How to bake yummy things for the holidays

[Saucyminx]

Since I've been stress baking lately--I've been tearing through a lot of recipes. RS needed some new cake recipes and I thought I would just throw them up here in case anyone else is also looking for something new to try.

So enjoy--and if anyone else would like to share, bring it on; the more the merrier.

[Saucyminx]

Really Good Orange Cake from Allrecipes
1 box yellow cake mix
3 oz instant lemon pudding mix
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
1 tsp. orange extract

glaze:
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar

Grease a 10 inch bundt pan, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Stir together the cake and pudding mixes. Put in the wet ingredients, and beat for 4 min on medium speed. Bake 50 - 60 minutes.

While the cake is baking, make the glaze. Heat the OJ, sugar, and butter in a saucepan. Cook for 2 min, or until syrupy. Set aside to cool.

When cake comes out, cool for 10 min and remove from bundt pan. Pour some of glaze into the bottom of the bundt pan, then put the cake back in the pan. Drizzle with the rest of the glaze. Cover and let sit overnight. Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

[LadyVer]

Great thread!

[Rainshine]

Oh yay! Thanks lovely.

Subscribing!

[GrrlFriday]

Jo's White Christmas Slice Recipe

A 'rocky road' variation on the traditionally copha sweet.

500 g white chocolate, broken. (the higher quality the better!)
1 1/2 cups puffed rice.
100 g red glace cherries, halved.
160 g roasted, halved, almonds (can use pistachios instead for extra colour)
160 g sultanas
1 cup (90 g) desiccated coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Read recipe all the way through. Wash hands. Line patty pans with patty pan papers. (If using patty pans, makes about 52 or so little balls - if a baking-paper-lined 20x30 cm tin is used as a slice, it allegedly makes about 40 slices.)

Cut up cherries, weigh out other ingredients. Weigh chocolate and break into small, even pieces. You can use this as a lesson on surface area to volume - the smaller the pieces are, the quicker they will melt. If they're evenish, they will all melt at the same rate.

Melt chocolate carefully in saucepan on lowest heat, stirring quickly. Be cautious - hot, sticky liquids can stick to your skin and burn you badly, for the fidgets.

Take off the heat and fold in the other ingredients quickly.

Spoon quickly into patty pans (or the chocolate will solidify) and fridge for four hours or freeze for one.

Makes a great gift for teachers!

[NippleMuncher]

Simplest recipe I know:

Call Minxy
Order holiday goodies
Wait by mailbox for delivery.

[BeachMomma]

Toasted Oat-Coconut Cookies

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teapoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup rice krispies
1/2 cup regular oatmeal, uncooked

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Cream butter and shortening in a large mixing bowl; gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and coconut extract; beat well.

Combine flour, baking powder, soda, and salt; stir well. Gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Stir in coconut, cereal, and oats.

Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden. Let cool slightly on cookie sheets; remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely

[Saucyminx]

Originally Posted by NippleMuncher

Simplest recipe I know:

Call Minxy
Order holiday goodies
Wait by mailbox for delivery.

Only for you baby.

To LadyVer, Rainshine, GrrlFriday, and BeachMomma thanks for posting! Keep them coming.

[Saucyminx]

Waldorf Astoria Cheese Cake
Crust:
18 graham crackers
1/2 cup butter

Filling:
1 1/2 lb Philadelphia brand (or other good brand) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice
pinch salt

Topping:
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grind the graham crackers into crumbs. Melt the butter and mix together thoroughly. Press into the bottom of a 10 inch springform pan.

Beat the cream cheese, and sugar until combined. Add the eggs, vanilla, salt, and lemon juice and beat until light and fluffy--about 2 minutes. Spoon filling into the graham cracker crust and smooth the top. Bake 45 minutes. Cool two hours.

Mix the sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Spoon onto cooled cheese cake. Bake 10 minutes at 325 degrees. Let cool completely before putting into the refrigerator. Chill in fridge for at least 6 hours before cutting.

It's a pain in the butt, but still my favorite cheesecake.

[positivetension]

CAKE

1 1/3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup fine sugar
4 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
grated rind of 1 lemon
4 tbsp lemon juice
2/3 cup vegetable oil

SYRUP

4 tbsp powdered sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an 8 inch round cake pan.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and sugar into a mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, sour cream, lemon rind, lemon juice, and oil together.

Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until evenly combined.

Pour the mix into the pan and bake for 45-60 minutes until golden brown.

Meanwhile, mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until it just starts to bubble and thicken.

When the cake comes out of the oven, prick the surface evenly and brush the syrup over it. Let it cool completely in the pan. Turn it over to serve.

[Miles Long]

Damn this thread! I now hate all of you! I want holiday goodies!

[Rainshine]

Tell me what graham crackers are?!

[BeachMomma]

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups (4 sticks) butter *use REAL butter*

2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons lemon extract

1/2 teaspoon minced lemon zest

3 cups (old fashioned rolled or quick) oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat until creamy white, for 8-10 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the lemon extract and lemon zest. Slowly add the sifted flour mixture until completely blended. Stir in the oats until blended.

Drop by teaspoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until very lightly golden. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet.

Makes approx. 45 cookies.
***********

Note: These are super easy to make. I'm not a good baker, and even I can't ruin these. If the lemon and oatmeal in the title sounds a little iffy to you, try them anyway. They're delicious!

[BeachMomma]

Originally Posted by Rainshine

Tell me what graham crackers are?!

I actually sent a box of graham crackers to a friend in Australia quite a few years ago. It amazes me that you can't buy them there.

They're a deliciously sweet cracker, usually sweetened with honey or sugar.

[Rainshine]

Originally Posted by BeachMomma

I actually sent a box of graham crackers to a friend in Australia quite a few years ago. It amazes me that you can't buy them there.

They're a deliciously sweet cracker, usually sweetened with honey or sugar.

Thank you. So I could substitute for a Marie biscuit I'm thinking. So it's a biscuit really, crunchy, not a cracker? Over here crackers are savoury,usually salty.

I send big care packs to my friend in Texas. He loves Tim Tams, Vegemite (crazy there is an American that loves it!) and some of our chocolate bars and chips.

[BeachMomma]

Originally Posted by Rainshine

Thank you. So I could substitute for a Marie biscuit I'm thinking. So it's a biscuit really, crunchy, not a cracker? Over here crackers are savoury,usually salty.

I send big care packs to my friend in Texas. He loves Tim Tams, Vegemite (crazy there is an American that loves it!) and some of our chocolate bars and chips.

Well, this is what we call a biscuit: (Only the bread part.)

I bet if you asked your friend, he'd send you some.

As an aside, when I sent the graham crackers to my Aussie friend, another forum that we were part of was having a cookie exchange for Christmas. We all mailed our cookies to one central person who redistributed them to the rest of us. She lived near Washington DC. Some of the cookies came from as far away as Alaska and Australia.

She mailed all the cookies at the same time. The woman in Alaska got her cookies at the same time as another woman from Florida and me. The girl in Australia got her cookies just a day later. Florida doesn't use the US Postal Service; we apparently still use the Pony Express - with the same ponies they used way back when.

[BeachMomma]

Winter treats don't have to be just cookies, cakes, breads, and pies. I promise that if you try this hot chocolate recipe just once, you'll never be able to drink hot chocolate made from a mix again. It's that good.

Maple Hot Chocolate
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking cocoa
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup hot water
1 Tbsp butter or margarine
4 cups milk
1 tsp maple flavoring
1 tsp vanilla extract
12 large marshmallows

In a large saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, and salt. Stir in hot water and butter; bring to a boil. Add the milk, maple flavoring, vanilla, and 8 marshmallows. Heat through, stirring occasionally, until marshmallows are melted. Ladle into mugs and top each with a marshmallow.

Makes 4 cups.

[JustaSCOUNDREL]

Rainshine, my wife who spent a little time down south where you live says the closest she can come up for graham crackers is Digestives. She is a bit of a foodie so I'd give it a try. What ever Digestives are they should be crushed into a medium to small size crumbs and then mixed with the butter. They should have a sweet taste and most likely the rest wont matter too much. Should they nor be sweet enough I'd add a bit of sugar to taste. Do not over power the filling with the crust.

Honestly I like the taste of the filling and the rest is not all that important to me.

I hope this helps a bit.

Mike

[Saucyminx]

Here is the link to make your own graham crackers. I've never made it--but Alton Brown is usually a pretty good source. And though he is a total geek, I have a bit of a crush.

Here ya go if you want to go that extra step:

Alton Brown Graham Cracker Recipe

[Rainshine]

Originally Posted by BeachMomma

Well, this is what we call a biscuit: (Only the bread part.)

To me, that looks like an english muffin.

[Rainshine]

Originally Posted by JustaSCOUNDREL

Rainshine, my wife who spent a little time down south where you live says the closest she can come up for graham crackers is Digestives. She is a bit of a foodie so I'd give it a try. What ever Digestives are they should be crushed into a medium to small size crumbs and then mixed with the butter. They should have a sweet taste and most likely the rest wont matter too much. Should they nor be sweet enough I'd add a bit of sugar to taste. Do not over power the filling with the crust.

Honestly I like the taste of the filling and the rest is not all that important to me.

I hope this helps a bit.

Mike

Oh great, thanks Mike. Digestives are an English biscuit but readily available here. Perfect!!

[BeachMomma]

Originally Posted by Rainshine

To me, that looks like an english muffin.

They're similar to English muffins but flakier. I'm starting to crave one now.

[Rainshine]

It also looks a little like a flat scone.

[cloud_leopard]

Originally Posted by Rainshine

It also looks a little like a flat scone.

Biscuits in the states are a lot like scones, but less dense. And they come in flaky varieties, more crumbly varieties and in more bread-like varieties.

This is a great recipe for biscuits. I've been using it for years.

J.P.'s Big Daddy Biscuits (allrecipes.com)

2 cups flour
1Tbsp baking powder
1tsp salt
1Tbsp sugar
1/3 cup shortening (I always sub butter for this)
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (220 C).
Combine dry ingredients. Cut in shortening (butter), until you get pea-sized pieces.
Add milk and stir until the dough comes away from the bowl.
Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead 15-20 times.
Pat out the dough until it is about an inch thick (you can make it thinner if you want. I usually do).
Cut out rounds with a biscuit cutter (I usually have a glass handy in whatever size I want the biscuits to be).
Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

This recipe is super easy, and fast. It's always a tough call with me if I want butter and jelly on a biscuit or some thick, rich sausage gravy.

Mmmm....now I'm hungry and it's breakfast time....

[respeito]

Chocolate-Dipped Peppermint Sticks from : Country Living

Ingredients:
12 (5-inch) Peppermint Sticks
7 ounce(s) White Chocolate, melted
1/4 cup(s) White Nonpareils*


Directions:
Dip peppermint sticks, one at a time, into melted chocolate. Transfer to a baking pan lined with parchment paper.

Allow chocolate to set slightly, about 5 minutes. Roll chocolate end of peppermint sticks in nonpareils. Return to lined pan and let stand at room temperature until chocolate hardens.

*Nonpareils are the decorative balls of sugar, seen here:

photo courtesy of : countryliving.com

***

Candy-Cane Marshmallows from : marthastewart.com

Yield : Makes sixteen 2-inch squares

Ingredients:
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
4 packages (1/4 ounce each) unflavored gelatin
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons red food coloring


Directions:
Coat an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray; line bottom with parchment paper. Coat the parchment with cooking spray, and set pan aside. Put sugar, corn syrup, and 3/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring; let mixture come to a boil. Raise heat to medium-high; cook until mixture registers 260 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over 3/4 cup water in a heatproof bowl; let stand 5 minutes to soften. Set the bowl with the gelatin mixture over a pan of simmering water; whisk constantly until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat, and stir in extract; set aside.

Beat egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Whisk gelatin mixture into sugar mixture; with mixer running, gradually add to egg whites. Mix on high speed until very thick, 12 to 15 minutes.

Pour mixture into lined pan. Working quickly, drop dots of red food coloring across surface of marshmallow. Using a toothpick, swirl food coloring into marshmallow to create a marbleized effect. Let marshmallow stand, uncovered, at room temperature until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight. Cut into squares.

For gift giving:
Place in a decorative gift bag or package them in small cellophane bags: Fold the top of each bag over once, and staple it shut. Use a small hole punch on either side of the staple. Thread a length of red twine (or ribbon) through the holes, and knot it in front. Pull one end through a gift tag, and finish with a bow.