Does does 37 years of procrastination sound about right? It was about time! It took me that long to hang a piece of sculpture I made long ago. I guess I had to find just the right wall...LOL Luckily, it survived a move and storage in the basement for many years. Ahhh...it brings back memories of college days. Perhaps it will inspire me to explore more ways to evoke the muse as they say.
On the knitting front.....I finished the spindle spun chocolate brown fiber, washed it and knitted it up into a hat for my mom. She requested a brown close fitting beanie type hat so I will surprise her with it for Christmas. I am stalled on the Reynolds Bulky Cardigan for obvious reasons. Perhaps I can get back to that after the holidays.
On the baking front I'm up to my eyes in cookies recipes. I'm trying to choose which to make for Christmas. I think I've settled in on prune filled cookies, bourbon balls, hidden kiss cookies, and nut sticks. Of course...I'll have to make the holiday Pistachio M and M cookies that are so easy.
My friend, Dottie and I have pledged to put all our recipes in Word and keep a complete copy of them because she's lost the recipes she's made for many years. Just today I had a meltdown because I thought I couldn't find my Italian Prune cookie recipe. Yes....it turned up. I typed it up promptly for fear that I may lose it.
A special cookie request: Does anyone have a copy of the Woman's Day Holiday Cookie pullout booklet from the late 1960's or early 1970's? A dear friend lost her copy and wants to make some from that booklet.
A second request: If you make holiday cookies, what are your favorites?
13 comments:
I love chocolate crackle cookies. They are VERY good. Do you want the recipe? They are dangerous...
Boy that sculpture looks familiar....
Good idea to type up your recipes! I don't have a favorite cookie recipe...I love them all...LOL! Those chocolate crackle cookies sound like they would be yummy! Hmmm...perhaps we should all do a cookie recipe exchange :-)
Your sculpture is so cool...I love it!
I'm not much of a baker, but my favorite family cookies are anise drops and cathedral windows. The latter are made into a "log" shape with minimarshmallows rolled inside chocolate and coconut. When you slice off the log, you get the window effect. :)
My favorite is White chocolate raspberry cookies. I first had them at a Cookie exchange a few years back and ever since they are a family favorite.
I think the chocolate crackle cookies sound awfully good... recipe, please!
That sculpture is very nice, whay have you been hiding that. It's perfect for your computer room with the furniture that I love.
Neat sculpture!
Okay, here are the Chocolate Crackle Cookies:
8 oz. bitersweet chocolate (chopped)
1 1/4 C. flour (all-purpose)
1/2 C. unsweetened cocoa (dutch)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 C. unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 C. light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 c. milk
1 C. sugar
1 C. powdered (confectioners) sugar
(Preheat oven to 350 degrees before baking).
Melt chocolate in double boiler or in pyrex bowl over simmering water and set aside to cool. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt into a med. sized bowl and set aside.
Mix butter and brown sugar on medium till fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla, and then add in the chocolate. Reduce speed to low, add in 1/2 of flour mixture (above), half of the milk, then the rest of the flour mixture followed by the rest of the milk. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, wrap in plastic and refrigerate about 2 hours until firm.
Once your dough is cool, form dough into 1" balls (each "piece" should make about 16). Roll in granulated sugar followed by powdered sugar - to coat. Space 2" apart on cookie sheets. Bake for 14-15 minutes, until the surface "crackles". Remove and let cool.
Makes about 5 dozen. They will keep for about three days, that is if you don't have any PMSing or growing teenagers in the house!
Enjoy!
Your sculpture is so beautiful and elegant. The play on simple shapes and differents woods is delightful: thanks for sharing it with us.
Better late than never :-)
This is SO ironic.
Made up some cookie dough. Turned on the oven. Put the dough on the cookie sheets. Open the oven door, hmmm. The oven isn't working!
What are the odds...?
I was going to ask about the chocolate crackle cookie. Knitters are so predictable about chocolate!
Hi Cindy,
My Italian grandmother used to make prune cookies at Christmas. They were these little filled crescent shapes with open ends (I think she must have started with a dough circle, pinched the edges into the middle over the filling blob, then bent into a crescent shape??) They were covered in powdered sugar. I have thought about those cookies SO many times, but of course don't have a recipe. Try googling in "italian prune cookie" and almost nothing comes up except for your blog! So - would you be willing to share your recipe? Thanks very much, Karen in Vermont
Hi Karen.....here is the recipe. They are made into logs then sliced.Enjoy!
Filling :(prepare night before)
1 box pitted prunes ( cut up in small pieces)
1/2 box raisins
1 jar pineapple preserves
1 lg bag of walnuts (optional)
1- 8oz jar of coarsely chopped maraschino cherries
Cook slowly in a sauce pan over medium heat until tender. Stir occasionally.Cool and leave mixture in refrigerator.
Dough:
6 eggs
1 cups milk
3 tbsps melted Crisco
1 lemon rind grated
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
6 tsp baking powder
1 tsp lemon or anise flavoring
Flour ( What it takes…..this part is a hoot!) I start with 6 cups and keep adding.
Add dry dough ingredients into a large bowl and make a well. Add wet ingredients to the well. Mix thoroughly and add more flour so that the dough is not too sticky. Set covered dough aside for at least 20 minutes.
Divide dough into four portions for each log ; roll the logs out roughly 5 inches wide and 12 inches long. Divide enough prune filling to fill each of the four logs of dough. Add some of the prune filling to each prepared log portion. Close them turnover style.You can brush them with egg and a tbsp of water if you wish. Bake at 350 degrees in the middle of the oven. I usually bake them for 13-15 minutes, but you know your own oven so check them.
Cool and frost with white icing made with confectioner’s sugar and milk. I also add colored Jimmies after icing the logs. When ready to serve, I slice the logs diagonally.
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