Holiday Desserts

from Friends and Family of Saratoga TODAY

This is my most loved, most used, most cherished recipe from my bff of 35 years, Colleen Glassman (Can you see how used the page is?!). -enjoy! I keep my “special” recipes in a journal that I’ve had since my high school graduation. (It’s amazing it’s still together, but the rubber band helps!!) -Submitted by Chris Vallone Bushee

INGREDIENTS:

5 Thinly sliced apples. sprinkled with cinnamon Mix together: ¾ Cup Flour 2 t. Cinnamon ½ Cup Sugar ½ Cup Brown Sugar ¼ t. Salt

DIRECTIONS:

• Fold in ½ Cup Old Fashioned Oats to the above mix and layer over apples. • Bake at 350 and check after 25 minutes for desired “crunch”

Holiday Rum Balls

These are DIVINE and a nice additive to any adult cookie tray! It takes a bit more work than a traditional cookie, but it is worth the trouble! And of course ...my recipe has a little holiday hootch in it! - Submitted by Colleen Coleman

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups Vanilla Wafers 2 Cups chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans 2 Cups Confectioners’ Sugar 4 Tbsp powdered cocoa 3 Tbsp Corn Syrup ½ Cup of your favorite Rum Mix and chill (covered) until firm, about 1 hour.

DIRECTIONS:

• Taking one quarter of the mix at a time from the fridge, roll into small balls and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. • Continue to roll out the mix in the same fashion until all the rum balls are done. • Refrigerate again, then place in small paper cups to serve.

ALTERNATIVES DIPS:

Roll in nuts: chop an appropriate amount of nuts needed to roll your Rum Balls. Roll in the nuts after you have formed the balls but prior to refrigerating a second time so the nuts stick. Chocolate covered: Melt an appropriate amount of chocolate (I prefer baking chocolate over chocolate chips) for the number of Rum Balls you will be dipping. For every 1/2 cup of chocolate, add 1/8 tsp Crisco shortening to thin the chocolate for dipping. I love to use a mini crock pot to melt my chocolate. Be sure to have these

rum balls chilled prior to dipping so they hold firm in the heat of the

chocolate dip! Take each Rum Ball on a fork and dip into the chocolate. Allow the access to drip off then place in a paper cup and chill!

Chocolate Croissant Maple Mousse Sandwiches with a Pretzel Chocolate Dust

I love baking! Pie mostly. Even at my wedding, we had pie rather than cake. I'm always trying to find that elusive crust for a pie, and wanted to see if a croissant could work, and have a great light crust for holiday baking. I started trying to make a crust, but the pie sized ones always eluded me. So, the size of an ice cream sandwich seemed to work much better. I also found that when the puff pastry puffed up, I could separate it horizontally like a biscuit...but what do you fill it with? If you put a Mascarpone mousse in the freezer, it ends up light, like a really light ice cream with a gentle maple flavor (don't put too much maple syrup in because it can change the chemistry of the mousse and make it a soup!). The great thing about this dessert is that you can put it in the freezer and enjoy at your leisure! Submitted by Alan Edstrom, Aka: The Great Edstrombolli : ))

FILLING INGREDIENTS:

1-ounce fresh yeast 3 1/2 cups unbleached flour 1/4 cup white sugar 2 teaspoons salt 1 cup milk 3 sticks chilled unsalted butter cut into slices ¼ Cup Cocoa 2 tablespoons flour, for dusting 1 egg 1 tablespoon milk

DIRECTIONS:

• Mix yeast in ¼ cup of lightly sugared warm water, cover and let rise. • Mix flour, sugar, salt the yeast mixture and the milk with a dough hook until you get a soft moist dough. • Put the dough in a bowl, cover with a towel and let rise for one hour. • Empty the dough onto a flour covered countertop and roll out into a rectangle 10” x 10” and ½” thick. • Spread the butter in the center third and fold the outside thirds of the dough over the buttered center third. • Roll out into a 10” x 10” rectangle ½” thick. Fold into thirds. • Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. • Remove from refrigerator and place dough on a floured countertop. 8 ounces Marscapone cheese 1-1/2 Cups Heavy Cream 1-1/4 Cups Sugar 2 Teaspoons vanilla Pinch salt ¼ cup maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:

•Whip the cream in a cold bowl until there are medium peaks • Put the whipped cream in a separate bowl • Mix the Marscapone, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt together. • Fold the whipped cream into the Marscapone mixture until it is thick and fluffy. • Put the mousse in a plastic container and chill in the freezer.

CHOCOLATE AND PRETZEL TOPPING

½ Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips ½ Cup Hard Pretzels

CROISSANT DOUGH INGREDIENTS:

• Chop pretzels and Chocolate Chips into a light dust • Roll out into a 10” x 15” x ½” rectangle. Fold into thirds. • Wrap in plastic wrap again and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. • Remove from refrigerator and place dough on a floured countertop. • Roll out into a 10” x 15” x ½” rectangle. Fold into thirds. * *Repeat this 3X • Using a 3” round cookie cutter, cut dough and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. • Brush the circles with an egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. • Cover the cookie sheets with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. • Remove the towel from the cookie sheets and place the cookie sheets in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the croissant circles rise to about 2” high into light, fluffy layers. • Take the cookie sheets out of the oven and let the croissants cool. • Split each croissant to a top and base and spoon the maple mousse onto the croissant base. • Sprinkle the mousse with the pretzel/ chocolate topping. • Put the croissant lid on the chocolate sandwich. FREEZE AND EAT!!!!!

I have been using this recipe since the early ‘80s. I used to belong to a group called the “Home Bureau.” Once a month a group of ladies gathered to do a project, usually a craft. We would take turns bringing dessert. One of the women brought a carrot cake and we all wanted the recipe, so she shared it with the group. I have been making it every year since. I even have a Christmas Tree cake pan that I use for the holidays. -Submitted by Cindy Durfey

Grease pan(s) with butter and dust with flour. Either 13x9x2 or two 8” pans.

MIX:

4 Eggs (beaten) 1 ½ Cups of Vegetable Oil 2 Cups Sugar 2 tsp. Baking Soda 2 tsp. Cinnamon 1 tsp. Salt 3 cups of Raw Carrots (grated) ¾ cups Walnuts (optional) 2 cups Flour

DIRECTIONS:

Pour into pan(s). Bake at 350 degrees. 13x9x2 for 45 – 60 mins. Two 8” pans 25-30 mins. Test with a toothpick, it should come out clean.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

1 8 oz. Cream Cheese (softened at room temp.) 1 Stick of butter or margarine (softened at room temp) 1 Box of confectioner sugar 1 tsp of Vanilla Cream together. Add a tsp or two of milk if you need it when mixing.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 c. butter (1 1/2 sticks) 1 1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar 2 Tbs. water 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips 2 eggs 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour 1 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt Andes mints, wrappers off, one for each cookie

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat butter, sugar, and water in a heavy saucepan until butter is melted. Remove from heat. Add chocolate chips and stir until all are melted. • Pour this chocolate mixture into a mixing bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.

Magic Mint Cookies Submitted by Ginny Franzen

• With electric mixer at medium speed, beat in eggs, one at a time. On low speed, add flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well. • Cover and refrigerate dough for at least one hour. • Roll teaspoons of dough into balls (about 70 cookies) and place 2” apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. • When cookies come out of the oven, immediately put an Andes mint on top of each one. Mints will melt in a minute and when they do, swirl each with the back of a teaspoon for “icing”. Let cool and enjoy!! (Note: The balls of dough may be baked or frozen for baking at a later time. Place on freezer-proof dish or cookie sheet and freeze. Then store in plastic bag and pull out dough balls as needed!)

I found this old recipe book from the late 1950s. Joanne (Greenwood) Byron is my older sister. It was a collection of recipes the Greenfield Girl Scout Troop assembled for their mothers. The recipes were typed out and then glued into these notebooks and given to their mothers on Mother’s Day. I’m fairly certain these are the peanut butter cookies my mother made for years. -Submitted by John Greenwood

CREAM:

½ cup Nucoa (margarine) ½ cup Skippy Peanut Butter ½ cup white sugar ½ cup brown sugar

ADD:

1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla Sift over above mixture: 1 ½ cups sifted flour ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon soda Blend thoroughly. Form into 1” balls, place on baking sheet and press flat with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Yield: 3 dozen cookies.

The Healthiest Dessert You Will Ever Have!

Submitted by Barbara Garro, a great scratch cook who thinks of applesauce as the perfect “dessert”!

When I peel the apples (for making apple sauce), I spiral peel, so they are one long peel. Each peel then goes in the crock pot with the diced (or shredded) apples (the peels have so much flavor!). When the apple sauce is finished and passes your taste test, just remove the peels, and enjoy! Short-bread Thumbprint TartsI make them year-round, but especially at Christmas, makes me feel close to my mom. - Submitted by Theresa St. John

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter 2/3 cup sugar ½ cup jam (for centers) ½ tsp. almond or vanilla extract.

DIRECTIONS:

Cream butter & sugar, beat in extract, blend in flour and cover & refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll into 1” balls, place on ungreased cookie sheet. Make thumb print and add jam (my favorite is apricot). Bake 350 degrees for 14 – 18 minutes.

-Submitted by April March

Serves 8. 2. In a medium bowl, gently stir INGREDIENTS: Cooking spray 4 cups blackberries together the berries, ¼ cup sugar substitute, the water, lime juice, and ginger. Let the berry mixture stand for at least 15 minutes so the juices ¼ cup sugar substitute and ½ cup can accumulate. sugar substitute, divided use 3. In a small bowl, stir together the ¼ cup water flour, baking powder, salt and the Juice from 1 medium lime remaining ½ cup sugar substitute. 2 teaspoons ground ginger 4. In a large bowl mix together, milk, 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour oil, yogurt, and vanilla. 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder 5. Add the flour mixture to the milk 1/16 teaspoon salt mixture, stirring just until no flour is 1 ¼ cups fat-free milk visible. Do not overmix. ¼ cup canola or corn oil 6. Pour the batter into the baking pan. Using a spatula, spread ¼ cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt the batter in the pan. (The batter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract doesn’t have to touch the edge of DIRECTIONS: the pan; it will spread while baking.) 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. top with the berry mixture. Lightly spray a 13x9x2 inch baking 7. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a pan with cooking spray. wooden toothpick inserted in the Grandma Boarman's Jam Cake

INGREDIENTS: 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour MOM’S CARAMEL FROSTING 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 cup sugar 3/4 cup margarine 1 cup vegetable oil 3/4 milk 1 cup butter milk 1/2 lb or 28 caramels 1 cup blackberry jam Put sugar, margarine, and milk on a 1 tsp baking powder medium heat, bringing to a boil, stirring 1 tsp baking soda until it comes to a softball stage. * 1 tsp cinnamon *To test for the softball stage, take a 1 tsp all spice small portion of the hot liquid and put 1 tsp nutmeg into a small heat resistant bowl with 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 salt 1/2 tsp ground cloves 3 eggs (slightly beaten) *optional 1 cup chopped pecans (reserve a few to decorate the cake) Recommended: A Bundt pan

DIRECTIONS:

• Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices in a mixing bowl. center

• Mix oil and sugar. Mix buttermilk and eggs in the oil/sugar mixture. • Gradually blend dry and wet ingredients, until everything is moist (do not beat) • Bake 30-35 minutes

Submitted by Geno Boarman water and a piece of ice. When the hot liquid hits the cold water, it should immediately form a soft toffee stage. Once you achieve this, turn off the heat and stir in the unwrapped caramels. Stir and drizzle the frosting over the cooled cake. Don't be afraid to pour the caramel frosting in the center of the cake. If all goes well it should form a soft fudge like consistency.