The 12 Days of Christmas ... Day 8: Creating holiday goodies

Every family has traditions of the holidays, and one in my family is cookie baking and candy making.

While trying to duplicate a mice recipe from a couple of years ago, I tried to take a shortcut by using packaged sugar cookie mix. The dough wasn't stiff enough and they not only spread while baking but were flatter than pancakes. SWAC Husband called them road kill. 

 After making up a new batch of dough that was stiffer and chilled, the mice came out much better.

The best part of it all is sharing with friends and family.

Butter Sprintz Cookies

Toffee

 

 Toffee Cookie Bars

Forgotten Cookies

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
December 2013

Toffee Bars for Christmas

 Toffee Cookie Bars

This morning another tray of Christmas yumminess went into the oven, a new recipe that came from the Richmond Times-Dispatch's resident baker Clare Osdene Schapiro (whose husband happens to be the RTD's political writer Jeff Schapiro).

When I read Clare's recent column, The Joy of Cookies, there were several cookie recipes including this one for Toffee Bars that looked like good additions for our cookie baking day. Each year we try to incorporate a new recipe into our tried-and-true traditionals so today it was Toffee Bars.

I doubled the recipe for this bar cookie so it fit into my largest cookie sheet. When we baked Forgotten Cookies yesterday that called for two egg whites (doubled recipe), it left two lonely little egg yolks in the refrigerator which were perfect because I doubled this recipe. It was simple and tonight the bars have been cut and stored in containers.

If you're looking for something that isn't quite as sweet as other holiday offerings, this may be it. Enjoy!

Toffee Bars

Light, crisp and chocolaty -- makes 30 bars

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1 egg yolk

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup shelled pecans, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan.

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolk and mix well. Sift in flour, mixing well, and then the vanilla. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes.

Cover the cake layer with the chocolate chips and return to the oven for 3 or 4 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and spread the melted chocolate evenly. Sprinkle with the nuts and gently press them into the chocolate with the back of a fork. Cool completely in the pan before cutting them into bars.

-- Adapted from “The Silver Palate Cookbook”

by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins

Forgotten Cookies ... a Christmas favorite

SWAC Daughter and I just put a batch of Forgotten Cookies in the oven for their overnight sleep which reminded me of this post originally published in December 2008. In the morning we will open the oven and find another Christmas favorite. Shhh ... cookies sleeping.

Special memories of the children I worked with at Richmond Children's Hospital come to mind when baking Forgotten Cookies, a recipe that was passed along by a nurse who worked with me at that hospital years ago. At Christmas, all the staff members brought goodies to share as we went about our work, and one year she brought these yummy meringue cookies that had an almond flavor with pecans and chocolate chips inside and melted in your mouth.

When I asked what they were, she said they were called Forgotten Cookies because you put them in the oven at night, turn off the temperature ... and forget them until the next morning. They are favorites of family and friends, and are gluten free for those on special diets. Enjoy!

Forgotten Cookies

2 egg whites (room temperature)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Beat egg whites (at room temperature) until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Add flavorings; mix well. Fold in pecans and chocolate chips.

Drop by teaspoonsful onto aluminum foil-lined cookie sheets coated with non-stick spray. Place in a 350-degree oven; immediately turn off oven. Let stand 8-10 hours or overnight. (Do not open oven.) Store in airtight container.

Yield: 5 dozen

Updated Christmas Eve:
Yankee Phil really liked these cookies and has posted about them:
-- So good, so fattening
-- Christmas celebration in Augusta

They are also mentioned in the 2008 Carnival of Christmas. Enjoy!

Christmas recipes ... Forgotten Cookies -- UPDATED

The recipe for Forgotten Cookies was passed along by a nurse at Children's Hospital many years ago when we both worked there. At Christmas we all brought goodies to share and she brought these yummie meringue cookies that had an almond flavor with pecans and chocolate chips inside.

When I asked what they were, she said they were called Forgotten Cookies because you put them in the oven at night to cook ... and forget about them until the next morning. They are one of the favorites of my family and friends.

Forgotten Cookies

2 egg whites (room temperature)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Beat egg whites (at room temperature) until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Add flavorings; mix well. Fold in pecans and chocolate chips.

Drop by heaping teaspoonsful onto aluminum foil-lined cookie sheets coated with non-stick spray. Place in a 350-degree oven; immediately turn oven off. Let stand 8-10 hours or overnight. (Do not open oven.) Store in airtight container.

Yield: 5 dozen

Updated Christmas Eve:
Yankee Phil really liked these cookies and has posted about them:
-- So good, so fattening
-- Christmas celebration in Augusta

They are also mentioned in the 2008 Carnival of Christmas. Enjoy!