Holiday baking and other food prep

[caribougrrl]

Now that there's less than a month left, we can start talking about this right?

I made sugar plums yesterday!  They taste pretty good now, so once they are good and ripe, they should be fabulous.


2 c. nuts, coarsely ground (any combination of almonds, pecans, hazelnuts or walnuts)
4 c. dried fruit, finely chopped (figs, prunes, dates, apricots, cherries)
5-6 slices crystallized ginger, chopped finely
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
zest of one small orange
4 tbsp orange liqueur
granulated sugar for dusting

Mix all ingredients together well.  Add more liqueur as needed to make the mixture stick together.  Roll into small slightly oblong shapes (the size of a truffle, but egg shaped, or more to the point, plum shaped).  Coat with granulated sugar, let air dry ~2 hrs, store in an airtight container at room temp for a week then in the refrigerator for up to 3 additional weeks, or in the freezer for longer.

[witchypoo]

i will probably make fruitcake this coming weekend, and then start churning out christmas cookies (pecan tarts, russian tea cakes, linzer tarts, and pepparkakor).

[caribougrrl]

i will probably make fruitcake this coming weekend, and then start churning out christmas cookies (pecan tarts, russian tea cakes, linzer tarts, and pepparkakor).

our fruitcake is rum-aging already... we were strangely organized this year

I'm considering making egg nog fudge to gift up with the sugar plums, but I've never really done a truly successful fudge.

[witchypoo]

the one 100% reliable fudge recipe i have is the one supplied on the back of marshmallow fluff containers.  it's way too sweet, and i won't eat it - it surprises me how popular it is.

[merigayle]

i have never made fluff fudge but read the fluff container many times

I am having a Christmas cookie exchange party in a couple weeks, i cannot wait!!!

[Courtney]

I'm making chocolate chip cookies RIGHT NOW.   

They aren't particularly Christmas-y, but they are good!  I'm going to make some of my short stack cookies for the holidays, too. 

Mmmmmm...  I love cookies. 

[caribougrrl]

I modified a vanilla fudge recipe I found; substituted egg nog for milk, added rum instead of vanilla... it's about the only recipe I could find without marshmallows and/or corn syrup, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.  I like fudge to have a slightly grainy texture, and this one does.  I don't have a candy thermometer, but had no trouble catching the soft ball stage.

Egg Nog Fudge

500 ml (2 c.) egg nog
100 ml (generous 1/3 c.) cream
200 g (~7 oz) butter
700 g (~12 oz) sugar
2 tbsp rum

combine egg nog, cream, butter and sugar in heavy bottomed saucepan; heat slowly stirring constantly until all the sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted; raise heat to med-high and bring to boil; boil stirring constantly until it reaches the soft ball stage (15-20 minutes, liquid dropped into very cold water holds it's shape but flattens out slightly when removed), quickly stir in rum, remove from heat and let cool for ~ 5 minutes; stir until no longer glossy, pour into a greased square cake pan, garnish immediately with grated or ground nutmeg, and let cool at room temperature.

This makes and old-fashioned granular fudge.  Very sweet, but very very tasty.

[caribougrrl]

Florentine disaster today.   

Why is it florentines seem to only work out about half the time?

[caribougrrl]

Florentine success:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/sourcherryandstemgin_90639

[wombleatwimbledon]

I made a practice run of some russian fudge today as I only make it at christmas. Taste and texture are fine but it doesn't look very tidy.  Now I keep snacking on bloody fudge  need to find someone to offload it onto

[caribougrrl]

what's russian fudge?

[Natasha]

Now that there's less than a month left, we can start talking about this right?

I made sugar plums yesterday!  They taste pretty good now, so once they are good and ripe, they should be fabulous.


2 c. nuts, coarsely ground (any combination of almonds, pecans, hazelnuts or walnuts)
4 c. dried fruit, finely chopped (figs, prunes, dates, apricots, cherries)
5-6 slices crystallized ginger, chopped finely
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
zest of one small orange
4 tbsp orange liqueur
granulated sugar for dusting

Mix all ingredients together well.  Add more liqueur as needed to make the mixture stick together.  Roll into small slightly oblong shapes (the size of a truffle, but egg shaped, or more to the point, plum shaped).  Coat with granulated sugar, let air dry ~2 hrs, store in an airtight container at room temp for a week then in the refrigerator for up to 3 additional weeks, or in the freezer for longer.

Are they pretty?

I don't think any of my family would eat them, but I love the idea.

[caribougrrl]

Are they pretty?

I don't think any of my family would eat them, but I love the idea.

I think they're pretty... I don't like the looks of them coated in coconut or powdered sugar (some recipes call for these), but I do like the looks of them rolled in granulated sugar.  Mine look something like this except mine are less round and more oblong and I grind my nuts instead of chopping finely:

[Natasha]

Those are nice.

[wombleatwimbledon]

what's russian fudge?

Not sure what you call it but its condensed milk, sugar, milk, butter & golden syrup.  kind of like maple candy but not nearly as good. 

[caribougrrl]

womble, that looks like a good fudge


I did chocolate dipped dried apricots this morning, so now I am ready to ship treats to my family.  No one has done sugarplums or chocolate covered apricots since my grandmother died (she always did them), so I'm feeling very pleased with myself.

[seattlegirl]

Oh!  That pic (sugar plums) looks like something my grandma used to make, though I never knew her name for them.  I might try them this year.

I just made peppermint bark, am working on spiced glazed nuts, and then making lemon spritz cookies, all to ship to family. 

[caribougrrl]

Oh!  That pic (sugar plums) looks like something my grandma used to make, though I never knew her name for them.  I might try them this year.

I just made peppermint bark, am working on spiced glazed nuts, and then making lemon spritz cookies, all to ship to family. 

will you share the spiced glazed nuts recipe?

[seattlegirl]

will you share the spiced glazed nuts recipe?

Sure!

Holiday Spiced Nuts

2 cups of your favorite nuts (I use pecans, walnuts, and almonds)

Spice mix:
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less to taste)

Glaze:
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon coconut oil, butter, or canola oil


Heat the oven to 300. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast them for 6-8 minutes or until they are fragrant and their color deepens slightly.

In a medium sized bowl, stir together the spice mix.

In a saucepan, combine the glaze ingredients and bring them to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Stir in the toasted nuts and continue to stir until all the nuts are shiny and the liquid is gone, about 1-2 minutes. Move the glazed nuts to a mixing bowl, sprinkle on the spice mix, and toss them well to coat.

Spread the coated nuts on a cookie sheet and return them to the oven for another 4-6 minutes; check regularly to make sure they don't burn. Remove and let cool.


I can't credit the author as I can't remember where I got it from.

[caribougrrl]

seattlegirl, I'm planning to give the nut recipe a try tomorrow!