By Andy Bedwell
It’s holiday baking season! Baking in my kitchen has always been such a significant part of my holiday season. I love the smell of fresh cookies cooling on a rack or seeing the steam escape from a pie just out of the oven. But most of all, I love discussing recipes which somehow always brings people together and that’s what the holidays are really all about.
Santa’s Whiskers
1 cup real butter (salted)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup red and green candied cherries, chopped
½ cup pecans, chopped
¾ cup coconut
Cream butter with sugar until fluffy (use a mixer). Add milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in the rest of ingredients except coconut. Shape into two logs and roll each in coconut. Cover and chill for one to two hours. Slice and bake at 350 degrees for eight to minutes or until slightly brown around the edges. Coconut needs to be a little brown. Do not overbake. Bake these on parchment paper.
Andy’s Note: This is a wonderful cookie to carry to a “Cookie Swap.” This cookie is just Christmas to me. It is delicious and so pretty on a tray. I usually put the dough together one day and bake the following day.
Christmas Morning Coffee Cake
1 yellow cake mix
¾ cup Crisco oil
1 (3-ounce) package of
instant vanilla pudding
¾ cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
Sugar Filling:
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup chopped pecans
2 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon milk
Combine cake ingredients and beat with mixer for two minutes. Pour one-third of cake batter into greased tube pan. Sprinkle one-half of sugar filling over batter. Pour one-third more of cake batter into tube pan. Top with remaining sugar filling. Pour remaining cake batter over all. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
Andy’s Note: This cake is so good to serve on Christmas morning. It can be baked now and put into the freezer.
Chocolate Rice Krispie Balls
½ cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons soft butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup rice krispies
½ cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded coconut
Mix together, refrigerate
for one-half hour or longer and then form into balls. Return to fridge and let chill at least an hour.
Melt the following together in a double boiler.
Chocolate almond bark that is added with a little paraffin is great. You may also add some semisweet chocolate chips.
Drop balls into chocolate mixture one at a time using a fork to roll them so that the chocolate will cover. Place on a waxed cookie sheet and chill.
Andy’s Note: My bunch loves this candy. In fact, I am making some this morning.
Merry Christmas to you all!
Happy Christmas Cooking, Andy Bedwell
“Southern Cooking with Andy Bedwell” can be purchased at The Messenger newspaper located at 1957 Rainbow Drive.