Sunday Selah - Voice of Truth

Sunday Selah - Voice of Truth

Thanksgiving Cards with Die-Cuts

Gotta love the Cuttlebug! I used the die-cutting feature to cut these leaves out of cardstock, then rearranged them until I liked the way they looked. I made four similar cards for family members.

We mailed them out early, so posting them here won't spoil anyone's surprise!

Thanksgiving Cards with Die-Cuts

12 Days of Cookies / 100 Days of Holiday Cookies

I'm all out of tried-and-true family-favorite Christmas cookie recipes! I would have liked to post a recipe for spritz cookies, but I haven't yet found one that I like. (Next to the recipe in one of my cookbooks, I've written Don't use this recipe!) My mother-in-law has a fabulous recipe--her own creation--but I don't have it; even if I did, I wouldn't be able to share it anyway!

So I'll wrap up this series with a few links:

Every year Food Network offers a special 12 Days of Cookies email newsletter, which includes a new cookie recipe every day. You can see a preview of the 2009 edition by clicking here, or sign up to receive the newsletter here.

I just discovered that Better Homes and Gardens has a website feature with 100 Days of Holiday Cookies. There's a widget for blog posts, but I can't get it to play nicely with Blogger, so I'll just give you a link.

Taste of Home is also offering a Cookie Countdown newsletter for December. Every day from December 1 to December 12, they'll send a cookie recipe by email. If you're interested, you can sign up here.

Happy baking!

12 Days of Cookies / 100 Days of Holiday Cookies

Cappuccino Flats

I have not tried this recipe, because no one else in my family likes coffee. I suppose I could make them without the coffee and cinnamon. But the recipe looks so good to me, and one of these days I'm going to try it! This might even be a good cookie dough to store in the freezer, to bake small batches as needed.

Cappuccino Flats (from Cookies for Christmas)

• 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
• 2 c. flour
• 1 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/2 c. shortening
• 1/2 c. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 T. instant coffee crystals
• 1 t. water
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 T. shortening

1. Stir together flour, cinnamon, and salt.
2. In a large mixer bowl, beat 1/2 c. shortening and butter until creamy. Add sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Stir coffee crystals into water until dissolved. Add coffee mixture, melted chocolate, and egg to butter mixture; beat well.
3. Add flour mixture and mix well. Cover and chill about one hour, or until easy to handle. Shape into two 7-inch rolls. Wrap and chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.
4. Cut into 1/4-inch slices. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are firm and lightly browned. Remove and cool.
5. Melt chocolate chips and shortening until melted. Dip one half of each cookie into chocolate mixture. Place on waxed paper to cool until chocolate is set. Makes about 55.

If you try this, let me know if it's as good as it sounds!

Cappuccino Flats

Scandinavian Almond Bars

This is another recipe that we've started baking in the past few years. I like almost anything with almonds, so these are a favorite of mine. My husband prefers them without the glaze, because he says it makes the cookies too sweet.

Scandinavian Almond Bars

• 1-3/4 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• milk
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, coarsely chopped
• Almond Icing

Stir together flour and baking powder. In a large mixer bowl, beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg and almond extract; beat well. Add flour mixture and beat until well-mixed.

Divide dough into fourths. Form each into a 12-inch roll. Place two rolls, 4 to 5 inches apart, on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten until 3 inches wide. Repeat with remaining rolls.

Brush flattened rolls with milk and sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 325F for 12 to 14 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. While cookies are still warm, cut them crosswise at a diagonal into 1-inch strips. Cool. Drizzle with almond icing.

Almond Icing: Stir together 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp. almond extract, and enough milk (3 to 4 tsp.) to make icing of drizzling consistency.

Adapted from Cookies for Christmas (Better Homes and Gardens)

Scandinavian Almond Bars

Tiny Almond-Raspberry Tarts

This is another cookie that I've only baked once or twice. I'm the only one in my family who really likes the sweet almond-paste cookies, so I don't bother to bake these much. The tart shells can be filled with other ingredients to make mini pecan pies, lemon-coconut tarts, and so on. This is the only variation I've tried!

There's still time to link up your recipes in the Virtual Cookie Exchange blog hop. :)

Tiny Almond-Raspberry Tarts (from Cookies for Christmas)

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup flour

In a small mixer bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese. Stir in flour. Cover and chill about 1 hour or until easy to handle. Make almond filling (see below).

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Press onto bottom and up sides of ungreased 1-3/4 inch muffin cups. Divide 1/4 cup red raspberry preserves among pastries (about 1/2 t. each). Top with 1 level teaspoon of almond filling. Sprinkle with coarsely chopped sliced almonds.

Bake at 325F for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly in pan; remove and cool completely. If desired, drizzle baked tarts with additional red raspberry preserves.

Filling: Beat together 1 egg, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup almond paste (crumbled).

Makes 24.

Tiny Almond-Raspberry Tarts

Jam-Filled Crumb Bars

This is a fairly quick, easy recipe for bar cookies that everyone seems to like! We generally use seedless raspberry preserves, but we've also tried this with boysenberry jam.

• 1-3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel (optional)
• 3/4 cup apricot preserves, raspberry preserves, or blackberry jam
• 1 T. flour

Stir together 1-3/4 cups flour and the nuts. In a large mixer bowl, beat butter until softened. Add sugar and lemon peel, if using, and beat until fluffy. Add flour mixture and beat until crumbly.

Press two-thirds of the crumbs into the bottom of an ungreased 9x9-inch baking pan. Spread with jam.

Stir 1 T. flour into the remaining crumb mixture and sprinkle over the jam.

Bake at 375F for 25 to 30 minutes or until crumbs are golden. Cool; cut into bars.

Adapted from Cookies for Christmas (Better Homes and Gardens)

Don't forget to link up your recipes in the Virtual Cookie Exchange blog hop!

Jam-Filled Crumb Bars

Sunday Selah

This is a view across the Delaware River, looking from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, in mid-October. It hasn't been a good year for fall foliage, but this photo looks so tranquil and pretty to me!

Sunday Selah

Coconut Kisses

My husband likes dense, chewy coconut macaroons. I found this recipe in Rose's Christmas Cookies (Rose Levy Beranbaum) and also here.

Although the author cautions against using packaged coconut because it's sweetened, I use it. These cookies are very sweet and sticky when made this way. We make a single batch (about 24 cookies), once a year at Christmas time.

It's not too late to link up your recipes in the Virtual Cookie Exchange blog hop.

MOM'S COCONUT KISSES

• 3-1/2 cups freshly shredded coconut
• 1/2 of a 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspon vanilla
• Pinch salt

Place 2 oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. [if using fresh coconut: With an ice pick or nail and hammer, pierce 3 holes at one end of coconut. Drain liquid and reserve, if desired, for another use. Bake coconut in preheated 400-degree oven until shell cracks, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Wrap coconut with a towel to keep shell from flying about, and use a hammer to crack open shell. Separate coconut meat from shell and, using a small paring knife, peel dark outer shell from white coconut meat. Discard outer skin. With a fine shredding disk of a food processor or hand shredder, shred coconut meat. Do not grate coconut as shape of finished cookie will be flatter.]

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix all ingredients together until well blended, but do not add all of condensed milk until you check consistency. Mixture should be moist and hold together. If necessary, add up to 2 extra tablespoons condensed milk.

Use a rounded cookie scoop, or a scant tablespoon and your fingers, to form 1-inch mounds of mixture about 1 1/2 inches high. Place about 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with foil.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 15 to 20 minutes or until most of each cookies's surface is light golden. There will still be white spots. For even baking, rotate cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking period.

Use a small, angled metal spatula or pancake turner to transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight food container in refrigerator or freezer. Will keep 2 months refrigerated or several months frozen.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Coconut Kisses

Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs

This cookie takes a bit more time to make, but it's fun to make and decorate. My mom has been using this recipe (from her Betty Crocker cookbook) for years, and it's the one I like, as well. The only difference is that Mom omits the almond extract, and I include it.

Don't forget to link up your recipes in the Virtual Cookie Exchange blog hop.

Sugar Cookies

• 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 egg
• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Mix powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract, and egg. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Heat oven to 375F. Divide dough into halves. Roll each half 3/16 inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes. Place on lightly greased (or non-stick) cookie sheet. Decorate with sprinkles, colored sugars, etc., as desired. Bake until edges are light brown, 7 to 8 minutes.

Makes about 5 dozen 2-inch cookies.

Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs