Short & Sweet

We've been making Christmas sweeties all week.  What merry memories this always stirs up from my own youth.  Yesterday Ginger's friend joined the fun.  We turned up the holiday music and everyone went straight to work. I'd made a basic Sugar Cookie dough ahead of time.  It was chilled and ready to go when they were. Soon my counter tops were covered with dancing shapes and the whole house smelled delicious. While these pretties cooled, I mixed up the icing.  Powder sugar + milk + egg white for a hard shiny glaze.  (Meringue Powder can be used as a substitute for raw egg whites if you don't know your chicken.) We made *peppermint sprinkles* from crushed candy canes.  (To do this, break them into pieces, place in a plastic freezer bag and use a rolling pin.)  I like to use old baby spoons for sprinkling small bits.  Toss any leftovers in your hot cocoa.  Yum! Grace jumped in and decided to make Gingerbread cookies.  (She's going to pipe the icing later today, still determined to master the pastry bag.)  So, while everyone else was busy doing their own thing, I was making "Almond Butter Cups" for the Mister.  He has a sweet tooth, but absolutely refuses to eat anything that contains an artificial ingredient.  Necessity is the Mother of Invention, so here's my take on the traditional peanut butter cup, using all organic ingredients.  I start by s-l-o-w-l-y melting 3/4 cup chocolate chips + 2 T. vegetable shortening over a double-boiler.  While chocolate is melting, combine in a small bowl:  1/3 cup almond butter and 1/4 cup powdered sugar.  Set aside. I like to use the foil paper-lined candy cups.  Mini muffin tins work great for this too and help these keep their shape while setting-up in the fridge.  To assemble, use the tip of a regular teaspoon, and put about a half a teaspoon or so of melted chocolate in each of the candy cups, filling about 1/3.  Add a tiny dollop of the sweetened almond butter, filling to 2/3.  Top off with more chocolate, and a nut.  (I use sprouted almonds.)  Makes about 2 dozen.  These little candy morsels are best when devoured at room temperature the next day after the flavors mingle.  The hardest part of all this, of course, is the waiting.

Comments

[LisaAlso]

For some reason, the bowl of salad on my lap doesn't taste as good as those almond cups look. I don't know why. *Sigh*

[dawn]

I would love that cookie cutter drawer! Merry Christmas!

[paula luckhurst]

Thank you for this post. So Christmassy and happy. It's an inspiration. I've been THINKING of making some cookies. Now I feel I really will make them.

[Tracy]

Delicious! Wishing you & yours a very Happy Holiday Season, peace and many blessings in the New Year ((HUGS))

[Stephanie]

I love your drawer full of cookie cutters! What a treasure. A few years ago we split up my moms collection and it is so fun to use cookie cutters that I used as a child. Love the angels!

[ellen]

Is that a cross-hatch wire cooling rack (not sure how best to describe it ...)? I have been looking all over for one of those! I hate when cooling goodies fall between the wire rows on my regular cooling racks.