tasty tuesday christmas almond cherry bars

what you'll need...

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup maraschino cherries coarsely chopped and drained
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup shredded coconut

what you need to do...

preheat oven to 350
cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy
beat in egg and almond extract
stir in flour, baking powder and salt until just blended.
stir in chocolate chips, cherries, almonds and coconut
spread into a lightly greased 9x13 pan
bake 25-30 minutes
cool completely before cutting.

what i sometimes do differently...
i skip the chocolate. don't get me wrong. i LOVE chocolate. but i love almond and maraschino cherries all by themselves. the consistency is a bit different without the chocolate but i like them better without.
i eat enough chocolate. one recipe without it is ok. i will not lose my chocolate lovers club membership for it. i'm sure.

its tasty on friday too...

since it's the christmas season and there is just so much baking and cookie eating that needs to be done i thought i'd throw in a few extra recipes here and there...

this basic german cookie can be adapted in SO many ways. for the most part you can add whatever you want! spices, cocoa, flavor extracts... whatever you're feeling like when you make them.

Basic Spritz

2/3 cup sugar
1 cup butter (i sometimes use margerine if thats all i have in the fridge)
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour


heat oven to 400F
in a large mixer bowl combine sugar, butter, egg, salt, and vanilla.
beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until mixture is light and fluffy (2-3 min)
add flour (if you want to add food coloring add it now)
beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed (2-3 min)
fill your cookie press and press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheets about an inch apart.
decorate with colored sugar or sprinkles!
bake for 6-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

this recipe makes about 60 cookies give or take (depending on your cookie press - mine makes closer to 80 because it makes itty bitty dainty cookies).

these are delicious with almond extract instead of vanilla!

enjoy!

tasty tuesday - chocolate cookie bark

this one is pretty easy... but delicious!

this is what you'll need:

1 pkg (8 squares) semi sweet chocolate
1 pkg (6 squares) white chocolate
2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
10 oreos


what you need to do:

melts chocolate in separate bowls over double boiler
add peanut butter to the white chocolate and stir until well mixed
crumble 5 cookies into each bowl and mix well

drop spoonfuls of the chocolate mixtures onto a wax paper covered baking sheet alternating chocolates.
cut through chocolate on sheet with a knife for marble effect.


refrigerate for at least 1 hour then break into pieces.
store in an airtight container.


variation:
instead of cookies and peanut butter add crumbled candy canes to the chocolate and sprinkle red sugar sprinkles on top for some delicious peppermint bark.

tasty tuesday - mint spritz

ok, i know its nowhere near time to get started on christmas baking, but i couldn't help but start thinking about it when i was shopping on the weekend and saw christmas displays popping up all over the place.
these are my favorite christmas cookies that i ALWAYS make.

Mint Spritz With Chocolate Centers

2/3 cup sugar


1 cup butter -- softened

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon mint extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

green food coloring (optional - but i always add it... it's festive!)

mint chocolate chips - one per cookie

 
Heat oven to 400F. In large mixer bowl combine sugar, butter, egg, salt, vanilla, and mint extract. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until mixture is light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add flour. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in green food coloring, adding just enough to acheive the desired color. If dough is too soft, cover and refrigerate until firm enough to form cookies, 30 to 45 minutes. Place dough in cookie press. Form desired shapes 1 inch apart on cookie sheets. I always make pointettas. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Immediately after removing cookies from oven place one mint chocolate chip upside down in the center of each cookie then let cool on a cooling rack until the chocolate is set.
 
variations -
 
don't add the mint extract or food coloring and instead add some almond extract and a piece of candied cherry in the center of the flower. super delicious.
 
i usually use margerine instead of butter just because i always have blocks of margerine in the fridge... works just fine.
 

so much to do... so little time

sometimes i don't know where the days go. already october is coming to an end.... i still can't believe that it is already october and now its almost over!
i have planned this year to have all my christmas shopping done by the end of november but now i'm already starting to wonder if that is going to happen. i have 4 days of craft sales in november and one home party so i won't have much weekend time to do my shopping... maybe i'll have to buy presents at the craft sales!
i've made several presents already so i have made a small dent in the shopping list but not enough to feel like i'm on schedule. this year i am trying to minimize the number of gifts that are commercially purchased opting for handmade or locally produced gifts but some people are hard to buy for!
the snow on the ground has made me realize that i'd better get started on it because like it or not, christmas will come in a blink of an eye.