I know this is not on the scheduled topic, but I need some recipes........
Dear Friends and Family,
I have a project that I am doing with my sisters. We are collecting a whole bunch of holiday favorite recipes. I am asking if you would be willing to share some of your family tradition favorite recipes. I am compiling them, to give away as gifts to family members, and friends. If you have any to share, please email them to me or put in the comment section. 1 or more is great. I would really like to see what you all like for the Holidays!Cookies, cakes, bars, balls, main dishes, snacks, breakfast,etc. Please share anything that is your family favorites for the holidays.Please put them in the comment section of the posting, or email them to me!
Laura H.
lmh4him@hotmail.com
9 comments:
Hello Laura,
This is a cookie recipe I love to make in december. It's a traditional for a Dutch holiday (Sinterklaas). The spices are readily available around here, even ready-made. I always mix my own, so that's the mixture I wrote down here. The cookies are called 'speculaasjes' (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speculaas). Perhaps, if they're not common in your part of the world, they'll make a nice unusual/traditional holiday gift.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup soft brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp water
2 cups selfrising flour
2 tbsp cookiecrumbs
1 1/2 tbsp speculaas spices
1 tbsp cream
optional filling:
1 tbsp chopped lemon peel
2 tbsp chopped almonds
2 tbsp chopped candied peel
speculaas spices:
4 parts ground cinnamon
4 parts ground nutmeg
4 parts ground cloves
2 parts ground dried ginger
1 part ground aniseed
1 part ground white pepper
1 part ground cardamom seeds
Cream the butter and sugar. Sieve the flour, salt and spices into the mix and add the water until you have a soft dough. Wrap the dough and leave it in the fridge (at least one hour, but preferably overnight. Take it out when you're ready to bake it. If you intend to fill your cookies, now is the time to knead the filling through the dough. Then roll it out and cut it. You can use a special mould to form the cookies or just use any cookie cutter. I like my speculaasjes thin, so I roll it out to about 1/5 or 1/4 inch. Thicker cookies might need to bake a little longer. Brush the cookies with a little cream. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 310 F.
Enjoy!
Liedeke, what a neat recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Hello again,
Sorry to bother you again, but I thought I should perhaps mention the fact that I'm not quite sure of the measurements I gave you in my earlier response. I took it upon myself to convert metric to ... well, whatever the American measurement system is called :-). Now, I did make sure to give you the American measurements (not the British), so it should be okay if I calculated everything correctly.
Probably best if you try it out at least once before gifting your innocent unsuspecting family with an incorrect recipe :-).
Have fun!
~Liedeke
Hello, this is a Christmas cookie recipes of my Grandmothers.
Chocolate Pixies
Melt slowly together: 1/2 cup butter, 4 squares of unsweetened chocolate. Cool. Add 2 cups sugar, 4 eggs. Sift together 3 cups flour 2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt. Add to creamed mixture with 1/2 cups chopped nuts (we use pecans). Mix into stiff dough. Chill 15 minutes. Shape dough into tsp. size balls, roll balls in powdered sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, may require more baking time. Makes 8 dozen.
Rachel, that looks delicious. I think I can actually smell them :-). Would you mind estimating the weight of 4 squares of unsweetened chocolate? I'd really like to try these pixies...
Thank you!
~Liedeke
Liedeke,
Four squares of chocolate is 4 ounces of chocolate. Enjoy!
This is one version of the soda bread I make year 'round - for the non-Irish, it makes a great treat for the holidays. Soda bread is VERY dense. Add raisins or currants for extra fun!
INGREDIENTS
* 4 cups all-purpose flour
* 4 tablespoons white sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup margarine, softened
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 1 egg
* 1/4 cup butter, melted
* 1/4 cup buttermilk
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.
It's best to let the cooked soda bread sit for about five to seven hours before it's cut, so make it in the morning!
THankyou ladies, for your contributions. My family really appreciates them!
Laura H.
Dear Rachel and Beatrice,
Thank you so much! I made both the pixies and the soda bread and they were lovely. And so new traditions begin :-).
~Liedeke
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