More Cookies And Candies

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Trish Hill, Campbellsville,

Member of Taylor Co. RECC 

Amount of Time to prepare: 20 Minutes

COOKIE MIX

1-1/2 all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 (10 oz) jars small maraschino cherries (about 48) or 24 large maraschino cherries, halved

FROSTING

1 (6 oz.) package semisweet chocolate pieces (not imitation)

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1. In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. in a large mixing bowl beat softened butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds, add sugar, beat till fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beat well on medium speed. Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed till well blended.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press down center of each with your thumb.

4. Drain cherries and reserve the juice. Press a small cherry or half of a large cherry into the center of each ball of cookie dough.

5. For the frosting you will need a small heavy saucepan. Melt the chocolate pieces in the sweetened condensed milk over low heat, stirring often. Stir in 4 teaspoons of the reserved cherry juice. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the frosting over each cherry spread to cover cherry. (Add more cherry juice to frosting to thin.)

6. Bake in preheated oven 350 degrees 10 minutes.

Servings: 45 Cookies

These are better than the chocolate covered cherry candy. The cookie is moist and delicious with a surprise cherry on top. One of our favorite family Christmas cookies.

Chocolate Cherry Lemon Drop Cookie

Pearline Jordan, Salyersville

Member of Licking Valley RECC

Amount of Time to prepare:  30 minutes

COOKIE:

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/2 Tsp baking powder

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped,

or 1/2 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup butter (do not substitute)

2 eggs

1 tsp instant coffee crystals

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup chopped maraschino cherries

2 tsp cherry juice (from the jar of maraschino cherries)

LEMON DRIZZLE:

1 cup vanilla chips (or white chocolate chips, I used vanilla)

2 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2cup powdered sugar

4-5  Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Stir together baking powder and flour, set mixture aside.

Place the chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips) and chopped butter in sauce pan, melt the chocolate and butter on low heat. Stir until totally melted and shiny, remove from heat.  Beat eggs and coffee crystals for 30 seconds. Gradually add the sugar, beat 2 minutes or until mixture is thick.  With mixer on low beat in the chocolate mixture. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips, pecans, and cherries. Drop by heaping teaspoons 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minuets or until set and cracking slightly.

Lemon Drizzle:

Melt butter and vanilla chips in 1 qt. sauce pan, on low heat. After chips are melted, add 4-5 tbsp lemon juice and the sugar. (Make sure you add enough lemon juice to reach a drizzle consistency.)

Servings: About 32

This recipe is a modification from Better Homes and Gardens Cookies&Desserts ” Chocolate Heaven Cookies.” It just popped in my head to switch the walnuts called for in the recipe to pecans, add cherries, and drizzle with a lemon icing. This recipe just seems to combine all the flavors of Christmas.

Raspberry Gems

Veronica Mitchell of Park Hills, KY

Amount of Time to prepare: 10-15 minutes prep time for batter; approximately 1/2 hour additionally for assembly.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter (no substitutes)/additional butter as needed for frosting

1 1/2 cups sifted 10x confectioners’ sugar

1 1/2 sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup pecans or hazelnuts, ground or finely chopped

red food coloring

1 cup seedless red raspberry preserves

Cream butter and 1/2 cup of the sugar until well-blended in a large bowl; stir in flour, vanilla and ground nuts.  (Dough can be chilled for half an hour for easier handling.)

Roll dough, 1 level teaspoonful at a time, into  balls between palms of hands. (Tip:  Uniformity is important for an attractive tray presentation.)  Place balls 2″ apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets.  Lightly butter the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass or measuring cup and dip into 10x sugar; press over each ball to flatten to about a 1″ round.

Bake in moderate (350 degree) oven 10 minutes or until golden on edges.

Remove gently from sheets and cool on wire racks.

Beat remaining 1 cup of sugar with a few drops of water and two tablespoons butter (optional) until smooth in a small bowl; tint pink with a drop or two of food coloring.

Gently spread approximately 1/2 teaspoonful of red raspberry preserves over flat side of half of the cookies and top with the remaining cookies to form a sandwich. 

Attach a writing tip to a cake-decorating set; fill pastry tube with pink frosting.  Beginning at center of cookie, form a spiral with rings continuing to rim of cookie.

Press a silver dragee or edible pearl in center of spiral.

Servings: 3 dozen sandwich cookies.

I began a tradition of baking Christmas cookies 47 years ago, always trying at least one new cookie yearly. This modified recipe dates back to that first season and is the indisputable favorite of cookie recipients. I began the “bake-off” with my two sisters, baking through the night as my first child slept. As the years rolled by, my sisters gave up the effort, leaving me to the task. I annually bake approximately 100 dozen cookies of about 13 different varieties. I’ve threatened to give up the tradition, but my son, now 47, won’t hear of it!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Lyn Peters of Olive Hill, KY

Member of Grayson RECC

Amount of Time to prepare:  About 25 minutes

1 stick of Salted Butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups of creamy peanut butter

1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Melt butter in a large sauce pan over low heat, stir to prevent burning. Keep on low heat, add brown sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved in butter. Add vanilla and peanut butter, mix thoroughly. Add confectioners’ sugar, combine well. Press into a buttered/sprayed 9×13 cake pan, let cool. Melt chocolate chips over double-boiler and spread evenly over peanut butter layer. Let cool completely and cut into squares.

Servings:  12-24 bars (depending on how you cut them)

This recipe was made after years of searching, trying and failing. During my elementary school years the café served a delicious peanut butter bar, with a layer of chocolate on top. I remember my friends and I trading around for the biggest piece. After beginning my own blog in 2013, I decided it was time to figure it out. I stayed in the kitchen for hours and finally mixed up and made the closest batch that I could. After serving them to my family, I branched out and made them for church; everyone loved them! They became a quick recipe request and now I make them for every holiday I can!

Martha’s Peanut Brittle

Martha Riggs, Upton, KY

member of Nolin RECC

Amount of Time to prepare:  10 minutes

1 cup sugar

1 cup white corn syrup

1/4 cup water

2 Tbsp. margarine

1 tsp. soda

1 1/2 cups dry roasted peanuts

In heavy sauce pan stir sugar, syrup, water and margarine. Let boil and stir till candy thermoter  reaches 280. Stir in peanuts and cook till it reaches 300 degrees. Stir in soda. Spread in buttered cookie sheet let cool and break into pieces. Eat and enjoy.

Servings: 1 pound

I make this candy and give several batches away at Christmas time. I have been making this for 26 years. Family and friends always look forward to getting this for the holidays. The reason I like this peanut brittle is because it is not too hard and stays pretty and white.

Chocolate Peanut Cluster Cookies 

Ruth Shields of Mt Eden, KY

Member of Blue Grass Energy

Amount of Time to prepare:  About 1 hour

1 ½ lbs. chocolate almond bark

1 bag 10 oz. Reese peanut chips

4 cups of dry roasted peanuts in a bowl

1 ½ cups Jiffy creamy peanut butter

1 cup white light corn syrup

1 cup plain sugar

Have wax paper sprayed with cooking spray ready. Stir together sugar and syrup and bring to boil until sugar melts. Take off stove and stir in peanut butter. Pour mixer over peanuts. Dip by tablespoon on to wax paper. Let firm (about 15 minutes). Meanwhile, melt chocolate and peanut butter chips together. Dip each cookie with mixture. Put on wax paper and let stand until firm.

Servings: Makes 30 servings

Put 2 recipes together to make 1.

Chocolate Toffee Cashew Clusters

Nancy Thurmond, Murray, KY

Member of West Kentucky RECC

Amount of Time to prepare:  20 minutes 

12 oz. white baking chocolate chips

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

10 oz. peanut butter chips

5 oz. Andes creme de menthe chocolate mint baking chips

4 oz. English toffee bits

4 cups salted cashews 

1. Put all white, chocolate and peanut butter chips in a bowl and microwave, until melted.  Remove, stir in Andes chocolate mint baking chips, English toffee bits and cashews.  Drop by tablespoonfulls onto waxed paper.

2. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes or until set.  Store in airtight container.

Servings:  about 3 pounds

I revised this receipe from another friend. It’s so easy. You can switch all kinds of candy, nuts, cherries and etc. with this receipe. My husband jumped up and down. He said, “This candy could be put in a candy store.” He rated it a 10.

Read the Kentucky Living feature that goes along with this Web exclusive, Baker’s Dozen.