Witchin’ in the Kitchen at the Bubbling Cauldron

As I do each year I have compiled a list of thirteen cookie recipes for my Yule gift giving collection. you will find links to this year’s and past years over on the right.

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced celery
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon chicken base or bouillon granules
12 ounces Brie cheese, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a kettle saute chopped onion and sliced celery in butter until soft. Stir
in flour.
Remove from the heat and stir in milk, chicken broth, and chicken base; mix
well. Return to the heat and simmer, stirring, until the soup thickens. Add
diced Brie cheese and stir until melted. Transfer the soup to a food
processor and blend until smooth. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Heat
through.
Makes 6 servings.

6 eggs
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 qt. vanilla ice cream (softened)
6 c. orange juice
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 qt. chilled gingerale
Ice ring (optional)
Ground nutmeg (optional)
Stick cinnamon

Beat eggs on low speed of mixer until blended.
Add sugar and spices; beat at medium speed until sugar is dissolved.
Beat in slowly ice cream. Add juices; cover and chill.

To serve, pour ice cream mixture into large punch bowl.
Slowly add gingerale with up and down motion. Add ice ring if desired.

To serve, sprinkle nutmeg atop and add cinnamon stirrers.

Yield: 17 cups.

1 pint peppermint stick ice cream
2 cups eggnog
1-28 ounce bottle of club soda, chilled
A few drops of red food Coloring
1 cup of whipping cream, whipped
16 small candy canes
2 tsp. Peppermint extract

Spoon ice cream into punch bowl. Add eggnog and club soda; mix well. Add peppermint extract. Tint pink with red food coloring. Spoon whipped cream over top. Place candy cane in each cup. Ladle eggnog into cups.

1 (32oz) bottle cranberry juice
1c. water
1/2 of a 6oz. can frozen pineapple-orange juice concentrate, thawed
6 inches stick cinnamon
2 whole cloves
orange peel strips(opt)
stick cinnamon (opt)

In a large saucepan stir together first 5 ingredients. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 min.
Using a slotted spoon, remove cinnamon and cloves from juice mixture. Transfer juice to a serving container. Cool slightly.
Cover and refrigerate up to 7 days.

To reheat: heat in saucepan or crockpot until warm. Pour into a heat proof bowl (or serve in crockpot).
Garnish each serving with orange peel strips and cinnamon sticks.

Serves: 10

Cake:

4 oz White chocolate, chopped
2 pk 8-oz cream cheese
3/4 c Sugar
3 Eggs
2 ts Vanilla
pn Salt
3 c Sour cream

Crust:

1 c Graham cracker crumbs
2 tb Butter, melted
2 oz White chocolate, chopped

Glaze:

2 c Cranberries
1/3 c Sugar
1 ts Cornstarch
Grated white chocolate for garnish if desired

Crust: Stir crumbs with butter until well moistened; stir in chocolate. Press into the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Centre pan on a 20 X 14 inch piece of foil; press up tightly around side of pan. Bake in 325F oven for 8 minutes. Let cool on a rack.

Cake: In a double boiler melt chocolate. Let cool. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until softened. Gradually beat in sugar; beat for 3 minutes or until fluffy. On low speed, beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla, chocolate and salt; stir in sour cream. Pour onto crust.

Set cake pan onto a larger shallow pan; pour in enough hot water to come 1 inch up the side. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 1/4 hours or until the edge is set but centre still jiggles slightly. Turn oven off; let cool in oven for 1 hour. Remove from larger pan and remove foil; let cool on a rack. Cover and refrigerate over night.

Glaze: In saucepan cook cranberries and 1/4 cup water, partially covered, just until boiling. Stir in sugar and return to a boil; cook for 2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved but berries have not popped. Drain, reserving juice and berries seperately.

Remove cake from pan; place on cake plate. Return juice to saucepan; blend in cornstarch. Cook, whisking, until boiling and thickened; let cool slightly. Spoon berries around edge of the cake. Spoon glaze over top. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set. Garnish with chocolate gratings.

1 c Graham cracker crumbs
1/4 t Ground nutmeg
1 ea Env. unflavored gelatin
8 oz Cream cheese, softened
1 c Eggnog
1/4 c Sugar
1/4 c Margarine, melted
1/4 c Cold water
1/4 c Sugar
1 c Whipping cream, whipped

Combine crumbs, sugar, nutmeg and margarine; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Soften gelatin in water; stir over low heat until dissolved. Combine cream cheese and sugar, at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Gradually add gelatin and eggnog, mixing until blended. Chill until slightly thickened; fold in whipped cream. Pour over crust; chill until firm.

VARIATION: Ingrease sugar to 1/3 c. Substitute milk for eggnog. Add 1 t vanilla and 3/4 t rum extract. Continue as directed.

1 c Graham cracker crumbs
3 tb Sugar
2 tb Margarine, melted
3 pk Fat-free Cream Cheese (8oz)
3/4 c Sugar
2 tb Flour
3 tb Lemon juice
3 tb Cholesterol-free egg product
1 ct Non-fat lemon yogurt
Lite whipped topping
1 cn Cherry pie filling

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and margarine; mix well. Pat onto bottom of 9″ or 10″ springform pan. Set aside.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and flour together until light, fluffy and smooth. Gradually add lemon juice and egg product; beat well. Add lemon yogurt and mix thoroughly. Pour over prepared crust.

Loosely place aluminum foil over springform pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F 60 to 70 minutes or until center of cake is set.

Gently run tip of knife between cake and edge of pan. Cool to room temperature before removing from pan. Chill.

Served topped with cherry pie filling and whipped topping.

For the Simple Syrup:
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Strips of zest of 2 lemons (about 3 tablespoons)
Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup)

For the Cake:
1 pound of combination of dried fruits, such as blueberries, cranberries, cherries, raisins, and chopped apricots
1 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 ounces almond paste
8 large eggs
1 cup Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 cup silvered blanched almonds
1 cup pecans pieces
1 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup bourbon

Make a simple syrup by combining the sugar and water in a medium-size heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the lemon zest and juice and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for 2 minutes and remove from the heat.

Combine the dried fruits together in a large mixing bowl. Pour the simple syrup over them, toss to coat, and let steep for 5 minutes. Strain and reserve the syrup.

Creme the butter, sugar, and almond paste together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle at low speed, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat until the mixture is fluffy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in between each addition on low speed and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add 1/2 cup of the Grand Marnier and mix to incorporate.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium-size mixing bowl and blend well. Add this mixture 1/2 cup at a time to the butter mixture with the mixer on low speed, each time mixing until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. The batter will be thick. Add the warm fruit and all the nuts a little at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease twelve 1 pound loaf pans. Spoon about 1 cup of the batter into each pan. Bake until golden and the tops spring back when touched, about 45 minutes (rearranging them after 25 minutes if necessary to brown evenly).

Cool for 10 minutes in the pans. Remove cakes from the pans and cool completely on wire racks. Wrap each cake in a layer of cheesecloth. Store in plastic storage bags until they are slightly stale, 3 to 4 days.

Combine the reserved simple syrup with the remaining 1/2 cup Grand Marnier and the bourbon. Without removing the cheesecloth, make tiny holes with a toothpick randomly on the top of each cake. Pour 2 tablespoons of the syrup over the top of each cake once every 2 to 3 days until all of the syrup is used. Let the cakes age for up to 3 weeks before eating.

Makes around 12 cakes

1 1/4 cups softened butter
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large pears (or used canned)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup boiling water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

1. Spread 1/4 cup of the butter over the base of a 10-inch springform pan or a 9-inch square baking dish.
2. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.
3. Peel and slice pears, removing cores.
4. Arrange in the bottom of the cake pan; set aside.
5. In a large bowl, cream remaining butter with brown sugar.
6. Beat in egg until light and fluffy.
7. Stir in molasses.
8. In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water; set aside.
9. In a medium bowl, combine flour, ginger, cinnamon and salt (if using).
10. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the dissolved baking soda, stirring just until blended.
11. Pour the mixture over the pears.
12. Bake in a 350 degree F oven 60 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
13. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake.
14. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert a serving plate on top of the pan; turn the gingerbread out upside down onto the plate.
15. Serve warm, cut into wedges or squares.

9 servings

1/4 lb. butter
12 oz. can of evaporated milk
3 1/2 Cups of sugar
1 heaping tablespoon of instant coffee
10 oz. Hershey’s Raspberry chocolate chips
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate
7 oz. Marshmallow cream
1 tsp. vanilla

In a heavy saucepan melt the butter. Add evaporated milk, sugar, and coffee. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly until the temperature reaches 235 degrees. Remove from heat and raspberry chocolate chips and the bittersweet chocolate. Stir the mixture until all ingredients are melted. Add the marshmallow crème and stir until blended.
Stir in the vanilla. Pour into a lightly greased 9 X 13 inch pan. Cut in bite sized squared when cooled.

1 box confectioners’ sugar — (1pound)
3 tablespoons butter or margarine — softened
2 or 3 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup evaporated milk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips — 12oz
2 tablespoons shortening

In a bowl, combine first four ingredients. Add milk and mix well. Roll into 1-in. balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Chill for 20 minutes. Flatten with a glass to 1/4 in.; chill for 30 minutes. In a double boiler or microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and shortening. Dip patties; place on waxed paper to harden and freeze for a short while.

Yield: about 5 dozen.

12 ounces vanilla wafer cookies, crushed
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
additional confectioners’ sugar and/or, coconut

Combine crumbs and sugar; blend in butter.

Stir in orange juice concentrate; add vanilla and nuts.

Shape mixture into bite-sized balls; shake in plastic bag with additional confectioners’ sugar or coconut.

Arrange orange balls in single layer on tray; store uncovered overnight in refrigerator for best flavor.

Makes 36 - 40 balls.

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
4 cups crushed Oreo cookies
2 cups vanilla or chocolate baking chips
1 tablespoon shortening

On high speed of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add cookies and beat until well combined. Refrigerate 2 hours until chilled enough to roll. Roll dough into 1 inch ball. Over double boiler, melt chips and shortening until smooth. Dip balls into mixture and thoroughly coat. Place on wax paper to harden. Store in refrigerator.

Bottom Layer

1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Filling

1/4 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped salted peanuts

Carmel

1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup heavy cream Top Layer
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Lightly grease a 9x13 inch dish.

For the bottom layer: Combine 1 cup milk chocolate chips, 1/4 cup butterscotch chips and 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook and stir until melted and smooth. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Refrigerate until set.

For the filling: In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Stir in sugar and evaporated milk. Bring to a boil, and let boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in marshmallow creme, 1/4 cup peanut butter and vanilla. Fold in peanuts. Spread over bottom layer, return to refrigerator until set.

For the caramel: Combine caramels and cream in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook and stir until melted and smooth. Spread over filling. Chill until set.

For the top layer: In a small saucepan over low heat, combine 1 cup milk chocolate chips, 1/4 cup butterscotch chips, and 1/4 cup peanut butter. Cook and stir until melted and smooth. Spread over caramel layer.

Chill 1 hour before cutting into 1 inch squares.