Christmas Hot Toys

These delicious cookies feature chocolate chips and nuts.

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup chocolate chips

Confectioners’ sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla; mix well.

In another bowl, combine the flour and salt; stir into creamed mixture.

Fold in the nuts and chips. Roll into 1-inch balls.

Place onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly, then roll in confectioners’ sugar.

Makes 48 cookies.

=> Christmas Cookies Recipes: Cranberry Crispy Cookies

Using quick bread mix makes these cookies a cinch to prepare.

1 (15.6 oz.) pkg. cranberry quick bread mix

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped

1 egg

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, combine the bread mix, butter, walnuts and egg; mix well. Stir in the cranberries. Roll into 1 1/4-inch balls.

Place cookies 3-inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool.

Makes 30 cookies.

=> Christmas Cookies Recipes: Frosted Ginger Cream Cookies

An old-fashioned style cookie topped with creamy frosting.

1/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup molasses

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/3 cup water

Cookie Frosting

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream together shortening and sugar. Beat in the egg and molasses.

In another bowl, combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves; gradually add to creamed mixture, alternating with water (dough will be soft).

Drop heaping teaspoonfuls 2-inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until tops are cracked. Let cool. Frost with Cookie Frosting.

Cookie Frosting

1 1/2 ounces of cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and enough lemon juice to create a spreadable consistency. Frost cookies.

Makes 48 cookies.

Sell Your House

You may get puzzled about what to prepare for Christmas. Christmas pickles, holiday dip, clam dip and Christmas crab dip are 4 great recipes you can prepare this coming Christmas. Here are the recipes for you to try them out:

1. Christmas Pickles

Ingredients:

- 10 pickles, sliced thin
- 1 cup of green peppers
- 1 cup of red peppers
- 1/2 cup of onions, diced
- 1 cup of vinegar
- 2 cups of white sugar
- 1 tablespoon of mustard seed
- 1 tablespoon of dill seed
- 1 tablespoon of salt

Directions:

- Heat vinegar and sugar until it comes to boil. Do not boil.
- Cool and pour over pickles, peppers and onions.

Will keep without sealing for months in refrigerator.

2. Holiday Dip

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of mayonnaise
- 1 (8 oz.) pkg. of sour cream
- 1 (8 oz.) can of water chestnuts, drained, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons of chopped pimiento
- 1 tablespoon of sliced green onion
- 2 teaspoons of beef flavor bouillon
- 1/2 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
- Fresh vegetables and chips

Directions:

- In medium bowl combine all ingredients except vegetables and chips; mix well.
- Cover.
- Chill.
- Stir before serving.
- Garnish with additional green onion if you wish.

Serve with vegetables and chips.

3. Clam Dip

Ingredients:

- 1 (10 1/2 oz.) can of minced clams
- 6 oz. of cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons of grated onion
- 1/4 teaspoon of hot pepper sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon of clam juice (reserved juice from canned clams)

Directions:

- Drain canned clams and reserve juice.
- Combine clams with remaining ingredients and blend thoroughly.
- Chill.

Serve with crackers or bread rounds.

4. Christmas Crab Dip

Ingredients:

- 1 pkg. (8 oz.) of cream cheese
- 1 jar Kraft Sharp Old English cheese spread
- 1 tablespoon of half & half
- 1 tablespoon of chopped chives
- Dash Worcestershire sauce
- Garlic salt, to taste
- 12 oz. of crab (fresh, frozen or canned)

Directions:

- Mix the first six ingredients in the top of a double boiler or chafing dish over a medium heat.
- When the ingredients have melted and mixed well add the crab, reduce the heat to just warm.

Serve with crackers. Great for a party!

Thanksgiving Traditions – Recipes

Christmas recipe serves: 8

calories per serving: 780

preparation time: 1 hour and chilling

cooking time: 45 minutes

suitable for freezing after step 4


Christmas recipe ingredients:



Home Repairs – DIY Home Improvements

Christmas recipe makes: 24 pies

calories per serving: 105

preparation time: 30 minutes

cooking time: 25 minutes

suitable for freezing

Christmas recipe ingredients:

butter, 125 g (4 oz)
white flour, plain 225 g (8 oz)
mincemeat, 225 g (8 oz)
egg, lightly beaten 1
caster sugar
cream

Fruity Mincemeat:

lemon, grated rind and juice from 1
raisins/sultanas, 125 g (4 oz) of each
currants & dried peaches (or apricots, pears),125 g (4 oz) of each
mixed spice, 1.25 ml (quarter tsp)
sugar, light brown 100 g (3.5 oz)
brandy, 100 ml (4 fl oz)
eating apples, 200 g (7 oz)
white grapes, seedless 125 g (4 oz)

Christmas recipe instructions:

Mincemeat: Combine the brandy, brown sugar, mixed spice, dried fruit, and lemon rind with juice. Add cubed apple and halved grapes. Mix and keep at about 5 degrees centigrade for a minimum of a day. Make a dough with water (60 ml, 4 tbsp), the butter and flour. Knead until smooth and roll out a layer of thin pastry. Cut out 48 round pieces of pastry using a cutter (5.5 cm, 2.25 inch). Place some mincemeat in the middle of each and seal with another round piece wetting the edges before closing. Pierce the top for ventilation purposes. Bake the mincepies until set but not browned at gas mark 6 (200 degrees centigrade, 400 F). When ready, remove from the oven, brush with beaten egg white and sprinkle withg caster sugar. Bake again for an additional 10 minutes or until well browned. Serve warm with cream.

Bath Salt-Dead Sea Salt-Aromatherapy

There are so many Christmas cookie recipes around but often so little time to bake during the busy holiday season.

The solution? A great tasting basic cookie recipe that quickly and easily turns into such a variety of easy to make Christmas treats, friends and family will think you poured over all your favorite Christmas cookie recipes.

Let’s start with the basics.

Basic Cookie Dough Recipe

1/2 cup (or 1 stick) butter (or margarine) at room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the flour. Beat with an electric mixer, scraping the sides of the bowl several times, until the mixture is light and fluffy. With mixer at a low speed, add the flour gradually, beating just until everything is well blended.

Place the mixture on a baking sheet using a tablespoon measure and press down with a spoon to flatten a bit. Or roll our and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Bake at 350ºF for about 12 to 15 minutes, until golden.

This basic cookie mixture is also the base for the following cookie recipes (all baked in a preheated oven at 350ºF).

Orange Cookies

(Makes about 32)

Add 1 tablespoon of grated orange zest to the recipe. Shape into a log that is about 1 1/2″ in diameter and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Slice dough into 1/4″ thick slices. Place on cookie sheet. Cookies can be decorated with candies, rolled in colored sugar, or cut into pretty holiday shapes before baking. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned.

Cherry Coconut Chocolate Squares

(Makes about 54 squares)

In addition to the basic dough you will need:

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups flaked coconut

1/2 cup maraschino cherries, well drained and coarsely chopped

Line a 13″x9″ baking pan with foil.

Stir cocoa powder into basic dough mixture. Press evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust looks dry.

In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, almond extract and baking powder until well blended. Stir in coconut and cherries. Pour over the baked crust.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until top just begins to brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Lift it out on to a cutting board using the foil ends and cut into 1 1/2″ squares. Squares can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Coconut Pineapple Cookies

(Makes about 36)

In addition to the basic dough you will need:

1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1/3 cup pineapple preserves (use raspberry or apricot if you prefer)

Add 1 cup of the flaked coconut to the basic dough mixture and mix well. Shape the dough into 1 1/2″ balls and roll in the remaining coconut to coat them. Place the balls 1″ apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Make a deep indentation in the center of each cookie with your fingertip.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cookie is firm and the coconut is lightly toasted. When cooled, fill each hole in the center of the cookies with the preserves.

You can vary this basic dough to make a wide variety of Christmas cookie recipes. Add other flavorings like maple, ginger or cinnamon. Add chopped dried fruits like apricots or dates. Or bake them plain in holiday shapes and decorate with colored icing.

Christmas is such a wonderful time of year. Here’s hoping these quick and easy Christmas cookie recipes help keep the pressure off the cook.

MP3 Player Accessories

Christmas is a time for families; one way you will be able to get the whole family involved is in baking Christmas cookies, children absolutely love helping out in the kitchen at Christmas time. Whether it is just for the family or you wish to bake for guests or a party. Baking your own cookies make for a great treat for kids, guests or as an additional plate at any Christmas party table.

Baking cookies with children is great fun and is quick and easy. So here is a recipe that is worth baking that you can make with your children and keep them out of trouble for a short while.

Colorful fun Christmas cookies where you can let your kids do the thumb work.

Thumbprint Cookies:

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 1/2 cups flour (more if dough seems too thin)

finely chopped pecans, almonds, you can substitute these for other nuts, or rolled oats

Jam

To make:

Beat the butter with an electric whisk at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar, vanilla flavoring, almond extract, and flour blending well. Chill the resulting dough for 2 1/2 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and roll the dough into small balls, then roll in the chopped nuts; place on lightly greased cookie sheets.

Make an indention in the center of each cookie and fill with jam (substitute for a cherry as an alternative). Bake at

300°F for about 25 to 35 minutes, or until firm and lightly browned on the bottom.

Recipe makes about 6 dozen cookies.

If you are unable to finish the cookies in one sitting, you can always put the rest in a cookie jar. Just remember they always taste better when they are fresh because they tend to taste different after a few days.

Gently remove the cookies from the baking sheet, if you are having trouble removing the cookies, it will be handy to have a spatula handy.

Best Iphone Reviews

Christmas recipe makes: 2 dozen

Calories per truffle: 65

Preparation time: 30 – 60 minutes

Cooking time: 0 minutes

Suitable for freezing

Christmas recipe ingredients:

Truffle Mixture:

chocolate, bitter, plain or milk 225g (8 oz)
double cream, 75 ml (3 fl oz)
brandy, 75 ml (3 fl oz)
or rum,orange liqueur, coffee liqueur, coconut liqueur

Rolled Truffles:
cocoa powder
chopped nuts
coconut, dessicated or grated
chocolate vermicelli or grated choclate for rolling

Dipped Truffles:
chocolate, plain, milk or white (350 g (12 oz)
or mixture of all three

Christmas recipe instructions:

Truffle Mixture: Add the cream to grated chocolate and melt in a bowl over water at boiling point, stirring until smooth. Allow to cool and thicken. Add your alcohol of choice and whisk until the mixture is strong enough to stay ‘up’ when a strand of mixture is pulled up by the whisk. Then put the mixture into a shallow tin (covered) and cool till firm. Rolled Truffles: Place teaspoonful size amounts of truffle mixture onto a tray sprinkled with cocoa powder and roll into ball shapes. Alternatively you can substitute the cocoa with grated chocolate, chopped nuts, coconut, or chocolate vermicelli. Cool in a refrigerator for at least two hours. Dipped Truffles: Roll the truffle mixture into 2.5 cm (1 inch) size balls and freeze overnight until rock hard. [If you wish you could push some edible decor into the balls before cooling, such as nuts, ginger or cherries.] Prepare some melted chocolate over water at boiling point. If you can, check the temperature is in the range 46-49 degrees centigrade (115-120 F) or for white chocolate, 43 degrees centigrade. Taking two or three truffles at a time, use cocktail sticks to dip them into the melted chocolate before placing them on non-stick paper. Transfer to a refrigerator for cooling for at least two hours to harden. Repeat for the remaining truffles. Present the truffles in paper cases and store in boxes. Keep in a refrigerator for up to ten days.

Christmas Favorite Toys