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GINGERBREAD PEOPLE

Ingredients 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons each ground ginger and ground cloves

1 tsp. each baking soda, ground nutmeg, and salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (not margarine), at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs (separated)

1 cup molasses

1 tablespoon cold water

Optional decorations:

Currants for eyes Strips of candied cherries for smiles Red hot cinnamon candies for buttons For the icing:

2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

assorted food colors

Nutritional Information 1 cookie: Calories 127 Saturated Fat 3g Total Fat 4g Protein 1g Carbohydrate 21g Fiber 0g Sodium 80mg Cholesterol 20mg Introduction: Here's a taste of Victorian Christmases past, when families hung cookies on their holiday tree. To make holes for hanging, pierce the top of each cookie with a skewer as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies. Preparation time: 1 hour. Chilling time: 1 hour. Cooking time: 8 minutes. Cooling time: 10 minutes.

Step 1: Onto a piece of wax paper, sift 3 1/2 cups of the flour, the cinnamon, baking powder, ginger, cloves, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on High, cream the butter and sugar until light yellow and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, then the molasses. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Step 2: Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter three baking sheets. On a pastry cloth or board, sprinkle 1/4 cup of the remaining flour and roll out half of the dough, 1/4 inch thick. With cookie cutters, cut out gingerbread people. With a spatula, transfer them back to the baking sheets. Decorate with currants, cherries, and cinnamon candies if you wish.

Step 3: In a cup, whisk the egg whites with the water. Bake the cookies for 5 minutes, then brush lightly with egg whites. Bake 2 to 3 minutes more. Let cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes. With a spatula, transfer to racks to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough and flour.

Step 4: To make the icing: In a small bowl, stir the sugar with the vanilla, then add enough water to make a stiff icing. Divide into small cups and color as you wish. When the cookies are cold, pipe out designs, such as smiling faces, zigzags, bow ties, and aprons. If using different colors of icing, let one color dry before piping the next. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to two weeks. Do not freeze, as the icing could crack.

CHRISTMAS COOKIES

2 c. sugar

2 c. butter

4 eggs, well beaten

4 tbsp. canned cream

8-10 drops anise oil

4 1/2 c. flour

4 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Cream butter with sugar. Add beaten eggs, cream and oil. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add this to first batter. Cover; let stand 3-4 hours. Roll 1/8 inch thick. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 6 minutes at 350 degrees.

Almond Spritz Cookies

2 c unbleached flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c granulated sugar

1/2 c almonds -- ground

2 sticks margarine -- softened

1 egg white -- whipped

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and sugar. In a blender grind the almonds to a powder-fine consistency. In a mixing bowl, combine margarine, egg white, vanilla, and extract. Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients just until moistened. Pack dough into cookie press. Keep unused portion of dough in refrigerator. Press out desired shapes on prepared cookie sheet, spaced 1" apart. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies are pale gold in color.

Candy Cane Cookies

1 c. shortening (softened)

1 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

Stir into above mixture; mix well. Divide dough into 2 equal parts. Add color to one half (either red or green can be used). Roll each color into strips about 4 inches long. Twist together like a rope; shape the top. Place on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. You can add 1 teaspoon peppermint extract if you like (to the green half).

Christmas Pound Cake

1 lb. butter

1 lb. sugar

4 c. all-purpose or 4 1/2 c. cake flour

2 c. white raisins

1 lb. pecans, chopped coarsely

1/2 to 1 c. candied cherries

1/2 to 1 c. candied pineapple

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

4 tbsp. lemon extract (2 oz. bottle)

6 eggs

Cream butter, sugar and extract. Sift flour once, and measure. Sift twice more, adding baking powder and salt to last sift. Add eggs, one at a time, to creamed mixture, alternating with flour, beating well after each addition. This makes a stiff batter so will have to be beaten by hand probably. Then add nuts, raisins and candied fruits which have been coated with a little of the flour. Bake in a large round tube pan which has been lined with brown paper and greased. Bake at 300 degrees for 2 hours or until done when tested.

Classic Christmas Cake

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 c. butter, softened

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 1/4 c. sifted cake flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 jar (8 oz.) maraschino cherries, drained & chopped

1 c. chopped pecans

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

4 eggs

2 tbsp. milk

In large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, granulated sugar, vanilla and spices. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. In small bowl, combine flour with baking powder; gradually add 2 cups of the flour mixture to butter mixture. To remaining flour mixture add maraschino cherries and 1/2 cup of the chopped pecans; fold into batter. Grease 10 inch bundt pan or tube pan; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan on wire rack 5 minutes. Loosen edge; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. In small bowl, beat powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Spoon icing over cake. Garnish with pecan halves and candied cherries.

BROWN SUGAR SPRITZ

1 cup butter flavored Crisco -- softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder for pineapple filling:

29 1/2 ounces crushed pineapple -- drained

1 cup sugar

red and green food coloring

Make pineapple filling. In a saucepan stir together pineapple and sugar, bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture is very thick, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring often. Divide fruit filling in half. Using a few drops of food coloring, tint half of the filling red and the other half green. Cool thoroughly. Preheat oven to 400F. Cream together butter and brown sugar; beat in egg and vanilla. Stir together flour and baking powder; add gradually to creamed mixture, mixing until smooth. Do not chill. Place half of the dough in the cookie press. Using the ribbon plate, press dough in ten 10-inch strips on ungreased cookie sheets. Using star plate and remaining dough, press lengthwise rows of dough on top of each strip, making a rim along both edges. Spoon red or green pineapple filling between rims on top of ribbon strips. Bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes. While hot, cut strips into 1 1/4 inch diagonals. Cool. Makes 78. Note: Or, omit filling and force all of the dough through cookie press on ungreased cookie sheet into desired shapes. Shake ground almonds with a few drops red or green food coloring in a screw-top jar; sprinkle over cookies. Bake at 400F for 8 minutes. Makes 60.

Iced Butter Cookies

Perfect for Christmas and Thanksgiving

Ingredients:

Cookies:

4 sticks (1 pound butter)

1 cup sugar

1 egg

4 cups flour

Icing:

1 stick butter

1 box powdered (confectionary) sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

milk (as needed)

Directions: 1. Mix butter and sugar 2. Add egg 3. Mix in flour 4. Use cookie cutter to make into smallish cookies (about 1.5 inches in diameter).

Cook each batch at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes (lightly brown) 5. Let cookies cool slightly before icing Icing

Cream butter add sugar and mix Add milk as needed for spreadable consistency Add vanilla Ice the cookies

Spice Cake

Perfect for Christmas and Thanksgiving

Goes well with vanilla ice cream and hard sauce

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 and 1/2 cups of sugar

1 cup of buttermilk

3 eggs

1/2lb of butter or margarine (melted)

1 T cinnamon

1 T baking soda

1/2 T ground cloves

Directions:

1. Blend sugar and butter thoroughly. Add eggs, buttermilk, flour. Mix. 2. Add cinnamon, baking soda, and cloves. Mix well. 3. Grease and flour baking dish. 4. Bake in pre-heated oven at 350' for 50 minutes or longer if necessary. 5. Cool and ice.

Spice Cake Icing

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter

1 box of confectioners sugar

1 T of vanilla

1-3 T of milk

Directions:

1. Cream butter and gradually add confectioners sugar. 2. Add milk as needed to keep frosting at spreading consistency 3. Add vanilla 4. Frost cake when completely cool.

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