sugar. Don't store them in sealed containers, but leave them out to crisp up in the air. Yum.



But don't turn your back. The moment you do, sneaky fingers will come in and snatch them up.
Hope you enjoy kolacky at your house! 

Don't forget about the Cozy Chicks Kitchen Cookbook!
Find out more about it here. 

(We've got bookplates signed by the Chicks.  Want one?  Just ask!)



What are your favorite treats for the holidays?

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

by Hannah Reed/Deb Baker

  Holiday Cookie Party Continues with Day 3!

In the Michigan Upper Peninsula we love our coffee and we love all dunkin' bakery, like doughnuts and over-done cookies. So biscotti is a natural for this Yooper. Plus, I love all Italian edibles and almond is my favorite flavor.

These aren't hard to make and your friends and family will be so impressed.

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti makes 3 dozen

1/4 c. virgin olive oil 
3/4 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. orange extract (optional)
2 eggs
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. dried cranberries
1 c. pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
* if the nuts are salted, leave out the salt

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees
Mix together and blend the oil and sugar. Add the extracts, then beat in the eggs. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, stir into mixture. Mix in cranberries and nuts.

Divide the dough in half. Form two logs on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. If dough is sticky, wet hands with water.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the logs are lightly browned. Remove and reduce oven heat to 275 degrees. Cool logs for 15 minutes.

Cut logs on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides and bake 8-10 minutes, watching carefully for them to brown and dry. Cool.

Optional: drizzle with melted white chocolate or dip one end into the chocolate and sprinkle with holiday colored sugar.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Don't forget about the Cozy Chicks Kitchen, which has many of our favorite recipes!

  Read all about it here. 

Remember--we have bookplates signed by the Chicks. Let us know if you need one and we'd glad to send you one for your copy.

GINGERSNAPS--Holiday Cookie Party Continues!

by Maggie Sefton


Day #2 of the Cozy Chicks Holiday Cookie Party Week features one of my favorite holiday cookie recipes.  This recipe is found in our Cozy Chicks Kitchen cookbook and the 6th in the Kelly Flynn Knitting Mysteries---FLEECE NAVIDAD, where I "gave" the recipe to Kelly Flynn's Aunt Helen.  :)


This is  my family’s favorite holiday cookie.  They’re meant to be soft and chewy, not crispy.  I’ve loved gingersnap cookies since I was a child and always made a batch every Holiday season. Once I had a family of my own, I tried a new Gingersnap recipe every year, searching for “the perfect one.”  Finally, I gave up searching and started tinkering with some of my old favorites and added my own special touch: grated lemon peel.  Lots of it.  J   I hope you like them as much as we do.  Enjoy!

AUNT HELEN’S GINGERSNAPS
2 ½  cups all-purpose flour1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground ginger2 teaspoons ground cinnamon2 teaspoons baking soda½ teaspoon salt1 ½ sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar1 large egg, room temperature¼ cup unsulphured molasses2 Tablespoons freshly grated lemon peel¼ to ½ cup granulated white sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease cookie sheets.  Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a small mixing bowl.  Cream butter and brown sugar together in a medium bowl, mixing well for at least two minutes until well-blended, pale and fluffy, scraping bowl with rubber spatula.  Beat in egg, then molasses and lemon peel until blended.  Slowly add half the flour mixture, mixing with wooden spoon just until blended, then add remaining flour, mixing in well.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 15 minutes.  Then take out and roll rounded tablespoons of dough into 1 ¼ inch balls (approx.).  Roll balls in granulated sugar and place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets(s).  Bake just until puffed and cookies look dry---anywhere from 9 minutes to 14 minutes, depending on your oven.  (Do not overbake or cookies will become hard).   Carefully remove with metal spatula to wire rack to cool.  Makes approximately 32 cookies.
I usually double this recipe when I make it, because those amounts are easier to work with.  But--be prepared to make a lot of cookies.   
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Don't forget about the Cozy Chicks Kitchen, which has many of our favorite recipes!  Read all about it here.

Remember--we have bookplates signed by the Chicks. Let us know if you need one and we'd glad to send you one for your copy.  

 

Holiday Cookie Party Kicks Off Today!

by Kate Collins

Today will serve as the kick-off for our week-long cookie party. I've chosen a recipe that was the star of all our family Christmas get-togethers, Pecan Pie Surprise Bars. Not technically a cookie, we sure ate them as such, and licked our fingers afterward.

I've also chosen them as a tribute to my mom. They were her favorite, too, and she delighted in our exclamations of joy when she unveiled them every Christmas Eve. My sister makes them now, and hopefully our daughters will keep passing the tradition along. I hope you find them delicious.

PECAN PIE SURPRISE BARS

1 pkg butter or yellow cake mix
1/2 c. melted margarine
1 egg
1 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. dark corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs

Grease  bottom and sides of 13 x 9" pan.  Reserve 2/3 c. dry cake mix for filling. In large bowl, combine remaining dry cake mix, butter and 1 egg. Mix until crumbly. Press into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Filling: Combine reserved cake mix, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and 3 eggs. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer for 1-2 minutes. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with pecans. Return to over and bake for 30-35 minutes or until set.

Makes 3 dozen bars.

Words Are All I Have, Change Is All I Need

by Leann

Today is supposed to be the start of our cookie exchange, but I have decided that I will share the recipe next Sunday. In the wake of the death of those babies and teachers, it is difficult to celebrate anything. My heart is breaking. It is a physical pain. It is tears. It is helplessness. And the worst thing is, I know it will happen again.

There is a saying in sociology that "stateways can change folkways." New laws do change the culture. We discussed the documented evidence of this in a college course I took many years ago. Until we passed legislation or the Supreme Court ruled, blacks were slaves, women could not vote and crying "fire" in a crowded theater was just fine because it was "free speech." We changed those things. We made a new reality. We the people did that.

Recently I applied to get a driver's license in my new state. I had to bring my original birth certificate, my original social security card, my previous driver's license, my proof that I married and thus changed my name. I had to bring bills that proved I lived where I said I did as wells as proof of insurance. Then, they checked my driving record to make sure I didn't have any DUIs. I had to make two trips to the DMV and spent several hours in the process, not to mention all the time and effort it took to find all the documentation they demanded. My question is, if I wanted to buy a semi-automatic pistol or an assault rifle at a gun show, would they demand this of me? I think not. No, I KNOW not. Because stateways have NOT changed folkways when it comes to guns in this country.

The American people are being bullied by a constitutional distortion that can be amended if we stand together and demand that it happen. If you believe that it's your right to own an assault rifle because of a law that was put into effect when it took a very long time to simply load a weapon, then you are misguided. And I am afraid of you. And afraid for the other children who will die because we did nothing. Again.