Makes about 3 dozen, dough must be chilled several hours to overnight.

1/2 c veg. oil
4 sq unsweetened chocolate (4 oz) melted
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups pastry flour (not hard, sifted or cake flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup confectioner's sugar

Mix oil, chocolate, and granulated sugar. Blend in one egg at a time until well mixed. Add vanilla. Measure flour by dipping method or by sifting. Stir flour, baking powder, and salt into oil mixture. Chill several hours to overnight.

Heat oven to 350 deg F [175 deg C]. Roll about a tablespoon of dough into a ball (yes, it's messy). Drop balls into confectioner's sugar & roll around until coated. Place about 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 min. They will be a little soft but should not be mushy. Edges should be firm. Don't overbake---these burn easily.

Obviously, these are not the low-fat weight-watcher recipes. These are the Grandma recipes, and Grandma cooks with real butter.

Enjoy!

 

 

3/4 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup finely chopped citron
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons anise seeds
2 1/3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice

Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Add honey, citron, sugar, anise seeds. Stir until the sugar completely dissolves and then remove from heat.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices, and fold into the hot honey mixture. Turn the batter into a well-greased 9 X 5 X 3-inch loaf pan and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for one hour. Turn out on a wire rack to cool. This recipe yields one loaf of bread, and improves in taste if allowed to stand for 24 hours. This recipe wasn't created by me, but it certainly seems to signify Desiree. Sweet as a sugar-coated lychee, yet at times bitter as citron.

 

 

You will need:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Granulated sugar
Frosting (See recipes following instructions)

Mix powdered sugar, margarine, egg, vanilla and almond extract. Stir in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Divide dough into halves. Roll each half 1/8 inch thick. Cut with egg-shaped cutter made by bending and shaping round cookie cutter. Bake as directed and decorate with Easy Creamy Icing or another frosting. (See below)

 

Mix 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Beat in 1 to 2 tablespoons half and half until smooth and of spreading consistency. Add food coloring to color as desired. Or try the next recipe!

 

 

Mix 1 cup cream cheese, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 cup powdered sugar. Blend powdered sugar and cream cheese well until lumps are gone. Add vanilla and salt, blend again for one minute. Color with food dye if desired.

 

1 1/2 cups oat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup brown sugar (to make them sweeter use up to one full cup)
3/4 cup butter (unsalted)
1 egg
1 cup mashed ripe fruit (banana, peaches, something soft)
1 3/4 cup rolled oats

Spices: nutmeg, cinnamon is a good combo or cardamom is nice by itself (approx. 1/4 tsp) 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix flour, baking powder, and brown sugar together, make sure to smash any lumps. Cut butter into mixture with a pastry blender (or make do with a fork) add egg and fruit, and nuts. Drop rounded tablespoon of dough onto greased cookie sheet (about 2-3 in apart). Bake at 350 deg F [175 deg C] for 15 min or until cookies look "dry".

This tea helped make me relaxed and calm enough to be able to sleep. It's lightly sweet, so you may not need to add any honey, but if you want to, go for it. The herbs suggested are as follows: 4 clusters (or 2 Tbsp.) of hops
1 tsp. of lavender, rosemary, thyme, mugwort and sage
1 Tbsp. chamomile and wintergreen
1 pinch of valerian root (be careful to avoid getting a whiff of it!) Take a teaspoon of the mixture and pour 1 cup of hot water. Wait for three minutes and then strain. Drink it after it cools a little. This mixture should make about 8 or 9 cups. Store the unused portion in a tight sealed container for later use.

 

 

Wassail- A Yule Beverage

 

3 red apples
3 oz brown sugar
2 pints brown ale, apple cider, or hard cider
1/2 pint dry sherry or dry white wine
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger strips or lemon peel

Core and heat apples with brown sugar and some of the ale or cider in an oven for 30 minutes. Put in large pan and add rest of spices and lemon peel, simmer on stove top of 5 minutes. Add most of the alcohol at the last minute so it heats up but does not evaporate. Burgundy and brandy can be substituted to the ale and sherry. White sugar and halved oranges may also be added to taste. Makes enough for eight. Wassail!

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1¼ cups flour
¾ cup sugar
1 cup finely ground almonds
3 drops almond extract
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tablespoon honey
1 egg yolk

In a large mixing bowl, combine the first four ingredients. Add the butter, honey, egg yolk and mix together well. Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and then chill for 1½ to 2 hours in the refrigerator.

When ready, pinch off pieces of the dough (about the size of plums) and shape them into crescents.

Place the crescents on a well-greased cookie sheet and bake in a 350-degree preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes. The recipe yields about one dozen crescent cakes.

 

1 cup hot water
2 cups sugar
2 cups small rosebuds OR 4 cups violets

The flowers, very fresh and firm, should be washed, drained, and stemmed.

Combine water and sugar. Stir until sugar is thoroughly dissolved. Add flowers. Simmer over medium heat until the syrup reaches 234 degrees farenheit on a candy thermometer (or until a small amount of syrup, when dropped into very cold water, forms a ball which flattens on removal). Stir flowers gently with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and continue stirring until syrup begins to crystallize, and reaches the consistency of coarse meal.

Drain over a colander. Shake off excess sugar. Cool on wax paper. Pack into sterilized jars. Use as edible decorations for fruit salads, desserts, and cakes.

 

½ cup light corn syrup
2 ½ cups sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup water
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts

In saucepan mix corn syrup, sugar, salt, and water. Cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking, without stirring, until 248 degrees registers on candy thermometer or a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a firm ball (this means it is firm when in the water but flattens when removed from water).

Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Pour about half of the syrup over the egg whites slowly, beating constantly. Cook remainder unti 272 degrees (F) registers on candy thermometer, or until a small amount of the mixture when dropped in very cold water forms hard but not brittle threads. Add slowly to the first mixture and beat until mixture holds its shape. Add vanilla and nuts and drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper to form small candies. Makes 1 & 1/2 pounds of candy.