Christmas Cookies
George Strait
Chorus:
I sure do like those Christmas cookies, sugar
I sure do like those Christmas cookies, babe
The ones that look like Santa Claus
Christmas trees, bells, and stars
I sure do like those Christmas cookies, babe
Now Christmas cookies are a special treat
The more she bakes the more I eat
And sometimes I can't get myself to stop
Sometimes she'll wait till I'm asleep
She'll take the ones I didn't eat
And put those little sprinkly things on top
Chorus:
I sure do like those Christmas cookies, sugar
I sure do like those Christmas cookies, babe
The ones that look like Santa Claus
Christmas trees, bells, and stars
I sure do like those Christmas cookies, babe
Now those sprinkly things just makes things worse
Cause it makes them taste better than they did at first
And they're absolutely impossible to resist
Some disappear to who knows where
But I make sure I get my share
And those kids just stand there waiting for the ones I miss
I sure do like those Christmas cookies, sugar
Sure do like those Christmas cookies, babe
She gets mad that they're all gone
Before she gets the icing put on
Sure do like those Christmas cookies babe
Now there's a benefit to all of this
That you might have overlooked or missed
So now let me tell you the best part of it all
Every time she sticks another batch in the oven
There's 15 minutes for some kissin' and'a huggin'
That's why I eat Christmas cookies all year long!
Chorus:
I sure do like those Christmas cookies, sugar
I sure do like those Christmas cookies, babe
The ones that look like Santa Claus
Christmas trees, bells, and stars
I sure do like those Christmas cookies, babe
I sure do like those Christmas cookies, babe!
Swedish Christmas Rosettes
2 eggs
2 Tablespoon sugar
1 cup (whole) milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose or "00" flour
corn oil to 2 inches deep in your fryer of choice.
Mix dry ingredients, and add milk and eggs and beat to smooth.
Heat rosette irons in 400 F corn oil, at least 3 inches deep in
an electric skillet, or deep fryer.
They keep the oil at a consistent temperature.
(if iron is too cool, batter will slip off)
Dip heated iron in batter until about 2/3 covered.
Place in hot oil and fry to golden.
Remove and push off rosette onto paper towels to drain.
(right side up, to drain as thoroughly as possible.)
Just before serving, dust with powdered sugar.
I've heard they keep in an airtight container for a couple days.
Those people have never lived with me.
Last a couple days?
lol!
Hints: Refrigerate the batter for about 1/2 hour, for
crispier rosettes, and
if you can find some way to
SAFELY prop up the rosette irons
do that.
(so your irons will be constantly heated through for frying
one after another.)
Enjoy!
Rida, rida ranka
All of my gramma's great-grandchildren had at least one turn
of riding on the top of her ankle, while she sang "Rida, Rida Ranka".
(Swedish)
Rida (Ree' dah), rida ranka,
hästen heter Blanka.
Liten riddare så rar
ännu inga sporrar har.
När han dem har vunnit,
barndomsro försvunnit.
Rida, rida ranka,
hästen heter Blanka.
Liten pilt med ögon blå,
kungakronor skall du få.
När du dem har vunnit,
bungdomsro försvunnit.
Rida, rida ranka,
hästen heter Blanka.
Andra famntag än av mor
fröjda dig, när du blir stor.
När du dem har vunnit,
mandomsro försvunnit.
Så sjöng hon för sin älskling
om livets äventyr
och log emellan tårar,
fru Blanka av Namur.
Och när kung Håkan vunnit
båd sporrar, land och brud,
nog mindes han med vemod
den barndomssångens ljud.
(English)
Rider, rider, rocker*,
Horse is named Queen Blanka**.
Oh, little knight, sweet and dear,
Riding spurs, still to appear.
When you've won them at last
Childhood's peace shall be past.
Rider, rider, rocker,
Horse is named Queen Blanka.
Small lad with shining, blue eyes,
Royal crown shall be your prize.
When you've won it at last,
Peace of youth shall be past.
Rider, rider, rocker,
Horse is named Queen Blanka.
Once grown, not hugs of mother's
Bring you joy, but another's.
When you've won them at last
Manhood's peace shall be past.
She sang for her small dear,
Of life's great adventure,
And smiled, with a tear,
Lady Blanka of Namur.
And when King Hakan had achieved
Spurs, kingdom and bride, so sweet,
He remembered sadly,
Childhood's melody.
"On the first day of Christmas mis amigos brought to me:
a piñata for the piñon tree"
Spice your holidays with this Southwest version of
the classic carol, where
Lords a-leaping and drummers drumming become
Cowgirls yodelin' y poinsettias bloomin'
and a bizcochitos recipe.
Bizcochitos
(Beez-ko-CHEE-toh)
Bizcochitos are the New Mexico State Cookie
Adopted in 1989.
From Frances Mitchelle Maldonado's
Enchantment Delights in Albuquerque, who
worked on the passage of the Bill.
1 pound pure lard (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
6 cups flour
1/4 cup red wine
2 teaspoon anise seed (slightly crushed)
1 cup sugar mixed with 2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
Cream lard until fluffy.
Add sugar slowly, gradually beating well.
Add eggs one at a time beating well.
Add anise seed.
Mix in flour by hand, using enough wine to make dough soft.
Let stand about 10 minutes.
Use cookie press or roll out dough on
a lightly floured board and cut into squares.
Bake at 350F for 15 minutes on ungreased cookie sheets.
Remove from sheets while hot and dip top side in
sugar/cinnamon mixture.
"Cooking sherry or brandy can be used and
lard is a must
even if the health conscious cringe.
The lard is what makes them light.
You can't make bizcochitos without lard."
Snow-Covered Coconut Cookies
(38 cookies)
1 3/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut or sweetened angel flake coconut
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsifted powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
whole Macadamia nuts (optional)
topping:
2 cups unsifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup sweetened angel flake coconut
Adjust rack to lower 1/3 of oven; preheat to 350F.
Combine flour, coconut, sugars and salt in food processor to well blended.
Add butter; process briefly. Add vanilla; process until dough forms a ball.
form cookies:
Using 2 teaspoons dough, roll dough into balls between your palms, while
"hiding" 1 Macadamia nut inside each cookie.
Level each scoop of dough across the top;
deposit them 1” apart on parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 13-16 minutes, or to pale golden on bottoms.
topping: While baking, blend powdered sugar and coconut in a small bowl.
When the cookies come out from the oven, transfer coconut powdered sugar into a large sieve and
sprinkle liberally over warm cookies.
Take coconut that remains in sieve w/your fingertips and sprinkle them over cookies.
Set cookies aside, on baking sheets, to completely cooled.
Gently transfer cookies to sturdy containers in single layers.
If you wish, dust again with powdered sugar before putting on lids.
Orange Butter Cookies
from “The Sweeter Side of Amy’s Bread”/Amy Scherber & Toy Kim Dupree (Wiley, 2008)
(~4 dozen)
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 2/3 cups cake flour (cake flour gives a finer texture)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup cold unsalted butter
2 packed teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks; room temperature
icing:
1 orange
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2-4 Tablespoons whole milk
2 drops vanilla
pinch fine salt
Position 2 racks in top and bottom third of oven. Preheat to 350F.
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In bowl, whisk flours, baking soda and salt together.
Cream sugar, butter and orange zest at medium to light and
smooth, ~3 minutes.
Scrape down sides of bowl frequently.
Add egg and mix. Add one egg yolk and mix.
Add remaining egg yolk and mix.
Stir in dry ingredients just to combined.
Scoop Tablespoons of dough onto parchment, leaving
more than 1” between cookies.
Press each one down lightly with 2 fingers to flattento ½”.
Leave ridges and valleys on top of cookie intact, but smooth edges.
Bake ~15 minutes, rotating cookie sheets halfway through.
Cookies should be pale but baked all the way through.
Cool on sheets 5 minutes; transfer to rack and cool before
storing in airtight containers up to 1 week.
When ready to serve, make icing:
Bring small pot of water to boil.
Peel orange, being careful to remove only outer orange zest;
cut into thin strips. Blanch in boiling water 1 minute; drain.
Sift powdered sugar into a bowl. Whisk in 2 Tablespoons milk.
Whisk in more milk if needed to make mix thin enough to spread.
Add vanilla, salt and zest; whisk to combine.
Place cookies on rack; drizzle icing over each
(make sure there is orange zest in each spoonful).
Icing will settle into cookie crevices; let harden.
Jeweled Thumbprints
dough:
2 cups unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup shelled raw pistachios
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
filling:
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup shelled raw pistachios, coarsely chopped
3 Tablespoons dried cranberries, finely chopped
1/3 cup finely diced dried apricots
1/3 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
Adjust rack to lower third of oven; preheat to 350F.
Line baking sheet w/parchment paper.
dough: Combine flour, pistachios, sugar and salt in food processor;
process just to blend.
Add butter pieces, process with on/off bursts to consistency of cornmeal.
Whisk together egg and extracts.
With processor running, pour egg mix into feed tube and
process just to a ball.
Shape 1 level teaspoon of dough into a ball,
rolling it between your palms.
Place on baking sheet.
Shape remaining dough, placing balls 1” apart on baking sheet.
Gently make an indentation in center of each ball, pressing
down almost to bottom w/out breaking through dough.
Bake for 12 minutes, or to ivory-colored and pale golden on bottoms.
Transfer to racks to cool.
filling: Put butter and chocolate into small saucepan, over low,
stirring, to almost completely liquid.
Spoon in 1/8-1/4 teaspoon white chocolate into each indentation.
Mix pistachios, cranberries, apricots and pomegranate seeds in small bowl.
Sprinkle ~½-1 teaspoon of the nut-fruit mix over the chocolate.
Let set 30 minutes.
You can stack in airtight metal container,
at room temperature for up to 10 days.
IF you omit the pomegranates.
I just can't do that.
Dark as Night Truffles
When stirring in the chocolate, just make sure you have a smooth,
creamy mixture or your ganache will be clumpy.
2 hours cooling time in the fridge gives them an ideal consistency.
Do not cool them in the freezer.
Perfect truffles are all about the quality of the chocolate,
and the stirring technique.
(25-50 truffles, depending on size)
12 ounces Valrhona dark/semisweet chocolate, chopped finely
1 cup heavy cream***
Dutch process dark cocoa powder
In medium pot, bring cream to boil over medium.
As soon as the cream boils, turn off the heat and
pour in the chopped chocolate.
Let stand for ~30 seconds - 1 minute
With whisk, start slowly stirring in the middle of the pot with
very small circular motions.
Continue stirring in small circles as chocolate begins
to mix into the cream in dark streaks.
Slowly begin to stir in larger motions and stir until
mixture is a uniform brown color.
Scrape chocolate into a shallow pan, cover w/plastic wrap;
let come to room temperature.
Refrigerate ~an hour or two.
This is your ganach.
Line a rimmed baking pan with wax paper.
Pour cocoa powder into a pie pan.
Scoop out a Tablespoon or so of the set ganache, swiftly
use your fingers and palms to roll it into a ball;
roll the balls in cocoa powder to well covered.
Place on wax paper.
Repeat until all the ganache is made into truffles.
Store truffles in fridge.
Best eaten within a few days.
That wont' ever be a problem.
________________
***I make Bailey’s Truffles with this recipe, too.
Instead of 1 cup of heavy cream, use ¾ cup heavy cream and
¼ cup Bailey’s.
Complete with the same instructions.