for your baking pleasure

I'm going to let you in on a Christmas secret. For gifts for my grandmothers this year, I compiled a twenty-two page recipe book with pictures of favorite baking recipes. It is called "Hallie and Mommy's Adventures in Baking" because all featured recipes are ones made by Hallie and I together. Here is another Christmas secret-- I haven't even mailed it to them yet! This will be a New Year's surprise for them. The lines won't be so long at the post office by then. So, dear grandmothers, if you see this post-- surprise! And for everyone else, please enjoy some of our favorites from the book. And please let me know if you use any of them. I would love to know what you think!

Almond Eggnog Pound Cake

6 tbsp. butter, divided
2/3 cup sliced almonds
1 package yellow cake mix
1 ½ cups eggnog
2 eggs
1 tsp. almond extract
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

Grease a bundt pan with 2 tbsp. butter. Press almonds onto bottom and sides or pan; set aside.
Melt remaining butter. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cake mix, eggnog, eggs, almond extract,
nutmeg and melted butter on low speed for 30 seconds or just until moistened. Beat on medium
for 2 minutes or until smooth. Pout into prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Note: This is what I've made for Christmas Eve the last several years. It always looks so pretty and the mild eggnog flavor gives it a distintive Christmas taste.

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Karen’s Gingersnaps

4 cups flour
4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 ½ cups canola oil
2 cups sugar
½ cups molasses
2 eggs

Blend oil, sugar, eggs, and molasses. Mix dry ingredients and add to wet mixtures. Refrigerate one hour. Form into balls, Roll in sugar. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Note: This is my sister-in-law's famous gingersnap recipe. To get extra use out of the dough, I make other types of cookies. See below.

Gingerbread People

Freeze dough for one hour. Roll out dough. Cut shapes. Bake 8-10 minutes. Decorate like you are a jolly Christmas elf. Note: Also, consider using this dough to make my favorite Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Cookies in lieu of peanut butter dough (Hallie can't eat peanut butter so that's what I'll be doing this year).

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Sparkling Butter Toffee Cookies

1 cup sugar
¾ cup butter softened
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ cup English toffee
Extra sugar

Heat oven to 350°F. In large mixer bowl, combine sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy (1 to 2 minutes). Add flour, baking powder, and baking soda; reduce speed to low. Beat until well mixed (1 to 2 minutes). Stir in toffee bits by hand. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten each with bottom of glass to 1 ½ inch circles. (If glass sticks, dip glass in sugar.)
Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are just lightly browned. Sprinkle with sugar while warm. Cool completely. Note: I like to make these for New Year's Eve. There is something about the sparkly look that makes it feel appropriate for that night.