Sugar Plums

Sugar Plums

We've all heard of them.....now enjoy them!  Sugar Plums will dance in your MOUTH!


Ingredients:

6 oz almond paste (ground almonds)
4 oz dried plums
4 oz dried apricots
4 oz dried figs

(try just buying a bag of trail mix with dried fruit, pick out the coconut and banana chips)

1/4 tsp anise (if you can find seed, otherwise use 1/8 tsp anise extract)
1/4 tsp fennel seeds (ground if you can find it)
1/4 tsp cardamon seeds (ground if you can find it)

1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup honey

What to do:

If using whole spice seeds, toast the anise and fennel seeds until browned either in the oven spread thinly or in a frying pan on the stove top (don't add oil or fat).  Grind the seeds fine.

Chop the dried fruit and almond paste together by hand or in a food processor until fine (small pieces of fruit will be able to be rolled into balls with the almond paste.)

Mix the powdered sugar with the anise, fennel and cardamon, mix in the honey and finally add the chopped fruit / almond mixture.

Shape into 1/2 - 1 inch balls by hand, dry at room temperature overnight and roll in coarse sugar the next day.  I think coloredsugar like red and green look best.

ENJOY!  I think this is a unique holiday treat as nobody ever has sugar plums at Christmas!

Store in air tight container in a cool, dry place.

Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Cookies

This is my mom's recipe and one of my favorite cookies.  I crave them all year long.

3-eggs
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar

1 large can of pumpkin puree

2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 cups flour

1/4 cup walnuts chopped
1/4 cup raisins

Cream together the butter or margarine with the white and brown sugars.  Mix in eggs one at a time until well mixed.  Mix in pumpkin puree.  Add and mix in baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and flour.  After this is well mixed (not beaten, just mixed) add the nuts and raisins, this mixture will appear runnnier that regular cookie batter.

Drop by well-rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 deegrees for about 12-15 minutes until cookies are firm to the touch and just browned on the bottoms.

Cool completely.  We always frost ours with store bought cream cheese icing dyed orange.  Adding a teaspoon of orange extract to the icing changes the whole flavor of the cookie and brings out an entirely new taste.

Enjoy