Busy Little Bakers
We’ve been busy little bakers over the last few days. We started with White Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies for our UPS driver and our mailman. The recipe is from my friend Heidi and they are probably some of the best cookies I’ve ever tasted. The recipe makes around 6 dozen cookies, depending on how much dough you eat. Our UPS driver, Anthony, is the best! He’s friendly, always addresses us by name, sets heavy packages inside the door for me, and waves at us when he sees us around base. I do almost all my shopping on the internet, so if I’ve bought it, chances are, Anthony has delivered it. He definitely deserves some cookies. Our mailman is great, too. First class service all around, if you’ll pardon the pun.
Today we tackled our own Christmas cookies. I usually make 3 different types of cookies: Yum-Yums (aka Seven Layer Cookies), thumbprints and candy canes. Pumpkin Girl was able to do most of the Yum-Yums herself this year. Her favorite part was crushing the graham crackers with a molinillo.
We also made pumpkin bars for our homeschool group tomorrow. I got the recipe off a box of Fiber One right about the time I had Pumpkin Girl. They are so tasty and all that fiber does a great job of getting the ol’ postpartum digestive system back in order, if you know what I mean. They also help get things moving when the children are a bit stuck, too.
Depending on how the rest of the day goes, I’ll get started on the thumbprints and candy canes tonight. If time allows, I’ll make a Cherry Eggnog bread on Saturday. If I run out of time, I’ll save it for New Year’s Eve.
Heidi’s Lorri’s White Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 c butter
1 c sugar
Cream until fluffy. Then add:
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp almond extract
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
3 c flour
Do not over beat once flour is added.
Stir in
1 bag chocolate chips
1 bag white chocolate chips
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
Pumpkin Bars
1 1/2 c Fiber One cereal
2 c sugar
2/3 c vegetable oil
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
4 eggs
1 1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 c raisins
Grease and flour jelly roll pan (I just use a casserole dish). Crush cereal. Stir together cereal, sugar, oil and pumpkin. Let stand 10 minutes. Stir in eggs until well blended. Stir in remaining ingredients Spread in pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly. Cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Cut into 7×7 rows. Refrigerate any remaining bars.
Cherry Eggnog Bread
3/4 c maraschino cherries, chopped and well drained
2 1/4 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp salt
1 c sugar
3/4 c butter, softened
3 eggs
1 c eggnog
Glaze:
1/2 c powdered sugar
3 to 4 tsp eggnog
1/4c toasted, sliced almonds
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray bottom only of loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt; set aside. In another bowl, beat sugar and butter on high speed of electric mixer until mixture is light and fluffy. On medium speed add eggs, one at a time, beating until blended. Add one third of the flour mixture, beating on low until just blended. Beat in one half of the eggnog. Add another one third of the flour mixture, the remaining eggnog and then the remaining flour mixture, beating after each addition just until combined. Gently stir cherries into batter; pour batter into pan.
Bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean and top s golden brown. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Loosen sides of loaf; remove from pan to cooling rack and cool completely.
For glaze, mix powdered sugar and eggnog until smooth. Drizzle half of mixture over cooled loaf. sprinkle evenly with almonds. Drizzle remaining glaze over almonds.
