FReeper Canteen - Christmas Cookie Exchange - 15 Dec 2011

A respite place for our troops, vets & military families | The Canteen Elves

[AZamericonnie]

Welcome to the

~ Freeper Canteen ~

Christmas Cookie Exchange

To all you wonderful bakers out there......do you have a favorite cookie recipe?

We've made a few to share....

Pumpkin Roll

Ingredients
1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle towel with powdered sugar.
COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.
BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack. BEAT cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.
I know this is not a cookie recipe but a staple in our house every year.

Gingerbread & Lemon Curd Trifle W/ Blackberry Sauce

Ingredients
Gingerbread Cake:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup molasses
1 cup boiling water
2 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
Lemon Curd Filling, recipe follows
Blackberry Sauce, recipe follows

Directions
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Spray 1 half-sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; spray paper. Sift flour and next 6 ingredients into medium bowl. Mix in crystallized ginger. Using an electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in brown sugar. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Gradually beat in molasses, followed by 1 cup boiling water. Mix in grated lemon peel. Gradually mix in dry ingredients. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the pan sides. Turn out onto a rack and peel off paper. Cool and cut into 1-inch cubes.

To assemble:
Using a trifle bowl, start with an even layer of gingerbread cubes, top with 1/3 of the lemon curd mixture, and 1/3 of the blackberry sauce. Repeat 2 more times. Top with remaining whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Lemon Curd Filling:
2 (11-ounce) jars prepared lemon curd
2 cups heavy cream, sweetened with sugar and vanilla, beaten to soft peaks
Place lemon curd in a large bowl. Fold in half of the whipped cream until combined. Refrigerate if not using immediately. Reserve remaining whipped cream for the top of the trifle.

Blackberry Sauce:
2 pints fresh blackberries, or 1 bag frozen blackberries, thawed
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons framboise (raspberry liqueur)Optional
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
Place blackberries, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan and cook until the berries are soft and the sugar has melted. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour through a strainer into a bowl. Stir in the framboise and lemon juice. Set aside until ready to use.
Again....not a cookie recipe but sooo very good! If you are in a pinch you can use a box mix for the gingerbread.

Chocolate Dipped Hazelnut Shortbread

Ingredients
1 cup husked hazelnuts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place hazelnuts on baking sheet. Bake until they're a shade darker and fragrant, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Lower oven to 325 degrees F.

Place hazelnuts in blender or food processor and pulse to coarse bits; set aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt to blend; set aside.

Beat butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon until smooth. Beat in egg. Gradually beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Add the chopped hazelnuts and mix until distributed evenly throughout.

Form into long cookies and place on greased cookie sheets. Bake until firm, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on racks.

In a saucepan over lowest heat or in a double boiler, melt chocolate. Dip 1 end of cooled cookies into melted chocolate. Place back on cookie sheet to harden.

Please share your favorite recipes & maybe you'll find some new ones to try.....and don't forget to leave some out for Santa!

[AZamericonnie]

Virtual, eaten off a childs plate or standing over a sink have no calories right? ;-}

[AZamericonnie]

Good evening Kathy...did you survive the hardest day of the week? *hugs*

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hello Veterans, wherever you are!!

[AZamericonnie]

Hiya Prof....this recipe looks very easy & delish! Can I dip mine in chocolate? And coffee? :) *hugs*

[nkycincinnatikid]

I made some Rye Cookies today because I am sweet on a Finnish gal who works for my wife.
True story.
Easy to make...
The cookies ,I mean...

[ConorMacNessa]

I think it has begun to kick in - I noticed today that me legs did not tie up from sitting in my office chair the way it had been earlier. It should improve in the next 48 hours. Still have substantial weakness in both thighs and my neck has stiffened up - was diagnosed last year with cervical spinal arthritis. Getting an x-ray in the next couple of days.

Etiam non princeps sed usque ad genua, Principis Pacis!

[kalee]

Flr

[BIGLOOK]

Mele Kalikimaka Connie! ((HUGS))

Anything that looks like a cookie....all are favorites. Munch.... munch.... munch. Just skip the fruit cake.....

However, my all time favorite is pecan pie or anything with pecans in it.

[AZamericonnie]

That’s it....I’m buying a waffle iron! :)

Thanks so much for the recipe tioga! *Hugs*

[Tanniker Smith]

Good evening, connie! Good evening, all!

Let's get bakin'!

[AZamericonnie]

Rye cookies? Recipe required! LOL

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks, Connie, for today's Christmas Cookie Exchange.

[HiJinx]

Chocolate and cinnamon? Yum!

[HiJinx]

Nana makes he snowballs with finely crushed pecans - I’ll post that recipe in a little while.

I need to clean some dishes (cookie sheets and mixing bowls!) now...

[Publius]

Dipping it in coffee is good. Dipping it in green tea is even better because the neutral taste of green tea permits the anise flavor to explode in your mouth.

But if really want to do it right, dip it in red wine. That'll put a smile on your face.

[AZamericonnie]

Hiya Tann & wonderful to see you!

Do you bake any or does Mrs Tann do all the baking?

Adding to the train this year? *hugs*

[AZamericonnie]

Oh bigs I make a rockin’ pecan pie at the holidays...it’s a staple of the house.

I also make roasted savory pecans & candied pecans. Oh yeah...I love pecans! LOL

Now....how do you pronounce “pecans”?:)

[BIGLOOK]

Aloha Jinxy!

Thanks.....and a tip. You can use finely ground pecans in your barbecue sauce to make it extra special. Once pecans were affordable, now the price is through the roof, though.

[Publius]

CANNOLI

Dough
2 cups flour
2 eggs
6 tbsp vegetable oil
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Vanilla filling
1/2 qt milk
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate filling
1/2 qt milk
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup chocolate chips

A note from my late mother: An unpainted broom handle cut about 5 inches long will make an excellent mold.

Beat the eggs. Add sugar, vegetable oil, and beat well. Sift the flour on a breadboard. Make a well, and pour in the egg mixture. Knead the dough until it is smooth and stiff –- about 15 minutes. If the dough seems moist and sticky, add flour. If it is too dry, add a little egg white. Then roll the dough out no thicker than a noodle on a lightly floured board, and cut into 3-1/2-inch squares.

Wrap the pastry around the wooden mold, one corner over the other so that only 1/4 inch of the mold protrudes at each end. To seal, brush with slightly beaten egg yolk.

Cover the bottom of a frying pan with 2 inches of vegetable oil or lard and heat. To test the temperature, drop in a bit of dough. If it blisters immediately and turns a dark tan color, the oil is hot enough.

Cook 2 or 3 shells at a time, turning them carefully when one side is done. Lift them lightly out of the oil with a slotted spoon or tongs, and drain on paper towels. To remove the pastry from the mold, push the stick out very gently, being careful not to break the shell. Hold it with a cloth in the center, and push the stick out with a butter knife or the back of a spoon.

Then fry for another minute. Drain again.

Filling

Place the milk in the upper section of a double boiler and scald.

Combine the sugar, flour and eggs by hand. Beat only to mix. Add the above to the milk, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes to boil and is thick and smooth. Remove from heat, and add the vanilla.

Divide the cream into two portions, and to the second portion add the chocolate. If it looks as if it should be smoother, use an electric mixer.

Pour into a bowl. Place wax paper directly on the surface of the filling to prevent a skim from forming. Refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to fill, fill each cannoli with chocolate filling on one side and vanilla on the other.

[AZamericonnie]

Well Prof...I don’t actually drink coffee anymore bit I do have a cuppa green tea every morning so even better.

I wish I could drink wine but it doesn’t agree with me. I can however cook with it at least.