Reishes’ Favorite Holiday Goody Recipes
                                                                

  From December 2003

I warned you last month that I would bombard you with holiday goody recipes, and here they are! These are some of our favorites (see notes with each one), and ones that we make year after year.

We have our holiday baking down to a science of sorts with three teenage daughters and two young baker boys (and another little goody sneaker boy)! We start at the end of November, making our four to six favorite cookie doughs in large quantities. We keep these doughs in large tubs in our garage or refrigerator, depending on the temperature. Then, I assign a different girl something else to make most days for the first couple of weeks of December---quick breads, fudges, bars, etc. (We make quick breads first as they freeze well. Then we move onto fudges by the 10^th or so to have for goody trays for our students, co-paper deliverers, etc. early in the month. Then, the girls make the bars when it is closer to our first gathering. Lastly, we have a couple of candy-making days in which we make dipped, filled, and dropped candies with chocolate and white chocolate melts, chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips. Even Jakie (age 6) can help with these. We all enjoy listening to our favorite Christmas cassettes while we make candy.

I have to relate a funny story to our practice of keeping doughs and batters until we bake them. Last year, Joshua and Lisa had just gotten engaged the day before our banana bread batter day. She pulled into the driveway to spend the evening with us when Joshua ran out of the shower announcing that we had to do something with the banana bread batter (now in what I would most accurately describe a vat of at least a dozen gallons in the middle of the dining room table) ------because Lisa gets sick over bananas. She can’t eat them, or even smell them, he related. Well, we were filling loaf pans on the dining room table, and you have to understand that our dining room table is about six feet from every room in our small downstairs. There’s simply no escaping it. So we filled the pans quickly and baked several loaves, then promptly put the remaining vat of batter in the back of the van (to keep the cats out of it!). Of course, the banana bread smell was all through the house by this time.

The next night, Joshua was on his way up to pick up Lisa to go to a Christmas philharmonic concert when I called him and told him he had the banana bread batter in the back of his van. He said it was okay because it must be frozen; it didn’t smell at all, so he went on up to pick her up. By the time he got to her house, the batter was nice and warm from the heat of the van, and the entire van smelled like rotten bananas! (Needless to say, Joshua drove her parents’ car to the concert.) The moral of this story: Keep your batters and doughs in cold places away from cats. (I think that’s the moral of this story. Maybe it’s find out any complete aversions your future daughter-in-law has before immersing her in that aversion.)

Anyway, when we are ready to make up boxes or trays of goodies, we bake however many cookies we want at that time, get some loaves of quick bread out, cut some of the fudge, pull out all the candy we’ve made on candy days, and defrost and cut the bars (if they’re frozen). Then we form an assembly line to fill trays and boxes for gifts.

It is hard for me to believe how easy it was to accomplish all of this so far this year. The boys made some doughs for the first time; everyone was involved in the baking of things moreso than before as Kayla and I taught the next two girls to make some of the things that only we had made previously. (It also helps that we live in a fairly cold climate and can store things in tubs on the porch, in the van, and in the garage!)  It has been a lot of fun, and we enjoy giving goodies to our students, co-workers, printer, librarians, mail carriers, neighbors, and more, as well as preparing trays for the many Christmas parties and gatherings we attend.

 One note of caution: If you make as many holiday goodies as we do, you’ll want to quickly establish boundaries for that massive amount of sugar. I do not allow myself to eat any of the goodies until Christmas week (except for maybe a taste of something that broke off!). The children can have an item or two each time we make something, but they may not get into it between baking or packing sessions. Otherwise, you can end up eating cookies, candy, and bars every day for over a month!

It should be noted that the recipes below are the largest quantities that will work well or fit in our mixing bowl. They may be reduced as desired. All recipes are written in steps for my children and include convection as well as regular oven times.

Mexican Wedding Cakes

­One of our favorites! So tender and rich. We make them for every occasion!

2 cups butter                          1 cup powdered sugar

4 cups sifted flour                  2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup finely chopped pecans

extra powdered sugar for rolling after baking

1. Whip butter with mixer; add sugar.
2. Next, add flour and vanilla.
3. Add nuts.
4. Roll in balls the size of walnuts.
5. Bake about 10-12 minutes regular oven; 7-10 minutes convection.
6. Roll in powdered sugar as soon as possible after baking.
7. Re-roll in powdered sugar before serving.

Sour Cream Cookies

­A favorite of several in our family, hands down! These are the most tender, soft, delicious cookies. We use various colors of sprinkles for other occasions (red and blue for July 4^th, red for Valentine’s Day, pastel for Easter, etc.).

4 c flour                            1 ¼  tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp soda                    ¾  tsp salt

1 1/4 c. butter, softened

3 eggs                               2 cups sugar

1 ½  tsp vanilla                    1 ¼  cup sour cream

Colored sprinkles/sugar according to occasion

1. Sift soda, flour, salt, and baking powder together; set aside.

2. Beat butter, sugar, and eggs together.

3. Beat sour cream and vanilla into the butter mixture.

4. Gradually beat dry ingredients into the wet mixture.

5. Refrigerate for one hour or longer. (We shape and freeze, freeze in one quarter containers (chunks of dough); etc. too.)

6. Drop and sprinkle with colored sugars (or sprinkle half way through baking time. (If sprinkled before baking it's not as distributed but it stays on better.)

7. Bake at 350' for 6-8 minutes for convection; 8-11 minutes regular oven.

Peanut Blossom (“Kiss”) Cookies

These are better than your average peanut butter cookie. We prefer the milk chocolate taste of stars on them rather than kisses. These go quickly on holiday trays.

5 ¼ cups flour                             1 ½ cups peanut butter

3 tsp soda                              3 eggs

1 ½ tsp salt                            6 TBSP milk

1 ½ cups sugar                                    3 tsp vanilla

1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed 3 pkgs Hershey’s kisses or stars

1 ½ cups shortening/butter (we use ½ Crisco and half real butter)

1. Cream butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar.
2. Whisk eggs.
3. Mix milk, eggs, and vanilla in separate bowl.
4. Pour milk mixture into creamed mixture, and mix.
5. Combine remaining ingredients (except kisses) in another mixing bowl.
6. Add to mixing ingredients until well blended.
7. Shape dough into balls, using a rounded teaspoon for each.
8. Roll balls in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
9. Bake for 8-11 minutes convection; 10-13 regular.
10. Top each cookie immediately with a kiss, pressing down firmly so cookie cracks around the edge.

Buckeyes

A simple candy (though the dipping process is best done by older kids or adults or you’ll have peanut butter balls floating in your melted chocolate!) that most people love. I’m always amazed how quickly we run out of these in spite of the large amount it seems we make on candy days.

1 (18 ox) jars creamy peanut butter                        2 sticks (1 cup) butter

5 cups powdered sugar                                                       2 cups chocolate chips

1. Mix peanut butter, powdered sugar, and butter in mixing bowl until well blended.
2. Add more peanut butter or powdered sugar if mixture is too moist or too crumbly.
3. Chill until firm.
4. Roll into small balls and place on wax paper.
5. Melt chocolate chips in large glass measure at 70% power for three minutes, stirring every one minute or so until melted and creamy.
6. Dip each ball with toothpick or candy dipper into chocolate. Leave top part of ball undipped.
7. Makes around 100 balls.
8. Let set up on foil pieces until firm (usually a few hours if doing it at room temperature).

Peanut Butter Fudge

­This is the yummiest peanut butter fudge I’ve ever had---when I get the texture right. It can be tricky to get it just right, but it is so worth it.

4 cups brown sugar                                                  4 cups mini marshmallows

4 cups white sugar                                                    4 cups peanut butter

2 cups evaporated milk                                                        4 TBSP vanilla

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

1. Combine sugars, evaporated milk, and butter in heavy saucepan.
2. Cook until softball stage on medium (235’), stirring often.
3. Remove from stove.
4. Stir in marshmallows, peanut butter, and vanilla.
5. Stir until all is melted and begins to thicken.
6. Pour into 2 13x9  greased baking dishes.
7. Cool, cut, and serve.
8. Makes approximately 5-6 lbs.

Never Fail Chocolate Fudge

My personal favorite holiday treat—the more walnuts, the better. This is a very simple fudge recipe that truly is no-fail.

8 cups sugar                                                              ½ lb butter (2 sticks)

2 (7 oz) jars marshmallow cream                            2 cups chopped nuts

2 12 oz cans evaporated milk                                             2 12 oz packages choc chips (4 cups)

1. Melt butter in large heavy sauce pan.
2. Stir in milk and sugar.
3. Bring to full rolling boil, stirring constantly to prevent scorching (on medium to medium high heat). (Bring to softball stage; 235’.)
4. Remove from heat, and stir in chocolate chips until melted.
5. Add marshmallow cream and nuts, stirring until well blended.
6. Pour into two 9 x 13 greased baking dishes.
7. Cool at room temp.
8. Makes approximately 6 lbs.

Banana Bread

I like to have one of the kids use up brown bananas anytime of the year and put some of these loaves in the freezer.  Then we have them for potlucks, company, or new baby gifts. Quick breads are even better after they’re frozen!

 2 cups sugar                                 2 tsp soda
1 cup butter (1/2 lb or 2 sticks)

 2 tsp salt
 4 eggs                                          6 cups flour
 1 cup sour milk                          6 large bananas

1. Cream sugar and butter in mixing bowl.
2. Add eggs and blend.
3. Add sour milk. (To “make” sour milk, put 1 TBSP vinegar in bottom of one cup measure before adding milk to measure.) Blend.
4. Mix flour, salt, and soda in another bowl with a fork.
5. Stir gradually into creamed mixture.
6. Add smashed bananas.
7. Pour into four small, well-greased bread pans.
8. Bake at convection 350’ for 30-45 minutes or until fork or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (Regular oven 45-60 minutes)

Scotch Crunchies

If you like butterscotch chips and cashews, you’ll love these. Don’t let their strange ingredients steer you away. They are SIMPLE and yummy.

2 (12 oz.) of butterscotch chips (4 cups)                            2 cup cashews

4 cups chow mein noodles

1. Melt butterscotch chips in eight cup glass measure in micro at 70% of power for two to three minutes, stirring every thirty seconds or so, until thoroughly melted. (Do not overheat.)
2. When melted, stir in cashews and chow mein noodles.
3. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto foil.
4. Let dry.

Peanut Clusters

A peanut-chocolate drop candy that is SIMPLE to make.

2 (12 oz each) packages butterscotch chips                     12 cups peanuts (not redskin or dry)

2 (12 oz each) packages chocolate chips

1. Melt chips in eight cup glass measure in micro at 70% of power for two to four minutes, stirring every thirty seconds or so, until thoroughly melted. (Do not overheat.)
2. When melted, stir in peanuts.
3. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto foil.
4. Let dry.

Best White Frosting for Cookies

Even years when we bought frozen shaped cookies at the restaurant supply store (instead of making them) due to time crunches, we always still used our own icing recipe. This has lots of extra flavors, but those are what make this frosting delicious. Definitely not your typical powdered sugar/butter icing!

2 cups Crisco                                                4 lbs. Powdered sugar

1 cup hot water                                  2 tsps. white vanilla

4-6 drops lemon extract                   1 tsp almond flavor

2 tsp clear butter flavor                     ½ tsp salt

1. Mix all but powdered sugar in mixing bowl and whip until all is mixed.
2. Add powdered sugar a cup or two at a time until frosting is desired texture. (May add more hot water or more powdered sugar, as needed.)
3. Use on cookies as needed. May keep at room temperature between cookie baking as long as well covered.
4. Very delicious icing!

Butterscotch Brownies

These chewy brownies are good year round. They’re easy and feed a crowd--2 1/2 dozen total brownies.

1 pound Light Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Sticks Butter, melted
2 Eggs
2 cups Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Optional: 1 cup Nuts, Chopped

Stir in vanilla at end. 

1. Melt butter and stir in sugar until dissolved.
2. Add eggs and mix.
3. In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla, and nuts (optional).
4. Add the flour mixture to wet mixture.
5. Mix well.
6. Pour  into 9 x 13 baking dish sprayed with non stick cooking spray.
7. Bake at 350 for 20-25 mins convection and 30 mins conventional. Will seem a little wet and gooey when first removed from oven.

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