Carmelitas

This is Mom's recipe, and apparently she used to make them a lot when we were little, but I don't remember them very well. We made them this weekend, and they are delicious! I think they are going to have to be re-included in the holiday baking routine!

Basic Chocolate Cookie Dough

1/2 cup butter - softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

2 envelopes (1 oz each) premelted chocolate

1 cup chopped pecans

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Mix butter, sugar, egg, chocolate, milk and vanilla. Mix in remaining ingredients on low speed to form a soft dough. Wrap dough in wax paper and refrigerate until firm - approx. 2 hours.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Unwrap 18 carmels and cut them in half. Wrap the chocolate cookie dough around each 1/2 piece of carmel to form a small ball. Place on ungreased cookie sheed. Bake about 7 minutes or until set. Cool.

Chocolate Sauce

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 envelope premelted chocolate

2 Tablespoon light corn syrup

2-3 Tablespoon hot water

In a small bowl blend sugar, chocolate, corn syrup and water. Dip top of baked cookies in chocolate glaze, then dip in ground nuts (walnuts or pecans).

Makes about 3 dozen.

Peppermint Bark

This holiday treat is delicious and so easy (easy seems to be my theme with recipes these days). I actually have to give credit to Lauren who found the recipe and made it first. Between the two of us, we have made it several times already so far, and we always get requests for the recipe!

Ingredients:
2 bags milk chocolate chips
2 bags white chocolate chips
2 tsp. peppermint extract
8 peppermint candy canes (preferrably red and green striped)

Directions:
1. Line a large cookie sheet with foil
2. In a microwaveable bowl, melt milk chocolate chips, stirring every 30 seconds. When melted, add peppermint extract and stir until blended. Spread chocolate over cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 30 min.
3. Crush candy canes in a bag with a rolling pin.
4. Melt white chocolate chips in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds. Add 1/3 - 1/2 of the crushed candy canes to melted chocolate. Spread over the top of the hardened milk chocolate.
5. Sprinkle the remainder of the candy canes over the white chocolate, and press in.
6. Refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours before breaking apart. If it's not refrigerated long enough, the bark will not break apart well. When it has refrigerated long enough, press a knife into the bark and it should break into nice large pieces.

Russian Teacakes

This is a recipe from Mom that I have always loved. Another Holiday cookie that I must make every year. (These three cookies are what I have given to my neighbors the last 2 years.) I have to be sure to give most of them away, or suddenly I will find that I have eaten half the batch. They are just the right size to just pop into your mouth!

Ingredients:
1 c. butter
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. chopped walnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar while still warm. (I also found this year that is faster and works just as well to dump them all in a ziplock bag with some powdered sugar and give them a little shake, then just dump them on a plate and voila! pretty little cookies.)

Gingersnaps

I have not always been a fan of Gingersnaps, because I do not particularly like a cookie that "snaps". I prefer my cookies soft and chewy. I came across this recipe and now have to bake these every year because they are soft, chewy, and very tasty.

Ingredients:
3/4 c. butter
1 c. white sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. molasses
2 c. flour
1 T ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. white sugar for decoration

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and molasses until well blended. Combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; stir into the molasses mixture to form a dough. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and roll the balls in the remaining sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Egg Nog Cookies

A delicious cookie, especially if you love Egg Nog. Perfect for the Holiday Season!
Ingredients:
2 1/4 C. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. egg nog
1 tsp. vanilla
2 egg yolks

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg in smaller bowl and set aside.
Cream together the sugar and butter. Add egg nog, vanilla and egg yolks and beat until smooth.
Add the flour mixture and mix until combined, be careful not to overmix.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets 1 inch apart. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until bottoms turn light brown. Transfer to cool immediately. Sprinke with mixture of powdered sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon.