"Ready, Set, Bake!"

So... are you ready? Ready to spend a most glorious day in your kitchen, wearing your best holiday apron, humming and singing along to the songs of the season, taste testing your homemade confections, and remembering Christmas fun from years gone by? Yes? Well let's get started! Grab your well worn recipe cards of tried and true family favorites, and if you are feeling adventuresome, bring out those new recipes you've been itchin' to try. Pile all the ingredients for the day on your kitchen table, clean off your kitchen counter, pre-heat your oven, find your measuring implements, gather your cookie sheets and baking pans, do a chocolate chip quality control check (very important!), and... get baking!

Whether you are flying solo, or have called in the troops (family and/or friends), make this day a festive event. Have the eggnog chilling, the Christmas CD's stacked on the ready, light a few cranberry-spice candles, don a pair of red or green socks, turn on the lights if your tree is already up, attach some silvery bells to your pet's collar (calling their name every once in a while, just to hear them jingle!), find a Christmas-y plate to put your 'taste-testers' on, start humming your favorite carol, and let 'JOY' be the theme of the day!

Here are the recipes for some of my favorite Christmas goodies. Remember to include 'love' as the main ingredient, giving your treats that 'special something' to be shared with family and friends. And in the true spirit of the season, maybe you could bake an extra batch of  sweet sugar cookies and deliver them to a local shelter or inner city church... bringing a bit of joy to those who are greatly in need. A simple gesture of giving that will fill your heart with joy, too. Wishing you all the merriest of days this Christmas season...

Mom's Mocha Balls (that are actually square!!)

1 poundcake block (from your grocer's bakery dept.)
1 to 1 -1/2 C icing sugar
1 TBSP butter, softened
1 TBSP milk
1 TBSP cooled coffee
1 can finely chopped peanuts

Have 2 or 3 wire racks ready on counter, with wax paper underneath. Trim brown crust off of poundcake. Cut into 1 inch cubes. In deep, narrow bowl, mix together: icing sugar, butter, milk and coffee. Should be runny but NOT watery. (Adjust ingredients as needed.) Scatter chopped nuts in wax paper lined pie plate. Gently pierce poundcake piece with a fork, dip into icing (or drizzle icing over cake piece), making sure all sides are covered. Let excess drip off a bit. Roll each piece of cake in the chopped peanuts. Place on wire racks and let sit til icing sets.
Layer in cookie tins, with wax paper in between. Easily doubled, tripled.... Freeze well too. (Can be eaten from frozen state, right out of the freezer, by sneaky little hands... so be forewarned!)

Aunt Mary's Whipped Shortbread (These are melt-in-your-mouth delicious!)

2 C butter, softened
1 C icing sugar
1/2 C cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla
3 C flour (scant, to be added gradually)
icing, homemade buttercream or Betty Crocker's Whipped Vanilla
cherry halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On med speed, blend together butter, icing sugar, cornstarch and vanilla. Gradually blend in flour. Dough will be light and soft. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8-9 mins, until edges just golden. Watch carefully.
Remove to wire racks and let cool. Decorate with dollops of icing and cherry halves. Good plain, too. These also freeze well.

My Christmas Chocolate Chip Cookies (Just a little bit special!)

1 C shortening or butter, softened
1 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 C craisins
1 and a 1/2 C white chocolate chips
1/2 C chopped pecans (optional)

Cream shortening and sugars. Add eggs and extract. Combine flour, soda and salt... gradually blend into creamed mixture. Stir in craisins, white choc. chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 for approx. 10 mins. Remove from oven, let cool a few minutes, then transfer to wire racks.

Aunt Phem's Sugar Cookies (These are the bomb!)

1 C butter or marg, softened
1 C sugar
1 C icing sugar
1 C Crisco oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp each baking soda, and salt
4 C flour, sifted
pinch of nutmeg

Mix all ingredients by hand, til soft dough forms. Roll into 1 inch balls. Place in batches of 12 onto ungreased cookie sheets. Grease and flour the bottom of a patterened glass, and flatten balls down. Sprinkle with pinch of granulated sugar. Bake at 350, 10-12 mins., until lightly golden. Remove from oven, let sit a few minutes, then remove to wire racks. So buttery, crispy good! Freeze well.
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I could type on and on, but these should get you started. Each one is soooo yummy, I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite. Do you have a favorite Christmas baking recipe? Would you like to share? If so, you can send it my way via the comment section of my blog, or email me at:  bitsy61@hotmail.com  I'll be looking for you!

"MeRrY ChRiStMaS" everyone..

Keep on keeping on... bArB :)