Holiday Treats

I think I could dedicate an entire blog to my favorite treats since eating is practically a passion for me. The special treats I make just once a year do add to the enjoyment of the holidays and since I haven't really mentioned them in my blog yet, I figured I should do it now. I think part of the reason they are on my mind is that we are finally running out of the Christmas treats and I am getting anxious for more and the New Year's celebration doesn't seem to be getting here fast enough.

I made these chocolate reindeer cupcakes for my husbands home teaching families. I got the idea from studio 5 (Alisa Bangerter) and it was easier than I thought. The antlers are made from almond bark melted and then drizzled into the antler shape onto wax paper from either a zip lock bag with a hole cut in the corner or a pastry bag with a medium sized tip. The cupcakes themselves are just from a cake mix, but the frosting is homemade (I am not a big fan of ready made frosting in a can). You sprinkle the tops with cocoa powder and then you decorate the face. You can use any candy you want to decorate the face. I just used butterscotch chips or chocolate chips and red spice drops. I was excited with how they turned out.

Anyway, I have two favorite sugar cookie recipes one is my Great Aunt Klea's melt aways which take me back to the Christmases of my childhood. They are my absolute favorite and it just doesn't seem like christmas to me without them. One funny side note. I have been super clumsy this pregnancy and I dropped a whole tray of these cookies in my inlaws drive way Chirstmas Eve on top of a jar of olives that had fallen out of the car and shattered.

1 lb butter (pretty good start eh)
1 1/2 C Corn starch
1 1/2 C Powdered Sugar

2 C Flour

Beat together until creamy. Roll and flatten slightly and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes (I usually check them starting at about 8 minutes). They are very fragile cookies, so bigger is not better in this case. The recipe says you can use 1/2 margarine, but I have always just used butter.

Frosting:

6 oz Cream Cheese

2 tsp vanilla

2 C powdered Sugar

pinch of salt

I tend to add more powdered sugar to make a bit thicker frosting.

The next recipe I have only been making since I've been married since my husband for some odd reason doesn't love the melt aways like I do and he prefers this Sour cream sugar cookie recipe. This recipe is also fun for the kids because it is a traditional roll and cut, but with the sour cream and almond extract I think they taste a lot better than most cut out sugar cookies.

1/2 C butter (not margarine)

1 C. Sugar

Cream together butter and sugar then add sour cream and eggs.

2 eggs

1/2 C sour cream

add remaining ingredients (combine dry ingredients and add slowly) and then refridgerate for at least 2 hours.

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp almond extract

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Roll out and cut desired shapes. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Frost with favorite frosting with a few drops of almond extract added to it.

I have found if I follow the original recipe above I cannot roll it out because it is too soft and sticky so I end up adding at least 1-2 cups more flour. I add it very slowly because I don't want to take away from the softness of the cookies. I also end up adding 1/2 C. more sugar because I don't want the extra flour to take away from the sweetness of the cookies and make them too bland. I am still perfecting the recipe, but so far I haven't really found anythng better in a cut out sugar cookie.

The last recipe is one I love on either halloween or new years and it is my favorite carmel corn (I am a fan of the gooey caramel corn).

This recipe says just to use the popcorn in a bag from the chip isle, but I usually just use a couple of bags of whatever microwave popcorn I have on hand with the unpopped kernals removed.

popcorn

1 cube butter

2 1/4 C. brown sugar

1 C. Light corn syrup

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla

Bring butter, sugar, corn syrup and milk to a boil. Boil for 2 min. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour over popcorn and mix well.

I did try one other version that I really liked which starts with crunchy caramel corn with drizzled white and milk chocolate over the top.

Enjoy!