Recipes - Christmas sweets and confectionary

[Karen]

Thank you, Karen, that's a smart trick! It is cooling now, but I wonder... should I really leave in the kitchen until tomorrow? I mean, it has whipping cream in it, so wouldn't it go bad?

The sugar and the cooking "cures" the cream, so you need not worry about it going bad.

[Randi]

Oh, that's good - and it's probably easier to cut tomorrow if I don't put it in the fridge. Now let's hope that Lucy will leave it alone! She still hasn't been on the kitchen counter.

[Karen]

Oh, that's good - and it's probably easier to cut tomorrow if I don't put it in the fridge. Now let's hope that Lucy will leave it alone! She still hasn't been on the kitchen counter.

I would definitely "tent" it with aluminum foil, just in case she gets curious!

That was the method I learned from my grandmother years ago, before we owned a "candy thermometer" and still the one I use, as then I don't have an extra item to clean, and it is just as accurate! If I am doing something pickier, I will use the thermometer, though!

[Randi]

Have anyone else made sweets for Christmas? I put the caramels in boxes and give to my family, along with chocolade truffles. One year, I made some Bounty Balls, they're also quite easy to make.

I found a new recipe for them.... I suppose the word "dessicated" means dried? Oh, can you use anything other than condensed milk? Only few shops have it.

3 cups dessicated coconut
200g sweetened condensed milk
1/2-3/4 cup icing sugar
1 tsp. vanilla essence
350g dark chocolate, melted

Combine the coconut and condensed milk in a large bowl. Add enough icing sugar to make a stiff mixture. Add the vanilla and stir until well combined. Roll into walnut sized balls and refrigerate overnight until hardened.Coat in melted chocolate and serve when set.

[Randi]

I was going to make some marcipan cookies, but realize I'm out of marcipan. However, I just bought lots of almonds, so I looked for a recipe.

If you can't get marcipan in your supermarket, you can make it yourself. This recipe below is one without eggwhite, there are pictures of the process. Read the reply by Paul, second last reply, and there's an explanation of why you would use eggwhite.



http://thegracefulkitchen.net/2013/0....FVEe6TaK.dpbs

Once you have the marcipan, you can make "Kransekage" - it's a tradition here for New Years Eve. When the clock strikes midnight, this cake is served, along with Champaigne.

The recipe for this is:

500 gram marcipan
200 gram powdered sugar (icing sugar)
1 eggwhite (small egg)

For the icing you use:
1 eggwhite
1/2 teaspoon of winegar
150 gram powdered sugar

You can make rings and build a tower, or can make any shape you like. Here's a video of how Mette Blomsterberg makes them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUn0-a2MKl8

Marcipan you can also use to cover the top of cake, just roll it out thin.

Enjoy!

[pomtzu]

I haven't done any baking yet. Right now there are 2 loaves of pumpkin bread in the oven, and they will get wrapped in foil and put in the freezer for closer to Christmas. The 2 that I made for Thanksgiving have all but vanished - just a couple of slices left. I won't do any cookies till VERY close to Christmas - otherwise they will be gone by then. My son The Cookie Monster can devour them just as quickly as the Muppet character does. His very favorite are toll house - I always use the recipe on the Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate morsels bag - never found one I liked better. I also use that recipe and switch out the semi-sweet for white choco chips, and add macadamia nuts for a little different variety/taste. I like them both pretty equally - so does the rest of the family.