Christmas 2009 not baked

This year I ended up leaving home much earlier than I planned. Try suddenly being ready for Christmas on Dec 13 when you planned on Dec 23rd. Yes it got frantic. I did manage to get the others done down there along with fudge but these just did not get made.

http://www.foundationonestudios.com/rayorchards/recipes.html

PECAN CLUSTERS
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup sifted flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups broken pecans
1 1/2 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
Cream butter or margarine and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, melted chocolate and mix well. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and stir into cream mixture. Add pecans. Drop from teaspoon on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Makes 1 1/2 dozen

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http://www.grouprecipes.com/2456/thumbprint-cookies.html

Thumbprint Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

* 1 3/4 cups ground pecans (or other nuts to your taste)
* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 8 oz (2 sticks) butter
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 1/4 cup icing sugar
* about 1 cup strawberry jam (marmalade or apricot jam work well too)


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix ground pecans and flour together thoroughly.
3. Beat softened butter with sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla extract and mix well.
4. Add flour/nut mixture and mix on low speed until well blended.
5. Make small balls of dough in your hand and place on non-stick cookie sheet about 1" apart. Make a dimple with your finger in each ball, being careful not to punch all the way down to the cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes, then remove to rack.
7. Dust cookies with icing sugar.
8. Heat jam in small saucepan until smoothly liquid. Fill cavity in each cookie with jam. Let cool completely before enjoying.

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http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Raisin-Pumpkin-Bars

Raisin Pumpkin Bars

* 24 Servings
* Prep: 20 min. Bake: 25 min.

Ingredients

* 2 cups sugar
* 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
* 1 cup canola oil
* 4 eggs
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/2 cup raisins
* 1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
* FROSTING:
* 1/3 cup butter, softened
* 1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
* 1 tablespoon milk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

* In a large bowl, beat the sugar, pumpkin, oil and eggs. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves; gradually add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir in raisins and nuts.
* Pour into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
* For frosting, combine the butter, cream cheese, milk and vanilla in a bowl; beat until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Spread over bars. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: about 2 dozen.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 each) equals 297 calories, 15 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 46 mg cholesterol, 184 mg sodium, 39 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein.
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Dried Cherry and Almond Cookies with Vanilla Icing from Giada
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1000011,FOOD_9936_411794_06,00.html

Ingredients
Cookies:

* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
* 1 large egg
* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup coarsely chopped dried tart cherries (see Cook's Note)
* 1/2 cup slivered, blanched almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped (see Cook's Note)
*

Icing:

* 2 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 3 tablespoons water, plus extra, as needed

Directions

For the Cookies:

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, and salt until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in the egg. Add the flour and beat on the lowest speed until just blended. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the dried cherries and almonds.

Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and shape it into a log, about 12-inches long and 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (Dough can be made up to 3 days in advance).

Arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 heavy baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cut the log crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Transfer the dough slices to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1-inch apart. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges and puffed, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before icing, about 30 minutes.

For the Icing:

Put the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the vanilla extract and water, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the mixture becomes a drizzling consistency. (Makes about 2/3 cups icing, enough to ice both variations.)

Put the cooled cookies on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Using a spoon or a fork, drizzle the cookies with the icing, allowing any excess icing to drip onto the baking sheet. Allow the icing to set before serving, about 1 hour.

Cook's Note: To toast the almonds, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 6 to 8 minutes until lightly toasted. Cool completely before using.

Cook's Note Alternative:

Replace the dried cherries with 1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots and add 2 tablespoons of toasted pine nuts. Also, use 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and omit the almond extract.
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http://www.joyofbaking.com/ChristmasCookies.html
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