Day 8: Creamy Christmas Butter Cookies

Jaki Fraser, the branch manager at our Lawrencetown Library, 
has cooked up a batch of Creamy Christmas Butter Cookies. 
These can be found at the Middleton Library today, so stop in for a treat.

Creamy Christmas Butter Cookies 

Preheat oven to 350

Grease 2 cookie sheets

In a large bowl mix at medium speed until just blended:

2 sticks unsalted butter ( 1 cup )

1 ½ cups confectioners sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Add and mix well: 1 large egg

In a separate bowl  mix together:

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

¼ tsp salt

Add to the butter mixture and mix at low speed until well combined.

Shape dough into ¾ inch balls. Arrange 2” apart on cookie sheets.  Flatten each with a fork. Sprinkle tops with colored sanding sugar. Bake 8 – 10 minutes or until lightly colored around the edges.   Let cool on sheets 5 minutes . 

 From the book Christmas Cookies from the Whimsical Bakehouse by Kaye Hansen. Jaki says that these are a  nice and simple buttery cookie  that  screamed  'Christmas’.   Doesn’t  get any easier than this!

Day 7: Brandied Raisin Oatmeal Drops

These cookies will be at the Kingston Library today. They were baked by Patricia Milner, our Head of Reference Services. Her cookies are from the book 1st American Cookie Lady : Recipes from a 1917 Cookie Diary by Barbara Swell.

 Brandied Raisin Oatmeal Drops

1/2 cup white sugar         2 tbs sour milk or yogurt
1 cup brown sugar           2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup butter                2 cups flour
2 eggs                      1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla               1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup raisins             3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup brandy or rum

Soak raisins in warm brandy until plump. Cream sugar and butter , add eggs, vanilla, and sour milk. Sift together flour, salt , and soda and add to creamed mixture.  Stir in oats, raisins and any remaining brandy, and walnuts.  Drop by spoonful onto paper or greased cookie sheet.  Sprinkle oats over tops and bake in a 350 degree oven about 10 minutes until medium brown.

Patricia's notes: I used pecans instead of walnuts and sour cream instead of milk with good results.  An old fashioned cookie that is not overly sweet but has nice flavour.

Day 6: Merry Fruit Cookies

Tim Jackson, who works in technical services at our library headquarters, baked these cookies. They are going to be at the Annapolis Royal Library in case you want to sample them!

 

MERRY FRUIT COOKIES

from the book Company’s Coming. Family Favorites for the Holidays:

These yummy, attractive cookies make an ideal cookie exchange contribution.

Glazed cherries, quartered          2 cups – 500ml

Dark raisins                                      1 ½ cups – 375 ml

Red pineapple rings, cut up          4

Green pineapple rings, cut up      4

Chopped dates                                 1 cup – 250 ml

All-purpose flour                              ½ cup – 125 ml

Butter or hard margarine,              1 lb. – 454 g

   Softened

Granulated sugar                             2 cups – 450 ml

Large eggs                                          3

Vanilla                                                 1 tsp. – 5 ml

Almond flavoring                             ½ tsp. – 2 ml

Baking powder                                  1 tsp. – 5 ml

Baking soda                                       1 tsp. – 5 ml

Ground cinnamon                            ½ tsp. – 2 ml

All-purpose flour                              4 ½ cups – 1 L

Place first 6 ingredients in medium bowl. Stir to coat fruit with flour.

Cream  butter and sugar well in large bowl. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and almond flavoring.

Stir baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon into second amount of flour in separate bowl. Add fruit mixture. Stir. Add to batter. Stir until it is too difficult to mix. Work with hands until flour is mixed in. shape into 4 or 5 logs about 1 ½ inches (4 cm) in diameter. Roll each log in waxed paper. Chill for 1 hour or longer. Cut in ¼ inch (6 mm) slices. Arrange on greased baking sheet ½  inch (12 mm) apart. Bake in 375 F (190 C) oven for about 10 minutes until golden brown. Makes about  9 dozen cookies.

Cookies from you!

These little guys helped Mom bake Ginger Snaps from the book Rise and Dine Canada by Marcy Claman. Remember, you too can enter to win gift cards! Click HERE to find out how!

Baking together is a great Family Literacy activity that involves both reading and math. Grab a cookbook and join the fun!

Day 5: Tuiles

These cookies are making their way from Annapolis Royal to the Bridgetown Library. They were baked by Dorothy MacDonald, the branch manager in Annapolis Royal. The recipe is from the book Ultimate Chocolate by Patricia Lousada.

Tuiles:

¾ cup Hazelnuts, toasted (toast in 350 oven for 8 minutes then place nuts on a towel and rub gently to remove skins)

1/3 cup Superfine sugar (if you cannot find Superfine sugar, simply spin granulated sugar in food processor until it is fine consistency)

4 tablespoons lightly salted butter

5 teaspoons cocoa powder

3 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons rum

2 large egg whites

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate pieces

1 - Chop a third of the hazelnuts and set aside. Finely grind the remaining nuts and the sugar together.

2 - Cream the butter then stir in the nut/sugar mixture, cocoa, cream and rum. Add the egg whites, stirring only enough to blend. Sift the flour over the mixture and fold in.

3 - Mark four or five circles, 4 ½ inches in diameter, on buttered and floured baking sheets. Put a scant tablespoon of the mixture in the centre of each circle and thinly spread it out with the back of the spoon. Sprinkle with a few pieces of the chopped nuts.

4 - Bake each batch separately in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes or until the edges of the tuiles are just beginning to darken.

5 - Remove the tuiles with a narrow spatula and, working quickly, put them over a rolling pin (or in a cup if you want tuile baskets, or around a metal or paper horn. Set the baking sheet in the open oven to keep the tuiles warm and pliable.

6 - Melt the semisweet chocolate and spoon into a paper piping bag. Pipe patterns of chocolate on the cold and crisp tuiles.

In case you, like me, don't know, Filberts are Hazelnuts (but not all Hazelnuts are Filberts!!)

From Dorothy:
Well, these looked so pretty in the book, and I figured you can't go wrong with nuts, chocolate and rum, but mine certainly did not turn out looking like the ones the pros did for the book!! And I didn't end up with 16 usable cookies. Many cracked and fell apart ;( I just hope they taste better than they look!! Oh, and the part about gently rubbing the nuts to remove the skins...that didn't work well at all!!


Merry Christmas to all!!

Day 4: Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Marian Fulton, who works at the Windsor Library, baked some festive biscotti.. Look for them this afternoon at the Hantsport Library. Here's the recipe, from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook, along with some notes from Marian.

CRANBERRY-PISTACHIO BISCOTTI
 
Makes about 4 dozen
These red-and-green flecked cookies are particularly festive at Christmas;
Martha likes to bake several batches to give away as gifts.
 
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup boiling water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
3 large eggs, plus 1 large egg lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped 
 
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a large baking sheet with
parchment paper; set aside.  Place cranberries in a small bowl, and add
boiling water.  Let stand until plump, about 15 minutes.  Drain and set
aside.  Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl;
set aside.
 
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat
the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2
minutes.  Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each
addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Beat in
vanilla.  Add the flour mixture, and mix on low speed until combined.
 

Mix in the drained cranberries and the pistachios.
 
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, divide in half.  Shape each
piece into a 16-by-2-inch log, and transfer to prepared baking sheet, about
3 inches apart.  With the palm of your hand, flatten logs slightly.
 

Brush beaten egg over the surface of the dough logs, and sprinkle with
sugar.
 
Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until logs are slightly firm to the
touch, about 25 minutes.  Transfer logs on parchment paper to a wire rack
to cool slightly, about 20 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 300
degrees F.
 
Place logs on a cutting board.  Using a serrated knife, cut the logs
crosswise on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices.  Place the wire rack
on a large rimmed baking sheet.  Arrange slices, cut sides down, on the
rack.  Bake until firm to touch, about 30 minutes.  Remove pan from oven;
let biscotti cool completely on the rack.  Biscotti can be kept in airtight
container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
 
Marian's notes:
I use sanding sugar for sprinkling my Biscotti rather than regular sugar. 

In my opinion Biscotti keeps well almost indefinitely!  I bake several
different kinds of Biscotti early in December for enjoying all month.
Biscotti, if packed in moisture-proof packaging in a sturdy box, travels
very well. I once sent a large box containing about 10 different kinds to a cousin in
Ontario.  It arrived in great shape and was enjoyed for many weeks.  Sure
it gets a little drier and harder over time but when dunked in a cup of tea
or coffee it is still delicious.

Marian Fulton , Windsor Branch

Day 3: Coconut Bars

Lynn Manning, who works at the Kentville Library, is today's baker. Her cookies are going to be at the Port Williams Library. Her recipe is from the book The Home Baker by Jaqueline Bellefontaine.

Coconut Bars
7/8  Cup butter.
1    Cup brown sugar
2    Tbsp.Corn Syrup
Generous 1 1/2 cups oats
3/4 Cup dry unsweetened coconut
75 gm Candied cherries, chopped

Prehead to 325°F.  Grease a 12" x 9" cookie sheet.

Put the butter, sugar and syrup in a large pan over low head and heat till
melted. Add remaining ingredients.

Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared cookie sheet and press down with
the back of a spatula to make a smooth surface.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Let cool on the cookie sheet for 10 min.  Cut into
squares using a sharp knife. 

Carefully transfer the pieces of oat cakes to a cooling rack and let cool
completely. 

Store in an airtight container.