Easy Holiday Treats

Easy Holiday Treats

Whether it’s a meal or snacks for a party, a dish for an office potluck or food made to give as gifts, life keeps getting busier and busier as the year winds down, leaving little time for the niceties associated with the holidays.

Some people think of fruit cake and sugar cookies when they think of Christmas treats. Not me.

My Grandma Sayers’ Date-filled Drop Cookies are my favorite sweet associated with Christmas. Grandma made the filling ahead of time (one batch of date, one of pineapple). Then when I was out of school for the holiday, I spent the days with her while Mom and Dad were at work; she made the buttery sweet batter (with a touch of cinnamon) and dropped it by spoonfuls on a cookie sheet. I followed with a smaller spoonful of filling, then we finished with a tiny dollop of batter to cap the cookies. They were delicious and different.

I still make the cookies, all by myself, but I have added other recipes to my repertoire of holiday must-haves. In some parts of Appalachia, I’m known for a red velvet cake, the recipe which my mother found in a women’s magazine several years ago; others think with affection of my truffles, which I package in paper cups in boxes and give to the candy lovers on my list. Yet others get wide-eyed and hungry for a sweet snack mix I call “White Trash,” which makes a beautiful holiday gift, especially when given in a beautiful tin or glass cookie jar.

Here, I’ll share my recipes for all these. The best part is, not one item is difficult to prepare during this busy time of year.

Grandma Sayers’ Date-filled Drop Cookies

• 1 cup shortening
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon soda

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix shortening, sugar, eggs. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla. Sift together flour, soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir in dry ingredients. Drop with a teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheet. Place 1/2 teaspoon date filling (recipe follows) on dough. Top with 1/2 teaspoon dough. Bake 10-12 minutes. Makes 5-6 dozen.

Date Filling

Mix together:

• 2 cups chopped dates
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water.

Cook until thick. Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts.

NOTE: If you want to try pineapple, just substitute pineapple for dates. You can use canned, drained pineapple, but you will need less sugar. Proceed according to taste.

Easy Red Velvet Cake

Cake

• 2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cups red food coloring (2 one-oz. bottles)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cocoa
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 2 large eggs

Icing

• 1 1/3 sticks butter, softened
• 10 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 pound confectioner's sugar
• 2 cups chopped pecans

TO MAKE THE CAKE: Heat oven to 350 degrees F and spray 3 round layer cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. Mix together all ingredients and put equal amounts of batter into the three pans. Bake about 20 minutes. Let cool completely.

TO MAKE THE ICING: Combine butter, cream cheese and sugar and mix with electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in 1 1/2 cups pecans. Ice cake and decorate top with the remaining pecans. Refrigerate at least an hour before serving.

White Trash (This recipe comes from Taste of Home magazine)

In large bowl, combine

• 1 package (10 ounces) mini pretzels
• 5 cups Cheerios
• 5 cups Corn Chex
• 2 cups salted peanuts
• 1 pound M&Ms

Set aside. In microwave-safe bowl, combine:

• 2 packages (12 ounces each) vanilla chips
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Microwave at medium-high setting for 2 minutes, stirring once. Microwave on high for 10 seconds more. Stir until smooth, then pour over cereal and toss until coated.

Spread mixture on waxed paper to cool. Break apart. Store in air-tight container. Yields 5 quarts.

Fudge Truffles (This recipe comes from Kraft)

• 1 12-ounce package, or 2 cups, semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup orange-flavored liqueur, or 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 1 can chocolate cake frosting
• 1 cup coconut

Melt chocolate chips in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in orange flavoring and frosting; blend well. Refrigerate for an hour or two, until firm.

Place coconut in pie pan. Scoop mixture out by 1-inch balls. Drop onto coconut and roll until covered. Place in foil or paper candy cups. Store in box or plastic container with cover in refrigerator. Makes 6 dozen.

NOTE: Many people don’t like coconut, and some don’t like orange. None of that’s a problem. You can use any liqueur or flavoring you like, and you can roll the truffles in many other things, too. I like to make rum flavored truffles rolled in coconut, almond flavored rolled in crushed almonds, pure chocolate rolled in cocoa, and mint rolled in crushed peppermint candies. Also, you can use different flavors of chips and frostings. For instance, make peanut butter by using peanut butter chips and cream cheese or sour cream frosting, and roll in crushed peanuts or powdered sugar. Just about any flavor combos will work, as long as you and your recipients like it.

Printed with permission from www.suite101.com.
About the Author:  Lee Ward -  For the last 20 years, I have been working as a professional journalist in newspapers, magazines and radio. Currently, I am the Lifestyle Editor at a daily newspaper, The Independent in Ashland, Ky. I am always interested in freelance writing or editing opportunities and working on my fiction and poetry. I can be emailed at hillygator@msn.com.