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

1 cup butter
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup water
1 cup Amaretto, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Generously grease and flour eight 4-inch fluted tube pans or twenty 2 1/2-inch muffin pans.

Let butter and eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Stir together flour, baking powder and nutmeg.

In a large mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup of the sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating on medium-high speed about 6 minutes or until mixture is very light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition, scraping bowl often. Stir in 1/3 cup of the Amaretto, the lemon peel, and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture, beating on medium-low speed just till combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes for 4-inch pans, 22 minutes for muffin pans, or until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on rack 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans. Cool thoroughly.

Prick fluted top and sides of each cake or top and sides of each cupcake generously with tines of a fork.

For syrup, in saucepan combine remaining sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, and 1/2 cup water. Cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly and sugar is dissolved; remove from heat. Stir in remaining Amaretto. Cool 5 minutes.

Dip top and sides of each cake or top and sides of each cupcake into syrup. Place on wire rack above a baking sheet. Spoon or brush remaining syrup over tops of cakes. Cool. Wrap cakes individually in plastic wrap; chill up to 3 weeks. (Or, transfer to a tightly covered container and chill up to 3 weeks.)

For giving, place the individually wrapped cakes in a tissue-paper-lined box. Or place on foil-covered cardboard and over-wrap with cellophane.

Makes 8 miniature cakes or 20 cupcakes, 4 gifts.

6 Tablespoons butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
48 cherries (stems attached)
1 12-ounce pkg semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 tablespoon shortening
Cream butter, gradually add sugar, blend well, add milk and vanilla. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Drain cherries and dry thoroughly. Pinch off about 1/2 teaspoon of the butter-sugar mixture and form around each cherry. Chill until firm. Melt chocolate and shortening. Dip each cherry by the stem until well coated. Chill on waxed paper.

You can use Strawberries, Pineapple, banana or your favorite kind of fruit.

These little morsels will be gobbled up, so be sure to make plenty.

1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 tsp. butter or shortening
24 gummy frogs

In a double boiler, melt the chips and butter.

With a clean paintbrush, lightly paint the melted chocolate onto the tops of the gummy frogs. Set onto a wax paper-lined cookie sheet to dry.

Once dry, store in an airtight container. Makes 24.

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