Cooking with INTERCOT - December 2007

[Beast_fanatic]

Thought I'd go ahead and get this started since I came across this cookie recipe yesterday. It sounds yummy, and easy too!

Toffee Cookie Bites

24 graham cracker squares
1 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 (12 ounce) package milk chocolate morsels
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted

Cover bottom of a 13 x 9 inch aluminum foil lined pan with graham crackers. Microwave butter and brown sugar in a microwave-safe glass bowl on high for 3 to 4 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Pour butter mixutre over crackers.

Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with chocolate morsels, spreading as they melt. Sprinkle with nuts. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Cut toffee into 1-inch squares or break into pieces, and store in an airtight container in refrigerator.

Yield: About 4 1/2 dozen

[MsMin]

I'm so glad you started this thread.
I made 4 batches of pralines yesterday and one toffee. (recipes available) great thing about these is they don't go stale as fast as a cookie so they make a great gift!
Anyone else participate in the 12 cookies of Christmas?
Here's cookie 1
Almond Lace Florentine
These Tuscan cookies are a Christmas classic. They're nutty, lacy and crisp, as well as deceptively simple to make. Drizzling them with chocolate turns them into the perfect holiday indulgence.

1 3/4 cups sliced, blanched almonds (about 5 ounces)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Finely grated zest of 1 orange (about 2 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Topping, optional:
2 to 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Pulse the almonds in a food processor until finely chopped, but not pasty. Stir together the nuts, flour, zest and salt in a large bowl.

Put the sugar, cream, corn syrup and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a rolling boil and sugar is completely dissolved. Continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, then pour mixture into almond mixture and stir just to combine. Set aside until cool enough to handle, 30 minutes.

Scoop rounded teaspoons (for 3-inch cookies) or rounded tablespoons (for 6-inch cookies) of batter and roll into balls. Place on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 3 to 4 inches between each cookie since they spread.

Bake 1 pan at a time, until the cookies are thin and an even golden brown color throughout, rotating pans halfway through baking time, about 10 to 11 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve.

Optional chocolate topping:
Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch or so of water to a very low simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, about 1 to 2 minutes more.)

For sandwiches: Drop about 1/2 teaspoon chocolate onto on the flat side of half of the cookies and press together with remaining halves. Return to rack and let chocolate set.

Drizzle melted chocolate over Florentines as desired. Set aside at room temperature until chocolate is set.

Store baked cookies carefully, separated by parchment or waxed paper, in an air-tight container. Florentines are best stored separated from moist cookies and cakes.

[disneydeb]

Thought I'd go ahead and get this started since I came across this cookie recipe yesterday. It sounds yummy, and easy too!

Toffee Cookie Bites

24 graham cracker squares
1 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 (12 ounce) package milk chocolate morsels
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted

Cover bottom of a 13 x 9 inch aluminum foil lined pan with graham crackers. Microwave butter and brown sugar in a microwave-safe glass bowl on high for 3 to 4 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Pour butter mixutre over crackers.

Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with chocolate morsels, spreading as they melt. Sprinkle with nuts. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Cut toffee into 1-inch squares or break into pieces, and store in an airtight container in refrigerator.

Yield: About 4 1/2 dozen


I've made these before and they are WONDERFUL! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[caryrae]

Gingerbread Loaf

Dry ingred.
4 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

wet ingred.
2 cups milk
2 tblsp veg. oil
2 eggs
1 cup maple syrup

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. In another bowl combine the eggs,milk, syrup, and oil. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened (batter will be thin). Pour into 2 greased 9x5x2 in. loaf pans. Bake 325 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 min before removing from pans to wire rack.

[caryrae]

Sugared N' Spiced Nuts

3 cups pecan or walnut halves
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 tblsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 275 degrees. Grease cookie sheet. Spread nuts on prepared sheet, bake 10 minutes. In medium saucepan, combine sugar, water,cinnamon, cloves and salt. Bring to a boil; continue cooking for 2 minutes, stiring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and nuts. Using slotted spoon, remove nuts to foil or waxed paper. Separate with fork; let dry. Store in airtight container in cool dry place.
makes 4 1/2 cups

[Wrigley]

Peppermint Bark

1 pound white almond bark
1 package crushed candy canes

Melt the almond bark in microwave safe container in the microwave. I usually do it in 30 second intervals and stir in between.

Crush the candy canes-I usually put them in a food processor to chop them up. Or, you can put them in a plastic bag and smash them with a hammer.

Pour the almond bark onto a large sheet of wax paper.

Fold in the crushed candy canes into the almond bark.

Spread out the mixture on the wax paper to a thin layer.

Let the mixture harden. Once hard, break into pieces.

Enjoy!!!!!

[Aggie97]

Chocolate Balls

1 package Oreos (18-20 oz.)
1 8-oz. package cream cheese - softened
Milk chocolate chips or melting chocolate

Crush Oreos in blender or food processor.
Mix in softened cream cheese using mixer (will be thick).
Form into balls (approx. 1.5").
Place in refrigerator.

Melt chocolate.
Roll balls in chocolate and refrigerate.

[Beast_fanatic]

Any suggestions/recipes for a side dish that I can take to a holiday party? There will be 20-30 people there, and we're having brisket and pork loin as the meats.

[Christine]

Any suggestions/recipes for a side dish that I can take to a holiday party? There will be 20-30 people there, and we're having brisket and pork loin as the meats.

I think a good old fashioned cheeseball or cheese dip would be great! Christmas just wouldn't be Chirstmas without a little artery hardening!!

[offwego]

I make a yummy potato dish that could work well.

1 litre table cream (18% I think a litre is a little over 4 cups but it's the taller container if that helps)
4lbs sliced potatoes (yukon gold is best but a potato for mashing is wanted) peeled as well.
1 onion
4 cloves
2 tsp mace
2-3 bayleaves
Simmer onion with cloves stuck in it in cream along with mace & bay leaves till hot.

Add potatoes (cook till tender at least 25 minutes it might be longer) on a low simmer
place in 13x9 glass dish, bake at 450 20-15 minutes until golden brown on top and bubbly. (can be made ahead and then I would lower heat to 425 and bake for 30-35 minutes).

let rest at least 10-15 minutes before serving. (can be made up to one day ahead with no major defects but the pan you've boiled the potatoes and cream in can get kinda gucky...use baking soda to scrub it out!)

[missbunny]

This is a simple no-bake pie that my family loves.

Cherry Cheese Pie

Ingredients

one graham cracker pie shell
one 8 oz. package cream cheese (softened)
one 15 oz can sweetened condensed milk
one teaspoon vanilla extract
one-third cup lemon juice
one can cherry pie filling

Directions

Mix cream cheese, condensed milk, vanilla and lemon juice until there are no lumps. Pour into pie shell and refrigerate for about 2-3 hours. Pour pie filling over top and let chill for about 1 hour.
You can use different pie fillings like blueberry or strawberry. I also use little tart size shells to make individual desserts. This is also great for a Fourth of July party as it can be red, white and blue if you use cherries and blueberries on top of the filled pie shell. I also use a chocolate pie shell with cherry topping to make a blackforest pie.
Thanks for the recipes, I can going to have fun trying them all out.
Happy holidays to all!