12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 12

I started this series with my go to Christmas gift from the kitchen, Chocolate Covered Ritz Cracker Cookies.  I want to end the series with the gift my mother made and gave to friends, relatives and neighbors for close to 30 years.  Instead of something sweet, she gave people a small cheese ball and a sleeve of Ritz crackers.  Why Ritz crackers?  When made in a log shape, a slice of the cheese ball fits perfectly on a Ritz cracker.

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 11

My most popular recipe in 2013 -- and my fourth most popular of all time -- is my grandmother's made from scratch pound cake, or what we refer to as loaf cake.  Instead of making one cake, make multiple cakes by baking the batter in miniature loaf pans.  A nice touch is to bake and give the loaves in holiday themed pans like the ones pictured below.  The number of cakes will vary depending on the size of the pans you use.  The mini loaves will bake faster so remember to reduce the baking time.

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 10

Bar cookies might not come to mind at Christmastime, but for me they are the equivalent of a bow and go gift.  Bar cookies are a real time saver since they don't have to be rolled and cut out.  Frosting is easy since it's typically done in the pan -- not individually -- and can be as simple as a sprinkling of powdered sugar.  Lemon Bars are quick and easy to make, especially when they start with a tasty shortcut!

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 9

Coffee Cake Muffins taste just like coffee cake, but with the ease of mixing up a batch of muffins.  Give someone a dozen, or bake them as mini muffins, put them in pretty Christmas tins and give them to several people.

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 8

Gifts from the kitchen aren't limited to cookies and candy.  This Cranberry Delight Spread makes a tasty gift.  An easy way to present it is in a small Mason jar or a seasonal bowl.  A nice added touch is to put some vanilla wafers or gingersnaps in a Christmas cellophane bag, tie the bag closed with colored raffia and attach a Christmas spreader for an all inclusive gift.

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 7

Kids love to help decorate these snowman cookies.  You don't even have to make the cookies.  They start with a package of Nutter Butters!

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 6

Today's gift from the kitchen is a match made in culinary heaven!  Peanut Butter Brownies elevate brownies from ho hum to wow!

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 5

I thought I'd stick with yesterday's theme and share another candy recipe. I've made this Peanut Butter Fudge for Valentine's Day, but it's also wonderful to give as Christmas gifts.  One batch yields 70 pieces making it easy to cross several names off your list at one time!  You don't even have to turn on your stove to make this fabulous fudge.  It's made in the microwave!

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 4

Every year at Christmas, one of my former coworkers would give me a Mason jar filled with homemade chocolate covered cherries made by his wife.  She decorated the jar by attaching a round piece of Christmas fabric between the lid and the ring.  This added a touch of festivity to the delicious treat waiting inside.  I don't have her recipe, but I do have one that I shared four years ago.  If you want to make these, you need to plan ahead because the finished cherries need to sit five days before they're ready to eat.  

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 3

If you love cinnamon, you'll love today's gift from the kitchen. These Cinnamon Cookies have cinnamon in the batter and on top of the cookie.  They're also easy to make when you're pressed for time.

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 2

The recipe I shared yesterday is the cookie I've been gifting at Christmas for years.  However, with its blend of cloves, ginger and cinnamon, nothing smells more like Christmas to me than Molasses Sugar Cookies.

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 1

This time of the year, I start getting emails with 12 days of Christmas cookie recipes.  Since I love giving gifts from the kitchen, I thought I'd share 12 recipes -- not all of them cookies -- that would make wonderful Christmas gifts.  I hope to share one or two new recipes, but I can't make any promises. As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

What better way to start this series than with the recipe I shared five years ago in a post titled, "Gifts from the Kitchen."  I've been making these three (four if you use sprinkles) ingredient cookies at Christmas for years.  I prefer chocolate almond bark, but you can use vanilla if you want a white cookie.  Seasonal sprinkles add a festive touch to the cookies.

Chocolate Covered Ritz Cracker Cookies

© Margaret's Morsels

A Yearly Tradition

A couple of years ago, I wrote about the cheese ball, German Christmas cookies and Kool-Aid punch my mother made every year at Christmas. Today, I thought I'd share a Christmas tradition that started quite by accident.

One year when my son was young, I invited some in-laws over to watch him open presents and eat breakfast with us on Christmas morning.  I wasn't sure what I was going to cook, but I knew I didn't want to spend all morning working in the kitchen.  As I was going through my recipes, I came across a quiche recipe a cousin had given me two months earlier.  I decided it would be the perfect dish for a Christmas morning breakfast. Not only would I be able to join everyone in the festivities, I could do the majority of the work the night before!

Bacon Quiche is very similar to Quiche Lorraine -- a bacon and cheese quiche -- with a few differences.

• Bacon Quiche doesn't use a quiche pan or pie plate.  It's made in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish.

• You don't have to make the pie crust for Bacon Quiche.  It uses a package of refrigerated pie crusts, a real time saver on Christmas morning!

• Bacon Quiche uses an entire package of bacon, whereas most Quiche Lorraine recipes use less.

• Instead of cream -- half and half, whipping or heavy -- Bacon Quiche uses milk.

• Bacon Quiche uses Cheddar cheese not the traditional Swiss or Gruyere found in Quiche Lorraine.

The filling ingredients can be assembled the night before and stored in the refrigerator.  The next morning, put both pie crusts in a glass -- not metal -- baking dish.  I made the quiche in a metal pan once and, although the filling was good, the crust never did get brown.  Sprinkling the pie crusts with flour helps keep the crust from getting soggy.

Add the filling and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. 

Add a side of fresh fruit or a fruit salad and breakfast is ready!

Since the quiche was easy to make and so well received, I decided to make it again the next Christmas.  I didn't realize it at the time, but I created a Christmas tradition that we'll be observing for the 14th time tomorrow morning.  To keep it special, I only make the quiche on Christmas.  This gives my family something to look forward to, just like the day we're celebrating.

Bacon Quiche

6 to 8 Servings

1 (14.1 oz.) pkg. refrigerated pie crusts

1 (12 oz.) pkg. bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled

6 eggs, beaten

2 cups milk

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Put both pie crusts in an ungreased 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Flour the bottoms and sides of the pie crusts.  Combine remaining ingredients and pour on top of crusts.  Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes.

Filling ingredients can be assembled the night before and stored in the refrigerator. 

© Margaret's Morsels

Pressed for Time

For the first time in almost 20 years, I won't be making German Christmas Cookies this year.  My mother made these delectable, melt in your mouth cookies flavored with nutmeg and frosted in icing tinted red, green and yellow every year at Christmas.  They were a holiday tradition just like her cheeseball and Kool-Aid Punch.  Although they epitomize Christmas to me, they have to be rolled, cut out and frosted, something I don't have time to do this year.  I'll still make cookies -- they'll even be shaped like trees and wreaths -- but the designs will come not from a cookie cutter but from a cookie press.

I remember the first time I ever saw a cookie press.  I was a teenager visiting my next door neighbor.  She was using a cookie press to make spritz cookies.  I remember thinking how much faster it was to use a cookie press to shape cookies rather than rolling them out and cutting them with cookie cutters.  It made an indelible impression on me and, when I was living on my own in my first apartment, I bought my very own cookie press. Although a cookie press makes things faster, you don't have to use one to make the recipe I'm sharing today.

Cookie presses come in two sizes:  regular and bite size.  I have one of each, but prefer the bite size cookie press.  I like serving miniature desserts, especially at the holidays when there's a wide variety of food -- including desserts -- available.

A cookie press consists of two parts:  a hollow tube and templates with various designs.

The tube is filled with cookie dough

and the template is screwed on the bottom of the tube.

The cookie dough is pressed through the template by pressing a trigger mechanism on the cookie press.  As the trigger is pressed, a plunger pushes the dough through the template.  Changing the template is as easy as unscrewing the template and screwing on a different one.  I don't recommend using a cookie press with nonstick cookie sheets.  Nonstick pans keep things from sticking which also includes the cookie dough from the cookie press!

The cinnamon cookie recipe is fairly straightforward.  The butter -- I use unsalted -- and sugar are creamed until light and fluffy.

Add the egg yolks and vanilla

and beat well.

Stir the dry ingredients together and add to the creamed mixture in three additions.

Fill the cookie press with dough and make the desired shapes directly on the cookie sheet.  You'll need to press the mechanism a couple of times before the dough starts coming out of the template.

Brush the cookies with the reserved egg whites; this helps the cinnamon sugar mixture adhere to the cookies.

Sprinkle the tops with the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and immediately remove them to a cooling rack.

You'll need to wash the cookie sheet between batches to remove the egg white residue and leftover cinnamon sugar.

If you don't have a cookie press, make the cookies as directed, but refrigerate the dough until it's firm enough to roll into balls.  Omit the egg whites and roll the cookies in the cinnamon sugar mixture like you would for Snickerdoodles.  Proceed as directed.  You may need to increase the baking time for regular size cookies.

These cookies will never replace the Christmas cookies from my childhood, but they're a nice alternative this year since I'm pressed for time.

Cinnamon Cookies

150 Bite Size

1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, separated

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

2 egg whites

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add egg yolks and vanilla; beat well.  Stir the flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and salt together; add to creamed mixture in three additions.  Place cookie dough in cookie press; make desired shapes on ungreased cookie sheet.  Brush cookies with the reserved egg whites.  Combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle over cookies.  Bake at 400° for 8 to 10 minutes.

© Margaret's Morsels

Candy Cane Reminder

Just a friendly reminder that if you want to make these white chocolate and peppermint lollipops in February, be sure to stock up on mini candy canes while they're available.

© Margaret's Morsels

A Holiday Tradition

When I recall Christmas from my childhood, I may not always remember who was at the house a particular year or what presents I received, but I vividly remember three things:  a savory cheese ball coated with chili powder; a platter of German Christmas Cookies decorated with red, green, yellow and white icing; a punch bowl surrounded by a garland of poinsettias and filled with Kool-Aid punch.  My mother only made these goodies at Christmas which made them special.

I don't follow my mother's Christmas tradition -- I only make the cheese ball and punch every few years -- except for the Christmas cookies.  I've made these cookies every Christmas for the last 18 years.  Last Christmas, when my brother and his family visited from Atlanta, for old time's sake, I made all three items just like our mother did every Christmas.

The punch uses a package of cherry Kool-Aid which gives it a beautiful red hue that's perfect for Christmas.  If you prefer a green punch, use a package of lime Kool-Aid instead of cherry.

The easiest way to make the punch is with a clean gallon milk jug.  Pour the contents of the lemonade and cherry Kool-Aid packages in the jug, along with sugar and 2 cups water.  Put the lid on the jug and shake it to combine the ingredients.

Add a large can of pineapple juice.

Add water to completely fill the jug.

Put on the lid, shake the jug to combine the ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.  I make the punch a day or two ahead of time so it gets thoroughly chilled.

If you're not using a gallon jug, stir the ingredients thoroughly whenever the recipe calls for shaking the jug to combine the ingredients.  You'll need to add 7 1/2 cups water after you add the pineapple juice.

When my mother was ready to serve the punch, she poured it into a punch bowl and added a quart of pineapple sherbet.  The sherbet gave the punch a creamy consistency and the small chunks of pineapple added some texture.  I'm not a fan of sherbet or ice cream in punch so I leave it out. However, if you like sherbet, go ahead and add it to the punch bowl.  If you're using lime Kool-Aid, add a quart of lime sherbet instead of pineapple.  After you add the sherbet, stir in a can of chilled 7-Up.

Most punch recipes call for a carbonated beverage such as Sprite, ginger ale or 7-Up.  My mother tried all three beverages over the years, but the best punch was always made with 7-Up.  We only drink diet drinks, but this is one time we'll use the real thing.  You can still make the punch with diet 7-Up, but it's not as good.

To make sure the last glass of punch tastes as good as the first, add a quart of sherbet and a can of chilled 7-Up everytime you replenish the punch bowl.  If you're not using sherbet, just add the can of 7-Up.

Now that I'm a mother, I can appreciate why my mother only made these items at Christmas.  She knew not only was it something to look forward to, but something to look back on with fond memories that last a lifetime.  

I serve the punch in the same punch bowl

my mother always used.

Kool-Aid Punch

18 Servings

1 (2 qt.) size pkg. unsweetened lemonade Kool-Aid

1 (2 qt.) size pkg. unsweetened cherry Kool-Aid

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

1 (46 oz.) can unsweetened pineapple juice
water (enough to fill the jug or 7 1/2 cups)

pineapple sherbet

12 oz. cans 7-Up, chilled

Put the first four ingredients in a clean gallon jug; shake to combine.  Add pineapple juice.  Finish filling the jug with water; shake well.  Chill in refrigerator until ready to use.  When ready to serve, pour mixture in a punch bowl.  Add 1 quart pineapple sherbet and 1 can 7-Up; stir gently. When replenishing the punch bowl, add another quart of sherbet and can of 7-Up.

© Margaret's Morsels

No Bake Snowman Cookies

I love giving gifts from the kitchen.  For years, I made chocolate covered Ritz cracker and peanut butter cookies to give people at Christmas. This year, I wanted to make something different and made the snowman cookies pictured above.  So many people asked me how I made them, I decided it would make a good topic for "Margaret's Morsels."

Previously, I wrote about using Nutter Butter cookies to make ghost cookies.  The snowman cookies start the same way, but with a few additional items added to make them look like a snowman.  The additional items need to be added while the coating is still wet.  Since you need to work quickly, it's a good idea to line up the ingredients in an assembly line.

Start by coating the Nutter Butters with melted white almond bark.  If you're not sure how to do that, click here to read how it's done.

Put the cookies on a piece of wax paper.  While the coating is still wet, add two mini chocolate chips for the eyes,

an orange Tic Tac for the nose

and two mini M&M's for the buttons.

For aesthetic reasons, I turn the pointed side of the chocolate chips down. I also turn the M&M's over so the "m" doesn't show.

Let the cookies dry completely.  If there's excess coating on the edges, you can break it off or, if it's stubborn, scrape it off with the dull side of a table knife.  Store the cookies in an airtight container.

You may be wondering why the scarves aren't on the cookies yet.  The first time I made these, I put the scarves on as soon as the cookies were dry. The next morning, I discovered half the scarves broke overnight.  Since then, I add the scarves when I'm ready to give away or serve the cookies.

The scarves are made from thin string licorice.  The only brand I could find, Twizzlers Peel and Pull, separates into thin strands.

Tie a strand around each snowman, trimming any excess licorice with a pair of kitchen shears.

If you prefer, you can use tubes of decorator icing to pipe on the eyes, noses, buttons and scarves.  Make sure to let the coating dry completely before you decorate the cookies.

The nice thing about snowman cookies is they're not limited to Christmas. You can make them all winter long.  I doubt many people would complain if you did!

© Margaret's Morsels

The Scent of Christmas

Nothing smells like Christmas more than the scent of a live Christmas tree. Unfortunately, we have an artificial tree so the only scent of Christmas at our house comes from the kitchen.  For me, the aroma of the spices in Molasses Sugar Cookies epitomizes Christmas.

One of my pet peeves is when I take molasses cookies to functions and people refer to them as "Gingersnaps."  Both cookies use molasses and ginger, but that is the extent of their similarity.  Gingersnaps are crisp cookies; molasses cookies are soft.  In addition to ginger, molasses cookies also use cinnamon and cloves.

Molasses cookies are on the top row.

Gingersnaps are on the bottom row.

Molasses comes in light and dark varieties.  Light molasses is sweeter while dark molasses has more flavor and gives baked goods a darker color.   I prefer light molasses, but the two varieties can be interchanged so use whichever you prefer or have on hand.

If you don't use spices much during the year, it's a good idea to check them before you start baking.  If the spices have little or no aroma, throw them out.  If you can't smell them, you won't be able to taste them either.

The recipe is straightforward, but it does have a step not usually found in most cookie recipes.  The dry ingredients need to be sifted.  Sifting removes any lumps, helps blend ingredients and incorporates air which makes the ingredients lighter.

Over the years, friends have asked me how to tell if flour should be sifted before or after measuring.  If a recipe calls for 2 cups sifted flour, it means to sift the flour before it's measured.  If a recipe calls for 2 cups flour, sifted, it means to measure the flour before it's sifted.

Once the flour has been sifted and measured, I combine the remaining dry ingredients and sift them directly into the flour.  I use a fork or wire whisk to blend all the dry ingredients together.

The dough is sticky so chill it in the refrigerator for an hour.  This makes it easier to handle and shape into balls.  Keep the dough refrigerated between batches.

Roll the balls in granulated sugar

and place 2-inches apart -- they spread -- on a cookie sheet.

When the cookies are done, leave them on the cookie sheet for about a minute and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

The cookies are great for a Christmas cookie swap because the recipe makes four dozen cookies.  I also have it on good authority that Santa Claus likes finding a plate of these cookies and a glass of milk on Christmas Eve.

Molasses Sugar Cookies

4 Dozen

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

additional granulated sugar

Melt shortening and let cool.  Add sugar, molasses and egg; beat well.  Sift together flour, baking soda, cloves, ginger, cinnamon and salt; add to first mixture.  Mix well.  Chill dough in the refrigerator for an hour.  Form dough in 1-inch balls.  Roll balls in additional granulated sugar and place 2-inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes.

© Margaret's Morsels