86-L>ncaster Firming, Saturday, December 2, 1995
Holiday Baking
Holiday Baking ‘Store frosted or decorated
Checklist cookies with waxed paper
sleet a few favorite recipes and between layers to protect them,
or two new ones. Review each -if bar cookies are to be eaten
' carefully and take an inven- immediately, they can be stored in
of ingredients and staples. Be the baking pan. Keep tightly
to stock up on any missing covered,
is before baking day to avoid «Most cookies freeze beautiful
,-minute dashes to the store. ly. Freeze fragile cookies in sturdy
Check the use-by dates on bak- cookie tins with waxed paper
powder and baking soda; between layers. Package sturdier
lenish any that are past the varieties in heavy-duty freezer
jiration date. bags or airtight containers.
•Clear off counter tops and the •Label containers with a ball
tchen table so you’ll have point pen or waterproof marker,
nigh space to spread out. Set up include the type of cookie, quanti
lions for mixing, shaping/ ty and the date,
ling, cooling and decorating. «Thaw cookies at room temper
-Pull out the mixer and appro- aturc in their container or
\te baking pans and cookie wrapping.
5, measuring cups, measur
spoons, and any other equip
it called for before you start
dng BERRY-ALMOND BARS
Use only the highest quality 1 CU P butter, softened
redients, like pure extracts, CU P confectioners sugar
large eggs and pure, natural 214 cups all-purpose flour
.ter. You can taste the 1 10-ounce jar seedless raspber
rercnce. ry jam or any flavor
Don’t use whipped butter for % cup sliced almonds, lightly
ing. Measurements will not be toasted
il because whipped butter con- Confectioners’ sugar (optional)
is more moisture and air. . Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In
Printed measurements on large mixing bowl, cream butter
is of butter make measuring and sugar until light and fluffy.
;y and convenient. Good-lo- Gradually add flour, beating on
'w butter equivalents are: 1 low speed until well blended. With
id, 4 sticks, 2 cups, (32 tables- floured fingertips, press dough
s); 'A pound, 2 sticks, 1 cup, evenly onto bottom of
tablespoons); 14 pound, 1 15xl0xl-inchbakingpan.BakelB
;, 14 cup, (8 tablespoons): 14 to 20 minutes until light golden
md, 14 stick, 14 cup, (4 brdwn. Cool on rack 15 minutes,
lespoons). Stir jam gently to blend; spread
Storing Butter evenly over crust. Sprinkle
Refrigerator Unopened butter almonds evenly over jam. Bake
the original package keeps for 10-13 minutes, just until jam
weeks in the refrigerator at begins to bubble around edges.
39°F or lower.* Opened butter Cool completely on wire rack. Cut
should be stored, cohered, in the into bars or other shapes. If
refrigerator butter compartment desired, sprinkle with confection-
Frcezcr: Butter in its original ers’ sugar just before serving,
package and wrapped in foil or Yield: 5 dozen,
placed in a resealable plastic Variations: Chocolate-Drizzled
freezer bag keeps for'six to nine Bars: Melt V* cup semisweet cho
months at O°F or lower. colate pieces or white chocolate
*Because salt helps extend but- pieces according to package direc
tor's shelf life, unsalted butter is tions. Transfer to small resealable
best kept frozen until ready to use. bag; seal tightly. Snip small hole in
one comer of bag. Squeeze thin
lines of chocolate over cookies.
Let set 30 minutes; cut into bars.
Almond Glazed Bars: Mix
together 3 A cup confectioners’
sugar, 1 to I‘/j tablespoons milk or
cream and '/• teaspoon almond
extract until smooth; drizzle over
cookies. Let set 30 minutes; cut
into bars.
Storing, Packaging and
Freezing Cookies
•Cool cookies completely
before storing in airtight contain
ers or they will become soggy.
•Store only one kind of cookie
in each container. Moist cookies
packed with crisp ones can cause
the crisp cookies to soften; highly
flavored cookies such as gingers
naps can transfer flavors to deli
cately flavored cookies such as
shortbread.
Recipe Topics
If you have recipes for the topics listed below, please
share them with us. We welcome your recipes, but ask that
you include accurate measurements, a complete list of ingre
dients and clear instructions with each recipe you submit.
Send your recipes to Lou Ann Good, Lancaster Farming,
P.O. Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522. Recipes should reach our
office one week before publishing date.
December
9-
16-
23-
30.
Am. Dairy Asociation
Gifts from the Kitchen
Holiday Snacks
Holiday Buffet
Your Favorite Recipe
From Lancaster Farming
A delightful display of cookies makes holiday entertaining inviting.
NUTMEG
BUTTER THINS
3 cups all-puipose flour
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
V* teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
Vi cup granulated sugar
Vi cup firmly packed brown
sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
Combine flour, nutmeg and
salt; mix well. Set aside. In large
mixing bowl, cream butter and
sugars until light and fluffy. Beat
in egg and vanilla. Add flour mix
ture; mix well. Divide dough in
half. Shape each half into a roll
about 10 inches long and VA
inches in diameter. Wrap each roll
in plastic wrap; chill at least 3
hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Work
with one roll of dough at a time,
leaving remaining dough wrapped
and refrigerated. With sharp knife,
cut roll into V* -inch thick slices.
Place 1 inch apart on cookie
sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or
until edges are light golden brown.
Remove to wire rack; cool
completely.
Yield: about 6 dozen.
Variations
Spice Butter Thins: Reduce nut
meg to '/> teaspoon and add 1
teaspoon ground cinnamon and 'A
teaspoon ground cloves to flour
mixture.
Nutty Butter Thins: Stir 1 cup Note: Rolls of cookie dough
toasted, finely chopped pecans or can be wrapped airtight and
hazelnuts into dough before shap- refrigerator up to 2 weeks or firo
ing. Or, roll shaped dough in 1 cup zen up to 6 months. Thaw frozen
toasted, finely chopped nuts dough overnight in the refrigera
before shilling tor. Slice and bake as directed
Sugar ‘N’ Spice Butter Thins: above
Sprinkle sliced cookies with
cinnamon-sugar or nutmeg-sugar
before baking.
Featured Recipe
Berks County Dairy Princess Jennifer Davis is studying dairy and
animal science at Penn Slate’s Berks Campus where she belongs to the
Ag Club and the Wise Women in Science and Engineering Club.
Jennifer helps her parents. Ray and Frances Davis, with their
350-acre JMJ-Spring Pond Farm in Leesport, where they raise Hols
teins, com, and hay.
Jennifer considers it a privilege to promote dairy products. Here is a
cookie recipe that she believes our readers will enjoy.'
V* cup butter'
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
VA cups all-purpose flour -
1 teaspoon baking powder
'A teaspoon salt
% cup chopped walnuts
Confectioners’ sugar
Melt butter and chocolate in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Beat
eggs and sugar in a large muter bowl. Gradually mix in chocolate mix
ture. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt, gradually add to choco
late mixture. Stir in walnuts. Chill dough at least one hour.
1 Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Shape dough into one-inch balls. Roll
in confectioners' sugar. Place on buttered cookie sheets. Bake 15 to 18
minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.
(Turn to Page B 8)
CHOCOLATE PIXIES