Aunt Velma’s Shortbread

1 c Butter
1/2 c Sugar,icing
2 1/2 c Flour,all purpose – sifted

Preheat oven to 350F. Place butter in bowl, should be at room temperature. Add icing sugar. Work together with hands. Add flour.

Keep working with hands till well mixed. Put the dough on a board and pat to 1/2″ thickness.

Cut in rectangles or fancy designs. Bake 20 – 25 minutes at 350F till light brown on edges.

Eggnog Bread

16 Servings

2 T Sugar
1 pk Active dry yeast
2 1/2 c All-purpose flour
2 T Butter
1 t Salt
1/4 t Nutmeg
3/4 c Eggnog,at room temp.*

Place ingredients in the Bread Maker according to your manufacturers’ directions. Then adjust by adding flour or liquid as needed.

Babka

1 pk Yeast
4 c Bread flour
1/2 c Sugar,plus
2 T Sugar
1 t Salt
1/4 c -warm water
1 c Milk
1/4 lb Butter
2 Eggs
3/4 c Golden raisins

Bake in your Bread Maker according to manufacturers instructions.

Berlin Bread

20 Servings

2 Eggs
2 T water,Warm
9 oz Sugar
2 1/2 oz Apple preserves
1/2 c Rum
1 pn allspice,Ground
3 t Cinnamon
2 1/2 oz chocolate,Grated
9 oz Flour
1 t Baking powder
4 1/2 oz Whole almonds (or hazelnuts)
1 1/4 oz Candied lemon peel,diced

1. Whisk the eggs and water until frothy, then add sugar, a little at a time. Continue whisking until the mixture is thick and creamy.

2. Mix and sift together the flour and baking powder.Add to the eggs and mix well, and then gradually add in the apple preserves, flavoring, spices, nuts and candied peel.

3. Spread the mixture about 1/4 inch thick in a greased baking sheet. Preheat oven to very hot for 5 minutes. Bake at moderate hot oven (375F) for 15-20 minutes.

4. Make an icing with 3 1/2 oz confectioners sugar and 1-2 T. hot water or milk. Ice the bread while it is still hot, and slice into 1 x 2 inch slices.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED PEANUT-BRITTLE FINGERS

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 15 1/2×10 1/2×1″ jelly-roll pan; line bottom and sides with sheet of aluminum foil. Grease foil.

In large bowl of electric mixer, combine cookie mix, egg yolks and the water. At low speed, beat just until mixture forms a crumbly dough.

Pat mixture over foil on bottom of prepared pan; bake 20 min or until dough is golden brown. Remove pan from oven.

Make peanut-brittle topping: In heavy med saucepan, combine brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and heavy cream; over med heat, bring to boiling, stirring. Cook, stirring constantly, until butter melts and mixture is smooth. Stir in peanuts.

Spread peanut-brittle topping mixture over cookies in pan; bake 15 min or until topping is brown and bubbly.

Remove pan from oven. Cool cookies slightly. Using ends of aluminum foil, lift cookies from pan, cut crosswise into thirds. Cut lengthwise into 14 strips; remove cookies from aluminum foil. Cool cookie “fingers” completely on rack.

Line another wire rack with waxed paper. In top of double boiler over hot, not boiling, water, combine chocolate and shortening. Over low heat, cook mixture, stirring, until chocolate and shortening are melted and mixture is smooth. Dip each cookie finger into chocolate mixture to cover halfway; place cookie on prepared rack to dry.

Makes 42 cookies.

Christmas Stollen

6 Servings

1 1/8 lb Flour
7 oz Sugar
1 pn Salt
1 t Vanilla
1 t Lemon juice
4 T Rum
1 pn Cardomom (generous)
1 pn Mace (generous)
2 Eggs
4 1/2 oz Butter
4 1/2 oz Currants well,Drained
9 oz Sultanas
9 oz Almonds,finely chopped
3 1/2 oz Candied lemon peel
1 3/4 oz Butter for brushing
2 T Powdered sugar for dusting
1 3/4 oz Beef drippings
9 oz Cottage cheese,well drained

Mix and sieve together the flour and baking powder onto a pastry board or cool slab. Make a well in the center and pour in the sugar, vanilla, rum, lemon juice, and the eggs. Draw in some flour from the sides of the well to mix with these and form a thick paste. Add the cold butter, cut into small pieces, the finely chopped beef drippings, cottage cheese, currants, sultanas, nuts and candied peel.

Cover the fruits with more of the flour, and then starting from the middle, work all of it together quickly with your hands into a firm, smooth paste. If it should stick, add a little more flour. Form the mix into a long, oval shape, and then fold it over lengthwise to give it the traditional “stollen” shape.

Line a baking dish with greased waxed paper and place stollen on this.

Preheat the oven for 5 minutes at 500F. Then bake at a moderately hot over (375F) for 50-60 minutes. As soon as the stollen comes out of the oven, brush with melted butter and dust thickly with powdered sugar.

Cinnamon Ribbon Bread

6 Servings

2 3/4 c All-purpose flour
2 1/2 t Baking powder
1/2 t Salt
3/4 c Butter (or margarine)
1 1/4 c Sugar,divided
3 Eggs
1 1/2 t Vanilla extract
1 c Dairy sour cream
2 t Cinnamon,ground
1/2 c Pecans,chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, balking powder, and salt in a small bowl until well blended. In a large bowl, beat butter and 1 cup of the sugar until creamy and light. Beat in eggs, one at a time and vanilla until well blended. Beat in flour mixture and sour cream, alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Spoon about one third of the batter into greased and floured 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with one third of the cinnamon mixture. Repeat with remaining batter and cinnamon mixture until all is used up.

Sprinkle the top of the bread with pecans, pressing them in slightly with your fingers. Bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool bread 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan and cool completely on rack.

Cranberry Applesauce Bread

1 1/4 c Cranapple sauce
1 T Powdered buttermilk(saco)
2 T Margarine
1 T Sugar
1/2 t Salt
3 c Bread flour
2 1/2 t Yeast

CRANAPPLE SAUCE
=================
1 1/4 c Cranberries
4 md Golden delicious apples*
1 t Ginger root
1/4 t Cinnamom
1/2 t zest of lemon,Grated
1/2 c Sugar +
2 T Water

Put all in machine sweet bread cycle if you have it.

CRANAPPlE SAUCE *peeled and diced (1/2 inch) put water and sugar in a lg heavy saucepan and place over high heat. Cook stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add apples cover stir frequently cook 5 minutes then add cranberries cook 15 to 20 minutes till cranberries pop and apples are soft then mash with potato masher will still be slightly lumpy add
spices and zest cook another 5 minutes for flavor to blend. Cool for putting in the bread, sauce will keep in fridge for 3 days makes 3 cups also can be served warm with dinner

Cranberry Fruit And Nut Bread

3/4 c Butter (or margarine)
-softened
1 1/2 c Sugar
3 Eggs
2 1/2 c All-purpose flour
1 1/2 t Baking powder
1 1/2 t Baking soda
1 t Salt
1/4 t Nutmeg,ground
1 1/2 c Commercial sour cream
1 t Vanilla extract
3/4 c Cranberries,chopped
1/2 c Pecans,chopped
1/2 c Golden raisins
1/3 c Apricots,dried, chopped
Pecan halves
Whole cranberries
1 c Powdered sugar,sifted
1-1/2 to 2 tb milk

Cream butter in a large mixing bowl; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and nutmeg; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix just until blended after each addition Stir in vanilla.

Fold in cranberries, chopped pecans, raisins, and apricots..

Pour batter into 2 greased and floured 8-1/2 x 4- 1/2 x 3-inch loaf pans; arrange pecan halves on top .

Bake at 35 degrees F. for 55 to 60 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out
clean.
Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool
completely.

Arrange whole cranberries on loaf. Combine powdered sugar
and milk, mixing well; drizzle over loaves.

2 loaves.

Cranberry-Nut Bread

1 1/3 c  Flour
1 t  Baking soda
1 1/4 t  Salt
3/4 c  Sugar
1    Orange,grated peel only
6 T  Butter,cut into 1″ pieces
2 lg Eggs
1    Orange,Juice only
1 1/4 c  Fresh cranberries,chopped
1 c  Walnuts (or pecans),chopped

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350F.

Grease a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan and line with a strip of wax paper, greased; or place 18 paper muffin cups in muffin tins. Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Put the sugar and orange peel in a bowl, food processor or mixer, along with the butter, eggs and 1/2 cup of the orange juice. Beat or process until smooth. Add the cranberries, nuts and the flour mixture, beating until just combined. Pour into the pan or cups.

Bake 1 hour for the loaf and 30 minutes for the muffins. Remove from pan. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 1 Loaf or 18 Muffins