I have this year’s list of thirteen up, a few old favorites have returned as requested by family members.

Yule Cookies 2007

Each year I make 13 different types of cookies for the Yuletide season, this year’s selection is now up

2006 Yule Cookies

1 1/4c. flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2c. butter, at rm temp
3/4c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1 square (1oz) unsweetened chocolate, melted

Mix flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, beat butter, vanilla, egg and sugar with electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
With mixer on low, gradually stir in flour mixture until blended.
Divide dough in half. Mix melted chocolate into one half.
Wrap each half in plastic and chill 2 hours or until firm enough to roll.
Dampen a flat surface with water and cover with 18in long sheet of plastic wrap.
Lightly flour the plastic wrap. On plastic wrap. roll plain dough out to form a 16 x 6in
rectangle. Repeat with chocolate dough.
Invert chocolate dough on top of the plain dough. Peel the plastic off top.
Press it down gently with rolling pin
Roll up from one long side, peeling the plastic away as you roll, into an even log, making sure centre is tight.
Cut log in half. Wrap halves in plastic and chill overnight.
Heat oven to 350*. Grease cookie sheets. Cut each log into 36 slices and place 1in apart on cookie sheets.
Bake, one sheet at a time 12 min or until lightly browned around edges. Remove to wire rack to cool.
Store in airtight container at room temp up to 2 weeks or freeze.

Yields: 72 cookies.

2 1/4c. flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c. butter, room temp
1c. packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2c. almonds, finely chopped
1/2c. fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped
1 tsp. freshly grated lemon peel

For decoration: halved fresh cranberries, granulated sugar

In a medium sized bowl, mix flours, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
In a large bowl beat butter and sugar until fluffy. beat in egg and vanilla.
Gradually add in flour mixture until blended.
Gently stir in almonds, lemon peel and cranberries.

Divide dough in half, wrap each half separately and chill about 30 min or until
firm enough to handle. Shape each half into an 8in long roll.
Wrap and chill about 3 hours until hard. Heat oven to 350*.
Grease cookie sheets, with serrated knife cut 1 roll at a time (keep other half in refrigerator)
into 32 slices. Place 1 in apart on cookie sheet.
Press a cranberry half, cut side down, into each centre. Sprinkle with sugar.
Bake 12-14 min or until edges are golden.
Remove to wire rack to cool. Store in airtight container up to 1 week or freeze.

Yields 64

1/2 c. butter, softened
2/3c firmly packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1/4c unsulfured molasses
2 3/4c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 pkg (10 oz) condensed mincemeat (this is drier than the jarred variety)

In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mix on low just until blended.
Increase speed to medium and beat 2 min until well-blended.
Sprinkle a sheet of wax paper with flour.
With a floured rolling pin, roll dough into an 18x11 rectangle.
Spread cream cheese onto dough. break mincemeat into small pieces and sprinkle over cheese.
Starting with the long side, using wax paper as a guide roll dough jellyroll style.
Cut into 1/2″ slices and reshape to form round spirals. Freeze, bake 325* for 15 min and cool.
Store in refrigerator.

Yields: 3 dozen

This is a recipe I have had for fifteen years or more, sadly part of the directions were eaten away by mice while packed away in my parent’s barn several years ago so I tried to recreate it from memory. These are moist, rich, dark cakes…stout is definitely the better choice of the two to use in this recipe.

Dublin Tea Cakes

1 jar (1lb) mixed candied fruits
1 pkg (10oz) currants or raisins
1 1/2c. chopped walnuts
2TB grated orange rind
4c. all purpose flour
2tsp. apple pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
1c. butter
1 1/3c. firmly packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1c. stout or dark ale
heavey cream, whipped
candied cherries
walnut halves

Grease/dust with flour or line 24 muffin tins
Combine candied fruits, currants, nuts, orange rind in a very large bowl
Sift flour, apple pie spice, baking soda, salt onto wax paper.
Sprinkle 3/4 c. mixture over fruits and nuts, toss to coat.
Beat butter, brown sugar and eggs in a large bowl with mixer for three minutes or until fluffy.
Add stout and mix well.
Stir in remaining flour, 1 cup at a time alternating beating well after each addition.
Pour batter over fruits and nuts and mix well. pour into muffin tins.
Bake in a slow oven, 275* for 1 hour. Let sit and cool 10 min and turn out on rack to cool completely.

Wrap each cake tightly in plastic wrap then in aluminum foil. Store tightly covered at room temp.
Just before serving, pipe a circle of whipped cream on top.
Garnish with a candied red cherry and walnut if desired.

yields 24 cakes

(Norwegian Jul Pudding )

2 pints sour cream,
11-12 Tbsp. all-purpose flour to thicken
2-3 cups hot milk
1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
1 tsp. sugar or to taste

melted butter
sugar
ground cinnamon

Place the sour cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Turn down heat and allow to barely simmer for 1 hour, uncovered, to reduce slightly. It must not boil. Use a heat diffuser for this process.

Using a flour sifter or strainer, slowly add enough flour to thicken the cream. I use about 11-12 Tbsp. for a very thick pudding. Using a wire whisk, whip in the flour 1 Tbsp. at a time. The cream will thicken and start to pull away from the sides of the pan. If the sour cream is very rich, the butter will now begin to form and rise to the top. Remove this with a spoon and set it aside. Stir in enough hot milk to obtain a porridge-like consistency. Add sugar and salt to taste. Serve in bowls with melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon on top.

Serves 8-10

In her book The Festive Food of Ireland, Darina Allen explains that fraughans, herts or billberries are the names used in different parts of Ireland for wild blueberries which grow on the acid hilltop soil. They were traditionally picked on the first Sunday of August - during Lúgnasa - and eaten mashed with sugar or in pies. If there was an abundance, they would also be made into jams.

Fraughans (blueberries)
Granulated sugar
Whipped cream

1. Crush the berries with a potato masher and sweeten to taste with sugar
2. Fold in an amount of whipped cream that equals about half the volume of the berries
3. Chill and serve with sweet biscuits.

Sweet Biscuits

1 1/2 cups flour
1 stick of butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar

1. Rub the butter into the flour and add the sugar. Gather together and knead lightly.
2. Roll out to a 1/4 inch thickness and cut into rounds with a 2 1/2 cutter.
3. Bake in a 350 degrees F oven until pale brown - about 15 minutes. Remove and cool on a rack. Serve with fruit fools, compotes or ice cream.

http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/2Kitch/rDessert1.html#FraughanFool

Cheryl has me thinking of my favorite recipes. As it is October and nearing Samhuinn stay tuned for more recipes reflecting my ancestry.

Cranachan

4 TB oatmeal
2tsp honey
1 TB Drambuie
1/2 pint heavy cream
1 cup raspberries (or strawberries)

Toast the oatmeal on a sheet of foil under the grill, stir twice so it browns evenly. Let cool completely. Add the honey and liqueur to the cream and whisk until thick. Fold in most of the oatmeal. Spoon into serving dishes and layer with the raspberries. Serve topped with the remaining oatmeal and raspberries.

Here is my version of a recipe found here. These came out amazing, far better than any tollhouse recipe.

Chocolate Chip Spelt Cookies

1 cup raisins
1/2 cup water
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup Sucanat
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp peppermint extract (optional, can use vanilla instead)
1/2 c. Alaskah! cocoa
3 cups spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350′F(180C). Grease 12 x 15″ (30 x 38cm) cookie sheets.

Place raisins in small saucepan and add water.
Bring to a boil, stir occasionally until all liquid has been absorbed by the raisins.
Cool.

In a large mixing bowl, cream softened butter.
Add sugar gradually and cream well.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add vanilla and peppermint to egg mixture. Stir to combine.

Spoon flour into measuring cup, level off and place in small mixing bowl.
Add cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
Stir to combine well. Add flour to creamed mixture.
Add cooled raisins and then chocolate chips to flour mixture.

Drop by teaspoonful onto prepared cookie sheet.
Bake 12 - 15 min. or until lightly browned. Cool 2 min. on cookie sheet.
Remove from pan and cool completely on rack.

Yield: 4 dozen cookies.

I don’t think there is any other way to eat applesauce than freshly made with fresh local apples and spiced to taste. I have one of the metal thingamabobby’s that attached to the counter or table edge and you pop an apple on, turn the crank and the handy-dandy thing peels, cores and slices for you! If you ever find one (some New England based yankee gear-type magazines have been known to carry them)

Spiced Applesauce-for the slow cooker

10-12 apples-peeled, cored and sliced (I did enough to completely fill my slow cooker)
1/2 cup apple cider

slow cook on low until soft, a few times throughout the cooking time. When the desired consistency is reached add cinnamon and other desired spices. As mentioned below in my apple crisp entry I love a pinch of speculaaskruiden in with my apples.

This is one of my own recipes, it’s always changing hence the lack of measurements. The spices change too. Cinnamon is a must have but I will also use nutmeg, ginger, allspice or some of my favorite speculaaskruiden.

For the crisp topping, I sometime use ground nuts in the mixture, hazelnuts or walnuts are especially delicious.

Mama Moon’s Apple Crisp

apples, peeled, cored and sliced ( I used McIntosh and Cortland in the crisp in the photo)
lemon juice
ground cinnamon
ground mace
maple syrup, grade B is best
whole white wheat flour
old fashioned rolled oats
1/2c. unsalted butter, cubed

Toss sliced apples with lemon juice, cinnamon, and mace. Pour into a 9 x 13 x 2in casserole. add flour and oats into a bowl, work in butter until mixture resembles a coarse meal. pour over the top of apples, cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 350* oven until bubbly 40-45min (or longer if you like it mushy).

This is sweet and decadent but healthy using honey instead if sugar!  I replaced the flour with whole white wheat flour for a denser, healthier version.  This recipe would be ideal for Samhuinn feasting-dark bits of chocolate and dates and oats.

Chocolate Date Bars

1-1/4 hot water
8 oz. chopped pitted dates
1-1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup honey
1/4 cup soft butter
2 eggs
1-1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup rolled oats
12 oz. mini chocolate pieces
1 cup chopped nuts

Simmer water, dates and one teaspoon soda together in saucepan for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In large mixing bowl, cream honey with butter until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after
each addition. Sift together flour, salt and 1/4 teaspoon soda. Blend into creamed mixture.
Stir in dates and liquid, vanilla, rolled oats and one half chocolate pieces.
Spread batter into greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Sprinkle remaining chocolate pieces and nuts over top.
Bake at 350°F 35 minutes. Cool before cutting into bars.

Dessert Variation: Serve warm, cut into squares. Top with soft vanilla ice cream or honey sweetened whipped
cream.

Makes 24 servings

Note: Honey should not be fed to infants under one year of age.  Honey is a safe and wholesome food for children and adults.

SOURCE: honey.com 

5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup chopped nuts

Thaw fruit if frozen.  Do not drain.  In a 2 quart square baking dish place
fruit.  Stir in granulated sugar. For topping,  In a medium bowl combine
brown sugar, oats, flour, and cinnamon.  Cut in butter till mixture
resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts and sprinkle topping over fruit.
Bake in 375 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes, (40 minutes for thawed fruit)
or until golden brown.   Serve warm with ice cream if desired.  Yield 6
servings.

4 ripe bananas
2 cans (20oz each) crushed pineapple in juice
1 pkg yellow cake mix

Pineapple Creme Chantilly Filling*
Garnish: mandarin orange sections, maraschino cherries, drained

Prepare 2 9in cake pans with shortening or spray. Peel and mash 1 banana to make 1/3c. Drain pineapple well, reserving 1 cup of juice for cake and 1c. pineapple for filling. Follow package instructions for cake, using mashed banana and reserved pineapple juice instead of water. Bake 375* 30 min. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans. Slice cooled cakes in half horizontally to make 4 layers. Prepare filling.

*Pineapple Creme Chantilly Filling

Whip 1 pint whipping cream with 1/4tsp cinnamon until stiff; fold in reserved, drained pineapple.

Spread 1/4 filling over 1 layer. Slice one banana; arrange on top of layer. Add second layer; repeat, adding the filling and a banana on top of each layer. Top with orange sections and cherries. Refrigerate.