Northwest Pecan Treats

Adapted from: Christmas Cookie Magazine
Yield: 4 dozen

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
½ cup sugar
½ tsp. salt
1 cup cold butter
4 slightly beaten eggs
1 ¼ cups dark-color corn syrup
1 ¼ cups sugar
3 TB butter, melted
2 tsp. vanilla
2 ½ cups chopped pecans
1/3 cups dried cherries or cranberries, snipped (I bump this up to about 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 15x10x1 inch baking sheet with foil, extending foil over sides of pan. Grease foil. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine flour, ½ c. sugar, and salt. Using pastry blender, cut 1 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press mix evenly into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs, corn syrup, 1 ¼ cups sugar, 3 TB butter, and vanilla until combined.

Sprinkle pecans and dried cherries over hot crust. Slowly pour egg mixture over all. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Lift baked mixture from pan using foil. Remove foil. Cut into bars.

The trick to these is having the right size pan.

Pink Cookies

Source: Nana Keyes
Yield: 4 dozen

1 1/2 c. margarine
1 tsp. salt
8 Tb. cream
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 1/2 c. confectioner's sugar
3 c. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tsp baking powder
red food coloring

1. Grease and flour cookie sheets.
2. Beat margarine with an electric mixer on high for 30 seconds. Add vanilla, salt, and eggs. Mix until combined. Add cream and lemon extract. Slowly add confectioners sugar and baking powder.
3. Slowly add flour. When batter is mixed, add red food coloring to tint dough pink.
4. Drop batter by teaspoon onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown on the bottom.
5. Remove from cookie sheet and place upside down on cooling racks. Frost the bottoms while still warm.

Frosting:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
3 Tb cream
1 tsp almond extract
red food coloring (to tint pink)

These are really delicious, like a lemonade cookie. The picture doesn't do them justice. The batter is very similar to cake batter, so don't be surprised when it's very soft.

Disappearing Peanutbutter Bars

Source: Christmas Cookie Magazine
Yield: About 4 dozen1 c. sugar
1 c. light corn syrup
2 c. peanut butter
3 c. crisp rice cereal
3 c. cornflakes

3/4 c. butter
4 c. powder sugar
2 4-serving boxes of vanilla pudding mix
1/4 c. milk

12 oz. chocolate chips
1/2 . butter

1. Line a 15x10 bake pan with foil, extending it over the edge.
2. In a large saucepan, combine sugar and corn syrup. Heat and stir until just boiling. Remove from heat. Stir in peanutbutter until melted. Stir in cereals until coated. Press into bottom of prepared pan.
3. For next layer, melt 3/4 c. butter in saucepan. Stir in powdered sugar, dry vanilla pudding mix, and milk. Spread over cereal layer in the pan.
4. For topping, combine chocolate pieces and 1/2 c. butter in saucepan. Heat and stir over low heat until melted. Spread over pudding layer.
5. Cover and chill 1 hour

Note: These are probably hands down the most amazing sweet treat I've ever made. People beg for them. Sara K. named them "disappearing" because they don't last long.

Spritz

Source: Old Swedish Family Recipe
Yield: about four pans past when you're sick of using the cookie press (aka, a lot)

2 c. butter
1 egg or 2 egg yolks
1 c. sugar (scant)
1/2 ts. vanilla
4 1/2 c. flour (scant)

Beat butter until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix until well combined, then add sugar and vanilla. Mix well.

Add flour 1/2 cup at a time until thoroughly blended.

Using a cookie press, arrange on ungreased cookie sheets. Decorate with sprinkled colored sugar or small colored balls of sugar. Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Half this. Seriously. It makes a gazillion cookies. Also, cookie presses are fun even though mom always wants wreaths and trees and we never get to make fun shapes like camels. The traditional cookies were pretzel shaped.

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

Source: Mom
Yield: 5 1/2 dozen

1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3 Tb. cream
3 c. flour
maraschino cherries

1. Snip cherries in half.
2. Sour cream by adding a drop or two of lemon juice.
3. Cream margarine in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add sugar and salt.
4. Add eggs, vanilla, almond, and cream. Beat until light and fluffy.
5. Add flour at low speed. Chill dough for 1 hour or more.
6. Roll into balls. Using a drinking glass bottom dripped in sugar, slightly flatten cookies. Place 1/2 a cherry on each cookie.
7. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.


I've never had a sugar cookie this good. Soft, flavorful, and just overall wonderful. 

Snickerdoodle Variation:

Roll dough into balls, and then roll into cinnamon sugar.  Place on cookie sheet and slightly flatten.  Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. 

Caramel Chew Bars

Source: Christmas Cookie Magazine
Yield: no where near enough!

1 cup butter, softened
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 c. flour
1 cup crushed Saltine crackers (about 23)
1 14-oz package of caramels, unwrapped
1 cup. evaporated milk
1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
2 tsp. shortening

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9 baking fan with foil, and grease.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with electric speed until light and fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla.
3. Gradually beat in flour. Stir in cracker crumbs.
4. Spread mixture in pan and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly brown.
5. Meanwhile, in a heavy medium saucepan, combine caramels and evaporated milk. Heat and stir over medium-low heat until melted and smooth. Pour hot caramel over hot baked crust. Bake about 8 minutes more or until top is bubbly.
6. In a medium bowl, melt chocolate pieces and shortening. Pour melted chocolate over caramel. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Using edges of foil, lift out of pan uncut.

These are delicious, but a word of advice: if you forget the evaporated milk like I did, you'll have a seriously difficult time pouring the caramel. Still good, but a royal pain. Don't forget the milk!