Christmas cookies (bake, vanilla, chocolate, eggs)

[NewHomeHappy]

Did someone mention making "Homemade KALUHA" !!!

Ohhhh pleeeeeease tell me how to make that delicious nectar!!!!

[exhdo1]

Originally Posted by CelticLady1

okay, Exhdo1...let's not keep it a secret! Where's the recipe? I've never even heard of strufoli.

Strufoli


2-1/2 cups flour
4 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 cups vegetable oil
1-1/2 cups honey
1 teaspoon grated orange peel

Put flour on a board and make a well in the center. Add eggs, egg yolk, oil, sugar, salt, and lemon peel. Mix and work dough well. Shape dough into very small balls about the size of marbles, and fry in 2 cups of hot oil until golden. Fry only a few at a time. While dough is frying, melt honey in saucepan and add orange peel. When balls are done drop them in the honey and orange peel mixture and remove with a strainer spoon. Pile on a serving dish into a conical mound. Cool. Top with candy sprinkles or powdered sugar or leave plain.

[CelticLady1]

Thank you, Exhdo1! These sound good! Something very different. Like I said before, I hadn't even heard of them. So, I learned something new!

[NewHomeHappy]

Would you happen to have that recipe you mentioned for Homemade Kaluaha ??
Thanks a bunch !!

[jmarkey]

It was my cousin who was making it this year, but I'll see if I can get it from her for you.

She makes killer goody baskets for people at Christmas time. We moved in the spring - I'll really miss getting one.

Let me see what I can find out for you.

[jmarkey]

Originally Posted by NewHomeForSale

Would you happen to have that recipe you mentioned for Homemade Kaluaha ??
Thanks a bunch !!

Here ya go!

Homemade Kahlua

3 cups sugar
3 cups water
12 tsp instant coffee
2 Tblspns coarsely ground fresh coffee
3 cups good vodka (don't skimp!)
1 cup brandy
6 tsp vanilla extract


Mix first 4 ingredients and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Let mixture cool.

Add the rest of the ingredients

Filter through wire mesh and pour into dark bottles

Keep the bottles in a cool, dark place for at least one month. The longer it sits, the better it turns out.

Shake the bottles every day.

My cousin said it's wonder stuff. Hope it turns out well for you, too.

[NewHomeHappy]

Thanks a bunch !!! I really appreciate your quick reply

Now I'll start shopping for "dark bottles"

Hey wait a minute...just had a brain storm- if I empty (drink) the remainder of the kahulha left over from our Annual Friends Only Christmas Party, then I'll have an empty dark bottle- right?

Merry Christmas

[JustJulia]

I am planning on baking a lot of Christmas cookies to give as gifts this year. I do bake every year, but it's been several years since I made a big production of it. We moved away from family last year and would like to send tins or plates of goodies to several people. I plan to bake these things next weekend and ship them early the following week.

I have a big cookie cookbook that the kids love to pore over, but I wasn't particularly inspired by it. Can anyone give me some ideas?

• I am a pretty good cook but never got the hang of rolling out dough. I am much, much better at making drop cookies, bars, and that kind of thing. However, my husband has volunteered to help and would probably do an okay job, so if you know of a really great recipe, we'll give it a try.
• I will probably ship the cookies on a decorative plate (well, in a bag or bags accompanying a plate), because I think I can find some that will fit in the rectangular flat-rate USPS box. I'd like to use the free boxes the Post Office provides, but the smaller square box is something like $8 to ship and probably too big anyway. Any suggestions in this area are very, very welcome.
• I don't mind spending money on butter, flour, sugar, etc., but if there is something oddball and expensive in there, like rosewater or lavender, I will probably not have the budget for it.
• I will be making seven plates of cookies and would like an assortment for each one (not just one type of cookie). Not all plates have to be the same, but if you have a recipe that makes at least two dozen, that's good. The cookie cookbook I just browsed had a lot of recipes for only 18 cookies, and I want to have enough for mistakes ... and snacking, because that's going to happen.

Thanks, everybody! If this post is more appropriate under recipes, I apologize. I thought there might be some non-recipe comments about shipping, spoiling, etc.

Merry Christmas!

[maciesmom]

Hey Julia! I love giving Christmas cookies too.....

A cookie that has gone over very well for us lately is this Frosted Ginger Cookie from Sunset magazine's Dec 06 issue:

1C granulated sugar (+extra for rolling)
3/4 C butter at room temp
1 egg
3T molasses
2C flour, sifted
1t baking soda
1 1/2 t ground ginger
1t cinnamon
1/2 t EACH salt, ground cloves, nutmeg

1 C powdered sugar + lemon juice (for drizzling over baked cookies)

Prehead oven to 350
Cream 1C sugar + butter until light and fluffy; mix in egg and molasses
In another bowl mix flour, baking soda and spices; add butter to mixture and blend well;
Fill a shallow bowl with granulated sugar; break off walnut sized pieces of dough and roll into balls; roll dough balls in the sugar.
Arrange on cookie sheet and bake around 10 minutes until golden brown
Meanwhile, make glaze - combine 1C powdered sugar with 1T water and stir until smooth, then stir in 1t lemon juice. drizzle glaze over cookies....

makes about 40 cookies

I also do quickbreads (banana, pumpkin, cranberry) in mini loafs.....

Haven't shipped any in awhile...don't have any suggestions there...I can remember receiving shipped cookies as a little girl however and it was so special to get those cookies!

[JustJulia]

Ooh, I forgot about breads. I have several cans of pumpkin in the pantry, which I use to make pumpkin caramel bundt cake. The cake is good but weighs a ton, so I don't want to ship them. I could make pumpkin bread ...