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In this issue:
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* Where did we go?
* There's still time to order kitchen and gourmet gifts in time for Christmas
if you hurry!
* Recipes: Grandma's Favorites
- Apricot Walnut Crescents
- Aunt Judy's Nut Ball Cookies
- Yeast Crisps
* New recipes at Christmas-Cookies.com
* Six great holiday menus
* How to make great cookies every time
* Read our past newsletters for more recipes and tips
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-- Where did we go?
Some of you may have noticed that Christmas-Cookies.com disappeared for a couple
of days. The company that hosts our website decided we were getting too much
traffic and shut us down without warning. But we are back! We apologize for
any inconvenience this may have caused you.
-- Still time to order kitchen and gourmet gifts, but you have to order today!
* Get 15% off bakeware and cookware at Cooking.com and it will arrive by Christmas
if you order by 12/21 and use Next Day Shipping. To order or for more information
visit http://www.christmas-cookies.com/ship1.html
* Amazon.com has everything from books, toys, tools, kitchenware, and much more! An Amazon.com gift certificate is the perfect last-minute gift. Your recipient will receive it within minutes, by e-mail! Order one now at http://www.christmas-cookies.com/giftcert.html
* Harry and David is known for their excellent quality gourmet food baskets and towers. You can send one today and have it arrive in time for Christmas with overnight shipping. To see their scrumptious selections go to http://www.christmas-cookies.com/harryanddavid.html
* Hickory Farms is America's most well-known good gift company and for good reason! Order today and your gift will arrive in time for Christmas with overnight shipping, or order as late as 10am on 12/24 for rush delivery! Shop now at http://www.christmas-cookies.com/hickoryfarms.html
-- Recipes: Grandma's Favorites - old family recipes passed down by Grandma
Apricot Walnut Crescents
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, cold
1 cup cream cheese, softened
1 egg
6 tablespoons apricot preserves
6 tablespoons ground nuts
In a medium bowl, stir in the flour and salt, cut in the butter until the mix is crumbly. Stir in cream cheese and egg. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Preheat oven to 375 F. On a floured board, roll 1/3 of the dough into a 9" circle. Spread with 3 tablespoons preserves and top with 2 tablespoons ground nuts. With a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 12 pie-shaped wedges. Starting at the narrow end, roll each wedge up and bend into a crescent shape. Repeat with rest of dough. Place cookies seam side down on large cookie sheet about 2" apart. Bake 20 minutes. Remove to rack to cool. Store in airtight containers.
Aunt Judy's Nut Ball Cookies
3/4 cup ground pecans
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
extra powdered sugar
Stir together pecans, butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla, mix well. Sift flour and salt, stir into nut mixture. Chill. Roll into 1-inch balls, then roll each ball 3 times in the extra powdered sugar. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 F until set but not brown.
Variation: Frosty Snowballs
When you roll the cookies in powdered sugar, divide the powdered sugar into
three or four bowls. Then take three or four different colors of edible glitter
and mix one color glitter into each of the bowls. Then roll the cookies in the
sugar. They will turn out all shiny and sparkly like an edible Christmas ornament!
Yeast Crisps
1 packet yeast
1/3 cup warm water
1 cup margarine, softened
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
Mix together yeast, warm water, margarine, salt and flour. Chill for 1 hour. Form 1 inch diameter balls and roll them in sugar. Place them in a shallow pan and chill for 30 minutes. Roll out each ball as thin as paper, then cut in half crosswise. Let rest 30 seconds and bake in a 350 F oven until golden brown.
-- New Recipes at Christmas-Cookies.com
Snickers Cookies
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=321
Christmas Cheer Cookies
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=320
Winter Birch Tree Cookies
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=319
Candy Cane Crisps
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=318
Bailey's Irish Cream Cake
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=317
Chocolate-Apricot Filled Flakies
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=316
Chocolate Chews
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=315
Grandma Sears' Soft Molasses Creams
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=313
Mocha Punch
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=310
Creme de Menthe Balls
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=309
Walnut Brandy Balls
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=308
Rollo Cookies
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe.php?recid=307
-- Six Great Holiday Menus from Cooking.com
Cooking.com had such a great list of holiday menus we had to share. There is
a menu to appeal to everyone. Go to http://www.christmas-cookies.com/menus.html
for these wonderful menus:
* Christmas Eve Dinner
* Special Christmas Dinner
* Christmas Dinner with Glazed Ham
* Small and Simple Christmas Dinner
* Holiday Rack of Lamb
* Cooking Light's Christmas Menu
-- How to make great cookies every time
There are three keys to good baking.
One key is in the ingredients. If you buy quality chocolate, real butter, and genuine vanilla extract your cookies are always going to taste better than if you get generic chocolate, butter-flavored shortening, and artificial vanilla. Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh. They lose their effectiveness after a few months.
Another key is in having the right tools. Buy an oven thermometer and make sure that your oven temperature is accurate. A heavy-duty KitchenAid stand mixer will make things go much easier and quicker than using a hand-held, and it will cream cold butter, eliminating the need to soften it which improves the texture of your cookies. Invest in a couple of quality insulated, non-stick cookie sheets to prevent your cookies from burning on the bottom or sticking to the pan. Get a good cookie press for making spritz, a real springerle roller for making springerle, and a nice assortment of interesting cookie cutters. These will turn out cookies with a professional look that will wow your guests.
The last key is technique. Practice makes perfect, after all. Learn how to roll out your dough without using too much flour or over-handling it, which can make your sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies turn out dry and tough. Rolling the dough out between two sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap can help with this. When you bake your second batch, never put your cookie dough on a hot cookie sheet. This will make your cookies spread. Use a cool cookie sheet every time.
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