Twas the Night before Christmas

How about leaving Santa something different... Like some


Butter Nut Brittle
from Jean Price

2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
3 cup unsalted dry roasted mixed nuts
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons baking soda

Mix sugar, syrup and water in a large heavy saucepan. Cover and heat to boiling. Uncover and cook rapidly to 236° F. on candy thermometer (soft ball stage). Stir in nuts slowly, keeping mixture bubbling.

Cook rapidly, stirring constantly, to 280 F. (hard ball stage). Stir in butter continue cooking to 300° F. (a teaspoon of syrup dropped in cold water will separate into hard and brittle threads). Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla: sprinkle soda over top quickly, then stir vigorously about 15 seconds or until mixture is puffy. Pour at once into greased baking pan (15x10x1"). Cool completely.

Break into bite size pieces.
Store in a container that has a tight fitting lid. Can be made weeks ahead of the holidays.


Icebox Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons sweet butter (unsalted), softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest, optional

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until very fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and lemon zest. Beat until well combined. Stir in the flour mixture until dough is blended and smooth. Cover and chill for 20-30 minutes. Place dough on wax or parchment paper and roll into an even log, 11-inches-long. (See Refrigerator Cookies.) Roll up in paper, twisting ends to prevent unrolling. Place on a flat baking sheet and freeze for about 3 hours or until completely frozen. If not using immediately, double wrap the log in additional paper, aluminum foil, or place in a sealable plastic bag. Store in the freezer for up to 1 month.

To bake, position oven rack in upper third of oven, then preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease cookie sheets. Gently remove the paper from the frozen log. Cut the log crosswise into 1/8-inch thick circles. Transfer slices to prepared baking sheets, setting slices 2-inches apart. Bake until the cookies are golden, about 7-10 minutes. The longer the cookies bake, the crisper they become. Remove from oven and let cookies cool slightly to firm up before transferring to cooling racks. Decorate as desired.

Variation: Chocolate Chip Cookies
Omit lemon zest and replace 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar with 1/3 cup brown sugar. Stir in 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips into the dry ingredients.


No Bake Peanut Butter S'mores

1 (12 ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups crushed chocolate graham crackers (about 30 squares)
1 (10-1/2 ounce) package miniature marshmallows

Combine chocolate chips, butter, and peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Stir until well-blended. Add the vanilla. Mix in the cracker crumbs and marshmallows. Stir until coated. Spread into a greased 9x13" baking pan. Cover and chill for 1 hour or until firm. Cut into bars.

to name a few. I think he would love you and the rest of the family will, too.

Happy Holiday to you and your families !!!