Kay's Peppermint Cookies

Here are all the cookies: (L-R) Kay's Peppermint Cookies, Toffee Grahams,(plain and chocolate covered), Christmas Sandies, and Benne (Pecan) Wafers.

Lisa brought these cookies to us one Christmas. The recipe was from her mother-in-law, Kay.

1 C butter                             1 1/2 C flour        

1 1/2 tsp vanilla                    1/4 tsp salt

1 C powdered sugar              1 C oats

1/4 cup crushed peppermints (about 10 mini-candy canes)

additional powdered sugar

Cream butter and vanilla. Add sugar, flour, and salt. Stir in oats, and candy. Form into 1-inch balls. Roll in additional powdered sugar and press each cookie with a fork.

Bake at 325o for 15 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet. Store in a tightly covered container.

Makes about 5 dozen small cookies

Benne Wafers from Wednesday Chef

Benne wafers made with sesame seeds

Made with toasted pecans after I used up sesame seeds.  Both absolutely DELICIOUS!

     I have read about these in the past.  Then I recently read a post about these at: http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/2010/12/benne-wafers.html  ( I was waiting for a response for permission to post this, but have not heard back, and now the response section is closed.)

It's a very lengthy article.  After you read the section just below the cookies, scroll down until you see the ingredients on a table, then start reading again. (I just made a 2^nd batch, and since I had no more sesame seeds, I used finely chopped roasted pecans. I think I like these even better!)

     As you can see, mine are quite odd shaped, except for one batch that happened to be sort of round.  I was a little more careful with that batch about the size of the dough.  Little means about 1 level teaspoon or a small marble size, (makes about 2 inch cookies) which will make almost 5 dozen.   Mostly I wasn't patient enough to make them that small, and I didn't bother trying to make them too round either, which ended with ghost-shaped cookies.  I took some out of the oven too soon (because they were too big) and they were more chewy than crispy, but still very tasty. 

     They really need to be the same size on each pan.  You have to be sure to bake them until very golden brown, then wait until it cools before trying to remove them.

     Some other online recipes used more flour and suggested toasting the sesame seeds first.  I think toasting would make the cookies taste even better.  These wafers are very thin and you'd probably have to eat about a 5 to 8 to equal one 3-inch chocolate chip cookie, but these are a real treat!  Let me know what you think.

Note: Some people reported having issues with the texture of their cookies; please remember that the butter you use must not be warm or room temperature, but cool to the touch and still quite firm before you begin to cream it with the sugar. Here's an article on butter in baking for your reading pleasure.)
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cool but not cold
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and well-combined. Add the egg and beat until combined. Add the flour, salt, vanilla extract and sesame seeds. Mix until all the ingredients are combined.
3. Drop small spoons of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten the wafers with a knife dipped in ice water.
4. Bake for 6 minutes. The cookies should be a golden brown with deeper golden edges. Pull the parchment paper off the sheet pan onto a cooling rack. After about 5 to 8  minutes, gently pull the cooled cookies off the parchment. Reuse the parchment for the next batch.
5. Cool completely and store in a tin for up to 2 weeks.  They will lose their crispness if not tightly contained.

Christmas Sandies

 The original recipe coated these cookies with colored nonpareils, but that didn't appeal to me, plus I didn't have any on hand.  I have used plain sugar, which shows off the cranberries and makes it attractive. But I rather like the taste of these with the powdered sugar.  Try some of each and decide which you like best.

• 1  cup  butter, softened
• 1/2  cup  powdered sugar
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla
• 2  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1  cup  finely chopped dried cranberries*
• 2  teaspoon  finely shredded lemon peel
•  1/2-1 cup  powdered sugar for rolling in after baking (Optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add powdered sugar. Beat until combined, scraping bowl. Beat in vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in cranberries, lemon peel, and any remaining flour (use your hands to work in flour, if mixture seems crumbly).

2. Shape mixture into 3/4- or 1-inch balls.( Roll dough balls in sugar now or in powdered sugar after baking). Arrange balls 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 13 minutes for 3/4-inch balls, or 15 minutes for 1-inch balls, or until bottoms of cookies are light brown. Transfer to wire racks and let cool. (Or roll in powdered sugar while still warm)

Makes about 72 3/4-inch cookies or 36 1-inch cookies.

*Tip: Place dried cranberries in a food processor. Cover and process until finely chopped. Or finely chop cranberries by hand.

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/cookies/christmas-sandies/

Toffee Grahams (or Cracker Brittle)

I first had these when they were given as a favor at a party.  Only 4 ingredients!  Simple to assemble!  And the best part, they're very delicious!

Option: Cover with chocolate.

*Graham Crackers (about 12-15-- half a box or whatever fits your pan)
*1/2 - 1 cup sliced almonds 

*1 cup butter  (2 sticks)   Do not use margarine.

*1/2 cup sugar

*1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

1. Line a cookie sheet (that has sides i.e. jelly roll pan) with foil.  Lay graham crackers right next to each other so they are touching.  Fold the foil up so it helps to contain the hot liquid.
2. Heat the butter and sugar at medium heat, stirring off and on for approximately 3-4 minutes after the mixture starts to bubble.  The mixture should look thick and yellowish and pulls away from the sides of the pot when stirred at the edge of the pot.  (What you are doing is cooking the butter and sugar to a semi-crystallized state.)
3. Immediately pour butter mixture over the crackers, spreading evenly with a knife.  Sprinkle with almonds now if you are NOT adding the chocolate frosting.
4. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.  Be careful not to burn the brittle. Take out the brittle when it is golden brown… the center can be a bit yellow-y.  The brittle will darken after being taken out of the oven.
5. Turn off the oven.  If desired,  sprinkle chocolate chips on the hot toffee, then put back into the oven for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from oven and smooth over with a knife or spatula.  Sprinkle on the almonds.  Let cool, then put into refrigerator for 10 minutes for the chocolate to harden.
6. Cool and break into pieces.