The last Christmas post....and cookie recipe

ding ding.....update - Here are your pictures, Pat. I couldn't bear to cover Santa's face..lol

This will be my last post until after Christmas....I am overwhelmed right now. There are lists to be made, food to be shopped for, presents to be wrapped and maybe some more shopping.

Of course that means that I totally spent today baking cookies. I was looking for a traditional macaroon cookie recipe and stopped when I read this one. It is NOT the traditional macaroon recipe. This one is AWESOME!! I love coconut and I love oatmeal cookies. I love a crisp cookie and this one fits all three criteria....

They are called Button Macaroons ... I am guess they are called this because you only use 1/2 tsp dough per cookie and they turn out about the size of a button...who knew??

1 egg separated
1/3 c sugar, remove 3 tbl for egg whites
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp vanilla
3/4 c quick oats
1/2 c coconut
1 tbl butter, melted

Beat egg white until foamy white and double in volume in a small bowl with electric mixer at high speed; beat in 3 tbl of the sugar, 1 tbl at a time until firm peaks form. Set aside

Beat egg yolk well in a medium size bowl, beat in remainder of the sugar until fluffy-light. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Fold in beaten egg white.

Drop by half teaspoonfuls 1 inch apart on well greased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes. Cookies will spread. I got better luck spraying the cookie sheet with Pam than when I used a silpat sheet.

Cool on wire racks, store in airtight container. Yield 3 dozen (although I only got 2 dozen plus 4 cookies....)

I had good luck doubling this recipe and got a about 4 dozen cookies. Of course I counted them after sampling them. So maybe it did make 6 dozen and I ate 2 dozen? No, couldn't be!!

I wish you all a Happy Holiday Season...

See ya next year...

Nancy

another quick Christmas gift idea....

DING DING DING UPDATE!!! For a sugar-free, fat-free version try this link.... I have not tried it, so if you do and it is good, let me know.....(my sis is "the cook" of the family and searched this out for me..THANKS SIS!!)


I think there are some people on my list that would love some Hot Chocolate for those cold wintery nights.... I found this recipe on line and wish I could remember where so I could give kudo's. It is the best hot chocolate mix I have ever tasted. Great to put under the tree for last minute "uh oh, they brought us a gift and we didn't know it" times...

For this you will need the following -

4 cups nonfat dry milk powder

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup non-dairy coffee creamer

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 (4 oz) pkg instant chocolate fudge pudding (I couldn't find the fudge kind, so I used plain chocolate pudding)

Mix all together in a large bowl. I used a rubbermaid container with a lid and shook it all up.

This recipe will fill 2 quart canning jars. Add a ribbon, bow and instructions.... You could also package it in reusable plastic containers with a nice mug on the side.

To make add 1/4 cup mix to 8 oz hot water. The Rock Star loved it, but wants to try it with hot milk next time...

Wah Lah....another quick gift ready to deliver. Yes, there are only 3 jars here. We have the other jar almost empty. We are drinking a lot of hot chocolate in this cold weather.

Happy Holidays,
Nancy

Yummy, Delicious and from scratch.....

I can't remember where I got this recipe, but I am sure glad I snagged it ...

Lemon-Blueberry Cake

Cream together 1 stick of butter and 1 cup of sugar.
Beat in 2 eggs.
Combine with 2 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Mix above with 1/2 cup of milk and 1 tsp vanilla.
Stir in 1-1/2 cups of blueberries(fresh or frozen). I also added some of the lemon zest. (yes, I used a real lemon)

Pour into a greased 8" square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. I actually had to bake mine at 350 for 1 hour before it was done in the center.

While cake is still hot, poke holes in it with a toothpick. Make a mixture of 1/4 cup (juice of 1 lemon) of lemon juice and 1/3 cup sugar. Pour over top of cake.

This is a wonderfully moist cake. If you shared this recipe on your blog or know who did, please leave a comment so I can credit them. It is a great cake.

Happy Sewing
Nancy