Common Cuisine |

This kid-friendly treat is a beautiful jewel on a plate of homemade cookies, and is so full of fruit and nuts it could practically count as a serving of fruit.

• 1 C dried dates
• 1 C golden raisins
• 1/2 C dried cranberries
• 1/2 C dried apricots
• 1 Tbsp Orange Juice
• 1/2 C white chocolate chips
• 1/2 C walnut pieces
• Granulated sugar

In a food processor, place dates, raisins, cranberries and apricots. Pulse several times until fruits are well chopped. Add Orange Juice to help with mixing.

Add white chocolate and nuts to mixture. Pulse a few more times until mixture has a slightly chunky consistency.

Roll mixture into 1″ balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar.

Serve in individual candy cups. Makes about 40 sugar plums.

I have never met such a little thing with so many names! When I was in junior high, I made these for World Foods Day in Home Ec and called them Pfeufferneusse from Austria. I don’t even know what that word means. My cookbook calls them Russian Teacakes, but then a friend saw them and commented on my Wedding Cookies. I think the simplest name of all is Snowballs, so that is what they are called here.

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup finely chopped nutes
• 1/4 tsp salt
• powdered sugar

Heat oven to 400. Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla. Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds togetehr. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown.

Roll in powdered sugar while warm; cool. Roll in powdered sugar again.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

When you can’t build a campfire, perhaps this is enough to satisfy the craving for this childhood treat.

• 1 pkg brownie mix plus ingredients listed on box.
• 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
• 6 graham crackers, broken into small pieces
• 1 ½ C mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare brownie mix as directed for 13″ x 9″ pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

In medium bowl, gently mix chocolate chips, graham cracker bits, and marshmallows. Evenly spread over top of hot brownies. Bake 15 minutes more.

Cool completely (if possible) before cutting into bars. Makes about 2 dozen servings of childhood happiness.

And why the name, you ask? Well try to keep a batch around for more than a few minutes, and you will understand! I am posting this recipe this week in honor of my birthday. This is my favorite, favorite. Thanks to my friend Beth Edgerton for making this for me every time I came home during my first year of college.

• ½ C butterscotch pieces
• ¼ C (½ stick) buttermilk
• 3/4 C all-purpose flour
• 1/3 C firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 C mini marshmallows
• 1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ¼ C chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350. Generously grease and flour bottom and sides of 9 inch square baking dish.

In 3 qt heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt butterscotch pieces and butter, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.

Add flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla and egg, mixing well.

Fold in marshmallows, chocolate chips, and nuts.

Spread in greased pan and bake 20-25 minutes. Center will still be jiggly but firms upon cooling.

I actually cheated a little on this and used a box brownie mix for the chocolate layer. Made it in a 9 x 13 pan, and cut it into 48 very rich little squares. It was plenty good; but I have a feeling it would be more like fudge if you followed the given recipe.

Chocolate Layer:

• 1 C (2 Sticks) Butter
• 4 (1 oz) squares unsweetened baking chocolate
• 2 C sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 C flour

Peanut Butter Layer:

• 1 C creamy peanut butter
• ½ C (1 stick) butter, melted
• 3 C powdered sugar
• 1/3 C milk

Drizzle Layer:

• 1/3 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vegetable shortening

Heat oven to 350.

Melt 1 C butter and baking chocolate in small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Set aside.

Combine sugar and eggs in large mixer bowl; beat until thick and lemon-colored. Add flour and melted chocolate mixture; beat until well mixed. Pour into 15″ x 10″ x 1″ jelly-roll pan.

Bake 24 to 28 minutes until brownie is set. Cool completely.

Combine peanut butter and ½ cup butter in medium mixer bowl and beat, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add powdered sugar and milk; reduce speed to low. Beat until well mixed. Spread over cooled brownie layer. Cover; refrigerate until firm.

Melt drizzle ingredients in small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Drizzle mixture over peanut butter layer.

Refrigerate until chocolate is set. Cut into bars. Store refrigerated.

Makes 60 small, very rich bars.

Well the holidays are in full swing! I am really into it this year, because it’s our first Christmas together as a family without having any travel to plan for. I love being home for the holidays, but this year we have a sense that it is our house that is the home, and we are creating the traditions for our kids.

It all started when we put our tree up the middle of November… what, is that so early? We were going out of town for Thanksgiving and I was really geeked to have the decorations up already when we returned from our trip on December 2. As an added surprise, the kids and I came home from the airport to find that my husband had put up icicle lights, our first ever exterior decorations. Woo hoo!

We got right into Advent and Christmas crafts that included ornaments and a kids nativity set. How fun! And then one day, the inevitable urge struck… COOKIES! I thought I would make some cutout cookies. It quickly mushroomed into double batches of nine different kinds of cookies and soon I had boxes and plates of them overrunning my table space in the garage.

Since I have had requests for some of my recipes, I will publish them here. Remember the secret ingredient is… love! You will find recipes for Snickerdoodles, Snowballs, and more.

This week, we are making gingerbread houses and MORE cookies! Sigh… I just love cookies.

When I was a kid, I loved making this recipe. My mom called them Squish Cookies, and every year I couldn’t wait for her to call us to the kitchen to wash our hands, pull up our sleeves, and use our little fingers to mix the ingredients into dough, literally “by hand”. I use my Kitchen Aid mixer now, but they still taste good!

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 400. Mix 1 1/2 C sugar, butter, shortening, and eggs. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Shape into 1 1/4 inch balls.

Mix 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set; cool.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Thanks to Betty Crocker’s Cookbook, Seventh Edition for this recipe.