FAVORITE HOLIDAY RECIPES

Peanut Clusters

The vanilla equivalent to the Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/3 cup evaporated milk

1/4 cup chunk-style peanut butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup Spanish peanuts

Directions:

Mix sugar, butter, and milk in saucepan. Bring to rolling boil: boil 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stri in peanut butter and vanilla. Fold in oats and peanuts. Drop by scant tablespoonsful onto waxed paper. Let stand until set. Makes about 2 and 1/2 dozen.

______________________

Impossible Coconut Pie

This variation of Impossible Pie was given to me by a fellow cat lover when we

volunteered at a local animal adoption agency in 1975. It's so easy!

Ingredients:

1 cup flaked or shredded coconut
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups milk
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease 9-inch pie plate with shortening or cooking spray.
2. In medium bowl, stir all ingredients until blended. Pour into pie plate.
3. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until golden brown and knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie.

______________________

Harvest Pumpkin Bars

I found this recipe in a Land O'Lakes Cookies and Bars recipe booklet.

They come out nice and moist - good with frosting too.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter - softened

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin

4 eggs

2 and 1/4 cup flour

2 tsps. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Powered sugar

Instructions:

1) Heat oven to 350*. Combine sugar, butter, pumpkin, and eggs in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well-mixed (2 to 3 minutes). Reduce speed to low, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Beat, scraping bowl often, until well-mixed.

2) Pour into 15 x 10 x 1-inch jelly roll pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

3) Place doily over cooled pumpkin bars. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, carefully remove doily, then cut into bars.

______________________

Easy Cheese Ball

I've used this recipe since the 1970's and it's still a favorite.

Ingredients:

2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese
2 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 small jar chopped pimento
2 Tbsp. chopped green pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Dash of red pepper sauce (optional)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions:

Soften cream cheese to room temperature. Combine cream cheese and cheddar cheese and blend until smooth. Add all the remaining ingredients, except pecans or walnuts, and mix well. Chill for several hours. Shape into a ball or a log, and roll in pecans or walnuts. Serve with crackers.

______________________________

Quick Peanut Butter Fudge

The recipe was given to me by a church friend - easiest fudge I ever made.

Ingredients:

3 cups white sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter

Directions:
Line an 8" or 9" square pan with foil. Put sugar and milk in saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, stirring constantly until mixture boils. Boil for exactly 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add peanut butter. Use electric mixer to beat fudge until thick (old recipe says to "beat it 'til it fudges"), then pour into foil-lined pan and cool. Invert pan onto cutting board, peel off foil. Cut into small pieces. Great for gift giving. Freezes well in airtight container. Recipe can be doubled.

____________________________________

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (AKA: "No Bakes")

Mom used to make these for my brother, sisters, and me when we were kids. I took them to Brownie meetings when it was my turn to provide a treat. I made them for my daughter when she was little, and now she makes them for her kids. TRADITION!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter or margarine
3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Heat cocoa, sugar, milk and butter over medium heat until boiling. Boil 3 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and add vanilla and peanut butter. Mix thoroughly, until peanut butter is dissolved. Stir in oats, then quickly drop by tablespoonsful onto waxed paper.

_____________________________

Russian Teacakes (AKA: Mexican Wedding Cakes)

These are my hubby's favorite Christmas cookies and he always requests them.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 and 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
Sifted powdered sugar for coating teacakes

Directions:
Preheat oven 400°. In large mixing bowl, blend butter with 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in flour and pecans. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Bake for about 9 minutes. Roll warm teacakes in sifted powdered sugar. Makes about 4 dozen.

____________________________________

Pumpkin Pie Bars

A nice change from traditonal pumpkin pie - great for bake sales

Ingredients:
1 and 1/3 cups flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar - divided
3/4 cup cold butter or margarine
1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats, uncooked
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese - softened
3 eggs
1 -15 oz. can pumpkin
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 13 x 9 inch baking pan with foil. Grease foil lining. Mix flour, brown sugar and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in oats and pecans. Reserve 1 cup of the oat mixture and press remaining mixture onto bottom of pan. Bake for 15 min.

Beat cream cheese, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Pour over crust; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake 25 minutes. Cool completely. Lift from pan using foil as handles. Cut into 24 bars. Store leftover bars in tightly covered container in refrigerator. Makes 24 servings.

______________________________

Quick and Easy Sugar Cookies

Here's a tip for quick and easy sugar cookies: Take a package or two of the Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie ready mixes and make the dough according to package directions. Add a little flour, as needed, to make the dough pliable, and roll out as you would any other cookie dough. Use your favorite cookie cutters to make the shapes you want. I've sometimes used this mix with my grandkids when we've baked holiday cookies. It was easy for them to add the few ingredients to the mix and stir it. The best thing about making sugar cookies is decorating them, so be sure to have plenty of colored sugars and sprinkles on hand. Bake as directed on the mix package. When compared to "scratch" sugar cut-outs, I can't tell much difference, and the mixes save time.

Another tip: The Betty Crocker Peanut Butter mix is also quick, easy, and delicious. I don't use the other varieties, though I've tried them. Of all the ones available, I recommend the Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix and the peanut butter mix for short-cut cookies that taste like you made them "from scratch".

I used to insist on making all my holiday cookies the long way - by scratch, as my mom and grandma used to call it. But when days are hectic and time grows short, it's perfectly ok to take a few shortcuts. These cookie mixes are really good and they're great time savers. Although my grandma might not approve, I've adopted the motto: If it's baked in your oven, then it's HOMEMADE.

______________________________