Christmas Cookies–Meringue Drop Cookies

This is the last of the Christmas cookies!  It’s another of my grandmother’s Christmas only cookie and were one of my favourites!  I’m not going to lie here, as I write this I just had one and it tasted exactly as Gran made them.  Memories flooding back, so miss her!  She was the most awesome person and a little wack-a-doodle!  Which I love in all my friends and family :)

Check out this picture, it was taken on their property outside of Toronto, Ontario.  They lived on a 150 acre farm and she always wore a skirt, even when out and about in the winter.  This pic still hangs in our house because it is so Gran!  She was a mad gardener, sewer and baker/cook extraordinaire.  I guess I got two of the three gifts :)  What I remember most is that when we would visit on a cold weekend, she would go into her freezer and start pulling stuff out.  Most of the time she didn’t know what it was and would make the most amazing soups on the planet. One time I remember her saying “it’s a green veggy”, could have been spinach or broccoli.  What it was was an amazing tasting soup!  I sadly didn’t get that specific gift but I did get the love of cooking and baking in general.  She is my inspiration for most of the stuff that goes up on this blog.  I can’t believe she’s been gone over 15 years now.

Before the tears roll, back to the cookies.

Now meringue cookies aren’t specifically Christmas but Gran always added a little something to the centre kind of like a present.  The white ones have a peanut butter cream and the green ones are mint with chocolate chips.

Recipe:

• 6 large egg whites
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• chocolate chips
• green food colouring (I used Americolor)

1. Preheat oven to 200 F
2. Line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In bowl of a mixer, whisk egg whites until they form soft peaks.
4. Start adding sugar a little at a time until incorporated and the mixture forms stiff glossy peaks.
5. Separate into halves.  Place white meringue into a piping bag.
6. In another bowl add 1/4 tsp peppermint flavouring and a tiny squirt of green food colouring.  You don’t want them too green, just a hint! Place in piping bag.
7. In small bowl, mix peanut butter and icing sugar together.
8. Pipe small flat circles (inch to inch and a half), a couple inches a part on baking sheet.
9. To white meringue circles add a small amount of peanut butter mixture and to green meringue circles add 2-3 chocolate chips.
10. Pipe meringue over top to cover centres.  Green on green, white on white!
11. Bake for an hour and half or until meringue is completely dry to touch.
12. Remove and cool on baking sheets.  Store in airtight containers.  My Gran use to freeze them too, I haven’t attempted that yet.
13. Enjoy!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my Christmas cookies!  Sadly that’s all I’ve got, so next year I’ll have to use my brain to think up more :)

I’m pretty sure Gran would approve of my take on her classic cookies! 

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays Everyone! 

I’ll be around next week but not baking just cyber stalking everyone else.  So until the new year, 2012!  I hope you all have a fabulous time with family and friends and join me back in the new year with some even better treats!  and of course back to the gym! (who’s with me????)

Thanks for looking!

Linking with:

Full Plate Thursday; Sweet Treat Thursday;

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Christmas Cookies–Peanut Butter Crisp Balls

My grandmother use to make these little devils every year until she passed away 12 years ago.  And sadly they haven’t been made since.  I’m not sure why because they are so yummy and that’s coming from someone who isn’t a true fan of peanut butter.

When I decided I would try to re-create Grans Christmas platter I went through her recipe box and found several of the holiday cookie favourites!  Including this one.

Recipe:

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar (plus some extra for rolling)
• 2 cups rice krispies

1. Mix peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar until well blended.
2. Add rice krispies.
3. Using a small scoop, make into small balls and roll in powdered sugar.
4. Freeze.  Two reasons, they taste better frozen and they won’t stick together in the bag when frozen.  If transporting, place single layers between wax paper.
5. Enjoy!

It’s simple and a must try.  You could also cover in chocolate too…huh! that gives me an idea!

Thanks for looking!

Linking with:

Tasty Tuesday, Crazy Sweet Tuesday, Get Your Craft On, Handmade Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Hearth and Soul Blog Hop; Full Plate Thursday; Sweet Treat Thursday;

Grandma’s Homemade Bread

I found my Gran’s recipe box and started going through it and found some amazing recipes.  One of which is my favourite from when we were kids.  Whenever we would visit she would always have fresh bread in the oven.  A favourite memory when I was young was having her teach me how to make her mother’s bread recipe and I’d like to share it with you.  Here’s the original card.  Gran passed away 1995 so it’s pretty old and pretty precious to me!

That’s the actual card.  I changed the crisco to butter and you need much less flour.

Recipe:

• 2 pkgs yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 cups cold water
• 10-12 cups all purpose flour

1. Combine yeast, warm water and sugar and set aside.
2. Scald milk, butter, sugar and salt in large saucepan.  Add 2 cups cold water
3. Start by adding 6 cups of flour to milk mixture and mix together.
4. Add yeast and continue to add flour until dough becomes not sticky.  I used about 11 cups of flour.
5. Knead dough for 5-10 minutes. Let your frustrations out…go to town on it.  The more you knead the better it is!
   
   
6. Grease a large bowl and place dough in center.  Cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise 1.5 hours
   
   
7. Punch down and let rise again.  This doesn’t take as much time, about half.  45mins
   
   
8. Punch down and divide into loaf pans.  This recipe makes about 5 loaves of bread. 
9. After final rise in pans, brush with butter and sprinkle with salt.
   
   
10. Bake at 450 for 10mins, drop heat to 350 for 35 mins.

I made 2 regular loafs and 1 mutant loaf (I may have added too much dough to the pan) and then some knotted buns!  Those were so much fun to make with gran!

Don’t worry about making too much, they will all get eaten.  Hopefully not all in one sitting, but I won’t judge :)

Thanks for looking!

Linking with:
Vintage Recipes Thursdays
Chic & Crafty
I'm Loving It Fridays
Foodie Friday
Party Mindie Style
Weekend Wrapup
Show and Tell Saturday
Foodie Friday
Saturday Sweets