Breads: Scottish Shortbread

This is sweet biscuit type recipe. Scottish Shortbread is famous in many parts of the world and although it is traditionally eaten at Christmas and Hogmanay, it is enjoyed the year round.

Ingredients:
115 grams or 4 ounces of flour
57 grams or 2 ounces of rice flour or ground rice
115 grams or 4 ounces of caster sugar
115 grams or 4 ounces of butter
some extra caster sugar for sprinkling.

Directions:
Sift the flour and rice flour or ground rice together. Add the sugar and rub in the butter. Lightly knead the dough on a floured board until smooth. Press the dough into a floured mould or into a greased and lined baking tin. Prick the dough with a fork and bake at 190 Celsius or 375 Fahrenheit for about 25 minutes or until it is beginning to turn brown. Remove from the oven and cut the shortbread into fingers but leave it in the tin or mould to cool. Sprinkle with caster sugar to serve.

Shortbread Recipes

Ah, shortbread! For many, no Christmas Season’s baking efforts would be right without at least one variety of this old-time standard.

Recipe 1

Ingredients:
2 cups of salted butter (no substitutes)
1 cup of fruit sugar
1 cup of rice flour
3 cups of all-purpose flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream together butter and sugar. Mix in rice flour until well blended. Add all-purpose flour. Remove the dough from bowl. Knead it for 5 minutes. Roll the dough out and place in a greased and floured 23 by 33 centimeter, 9 by 13 inch pan. Prick the top with a fork. Bake 35 minutes or until golden brown and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cut into bars and allow to cool in the pan. This recipe makes 2 dozen.

Recipe 2

Ingredients:
1 cup of butter (8 ounces)
2 & 1-half cups of flour (8 ounces)
1-half of a cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon almond essence

Directions:
Cream the butter until soft. Add sugar gradually; add almond essence and then stir in sifted flour. Knead with hands until dough is well blended. Divide into halves and press into two buttered baking trays. The dough should be 1 & 1-quarter centimeters or 1-half of an inch in thickness. Score with a knife into finger-sized portions for easy cutting later. Bake in oven at 175 to 205 Celsius or 350 to 400 Fahrenheit, for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Don’t over-bake! Cut while warm, then place on racks to cool.

Recipe 3

Equipment:
a medium mixing bowl
Vegetable pan spray
35 by 50 centimeter or 14 by 20 inch Aluminum Cookie Sheet
bell, holly Christmas tree and candy-cane Cookie Stamps

Ingredients:
1 cup of butter
2-thirds of a cup of confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1-eighth of a teaspoon of salt
2 & 1-quarter cups of flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 175 Celsius or 350 Fahrenheit. In a medium mixing bowl cream butter, sugar, vanilla and salt. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until dough is smooth. If the dough feels sticky add additional 1-quarter cup flour as needed. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Roll into 3 centimeter or 1 & 1-quarter inch balls and place onto ungreased cookie sheet. Spray cookie stamp with vegetable pan spray. Dip the stamp in flour; shake off excess (repeat flour as needed). Gently but firmly press dough with desired cookie stamps. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes on sheet, cool completely on wire rack. This recipe makes 2 or 3 dozen.

Microwave Christmas Peppermint Candy

1 lb. white chocolate
1/2 c. crushed candy canes
1 1/2 c. coconut

Cut white chocolate into chunks and put in dish, cover and microwave on medium 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in crushed candy canes and coconut. Drop by teaspoon on wax paper.

Microwave Christmas Fudge

2/3 c. evaporated milk
1 2/3 c. sugar
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
2 c. miniature marshmallows
1/2 c. nuts, chopped
1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla

Place milk, sugar and butter in large microwave safe bowl. Mix well.
Microwave on high for 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Stir in remaining ingredients until marshmallows and chips are melted. Pour mixture into greased 8 x 8 inch baking dish. Refrigerate. Cut into squares.

Christmas Cheese Cake

A very festive-looking cheesecake for the holidays

2 packages lady fingers
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 pints sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon almond extract
1 (20 ounce) can cherry pie filling or other flavor

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line the sides of one 10
inch springform pan with lady fingers then line the bottom with lady
fingers (cutting lady fingers, if necessary). Cream the cream cheese and
sugar together. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each
addition. Stir in the extracts and fold in the sour cream. Pour batter into
the prepared pan. Cover tops of lady fingers with foil. Bake at 375
degrees F (190 degrees C) for 50 to 60 minutes, until almost set in the
middle. Remove cake from oven and let stand for 1/2 hour, then remove sides
of pan. Place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Before serving
top with canned pie filling.

Dessert – Easy Graham Cracker Ginger Bread House

To make an easy Graham Cracker gingerbread house, you’ll need 5 graham crackers per house and either store-bought frosting in a tube or the following ornamental frosting. (Caution: if the frosting you buy in a tube is intended for cakes, IT WILL NOT HARDEN. You can decorate your graham cracker house with it, but intend on eating your house soon, because it cannot be moved very easily.)

ORNAMENTAL FROSTING
1/4 c butter or margarine
4 c sifted powdered sugar
2 unbeaten egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 to 2 tsp light cream

With pastry blender, cut butter into powdered sugar until its the consistence of cornmeal. (If you don’t have a hand pastry blender, a food processor — or even a fork can work well for cutting.) Add egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar. Beat thoroughly. Stir in a little light cream till the frosting is juts a bit stiffer than spreading consistency. Tint frosting with a few drops of liquid food coloring, if desired. Place in pastry tube and squeeze onto graham crackers to make decorations.

Decorate the walls and roof of your gingerbread house, either let dry or be VERY careful with your walls. Later, set your graham crackers up like a house of cards, pipe frosting onto the joints to hold the house together.

Dessert – Annie’s Ginger Bread Page

Recipe: Mrs. Claus Cookbook

Dessert: Meringue Topped Chocolate-Chip Bars

Here

Dessert: Sensational Brownies

Yummy! Chocolate-mint! Here is a recipe for a festive treat to make you and yours very merry indeed!

Ingredients:
1 & 1-half cups of melted butter
3 cups of sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
5 eggs
2 cups of flour
1 cup of cocoa (i.e. Hershey

Dessert – Traditional Mince Pie

Ah! That wonderful aroma of none other than traditional mince pie! Now we really know it’s Christmas time!

Ingredients:
Pastry for 2 crust pie
1 (750 gram, 27 ounce) jar ready to use mincemeat
1 egg yolk plus 2 tbsp. Water

Directions:
Place a rack in the lowest position in the oven; preheat the oven to 220 Celsius, 425 Fahrenheit. Prepare the pastry. Turn the mincemeat into a pastry-lined 23 centimeter, 9inch pie plate. Cover with the top crust; cut slits near center. Seal and flute. Brush egg mixture over crust if desired. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly. Then, Garnish as desired.

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