Six Sunday Christmas Cookies 🌞

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Sugar Plums

These traditional Sugar Plums are holiday treats made from dried
fruits and nuts that are rolled in coarse sugar. After you’ve tasted
one of these delicious sweets, you’ll better understand the origin
of the Sugarplum Fairy and the old-fashioned Christmas Eve visions
of sugarplums! These are such a fun and easy treat to make during
the holidays.

Ingredients


1/2 cup dried plums (California Prunes)
1/2 cup dried pitted dates
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup toasted walnuts see note
1/4 cup almond meal
2 tablespoons cherry preserves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup coarse sugar or sanding sugar

Instructions


Place the dried plums and dried pitted dates in a large food
processor with a blade attachment. Pulse a few times
until the dried fruit is chopped into pieces.

Add the dried cranberries, toasted walnuts, and almond meal
to the food processor. Pulse a few more times until everything
is well combined and chopped into small pieces.

Add the spices and cherry preserves to the food processor. Pulse
again until the mixture begins to come together and form a ball
(you may need to scrape down the sides between pulses.)

Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, roll the mixture into balls and then roll
each ball in the coarse sugar until they are completely coated.
Enjoy them right away, or store them in the refrigerator in an
airtight container for up to a week.

*Some Notes On Ingredients:

Ingredients

Dried Plums – It’s fun to actually use plums in your Sugar Plums! At most grocery stores, these will be referred to as “Prunes.”

Dried Dates – These add a delicious flavor and sweetness to the treats. You can use Medjool Dates or Deglet Dates; just make sure they are pitted dates.

Dried Cranberries – These not only add a delicious tangy tartness to the treats, but they also add some festive color!

Toasted Walnut Pieces – Use roasted nuts instead of raw nuts for a richer flavor. You can buy them already toasted or easily toast them yourself in a single layer in a large skillet over medium heat until they begin to smell toasted and turn a golden brown (about 3 to 5 minutes).

Almond Flour – This helps bind the fruit and nuts together so that you can form them into balls. It also keeps them gluten-free, and no need to bake!

Cherry Preserves – The cherry flavor pairs well with the nuts and combination of dried fruits. You can also substitute other flavors of preserves like Raspberry or Apricot.

Dried Spices – Adding ground Cinnamon and Cloves gives the Sugar Plums a very festive, spiced flavor that tastes like Christmas!

Sugar – You can use granulated sugar, but I like the crunch and sparkle of more coarse sugar, like sanding sugar for decorating or turbinado sugar. Pictured here is sanding sugar, which you can find near cake decorating items. For a different look, you could even use powdered sugar.

https://noshingwiththenolands.com/sugar-plums-seduction-kitchen/

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French Chocolate Petite Cake

The perfect addition to your dessert table are these delectable chocolate
petite cakes. And for those who can’t consume flour, you will enjoy this
immensely.

Ingredients

7 ounces dark chocolate (high cocoa content) Broken into small pieces.
¾ cup butter
1 teaspoon extract of Vanilla
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs- separated (You will use both the whites and yolk)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

2. Lightly grease a 9-inch spring form tin. Using a greased piece of
parchment or foil on the bottom aid in removal of the cake after
cooking.

3. Melt in a double boiler over medium heat, the small pieces of dark
chocolate and the butter. Stir frequently.

4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks into half the white sugar and
extract of Vanilla. Fold this paste into the buttery chocolate mixture.

5. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until fluffy. Slowly add the
remaining sugar and beat until stiff peaks rise. Now fold the beaten
egg whites into chocolate mixture.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared tin. You won’t want to leave any
behind so use a spatula to scrape the bowl clean!

7. Place in preheated oven and bake until an inserted toothpick comes
out clean, or approximately 40 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, cover
the cake with foil. This will prevent the top from burning.

8. Remove and allow to cool 10 minutes before removing form pan.

9. When served warm the chocolate will be a wonderful melting part of
the cake. When served chilled the chocolate cake will be firm. Top
with favorite berry topping or use the following topping.

Very-Berry Topping

2 cups frozen berries
¼ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground flax seed to thicken

Prepare the Topping

1. In a sauce pan, melt the sugar into the berries over a medium heat
stirring occasionally

2. Add the cinnamon and simmer on low for 5 minutes.

3. Gently pour the juice from the saucepan into small bowl, leaving the
berries in the sauce pan.

4. Into the small bowl of juice, whisk in the flax seed until well combined
and reintroduce into the berries. Stir together.

5. Simmer for approximately 5 minutes or until reasonably thickened
and serve over the cake.

6. Bon Appetit!

Success Secrets:

Always melt chocolate slowly. This can be done properly over the
stove top in a double boiler or in the microwave in a microwave safe
dish. The secret is to stir frequently and not to overheat. Overheating
of melting chocolate causes it to become stiff and dry. If this happens
simply add a teaspoon of cooking oil and mix over low heat.
Covering the cake with foil during the last 15 minutes of cooking is a
unique trick the really works and leaves your cake moist instead of dry
or burnt on top.

from "French Chocolate Desserts & Delicacies"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19271843-french-chocolate-desserts-and-delicacies

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French Chocolate Cookies

Good any time, any place and for any occasion.

Ingredients:

2 cup white sugar
1 stick butter
1 small condensed milk - ½ cup
3 cups oatmeal
6 tbsp. Cocoa
1 ¼ tsp. Vanilla

Preparation:

1. In a saucepan mix sugar, butter and milk. Bring to boil for one minute.

2. Add oatmeal, cocoa, oatmeal and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.

3. Drop 1 ½ inch rounds onto wax paper. Let cool.

Bon Appetit!

Success Secrets:

Cookies are generally very secret-free. Just remember NOT to boil the
milk mixture more than one minute.

from "French Chocolate Desserts & Delicacies"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19271843-french-chocolate-desserts-and-delicacies

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Viennese Chocolate Sable
for 20 cookies d=4 cm

VIENNESE SABLE

Ingredients

• Butter 160 g (5 1/2oz)
• Sea salt 1 g (1/4 tsp.)
• Icing sugar 65 g (2 1/4oz)
• Milk 2.5% 30 g (1 oz)
• All-purpose flour 160 g (5 1/2oz)
• Cocoa powder 20 g (2/3oz)

Total weight: ~ 436 g 100%

1. Whip the softened room temperature butter (18-22 °C /
64-72 °F) with salt and icing sugar in a mixer using a
whisk attachment into a fluffy, stable and creamy mass.

2. Gradually add the room temperature milk, mixing
thoroughly each time.

3. Then add the sifted flour and cocoa powder at a low
speed, mix the mass with a paddle attachment until
combined.

4. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 7 mm
Closed French Star tip. Pipe the round-shaped cookies
on a baking sheet covered with a silicone mat or
parchment paper.

5. Bake the cookies at 150 °C / 302 °F for about 20 minutes,
then leave to cool down at room temperature.118

DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Ingredients

• Whipping cream 150 g (5 1/4oz)
• Inverted sugar 12 g (1/2oz)
• Dark chocolate 70% 125 g (4 1/2oz)
• Butter 15 g (1/2oz)
• Sea salt 1 g (1/4 tsp)

ASSEMBLY

Ingredients

• Baked cookies
• Stabilized dark chocolate ganache

1. Place cream and inverted sugar in a saucepan and
bring to 80 °C / 176 °F.

2. Transfer the chocolate and salt into a measuring cup.

3. Pour the hot cream mixture onto the chocolate and
process with a hand blender until smooth.

4. Leave the emulsion to cool down to 40 °C / 104 °F at
room temperature.

5. Add butter to the chilled chocolate emulsion and
process with the hand blender until smooth.

6. Cover the finished ganache with cling film and leave it
to stabilize at room temperature for 6 hours.

1. Transfer the ganache into a piping bag fitted with
a 7 mm Closed French Star tip.

2. Pipe a swirl of ganache onto each half of a cookie and
sandwich it with another half.

From "The Christmas Cookie Cookbook"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50891338-the-christmas-cookie-cookbook

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VANILLA AND ORANGE FLAVORED DIAMOND COOKIES

Ingredients

• Butter 82% 125 g (4 1/2 oz)
• Orange zest 5 g (1 tsp)
• Sea salt 1.5 g (1/3 tsp)
• Almond powder 60 g
• Icing sugar 60 g (2 oz)
• Egg yolks 60 g (2 oz)
• All-purpose flour 175 g (6 oz)
• Baking powder 10 g (2 1/2 tsp)
• Vanilla ½ pod
• 1 beaten egg for coating


Total weight: ~ 500 g 100%

1. Whip the room temperature butter with orange
zest, vanilla seeds, salt and icing sugar using a whisk
attachment until creamy.

2. Switch the attachment to a paddle. Add the almond
powder to the bowl and mix at low speed. Gradually
add the room temperature egg yolks and mix until
combined.

3. Sift the flour with baking powder into a separate bowl
and stir with a whisk. Add the dry ingredients to the
butter, icing sugar and yolks and mix with the paddle
attachment until combined.

4. Transfer the dough to a table, divide it into 2 equal parts
and shape them into rolls. Then put them in the freezer
until they solidify.

5. Brush the frozen dough with the beaten egg and roll in
fine sugar, then put the dough in the fridge for another
15 minutes for further stabilization.

6. Cut the dough into circles 1.5-2 cm thick. Bake the
cookies at 145 °C / 293 °F for 20 minutes. Leave them to
cool down at room temperature.

From "The Christmas Cookie Cookbook"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50891338-the-christmas-cookie-cookbook

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Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread is traditionally baked in ceramic molds, or in a round tin
and cut into petticoat tails or wedges, but use whatever shaped tray
you have to hand for these crisp, yet wonderfully crumbly, cookies.
To make festive shortbread shapes, roll the dough out to a thickness
of 1/8-1/4 in (3-5 mm), cut the shapes with cookie cutters, and bake
in the oven for 12-15 minutes.

ingredients

Makes 12 cookies
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C)

8 oz (225 g] butter
1/2 cup superfine sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup fine semolina
A little extra sugar

1 Grease and flour a baking tray.
Cream together the butter and
sugar in a bowl until the mix looks
pale. Sift and mix in the flour and
semolina, a little at a time.

2 Draw the mixture together with
your fingertips to form a dough
and tip it out onto a clean, tightly
floured surface. Knead the dough to
a smooth, uniform consistency.

3 Put the dough into the prepared
tray, press it down evenly, and
prick it all over with a fork. Sprinkle
sugar over the top and chill in the
fridge for 15 minutes until firm.

4 Bake for 30 minutes or until pale
brown in color. Leave in the tray
for 5 minutes, then slice into fingers,
or triangles if you have used round
trays, and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Cooking tip

Kneading and freezing

Work quickly and lightly as you knead
the shortbread dough:

The butter in the mix will soften and turn
greasy if you overwork the dough, so the less
you handle it, the better it will taste when
baked. The cooked cookies can be frozen
for up to one month.

from "A Greener Christmas"
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/2278060.A_Greener_Christmas

Visions of Sugar Plums Danced In Their Heads...

[debm55]

1. Oh they are beautiful and I bet that they taste as good as they look. Thank you very much, justaprogressive. My mouth is

watering.