Holiday sweet treats

By Susan McClanahan

Sugarplums are beginning to dance in my head as I think about what I will bake and prepare for sweet treats over the Christmas holiday season. Of course there are all our traditional family favorite recipes we will enjoy, but I like to add a few new items each year.

In searching through Facebook and Pinterest, I came across about a thousand things I would love to make, but time, money and energy prohibit that. I have pulled just a few recipes I hope to try, and I hope you will, too.

Lemon-Raspberry Cookies

These raspberry-lemon cookies are ultra soft and chewy as well as quick and easy to make. They are so tasty, everyone loves them, and the red swirl makes them pretty on a cookie tray.

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 lemon, zest and juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup frozen raspberries, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, egg, lemon zest and juice and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the salt, baking powder, baking soda and flour and mix until combined. Add in the raspberries and mix briefly to incorporate them.

Drop the dough by tablespoonful (a cookie scoop works best here -- the dough is extremely sticky -- but two spoons work, too; the cookies will just be less uniform) onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until they are just starting to brown on the edges and are no longer shiny at all. Put the second half of the cookie dough in the fridge while the first sheet is baking; it will get even softer as the raspberries thaw.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes: This cookie dough is extremely sticky and is best if the raspberries stay frozen, so leave them in the freezer until you're ready to add them to the dough. If you find it is getting too sticky to scoop, chill it for 30 minutes and then bake. Don't try to form it into balls by hand, though; it works best as a drop cookie, scooping it onto the baking sheet by the tablespoonful and baking immediately. When baking, they are done when they are no longer shiny at all on top. If they are still shiny, they will be underbaked around the raspberries. Yields 2 dozen cookies.

Spiced Almond Brittle

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups unblanched almonds
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Line a 15x10x1-inch pan with parchment paper. (Do not spray or grease.)

In a large heavy saucepan, combine sugar, water, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Using a pastry brush dipped in water, wash down the sides of the pan to eliminate sugar crystals. Cook, without stirring, over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 260 degrees (hard-ball stage). Stir in almonds, butter and seasonings; cook until thermometer reads 300 degrees (hard-crack stage), gently stirring frequently, about 8 minutes longer.

Remove from heat; stir in baking soda (mixture will foam up). Immediately pour onto prepared pan, spreading as thin as possible. Cool completely. Break brittle into pieces. Store between layers of waxed paper in an airtight container. Yield: 1 1/4 pounds.

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Waxed paper

Beat 1 cup softened butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add 3/4 cup powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Stir in chopped cranberries, orange zest, vanilla extract and almond extract until blended. Stir together 2 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Shape shortbread dough into two 7-inch logs. Wrap each log in waxed paper and chill 4 hours, or freeze logs in zip-top plastic freezer bags up to 1 month.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If frozen, let logs stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Cut each log into 24 slices. Place shortbread slices 1 inch apart on lightly greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

Bake shortbread slices at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges of slices are golden. Remove shortbread from baking sheets and place on wire racks; let cool completely (about 20 minutes). Store in airtight containers.

No-Bake Praline Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 stick of salted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups chopped pecans
• 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

In a bowl, combine coconut and pecans; set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar, milk, corn syrup and butter. Heat while stirring until the mixture comes to a full rolling boil. Let it boil while stirring for 3 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the vanilla extract along with the coconut/pecan mixture. Stir the mixture well to combine after you remove it from the heat. Drop by spoonfuls on parchment paper or nonstick aluminum foil. Allow to cool so the cookies harden completely.

Chocolate-Chip Cookie Candy

This recipe uses a convenience item I never use, but in a time crunch, I might this year.

• 1 pouch chocolate-chip cookie mix
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 pound white candy melts or coating wafers or vanilla-flavored candy coating (almond bark), chopped
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon holiday candy sprinkles

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. In medium bowl, mix cookie mix, softened butter and egg. Use a tablespoon to portion dough into rounds; place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until edges just turn golden. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.

Line 8-inch square pan with foil; lightly grease foil. Break 10 to 12 cookies into pieces, 2 cups total. Spread one-third of the cookie pieces in pan.

In 2-quart saucepan, heat candy melts over low heat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until completely melted. Add condensed milk; stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Pour half of the melted mixture into pan; use spatula to smooth it evenly over cookie pieces. Sprinkle with one-third of the cookie pieces, half of the chocolate chips and half of the sprinkles. Pour remaining melted mixture on top, spreading evenly; top with remaining cookie pieces, chocolate chips and sprinkles.

Refrigerate until completely firm, about 2 hours. Cut into 6 rows by 6 rows, or smaller for bite-size pieces.

Maple Bacon Pretzel Rods

Children young and old love this sweet, salty and savory snack. The addition of the maple flavoring and bacon is an unexpected surprise to snackers.

• 1 package vanilla candy melts (or sub with almond bark or white chocolate)
• 2 teaspoons of maple flavoring (more or less to taste)
• 1 package of bacon, cooked to a crisp and crumbled
• 1 bag of pretzel rods
• Christmas-candy colored sugars and sprinkles

Melt the vanilla candy melts in the microwave according to the package directions. Stir in the maple flavoring. Dip 1/2 to 3/4 of the pretzel rods into the maple candy coating and place them on a baking sheet covered with waxed paper. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon on top, pressing in the pieces as needed. Drizzle on a little extra maple glaze to finish them up. Quickly sprinkle one at a time with Christmas-candy sprinkles and sugars. Let cool until set or refrigerate to hurry the process along. Serve immediately or tightly cover and refrigerate any leftovers.

Have a great week, and until next time, happy cooking.