Holiday Baking Awesomeness

Thanks to the snowday, I was able to do a lot of baking. Oh boy did I have fun :)

I have to say that for at the least the first two, they are the BEST and you all should try making at least one of these delicious treats. The squares were just ok, and still very easy peasy and yummy, but not quite the same level of awesome as the other three.

Buttery Hazelnut Lace Cookies
courtesy of Chatelaine, Dec. 2010
Prep 25 min | Total 45 min

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup sliced hazelnuts or almonds (I used almonds & walnuts b/c that's all we had)
• 1 tsp grated orange peel

POSITION oven racks in top and bottom thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

MELT butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar, orange juice, flour and salt. Then whisk in beaten egg. Stir in nuts and orange peel. Mixture will be wet.

DROP 1 tsp batter for each cookie onto prepared sheets, about 2 in. apart. Batter will spread. Bake in top and bottom thirds of oven, switching and rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden brown and centres are light golden, 6 to 7 min. At halfway point I would also recommend re-shaping the cookies (mine tended to pool all together).

COOL cookies on baking sheets for 2 min. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.


Flourless Chocolate Snow Mountains
courtesy of Chatelaine, Dec. 2010
Prep 30 min | Total 1 hr

• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 112 g dark chocolate, about 4 squares, chopped & melted (I used 1/2 dark and 1/2 semi-sweet)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup icing sugar

WHISK almonds with cocoa, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter with brown sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer, until light and fluffy, about 3 min. Beaet in egg and vanilla. Stir in chocolate. Fold in almond mixture until combined. Cover bowl with mixture until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is firm enough to roll, about 10 min.

POSITION oven racks in top and bottom thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place granulated and icing sugars in 2 separate small bowls. Scoop dough and roll into tbsp-sized balls. Coat with granulated suagar, then icing sugar. Place on prepared sheets 1 in. apart. Bake in top rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies crack, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove sheets to a rack and leave for 2 min. Cookies will look undercooked but will continue to bake as they sit. Remove to a rack to cool completely.


Tiger Bars
courtesy of Hershey.com, including the picture (mine are still cooling, so no pictures yet)

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup golden corn syrup (I used 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water as we don't use corn syrup)
  
• 3/4 cup Butterscotch Chipits, divided
• 2 cups Rice Crispies cereal
• 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chipits
• 1 teaspoon oil

1. In large saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup; bring to boil over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved.

2. Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the butterscotch chips; stir until melted. Stir in cereal until well coated. Press into greased 8-inch (20 cm) square pan.

4. In medium bowl over hot water (or in microwave), melt semi-sweet chocolate chips. Spread evenly over surface of bars.

5. In small bowl over hot water (or in microwave), melt remaining 1/4 cup (50 mL) butterscotch chips and oil. Drizzle in lines over surface of bars. Chill. Cut into bars.


Lenny's "Bear"scotti (biscotti)
created by a talented LennyDry:
1 2/3 cup almond flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup flax seed
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tbsp pureed ginger
1/4 cup natural sugar cane

Wet:
1/2 cup honey
2 tbsp agave nectar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoons grated lemon peel
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs

1) Preheat oven to 350°F.
2) Butter and flour large baking sheet. Pre-melt butter for wet ingredients in microwave.
3) Whisk dry ingredients.
4) Make well in center of dry ingredients.
5) Add wet ingredients to well.
6) Stir egg mixture until blended; gradually mix in dry ingredients.
7) Drop dough onto prepared sheet by tablespoonfuls, forming two 12-inch-long by 2-inch-wide logs. Space logs 3 inches apart.
8) Using moistened fingertips, shape logs neatly.
9) Bake logs until golden and firm to touch, about 14-16 minutes.
10) Cool logs on baking sheet 10 minutes.
11) Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
12) Transfer warm logs to work surface. Cut on slight diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
13) Arrange slices, cut side down, on 2 clean baking sheets.
14) Bake until pale golden, about 7-10 minutes. Cool completely. About 1 hour.



Hope that inspires you all to do some Christmas baking. Now to recover from my sugar high...