Christmas Baking Attack Plan – Week #2 – the Goodie Swap
This week in our Christmas Baking Attack Plan, we’re going to post recipes and how much the recipe yields.
If you remember from my original post, here is what I will be making. Each item should be linked to its recipe.
If you have a favorite Christmas goodie that you would like to share, please list it in the comments. Those of us who were still putting our menu together might get some inspiration from one of your recipes!
- Fudge – yields 1 13×9 pan, which can be cut into many sizes and quantities. I cut about 32 squares out of one pan, and make two pans total
- Captain Crunch Candy – This makes about 30 pieces of candy, depending on how big you make them. Be careful, though, because once your family tastes it, you’re going to be making another batch for gift giving
- Sugar Cookies – makes about 2 dozen cookies, depending on size and shape of the cookie. I will also be frosting them with colored buttercream frosting, and will post details about decorating the cookies later this week.
- Wreath Cookies – these are cookie machine cookies. I have a Wilton Cookie Pro, and will make small wreath shapes that I will dip into white chocolate and dark chocolate, then sprinkle with holly sprinkles. I will be making Chocolate Wreath Cookies and Butter Wreath Cookies.
- Cranberry Nut Bread – one recipe yields four mini loaves. I will be making one loaf per family receiving a goodies tray.
- Banana Nut Bread – one recipe yields four mini loaves. I will be making one loaf per family receiving a goodies tray.
- Individual Red Velvet Bundt Cakes – I’m not positive how many cakes I can get out of a recipe. I will let you know when I make it. I’m thinking about 8, maybe 10. I will be making one cake per family receiving a goodies tray. I will frost them with mascarpone cheese frosting.
If my linked recipes don’t have pictures, I’ll be making a preliminary round of goodies this week to send to my husband, so I’ll take pictures this week as I make items, and update the recipes. The cookies have a generic post already, and I will be posting decorating ideas and pictures in a post separate from the recipe itself, but will link here and there.
Please post your recipes! I love goodies swaps!
Hallee
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Here’s one of my favorite recipes. It’s new to me – I only got it from a friend a year ago – but it adds such nice variety to my cookie trays. It’s very, very orange-flavored, without being fake-orange at all. Very refreshing and yummy, not overly sweet like many treats this time of year, and it really balances out all the other things I put on my trays, lol!
One recipe yields about 3 – 3 1/2 dozen small cookies. They are prettier if you keep them on the small side. I put 2 dozen of these on each large tray I made last year (for teacher’s break rooms) and about 6-8 cookies on each small tray I made (for small offices and/or families)
Orange Drop Cookies with Orange Butter Icing
2/3 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
finely grated zest from 2 medium oranges
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Heat Oven to 400 degrees. Mix shortening, sugar, and egg thoroughly. Stir in orange juice and zest. Stir dry ingredients together and blend in. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes (6 minutes in convection oven) or until delicately browned on the edges. Makes 3-4 dozen. Frost with orange butter icing.
Orange Butter Icing
5 Tbsp soft butter
3 cups confectioners sugar
3 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
zest from 1 orange
Blend butter and sugar together. Stir in orange juice and rind until smooth.
You gave me this recipe before! I have it in my list of cookies to make. It sounds so yummy!
These were a huge hit last year and if you like spice cookies, I think you’ll like these.
Ginger Almond Refrigerator Cookies (from the Betty Crocker Cooky Book)
1.5 c. shortening (I use unsalted butter)
1.5 c. sugar
3/4 c. molasses
4 c. flour
1.5 tsp. soda
1.5 tsp. salt
1 T. plus 1 tsp. ginger
1 T. cinnamon
1 T. cloves
1.5 cups sliced almonds, finely chopped
Cream shortening, sugar & molasses until fluffy. Mix together dry ingredients and add slowly into creamed mixture. Add almonds. Shape into 2 thick rolls about 2″ in diameter. Wrap in wax paper and chill for at least 3-4 hours.
Once dough is thoroughly chilled, preheat oven to 350. Cut logs into 1/4″ slices and bake on a lightly greased baking sheet 12-15 minutes.
Yield – approx. 7.5 dozen cookies
Those sound like perfect Christmasy cookies.
I made Double Chocolate Espresso Shortbread Cookies from myrecipes.com : http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1672947
I made some Apple Pie shots (my recipe made 12 pint jars, plus an additional 1/2 gallon)
1 gallon apple cider
1/2 gallon apple juice
12 cinnamon sticks
1 cup sugar
Heat all of the above until sugar is dissolved and cinnamon flavoring is good. Cool completely, and add 1 quart of Everclear liquor. Chill well to serve!
I will be making one more cookie, but I’m having a hard time deciding which one! I’d love to make biscotti, otherwise some Peppermint Meltaway Cookies that were in my Taste of Home holiday cookbook. Here’s the link for those: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Peppermint-Meltaways
I LOVE baking, so I may end up making it all!
Apple Pie Shots – even the name sounds good!
I am on the hunt for a new Gingerbread cookie receipe. The receipe I used last year made them too chrispy. I want them to be soft and moist. Any ideas?
Here’s Gregg’s recipe. It’s SO GOOD. And by so good, I mean, we ate ginger bread until I gained 30 pounds, then we made some more. :)
http://www.halleethehomemaker.com/2009/09/gingerbread-cookie-dough/
Soaking whole wheat flour is better nutritionally, but we didn’t have great success soaking it for cookies. They were good, but it was problematic to add the other ingredients later. So, I would disregard that part of the instructions if you want.
Awesome, thanks Hallee!!! I am so excited to try it this weekend.
I made these today – YUM! Nice orange taste. I halved the frosting recipe and that just frosted all the cookies (I might have eaten one or two without the frosting! haha) Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Joanne – those dark chocolate espresso shortbread cookies are SO rich & flavorful. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I can’t wait to share them with my friends!
Thanks for sharing all of those great recipes!
Hope you’ll join in tomorrow, I’m hosting Christmas Traditions and Memories for the Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash!!
~TidyMom