Dixies

Dixies are part bar cookie, part brownie, and all together delicious. A friend gave me this recipe almost ten years ago. It's an old recipe using lots of butter and sugar.  I only make them when I can take the whole batch somewhere which is usually around Christmas. They melt in your mouth. Hope you enjoy them.

• 1 box dark brown sugar
• 2 sticks butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Combine ingredients, spread into a greased 9”x13” pan. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

This cookie is an old favorite and probably the first cookie I ever made on my own after I moved away from home. They can be fragile until cooled so handle with care; however, they must be removed from the cookie sheet quickly and carefully as they will stick.

• 1 stick butter
• 1 stick margarine
• 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 2 teaspoons real vanilla
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ cups uncooked regular oats
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

  Preheat oven to 375°F. Cream together butter, margarine, and sugars.  

 Add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat well. 

In separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Add to creamed butter mixture. Mix thoroughly to combine.



Thoroughly mix in oats. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes. These really are better still gooey. You might want to go ahead and pour a glass of milk while the cookies are sill warm. Enjoy!

Dreamy Orange Puffs

For Christmas last year I made some cookies, soups, and cakes for family and friends for Christmas.  I layered all of the dry ingredients in pint or quart mason jars, decorated the lids, and tied on decorative labels with the wet ingredients to add and the instructions.  They were a huge success.  Everyone liked them.

One particular cookie recipe, Dreamy Orange Puffs, was a favorite of several people.  I chose to make that one in memory of my mother.  Orange was one of her favorite flavors.  She loved orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream swirled together.  The sugar coated orange jellied slices that you could buy in the clear package on the candy aisle were among her favorites.  I can remember on many a Christmas receiving orange tic tacs in my stocking.  I think my mother had something to do with it.

One of my sister-in-laws asked me recently for this recipe so I thought I would put it out there for everyone.  Enjoy!!

The first “recipe” is for making them once for you.  The second is for making them up in glass jars to have on hand to give away as gifts or for you and your family for later.  It is nice to have a stock of these on hand because they make such nice gifts for: a sick friend, a new neighbor, a birthday surprise, or an everyday “I’m thinking of you” gift.

Thanks for asking for this one, Misty.   

 Dreamy Orange Puffs

·         ½ cup orange flavored instant breakfast drink powder (you can usually find this on the aisle with lemonade)

·         ¾ cup sugar

·         1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

·         ½ teaspoon baking soda

·         ½ teaspoon baking powder

·         1 stick softened butter or margarine

·         1 egg

·         1 teaspoon vanilla

·         1 ½ cups vanilla chips (on the aisle with chocolate chips)

In a large mixing bowl combine the orange drink powder, sugar, flour, baking soda, and baking powder.  Mix together well.  Using an electric hand mixer or a large wooden spoon beat in the butter or margarine, one egg, and vanilla.  You may need to use your hands.  The dough will be sticky.  Stir in the vanilla chips.

Shape dough into balls the size of walnuts.  Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.

Bake at 375°F for 12 to 14 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet.  Remove to cooling racks or a plate to finish cooling.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Dreamy Orange Puffs in a Jar

·         ½ cup orange flavored instant breakfast drink powder (you can usually find this on the aisle with lemonade)

·         ¾ cup sugar

·         1 ½ cups vanilla chips (on the aisle with chocolate chips)

·         1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

·         ½ teaspoon baking soda

·         ½ teaspoon baking powder

·         1 stick softened butter or margarine

·         1 egg

·         1 teaspoon vanilla

In a clean quart size glass jar, layer the orange drink powder.  Press firmly into bottom of jar.  Next pour in the sugar.  Very gently shake jar from side to side to level out sugar.  Then carefully add the vanilla chips.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking soda, and baking powder together.  Mix well.  Carefully spoon the flour mixture into the jar on top of the vanilla chips.  You will need to press the flour in firmly and repeatedly to get it all to fit into the jar, but it will go.

If you are giving this away as a gift, add the following directions to a card and attach it to the jar so your gift can be enjoyed.

Empty contents of jar into large mixing bowl.  Use large spoon or your hands to thoroughly blend ingredients.

Add 1 stick softened butter or margarine, 1 egg slightly beaten, and 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional).

Thoroughly mix together.  The dough will be sticky.  You may need to finish mixing with your hands.

Shape dough into balls the size of walnuts.  Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.

Bake at 375°F for 12 to 14 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet.  Remove to cooling racks or a plate to finish cooling.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Christmas Chewies

When I asked my husband how long he's been making these Christmas cookies, his response was, "Oooo that's a hard one...years and years and years...before we were married...before we were even dating."  Suffice it to say, a very long time.  Not quite decades and decades.  But definitely more than one decade.  We recently celebrated our eleventh wedding anniversary.

Christmas Chewies come in a variety of different colors and flavors.  This Christmas Brian's making fudge ones and lemons ones and strawberry ones.  He can make any flavor, well at least any flavor that is found in a boxed cake mix.  Ooops I might be giving his secret away.  Here's what the dough looks like as it's being formed.

Then you just line them up on the baking sheet.

You can add some decorative sprinkles to the tops prior to baking.

As the cookies bake they flatten out just enough to slather some cream frosting between two of them.  

We're winding down the Christmas cookies baking season.  It's not over yet, but it's getting close.

We're starting to fill tins and plates and containers.

Here's what things are starting to look like at our house about now.

Yumminess at its best!

Hungarian Vanilla Kifli

My husband and I lived in Hungary, a country in eastern Europe, for about two and a half years.  We enjoyed learning about the Hungarian culture.  We found Hungarians to be very hospitable and caring people.

Typical families in Hungary have many Christmas traditions which involve food much like typical families in America, if there is such a thing as typical for either culture.  Traditionally Hungarians serve Fish Soup on Christmas Eve.  Their Christmas tree is usually decorated by the adults in the family on Christmas Eve, and the children are invited to view the glowing beauty in all its splendor.  Among the ornaments on the Hungarian Christmas tree you will also find szaloncukor, a fondant and chocolate truffle type of candy wrapped in bright colored foil.  Children will remove a piece of szaloncukor from the tree, eat the candy, and return the foil wrapper to the tree.  Parents smile and pretend not to notice as they fondly remember eating their own share of the sweet treats and replacing the wrappers during their own childhood.

I want to share with you a recipe for a tradional Hungarian Christmas cookie, Vanilla Kifli.  It is very similar to a cookie I grew up eating called Butterballs or Mexican Wedding Cookies.  The Hungarian word, "kifli," means "crescent" like the shape of the crescent moon. 

After some trial  and error in trying to capture the taste of the Vanilla Kifli I tasted in Hungary, I came up with this recipe.  I hope you will consider adding a new cultural tradition to your Christmas baking. 

Vanilla Kifli

Makes about 3 dozen

·         ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened

·         ½ cup granulated sugar

·         2 large egg yolks

·         2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·         2 cups flour

·         ¾ cup ground walnuts

·         Powdered sugar

·         2 (1 ounce) semi-sweet chocolate squares

Using an electric stand or hand mixer, beat together butter and granulated sugar.  Add egg yolks and vanilla.  Beat well. 

Add flour one cup at a time, mixing well in between.  Stir in walnuts until thoroughly combined. 

Place mixture in the refrigerator in a covered bowl for at least two hours; can be placed overnight.  Preheat oven to 400ºF.  Roll dough between hands to form short rope.  Pinch in the middle to make the crescent moon shape.  Place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet. 

Bake about 10 to 12 minutes.  Bottom of cookies will be lightly browned while tops remain white.  Let cookies cool for about 5 minutes.  Carefully roll crescents into powdered sugar.  Let cool completely.   

Melt chocolate in microwave on low or on the stovetop in a double boiler on low.  Dip small portion of each end of the cookies into chocolate.  Place on wax paper.  Allow to thoroughly cool and set.  Cookies should be kept in sealed container until ready to serve.

   

Holly Leaf Cookies

My favorite Christmas cookies from childhood would include Holly Leaf Cookies at the very top of the list.  My mom made them every year, but of course, only at Christmas.  They were a very special treat.  I've been making them for the past fifteen or twenty years.  Popping green and bits of red onto our Christmas dessert display, they are always a very festive and tasty cookie.  They are also very easy to make and they're one of few Christmas treats that don't require baking.  You must work quickly, though.  I hope you enjoy them.
 

Holly Leaf Cookies

Makes about 24 wreaths

• 1 stick margarine
• 1 bag marshmallows
• 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups corn flakes
• green food coloring
• cinnamon red hot dots

Begin by laying out a piece of wax paper (about 18 inches or so long) onto your counter.  Make sure it's an area that you won't need for a little while.  Measure cornflakes into a large bowl.

Melt margarine in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add marshmallows to melted margarine, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth.

Remove from heat.  Add food coloring and stir briskly until desired intensity is reached.  Immediately add about 3/4 of the corn flakes, stirring gently, yet quickly to coat corn flakes.

Add remaining corn flakes as long as marshmallow mixture sufficiently coats them.  Using two teaspoons drop dollops of mixture onto wax paper in the shape of small round wreaths.  Work quickly as mixture will become stiffer and harder to work with.  Add three cinnamon red hot dots to each wreath.

Cool completely.  Remove from original wax paper and place in sealed plastic container separating layers with wax paper.  I've found that if you place them in a container on the original wax paper, they are difficult to remove later.

Enjoy your new Christmas greenery!