On December 9

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Is someone praying for us? The last few days have seen a lot of productivity at our house, herxheimer reaction and all! Last night, we had Gabe and Pete's supervisor, Danielle, over to our house to help out with Christmas cookies. For the first time since I've been married, my Christmas shopping is nearly finished and I actually have Christmas cookies in my house in early December. I guess we're behind on December weather (today the temperature is in the 70's), but we're a bit ahead on the stuff we've wanted to do!

Take a look at what we made yesterday (besides the sugar cookies Piper tested in her own baking endeavor):

Chocolate Crackles
Easy, easy, easy!

1 package Devil's Food Cake mix
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp. water
1/2 cup butter
Powdered sugar

Combine everything but sugar. Mix until well blended. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in powdered sugar. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes.

ADDITIONAL VARIATION: My friend H left me a note on Facebook about her amazing revised version of this recipe. She altered it only slightly, using "red velvet cake mix, [adding] peppermint flavoring, [and rolling] them in finely crushed peppermint candy."


Mom's Crinkles
One of my favorite recipes in the colder months. I love the spicy Christmas scent. These cookies are best served warm with a glass of milk. They make great dippers!

3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix first three ingredients until very creamy; add molasses. Sift dry ingredients into mix. Blend and chill. Roll into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar. Bake at 375° 10-13 minutes.

Popcorn Balls
This buttery, sugary sweet treat has been the center of family Christmas memories for years. It takes a team of people, but the results are fantastic.

1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. salt
16 cups popped popcorn

Heat all ingredients except popcorn to simmering in Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Add popcorn. Cook, stirring constantly, until popcorn is well-coated, about 2 minutes. Place on wax paper. Cool slightly. Dip hands into ice water; shape mixture into 2-inch balls. Cool completely. Store in plastic bags or Tupperware container.

Yield: 8 popcorn balls

Cream Cheese Walnut Muffins
I always double this recipe. A huge favorite, these cookies just don't last!

Crust
1 cup softened margarine
8 oz. cream cheese
2 cups sifted flour
1/4 tsp. salt

Beat first three ingredients together; add salt. Work in flour. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. When ready to bake, roll dough and cut to fit mini muffin tins.

Filling
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 Tbs. melted butter
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups chopped walnuts
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix well and fill crusts about 2/3 full. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Cool before removing from muffin tins.

6 comments:

Alethea Jordan said...

Those popcorn balls are making me want Christmas REALLY badly! =\

P.s. I'm going to steal the recipe!

Christy said...

Wow...I'm coming to your house! All those cookies look amazing. :-)

Kelly Sauer said...

We'll have to send you some!

Becky said...

YUM! Those all look just divine! I haven't even started any baking yet. These make me really want cookies! LOL :)

dancebythelight said...

Wow, you have been busy! I got the house decorated early, but still no baking! :(

Tricia said...

Those popcorn balls look D-lish!! I'll have to try them. :D

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