Day 2, 2015: CHOCOLATE-COATED MINT PATTIES

Company’s Coming: Home For the Holidays :  by Jean Pare

Baked for your tasting pleasure by Sue Aldred. You can sample these chocolate bits of heaven today at the Rosa M. Harvey Middleton and Area Library.

Just as good as the store-bought patties, but better because you made them at home!

3 ½ Tbsp. flour

6 Tbsp. milk

3 cups icing sugar

1 tsp. peppermint extract 

1 ½ cups milk (or dark) chocolate, melted with ¼ bar paraffin wax

Mix flour and milk in a small saucepan until smooth. Stir constantly on medium heat until boiling and very thick. Remove from heat.

Add icing sugar and peppermint flavouring. Mix well. Let stand for five minutes. Turn onto surface dusted with icing sugar. Knead until smooth, adding more icing sugar as necessary, until no longer sticky. Divide into 2 equal portions. Shape each portion into a log, 1 inch in diameter. Cover with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature overnight. Cut into ¼ inch slices, re-shaping as necessary. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Let stand, uncovered, for about an hour, turning at halftime, until dry.

Heat the chocolate and paraffin wax over simmering water, stirring occasionally, until melted. Dip patties into chocolate (see tip below), allowing excess to drip back into melted chocolate. Place on foil or waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Let stand at room temperature until firm. Makes about 5 dozen mint patties. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Tip: For best results when dipping candies into chocolate, be sure the candy is room temperature. Place candy on a fork and lower candy into chocolate to cover completely. Lift, allowing excess to drip back into the melted chocolate.

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Day 1, 2015: ORANGE POPPY SEED SWIRLS

From Company’s Coming: Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen by Jean Paré.
Baked by Sue Mosher of our Bookmobile & Off-site services branch. These cookie delights will be on board for you to sample today in East Dalhousie and Springfield.

“Delicate shortbread cookie with a sweet orange filling. Arrange some in a coloured glass dish as a gift for your neighbour.” – Jean Paré

COOKIES
1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tbsp. poppy seeds

1 tbsp. grated orange zest

1 tbsp. milk

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch



 My first batch, baked for 10 minutes. L

Cream butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Add poppy seeds, orange zest, and milk. Beat well.

Combine flour and cornstarch in small bowl. Add to butter mixture half at a time, mixing well after each addition, until no dry flour remains. Prepare cookie sheets by greasing them or lining them with parchment paper. Spoon 1/2 of dough into piping bag fitted with medium star tip. Pipe 36 rosettes, 1 1/4 inches in diameter, about 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Roll remaining dough into thirty-six 3/4 inch balls. Arrange about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Dip flat-bottomed glass into flour or cornstarch. Flatten balls into 1 1/4 inch diameter discs. Bake rosettes and discs in a 350˚F oven for about 10 minutes [check after 5 minutes], until golden. Let stand on cookie sheets 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

My second batch, perfect!

FILLING

1 3/4 cups icing sugar

2 tbsp. butter or margarine, softened

1 tbsp. orange juice

2 tsp. grated orange zest

Beat all 4 ingredients in small bowl, adding more icing sugar or orange juice, if necessary, until spreadable consistency. Makes about 3/4 cup filling. Spread 1 tsp. filling on bottom of each disc. Place rosettes on top of filling.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

          I decided to try making these cookies because they looked so pretty. I made them with lemon instead of orange because I love anything that has lemon and poppy seed. They tasted really good!

          I found that 10 minutes was way too long for baking time. My cookies were nicely done at 6 minutes, so I would suggest keeping a close eye on them. I made three batches of a dozen each from this recipe, just as was indicated. They weren’t terribly difficult to make but I decided to make the last batch just circles without the rosettes.

 

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