Doesn’t everyone love a great recipe? You may know from some of my social media posts that I love to cook – and oddly enough, so does my main character Marnie Reilly. Below are some of my favorite holiday recipes and my most requested holiday recipes. Enjoy!
Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
Preheat oven to 375° and prepare ungreased cookie sheets (I use parchment paper)
½ cup of butter
½ cup of peanut butter
½ cup of light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
½ tsp of baking soda dissolved in 1 tablespoon of hot water
1 ¼ cups flour
Cream butter, peanut butter, sugars and egg together. Mix in baking soda and hot water. Add flour and mix until smooth.
I refrigerate the cookie dough for two hours before baking – but you don’t have to do so.
Drop heaping teaspoonful, 1 inch apart, onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Dip a fork into flour, press onto top of cookie dough (crisscross). Bake for 7-8 minutes per tray.
Makes 3 dozen cookies.
Molasses Cookies Recipe
Preheat oven to 375°. Prepare greased cookie sheets (I use parchment paper).
¾ cup shortening or butter
1 cup of sugar
¼ molasses
1 egg
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups of flour
½ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
½ cup raisins (optional)
Melt shortening or butter in a 3 or 4-quart saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat – let cool. Add sugar, molasses and egg. Beat well. Sift flour, soda, spices and salt. Add to first mixture. Add raisins if desired. Mix well and chill for two hours. Roll 1” balls, roll in granulated sugar and place on greased cookie sheets two inches apart. Bake in preheated 375° oven for 8-10 minutes.
Makes 3-4 dozen.
Never Fail Chocolate Fudge*
7½ ounce jar Marshmallow Fluff*
2½ cups sugar
¾ tsp salt
½ stick butter or margarine
5 oz evaporated milk
¾ tsp vanilla
12 oz (~2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate pieces
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Grease a 9-inch square baking pan; set aside. In a large saucepan, combine first 5 ingredients. Stir over low heat until blended. Increase heat to medium and bring to a full-rolling boil being careful not to mistake escaping air bubbles for boiling. Boil slowly, stirring constantly, 3½ – 5 minutes to the softball stage*. Remove from heat, stir in semi-sweet chocolate pieces until melted. Stir in vanilla. Add nuts. Turn into greased pan and cool. Makes 2½ pounds.
*The softball stage is a test to see if the fudge is cooked to the proper stage. Before you start cooking, fill a small dish with ice water and set aside. After you have brought the recipe to a full boil for 3½ minutes, dribble a few drops of the mixture into the ice water from a wooden spoon. After it cools in the water (about 10 seconds), you should be able to roll it into small ball with your fingertips. If you put it in your mouth, it will be slightly chewy. If it passes these tests, you are done and should remove the mixture from heat and add the remaining ingredients. Otherwise, cook for another 30 seconds and try the test again. Most of the time, cooking time will not exceed 5 minutes.
Hint: As with all fudge recipes, cooking time will vary depending on factors such as humidity, altitude, and cooktop temperature.
*(All trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.)
Never Fail Peanut Butter Fudge*
7½ ounce jar Marshmallow Fluff*
2½ cups sugar
¾ tsp salt
½ stick butter or margarine
5 oz evaporated milk
¾ tsp vanilla
2 cups Reese’s® Peanut Butter Morsels
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Grease a 9-inch square baking pan; set aside. In a large saucepan, combine first five (5) ingredients. Stir over low heat until blended. Increase heat to medium and bring to a full-rolling boil being careful not to mistake escaping air bubbles for boiling. Boil slowly, stirring constantly, 3½ – 5 minutes to the softball stage*. Remove from heat, stir in Reese’s® Peanut Butter Morsels until melted. Stir in vanilla. Add nuts. Turn into greased pan and cool. Makes 2½ pounds.
*The softball stage is a test to see if the fudge is cooked to the proper stage. Before you start cooking, fill a small dish with ice water and set aside. After you have brought the recipe to a full boil for 3½ minutes, dribble a few drops of the mixture into the ice water from a wooden spoon. After it cools in the water (about 10 seconds), you should be able to roll it into small ball with your fingertips. If you put it in your mouth, it will be slightly chewy. If it passes these tests, you are done and should remove the mixture from heat and add the remaining ingredients. Otherwise, cook for another 30 seconds and try the test again. Most of the time, cooking time will not exceed 5 minutes.
Hint: As with all fudge recipes, cooking time will vary depending on factors such as humidity, altitude, and cooktop temperature.
*(All trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.)
Five Roses® Cookbook Prize Butter Tarts
Preheat oven to 350°.
Filling
1 cup, brown sugar (don’t pack the sugar)
½ cup, raisins
⅓ cup, margarine or butter melted
1 egg
2 tablespoons of cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Melt your butter then add in the vanilla, egg, cream and brown sugar.
Mix in the raisins.
Pastry
2 ½ cups, Five Roses® All Purpose Flour (or alternative all purpose flour)
1 tsp salt
1 cup, butter, cold
½ cup, water, cold
Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub into the flour until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle in enough water until the dough begins to hold together. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape into a disc (do not overwork the dough). Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Roll out dough to ⅛” thickness. Cut out 3-inch rounds and line 12 muffin cups with dough. Chill.
You can use premade tart shells, store bought pie pastry or make your own.
Divide filling evenly between the 12 tart shells. Bake in a 350° oven for 15-20 minutes – until the rims of the tarts are golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Hot Butter Rum
This hot buttered rum recipe is a favorite in my house. It comes from a little recipe book titled Christmas Memories, Holiday Drinks, and it’s from the Mystic Seaport Museum Stores in Mystic, Connecticut.
I’ve made this over the years during the winter season. Hot buttered rums are spicy (allspice, cinnamon, mace and nutmeg spicy), sweet and a bit dangerous. Hot buttered rums are the perfect holiday hot toddy.
We are planning a few quiet evenings of sipping hot buttered rums on the deck overlooking the forest.
Make it at least 2 hours ahead of your planned event to ensure the batter has had time to refreeze.
Ingredients:
I cup brown sugar
2 cups confectioners· sugar
½ pound (2 sticks) butter
I pint vanilla ice cream, softened
1/2 teaspoon EACH cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice
dash mace
rum
boiling water
Directions:
Cream butter, spices and sugars: blend with softened ice cream. Mix well.
Pack into covered container and store in freezer.
To serve: put a generous spoonful into mug. Add 2 ounces rum and mix well. Add boiling water to fill.
Adjust ice cream mixture to taste. Serve immediately. Drink slowly!
Yield: 25 servings