By: Bailey Hinton
As we all know, the holiday season is quickly approaching. One of the best parts of the holidays, in my opinion, is the baking! There are so many yummy recipes for a great Christmas treat. Here are just a few of my family’s favorites.
Cranberry bars
- 1 package whole cranberries
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup melted butter
- ¾ cup water
- 2 eggs
- 1 package yellow cake mix
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Combine cranberries, white sugar, and water over medium heat. Stir occasionally until mixture is thick. Set aside to cool
- In a large bowl, mix cake mix, butter, and eggs. Stir in oats, brown sugar, ginger, and cinnamon
- Set aside 1 ½ cups of this mixture and spread the rest into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Form a solid crust
- Spread the cooled cranberry mixture over the crust. Pinch the pieces of the remaining mixture and place over cranberry layer
- Bake for 40 minutes
- Let cool 1 hour (at least)
German Christmas Gingerbread
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2/3 cup honey
- ¼ cup liqueur
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 2/3 cups flour
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. ground cloves
- 1 cup raisins
- 2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 cup almonds
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- Whisk together flours, baking powder, and spices
- In a separate bowl, cream the butter with brown sugar. Beat in eggs, honey, liqueur, sour cream, and orange juice
- Beat flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Stir in raisins and almonds
- Pour batter into a greased flour pan
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 80 minutes and let cool
Peppermint Meringues
- 2 egg whites
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. cream of tarter
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 peppermint candy canes, crushed
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit
- Line 2 cookie sheets with foil
- In a large bowl, beat egg whites, salt, and cream of tarter. Gradually add sugar, continue to beat until whites form stiff peaks
- Drop by spoonfuls 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle crushed peppermint over the cookies.
- Bake for 1 ½ hours. Do not allow cookies to brown. Turn off oven, but keep the door ajar. Let meringues sit in the oven until completely cool.
- Store in a cool, dry place.
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- 1 ¾ cup flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ cup butter, softened.
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 40 miniature peanut butter cups, unwrapped
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda
- In a separate bowl, cream together butter, sugar, peanut butter, and brown sugar. Beat in egg, vanilla, and milk. Add flour mixture; mix well
- Shape into 40 balls and place each in an ungreased mini muffin pan
- Bake for about 8 minutes, remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup in the middle of each ball
- Let cool and remove from pan
Chocolate Crinkles
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- Mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, stir in vanilla
- Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; stir in cocoa mixture
- Cover dough and chill for 4 hours
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper
- Roll dough into 1 inch balls, coat each ball in confectioners’ sugar and place on cookie sheets
- Bake 10-12 minutes; let cool
ENJOY!