A Life of Simple JoyReducing stress, increasing joy one post at a time!

•    ½ lb butter
•    2 tablespoons granulated sugar
•    2 small packages cream cheese
•    2 cups flour
•    2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat oven 350. Mix ingredients together. Roll out on floured surface. Cut with a glass (yes, a drinking glass.) Put a spoonful of apricot jam in the center of cookie. Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar when cooled.

•    1 cup butter
•    1/2 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
•    1/2 teaspoon salt
•    1 tablespoon water
•    1 teaspoon vanilla
•    2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
•    1 cup rolled oats
•    red or green candied cherries
•    2 cups flaked coconut

Cream butter with sugar, salt, water and vanilla. Add flour and beat until blended. Stir in oats. Shape dough around cherries (whole cherries) into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Place on un-greased baking sheet. Bake in 350 oven 18-20 minutes. cool on racks. Dip cooled cookies into frosting, then roll in coconut. Let dry on rack.

Frosting

•    2 cups confectioners sugar
•    1/4 cup milk
•    few drops green food coloring
•    Few drops mint extract

Combine sugar, milk, food coloring and extract. Beat until smooth. Mixture will be thin.

•    1 package lemon cake mix
•    1 3 ounce package cream cheese, softened
•    3/4 cup milk
•    4 eggs
•    1 1/4 cup ground cranberries
•    1/2 cup ground walnuts
•    1/4 cup sugar
•    confectioners’ sugar

Blend cake mix, cream cheese, and milk; beat with mixer for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add eggs; beat 2 minutes longer. Mix cranberries, walnuts, 1/4 cup sugar; gently fold into cake batter. Pour into greased and floured bundt or tube pan. Bake in 350 oven for 1 hour or until done. Cool for 5 minutes in pan; turn out on cake rack. Dust with powdered sugar.

•    1/2 cup shortening
•    3/4 cup sugar
•    2 eggs
•    3 cups flour
•    4 teaspoons baking powder
•    1 teaspoon salt
•    3/4 cup chopped, drained maraschino cherries
•    1 cup chopped black walnuts
•    1 1/4 cups milk

Cream shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Dredge cherries and nuts in 1/4 cup of flour mixture. Add balance of flour mixture and milk alternately to creamed mixture. Stir in cherries and nuts.
turn into a greased 5 1/2×9 1/2 loaf pan. Bake in 350 oven about 1 hour. Cool completely and store in frig overnight before slicing.

•    2 eggs, well beaten
•    1 cup fresh orange juice
•    1/4 cup water
•    Grated rinds of 2 oranges
•    1/4 cup melted butter
•    4 cups sifted all purpose flour
•    1 teaspoon salt
•    3 teaspoons baking powder
•    1 teaspoon baking soda
•    2 cups sugar
•    1 cup chopped walnuts
•    1 cup chopped dates
•    1 cup chopped mixed candied fruit
•    1/4 cup flaked coconut
•    2 cups dried cranberries cut in half

Combine eggs, orange juice, water, rind and butter. Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add liquid mixture and stir until blended. Add fruits and nuts; mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into 2 greased and wax paper lined 9×5″ pans. Bake in 325 oven for 40 minutes. Lower heat to 300 degrees and continue to bake 40 more minutes. Remove bread from pans, peel off wax paper and cool on racks. When cool, wrap in plastic wrap and store in frig.

• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 18 well drained maraschino cherries, cut into halves
• 6 squares (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Combine flour and sugar. Cut butter into flour until mixture resembles pie crust. Press into an 8×8 baking dish. Bake in 350 oven for 20 minutes. While warm, cut into 36 squares. Cool. Place squares in a wax paper lined pan. Place a cherry half on center of each square. Cover cherry with spoonful of melted chocolate. Chill in frig until chocolate hardens.

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 cups sifted flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk
• Sauce:
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon rum extract

Cream butter until light. Gradually beat in sugar, creaming until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternating with milk, beat thoroughly after each addition. Turn into greased bundt pan. Bake in 350 oven for 70 minutes or until cake springs back when tested. Place cake in pan on rack to cook.  Pierce cake with fork. Pour hot sauce over cake. Cool thoroughly before removing cake from pan.

To prepare sauce: Heat sugar, butter and water in pan until butter melts, do not boil. Add rum extract.

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon shredded orange rind
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup finely chopped dried apricots
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cream sugar and shortening; beat in egg. Blend in milk, orange rind and orange juice. Add sifted dry ingredients. Stir in apricots and nuts. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake in 350 oven 65-70 minutes. Cool; remove from pan. Wrap in foil and store overnight in frig before slicing.

• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream butter to consistency of mayonnaise. Add sugar gradually while continuing to cream. Add remaining ingredients; blend well. Chill. Measure level teaspoons of dough; round into balls; flatten slightly. Place about 1″ apart on un-greased cookie sheet. Bake in 400 oven for 8-10 minutes or until edges lightly browned. Put together with lemon filling.

Lemon filling

• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• Grated peel of 1 lemon
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons softened butter

Blend all ingredients in top of double boiler. Cook over hot, not boiling water, stirring constantly until thick. Chill until firm.

I found this recipe online. My husband’s family is Dutch so I found it interesting this is a Dutch tradition. I wanted to share this with you.

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