Chocolate Dipped Hazelnut Shortbread

Ingredients
1 cup husked hazelnuts1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar1 egg1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place hazelnuts on baking sheet. Bake until they're a shade darker and fragrant, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Lower oven to 325 degrees F.

Place hazelnuts in blender or food processor and pulse to coarse bits; set aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt to blend; set aside.

Beat butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon until smooth. Beat in egg. Gradually beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Add the chopped hazelnuts and mix until distributed evenly throughout.

Form into finger sized logs, about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons dough each, and place on greased cookie sheets. Bake until firm, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on racks.

In a saucepan over lowest heat or in a double boiler, melt chocolate. Dip 1 end of cooled cookies into melted chocolate. Place back on cookie sheet to harden.

Sherry Butter Nut Drops

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
3 1/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 cup ground pecans
2 egg whites, beaten Pecan halves, optional

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt. Mix the flour into the butter mixture, alternating with the sherry, making sure to finish with the flour. Stir in the ground pecans.

Drop by the teaspoonful onto a cookie sheet and roll each portion between your palms to make smooth, even balls. Press each one into the cookie sheet and brush with beaten egg white. Using a fork, knife or another tool, press a design into the top of each cookie, or press a pecan half, right side up, into each ball or dough. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool a few minutes and remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cool and let cookies sit overnight to ripen. Serve or store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Toasted Coconut Marshmallows

Ingredients
7 ounces sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
1 recipe Homemade Marshmallow batter, recipe follows Confectioners' sugar

Instructions

Sprinkle half the toasted coconut in an 8 by 12-inch non-metal pan. Pour in the marshmallow batter and smooth the top of the mixture with damp hands. Sprinkle on the remaining toasted coconut. Allow to dry uncovered at room temperature overnight.

Remove the marshmallows from the pan and cut into squares. Roll the sides of each piece carefully in confectioners' sugar. Store uncovered at room temperature.

Homemade Marshmallows:

Ingredients3 packages unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water, plus 1/2 cup
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Instructions

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Allow to sit while you make the syrup.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_31990,00.html

Soups and Vegetables: Cheesy New Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:

12 medium new potatoes
Salt and pepper
2 cups grated Old English cheese
16 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup chopped parsley, for garnish

TO PREPARE:Wash and cube potatoes (do not peel), cook in boiling water until just barely tender. Remove from heat, drain, and season to taste with salt and pepper. In a large casserole, place layer of potatoes, half the bacon, half the butter, and half the cheese. Repeat the layers. Heat in a 350 degree oven for 20–30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven and garnish with parsley.

SERVES: 6 - 8

Copyright 1992 The Junior League of Houston, Inc. All rights reserved.
Visit The Junior League of Houston
web site (http://www.juniorleaguehouston.org/Cookbooks/BookOverview.asp)

Christmas Citrus Squares

Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks), unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons red current jelly

Filling:
2 large eggs2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flourPinch fine salt
1 cup freshly squeezed clementine juice, about 6 clementines
1 lemon juiced (4 to 5 tablespoons)
2 clementines (about 2 teaspoons) zest, finely grated
1 lemon (about 2 teaspoons) zest, finely grated
2 clementines or 2 blood oranges, sliced and cut into small triangular pieces, for serving,
optional

Instructions

Butter a 9 by 12 1/2-inch baking pan. Line pan with foil and leave about 2 inches extra on all sides. Butter the foil.

Whisk the flour, cornstarch, and salt together in a bowl.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the butter with the sugar on medium, until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Turn mixer to low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overwork the dough.

Transfer dough to prepared pan, spreading it out evenly across the pan. Press the dough to make a 1/4-inch thick covering over the bottom of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap, then press and flatten using your hands to smooth and even out the dough. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove the plastic from the top of the dough and prick the dough with a fork or a wooden skewer. Bake the crust until just golden, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the jelly in the microwave until soft enough to spread, about 1 minute. Spread the jelly with a pastry brush or an offset spatula over the crust. Return to the oven and cook another 10 minutes. Cool crust completely on a wire rack, 1 hour.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, flour, and salt together in a medium bowl. Beat until thick and slightly pale. Stir in the citrus juices and zest, and whisk gently to blend well.

Pour the filling onto the cooled crust and bake until the filling is firm but still loose and wobbly in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight before cutting.

Remove bars from refrigerator and dip the bottom of them in warm water to soften the butter and release the foil from the sides of the pan. Use foil to lift pastry out of the baking pan and transfer to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut into about 50 1 1/2-inch squares, wiping down the knife with a hot, wet towel between cuts. Top each square with a tiny triangular segment of clementine or blood orange (with the peel on) and serve.

source: Food Networks.com - 12 Days of Cookies

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_32477,00.html

Mexican Wedding Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for coating baked cookies
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting hands
1 cup pecans, chopped into very small pieces

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Line cookies sheets with parchment paper.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar at low speed until it is smooth. Beat in the vanilla. At low speed gradually add the flour. Mix in the pecans with a spatula. With floured hands, take out about 1 tablespoon of dough and shape into a crescent. Continue to dust hands with flour as you make more cookies. Place onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle but still warm, roll in additional confectioners' sugar. Cool on wire racks.

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_31969,00.html

Hazelnut Crunch: Noci CroccanteRecipe

This hazelnut brittle is delicious on its own or as a topping for your favorite ice cream.

Recipe SummaryYield: 1 1/2 pounds
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutess
Inactive prep time: 30 minutes
Ease of preparation: Intermediate
Special equipment: Candy thermometer

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sugar1 cup water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup dark corn syrup2
1/2 cups coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions
Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir the sugar, water, light corn syrup, and dark corn syrup in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high and boil without stirring until a candy thermometer registers 260 degrees F, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Mix in the hazelnuts, butter, and salt (the mixture will be thick and nutty), and cook until the thermometer registers 295 degrees F, stirring constantly, about 15 minutes. Quickly stir in the baking soda. Immediately pour the caramel onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading it as thinly as possible. Let stand until hard.

courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Print: Full Page 3X5 Card 4X6 Card
source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_31968,00.html

Chocolate Chips and Walnut Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups chocolate chips,
2 Hershey's chocolate bars, chopped or M&M'S
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl stir together flour, salt, and baking soda. In another large bowl stir together butter, both sugars, eggs, vanilla and cocoa. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter mixture and mix until combined. Stir chocolate chips and walnuts, if using, and stir to distribute evenly.

For cookies: Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets and bake about 10 minutes. Cool on a baking rack. For bars: Pat dough into a greased 9 inch square baking pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cut into squares when cooled