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Lime Meltaways-Christmas Cookie Swap


This is a two post day.  Looks like cookie week here at Grandma Loy's Kitchen.

Yesterday I posted the recipe I used for The Great Food Blogger Christmas Cookie Swap.  Today I am posting a recipe for Christmas Cookie Swap.  This swap was different in that each participant was to send a cookie recipe to someone and receive a cookie recipe from someone else.  They were then supposed to make the recipe and either blog about it or send an email to one of the hosts.  This swap was hosted by Julie Espy at White Lights on Wednesday and these bloggers.

Mom's Test Kitchen
Carrie @ My Favorite Finds
Deb @ Cooking on the Front Burner
Carrie @ The Frugal Foodie Mama
Michelle @ Michelle's Tasty Creations
Kim @ The Sunflower Supper Club
 
The recipe I received came from Megan Patent-Nygren.  I am not sure if she has a blog.  (Megan if you do, please put it in the comments.  Thanks.)

This recipe stretched me just a bit.  In all my long years of baking, I have never made anything lime flavored.  Don’t know why, just haven’t, so this was a new flavor cookie for me.  The cookies don’t contain any egg so would be good to make for someone with egg allergies.

I either did not wait for the cookies to cool down long enough or I shook them too vigorously when coating them with the powdered sugar as I had several break.  After that I put the powdered sugar in a pie pan and just rolled the cookie in it.  I think my cookies aren't as heavily dusted with sugar as they were meant to be.

These were fun and different to make and would be a welcome addition to any cookie tray assortment.



Here is the recipe straight from Megan’s email: These are our favoritists at our house.  They can be found on page 121 of Martha Stewart's Cookies (2008).  Also found at http://www.marthastewart.com/316576/lime-meltaways-from-the-martha-stewart-show
 
Lime Meltaways
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Finely grated zest of 2 limes
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
(The only adaption I make is to use salted butter and leave out the added 1/4 tsp. salt.)
  1. Put butter and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add lime zest and juice and vanilla, and mix until fluffy.
  2. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Add to butter mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined.
  3. Divide dough in half. Place each half on an 8-by-12-inch sheet of parchment paper. Roll in parchment to form a log 1 1/4 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log. Refrigerate logs until cold and firm, at least 1 hour.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove parchment from logs; cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space rounds 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until barely golden, about 13 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. While still warm, toss cookies with remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 weeks
 

 I sent a recipe for Chewy Butterscotch Brownies to Aimee at Like Mother Like Daughter.

I am linking up to Christmas Cookie Swap.  Click the links below for some great cookie recipes.

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12 Weeks of Christmas Treats-Peppermint Crunch Bars

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Here we are at the last week of 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats 2012 hosted by Brenda over at Meal Planning Magic.  It is sort of sad to see this end, but  I appreciate all the great recipe ideas that have been shared.

This will be the last cookie made with the Holiday Cookie Mix posted here, but I will post more recipes here next Thursday and on Saturday sweets until Christmas.

Peppermint is the quintessential Christmas time flavor, so this one is for the peppermint lover.  These pretty pink bars have a cookie base, a white candy-like middle and a topping of cookie dough and crushed peppermint candy.

A package of 30 mini candy cane is the perfect amount for this recipe.  I prefer them to the regular size candy canes as the mini ones are easier to crush.  I leave them in their little packages and crush them with my metal meat mallet  (it just takes two or three whacks), then cut the packages open and pour the candy into a measuring cup.  This makes for easy clean-up. 

The topping will shrink somewhat and there will be some seepage of the middle layer to the top around the edges, but I haven’t yet figured out how to prevent that.  These cookies are unique and delicious and still very much worth making.

To control ingredients and save money, I usually make my own Sweetened Condensed Milk.  So far, I have not had any failures when using it in recipes.  It is necessary to plan ahead when making the milk, so I keep a couple of cans of commercial sweetened condensed milk in the pantry as I have a tendency to bake on the spur of the moment.

The recipe came from Best of Country Cookies, 1999 and was submitted by Martha Kerr from Abilene, Texas.  I adapted it for use with the Holiday Cookie Mix.



Peppermint Crunch Bars
3 1/2 c. Holiday Cookie Mix, divided
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (or make your own)
1 pkg. (11 oz.) vanilla or white chocolate chips
1/2 t. peppermint extract
2/3 c. crushed peppermint candy

Measure 2 c. of the cookie mix into a foil-line 9x13-inch pan.  Press out into a even layer.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.  Meanwhile place condensed milk and vanilla or white chocolate chips in a micro-safe bowl.  Microwave on high 1 minute, remove from microwave and stir well.  Microwave 1 more minute.  Remove from microwave and stir until smooth.  Stir in extract.  Spread over baked crust.  Combine 1 1/2 c. cookie mix and crushed peppermint candy and sprinkle over the top.  Return to oven and bake 18 to 22 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.  Cut into bars.  Makes about 36 bars.



Be sure to check out the links to find great recipes to help you with your holiday cooking.

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Peppermints Everywhere!

Our church Christmas party is tomorrow night.  (Yea, don't even get me started on why its on a Thursday...) so I've been busy finishing up all my table centerpieces.  Since we went with a Candy Cane theme, I've been gluing candy canes and peppermint pieces to anything that will sit still long enough.


But I have to say I'm super excited with how cute all the red and white will be.  I'm hoping for an elegant but fun party.  We'll see how it actually all turns out in the end.  Hopefully I'll be able to show you pictures on Friday

But I thought I'd just show you a preview to make your mouth water as much as mine has.
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Shortbread Rocas-The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2012

 

Today is recipe reveal day for The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap hosted by Love and Olive Oil and The Little Kitchen.  For the swap you send a dozen cookies to three different bloggers and receive a dozen cookie from three different bloggers.

I sent my cookie to Lori at Vakiener Accro,Ashley at Cookie Monster Cooking, and Maria at Best of the Best. Before I get to my Shortbread Rocas recipe, I want to share the wonderful cookies that I received.


These came from Morgan at Being the Secret Ingredient.  She sent them in a Glad Ware container so I got a little useful bonus gift.







These wonderful little gems came from Chris and Amy at A Couple in the Kitchen.  They came in this cute little metal box which is also a useful bonus gift.


These great oatmeal cookies came from Lou and Esi at Lou & Esi

Now on to my recipe.  I may have pushed the envelope just a tad with my cookies as I used purchased cookies as the base.  For many years I have made the so-called Cracker Toffee/Cracker Almond Roca using either saltine or graham crackers.


For a while now I had been wondering what I would get if I used shortbread cookies as the base instead of crackers.  I decided to use this idea for the cookie swap.  I guess they were a success, at least at our house.  My hubby, who likes shortbread cookies, wouldn’t stay out of them.  I will be using these in my cookie gift platters this year.

Any square shortbread cookie can be used.  The packages I purchase from the Dollar Tree contain 34 cookies.  I am not sure how many cookies are in Lorna Doones which can be purchased at the grocery store.

It takes 40 cookies to fill a jelly roll pan so what I usually do is line the pan with foil and then fold the foil back close to the cookies to make a false side.  This keeps the sugar/butter mixture corralled next to the cookies.

Personally I prefer the Rocas without the chocolate, but I did use the chocolate topping on the cookies I sent.  I like milk chocolate if I do use it, but many people prefer the semisweet.

To make the cookies prettier, I removed the excess candy from the cookies.  This can be done with a sharp knife.  I wouldn’t bother to do this for any we are having at home.



Shortbread Rocas
1 pkg. square shortbread cookies
1 c. butter (must be butter)
1 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1 t. almond extract (opt.)
1 pkg. (12 oz.) semisweet or milk chocolate chips
3/4 c. chopped, toasted almonds

Line a jelly roll pan with foil and place shortbread cookies in the pan in rows.  If cookies do not fill the pan, fold the excess foil back next to the cookies.  Put butter and brown sugar in a small sauce pan.  Watching carefully and stirring often, bring the butter/sugar mixture to a full rolling boil.  Stirring, boil the mixture for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract.  Pour the mixture over the shortbread cookies.  Quickly spread evenly with a heat-proof spatula.  Place pan in a 400 degree oven and bake for 5 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and quickly sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top.  Return the pan to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes until chocolate chips begin to melt.  Remove pan from oven and gently and evenly spread the chocolate over the top.  Sprinkle the almonds over the chocolate and gently press them in with a spatula or your hand.  Let cool to room temperature.  Cut apart between the cookies.  If desired, remove excess candy from the sides of the cookies with a sharp knife.  Makes 34 cookies.


To get links to the recipes for all the cookies in the swap, visit Love and Olive Oil or The Little Kitchen on Friday, December 14.  They will be linked up there.

If you missed the swap this year, but would like to get in on the the fun, you can sign up here to be notified when the swap comes around again.

Note:  Please disregard the funny things Blogger is doing with my spacing today.
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Be a Good Cookie Oxo Spatula

This year I once again am participating in The Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap.  This year, being part of the swap required making a small donation to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.  All donations are being matched by Oxo up to a total of 100K.  Oxo also sent each swap participant a free “ Be a Good Cookie” spatula.
 

When I purchased a copy of America’s Test Kitchen "Holiday Cookies", I found a little side-bar review about the spatula.  It was very highly recommended by the Test Kitchen.  I, myself, found it a great little addition to my kitchen and will probably be buying a second one.  The spatula has a very thin blade that works great for sliding under cookies.


Because the spatula costs only $6.99 and part of the proceeds go to such a good cause, I am suggesting that you “Be a Good Cookie” and treat yourself to one of these handy little tools this holiday season.


Here is a little sneak preview of the cookies I created and made for the swap.  Come back tomorrow for the recipe.

Shortbread Rocas
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10 Fun Cupcakes for Christmas

With Christmas fast approaching, you're probably attending quite a few neighboorhood, church, office, or school parties.  With a lot of places to go, but not a lot of time, if you're like me, you're looking for an easy, but spectacularly fun treat to take. 

Cupcakes are super easy.  Hey, we've all got a box of some cake mix in the back of the cupboard, why not spice up your cupcakes with some of these fun ideas?


1. Easy Holly Christmas Cupcakes from Sweet Scarlet Designs flicker page.
2. Ornament Cupcakes from Celebrations.com
3. North Pole Cupcakes from alisonsparksdecor Etsy shop.

4. Reindeer Cupcakes by With Sprinkles On Top
5. Hot Chocolate Cupcakes from JCCupcakes flicker page.
6. M&M Wreath Cupcakes from Unknown.

7.  Christmas Tree Cupcakes from Siukwan's Kitchen.
8. Starlight Mint Cupcakes from Hello, Cupcake!
9. Tangled Lights Cupcake from I Am Baker.


10. The Snowman Cupcakes we shared with you last year?!
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Maple Curry Roast Pork Tenderloin

Good Monday to all and welcome to my new followers.  I appreciate all of my readers so much and thank you for taking time from your busy lives to visit my blog.  Hopefully you will find some useful recipes here.



I have mentioned before that pork tenderloin in one of my favorite cuts of pork, and I buy it whenever it is on sale.  Right now a local grocery store is promoting them for $5.99 each so I have been stocking up.

Stocking up means that I am on a constant look out for new recipes.  Recently I gave this one a try.  It is from the recipe files on my computer, and I don’t know the original source.

I thought the sauce for this was very good and well worth the splurge for the pure maple syrup.  I will definitely be making this one again.  This would be a wonderful dish to serve at a dinner party.

The pork tenderloins I purchase are 1 1/2 lbs.  The only suggestion I would make is to watch the sauce carefully.  It will begin to caramelize after about 40 minutes.  If the tenderloin is not done at that point I would pour the sauce out of the baking pan into a small sauce pan and add some water to the baking pan to finish cooking the tenderloin.

Since there are just the two of us, I put the sauce in a small bowl, sliced the tenderloin as necessary, and drizzled the sauce over the cut slices.  There was enough for a main meal, and a couple left-over meals for each of us.  I served this with a corn pudding and a Brussels sprout dish which I will post soon.

Maple Curry Roast Pork Tenderloin
1 1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin
1/2 c. pure maple syrup
2 T. low-sodium soy sauce
2 t. ketchup
2 t. orange zest
1 1/2 t. curry powder
1 1/2 t. ground coriander
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
2  cloves garlic, minced

Trim pork of all visible fat.  Place pork in a large zip top plastic bag.  Combine remaining ingredients and pour over pork in bag.  Seal bag and marinate in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, turning once.  Remove from refrigerator and continue marinating about 30 minutes, turning once.  Place pork with marinade in a small greased baking pan.  Roast, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, turning tenderloin in sauce every 10 minutes.  If pork is not done after 40 minutes, pour sauce into a small sauce pan and add a bit of water to the baking pan.  Continue to cook until the pork is done (160 degrees).  Pork should still be slightly pink in middle.  Let pork stand for 10 minutes before slicing.  Reheat sauce if necessary and drizzle over thinly sliced pork.  Serve immediately.  Makes 6 servings

Linking to these great  parties:
Hunk of Meat Monday
Busy Monday
Mealtime Monday
Making Monday Marvelous
Marvelous Monday
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
Recipe Sharing Monday
Mix It Up Monday
Mop It Up Monday
The Bulletin Board
Make the Scene Monday
Made by You Monday
Mangia Monday
Must Try Monday
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