Slipper Story

My son asked if I would make him a pair of slippers. He said he couldn't find the ones that he used to have. I said, well, you're 15 now and I made those for you when you were 7. So, I made him a pair of slippers for Christmas. I didn't finish the second one until a few days after, but he didn't mind. When I presented them to him he had a sad look on his face and said that they're not the same! I felt so bad and asked "what do you mean?" and he said "the other ones had little dots on the bottom". Oh, I remembered then that I used glow-in-the-dark fabric paint to make non-skid dots on the bottom of them. I laughed and, luckily, still had some paint. He loves his pocket watch best.

Christmas Cookies

These are a favorite cookie that I blogged about a year ago and are shown above from Valentine's Day.

Nonie Cookies Revisited

I thought I'd share with you my family's favorite cookie recipe. This was my great-grandmother Eleanor's recipe for sugar cookies. They've since come to be called "Nonie Cookies" since she was "Grandma Nonie." It is a classic cookie recipe, enjoyed all year long. I like them a little thick, while my Mom likes them thin and crispy. See what you think.


NONIE COOKIES

Mix together 3 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar and a dash of freshly ground nutmeg. Make a well in the center and add 1 cup shortening, 1 egg, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well.

Roll half the dough on a floured cloth or board. Sprinkle with sugar and roll it in gently. Cut with your favorite cookie cutters. Bake at 350° until lightly brown. Roll and cut remaining dough. You can use colored sugars if desired.

Cocoa Drops with Browned Butter Icing

My nut roll turned out very nice. I probably should have baked two at a time instead of crowding them all onto one sheet, but it is delicious! I made the gingerbread, but haven't decorated it yet. It is quite tasty, especially with the fresh lemon and orange juice and zests!
I also made Cocoa Drops, which are a family favorite. They are frosted with Browned Butter Icing and it really makes it a stand-out, or outstanding cookie! This is a big batch. Feel free to make a 1/2 batch.

COCOA DROPS

Mix together 2 cups Crisco shortening and 1 1/2 cups sugar and beat well. Add 4 eggs and mix well and add 2 teaspoons vanilla. Add 3 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups cocoa powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well. I use a small cookie scoop, but you can drop by tablespoonful onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 12 - 15 minutes. Frost when cool.
BROWNED BUTTER ICING
Brown 1/4 cup butter, add 2 cups powdered sugar and enough milk to make the right consistency. (Make sure to really brown the butter. You want that toasted flavor, but not burned.)

Oh Nuts!

The Nut Roll dough is rising and the filling is made. I followed this gingerbread recipe and the wet ingredients are cooling. Oh my it smells so good with lemon, orange and spices! Watch this short video to see how fantastic this gingerbread looks.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/104296/food-network-originals-gingerbread-cookies
Now that I'm waiting, I think I'll bake some mini loaves of Aunt John's Nut Bread. Yes, her name was Lucille, but everyone called her John. I miss my Grandma. She used to whip up a loaf of nut bread in no time. I think I was about 11 or 12 when I wrote this card.
Note...there's no butter or shortening in this recipe. I have called my Mom several times to make sure I wrote it down correctly. It is simple and tasty.
More no-nuts recipes in the coming days!

White Christmas

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful. Since we've no place to go.... Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!!!

Looks like we're going to have a White Christmas this year! I was just looking at some pictures from last year and remembering that we had no snow. Next week's forecast is promising!

There's still time to order some last minute gifts to snuggle up in...

Rugelach and Nut Roll Cookies

These are Ina's Rugelach from Food Network's 12 Days of Cookies newsletter. Rugelach have cream cheese in the dough, and a fruity filling.
My father-in-law gave me this recipe for Nut Rolls. It's a yeast-based dough that you roll out small balls, fill and roll individual cookies in sugar. (Make the dough the night before!)

NUT ROLLS

1/2 # melted butter
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 can evaporated milk
1 package dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 - 5 cups flour

Mix dough and put it in a greased, covered bowl. Refrigerate for 12 hours.

Filling: 1 cup ground nuts, 1 1/2 Tablespoons butter, 1/8 cup water, 1/6 cup dark Karo syrup, 1/2 cup hot milk. Stir and cook filling to boiling point. Add one beaten egg and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Cool to room temperature.

Take a small ball of dough the size of a walnut. Roll thin in granulated sugar. Fill, roll and shape into a crescent. Bake at 350° 20 minutes...more or less.

Tasty Cookie Mishap

I wanted to make a shortbread style cookie with a chocolate disc on top...kind of like the Peanut Butter Kisses, but I didn't want peanut butter and all I had were the chocolate discs.

I found a recipe that used Hershey's Hugs and you made half the dough chocolate and half white. I just left it all white and thought it would work. Well, as you can see, it didn't.
The cookies spread too much. They taste good, but it's like a sugar cookie with a chocolate center.
I'll try again, but definitely need a shortbread recipe.
Happy baking!