Fresh Ginger Cake

“May each day of this year be vibrant and new for you, bringing along many reasons for celebrations”. Speaking of celebrations here is a cake perfect  for  any celebration.The only problem with this cake is you wouldn't be able to stop with a single slice.Happy New year to you all!
Recipe source: Epicurious
Ingredients
4 ounces fresh ginger
1 cup mild molasses
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup water
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs, at room temperature
Method:
Position the oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 by 3-inch round cake pan or a 9 1/2 inch spring form pan with a circle of parchment paper or a pan of your choice even muffin tin.
Peel, and puree the ginger very fine. Mix together the molasses, sugar, and oil. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper.
Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan, stir in the baking soda, and then mix the hot water into the molasses mixture. Stir in the ginger.
Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the batter. Add the eggs, and continue mixing until everything is thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 1 hour, until the top of the cake springs back lightly when pressed or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top of the cake browns too quickly before the cake is done, drape a piece of foil over it and continue baking.
Cool the cake for at least 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Remove the cake from the pan and peel off the parchment paper.

Golden Rum Cake

With Christmas around the corner, if you are looking forward to baking a good cake for yourself as well as for gift-giving, this is an ideal choice. You can be guaranteed to get recipe requests for this semi-homemade creation.
Sending Christmas cheers from my family to yours..
Merry Christmas to you all!

Recipe source: Allrecipes
 Ingredients:
 1 cup chopped pecans
 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
 4 eggs
 1/2 cup water
 1/2 cup vegetable oil
 1/2 cup dark rum
 1/2 cup butter
 1/4 cup water
 1 cup white sugar
 1/2 cup dark rum
Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan or you can use small bundt pans. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over the bottom of the pan.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Mix in the eggs, 1/2 cup water, oil and 1/2 cup rum. Blend well. Pour batter over chopped nuts in the pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
To make the glaze: in a saucepan, combine butter, 1/4 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat and continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup rum.After the cake cools in the pan for about ten minutes, pour the hot glaze around the edges and it goes right down the sides and soaks into the bottom (which will be the top) and the sides of the cake. I also pour some around the inner ring and then a little along the top (which will be the bottom). I let it sit about 30 minutes then invert it.

Ginger Snaps

During December I love baking and when I bake a cookie its almost always some spice loaded ones.These ginger snaps are  one of my must bake cookies. A bite into one of these cookies is all I need to get into holiday spirits.

Ingredients:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 & 1/2 to 2 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. salt
2/3 cup canola oil
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white
½-1 cup coarse sugar
Method:
Preheat the oven to 325˚ F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper .In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, oil, molasses, and egg. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger; whisk well and stir into the molasses mixture to form dough

Shape dough into 1 to 1½-inch balls.  Dip each dough ball in the egg white, remove and let the excess drip off so it is lightly coated.   Roll the ball of dough coated in egg white in the sugar so that it is covered in an even layer. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.Place the coated balls on the prepared baking sheets about 2 to 3 inches apart. Flatten the balls a little,I used bottom of a glass to flatten the dough.

  Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through baking, just until the tops of the cookies are set and beginning to crack, about 15-17 minutes total.  Let cool on the baking sheets a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining

Peppermint Bark

Hope you all had a great X'mas. For us we had unexpected and unwanted guests namely Flu and cold who played spoiled sport. I am yet to recover though Aishwarya and Jai are feeling much better.
Aishwarya and I made this peppermint bark to give to her  friends on the last day of school  before the Christmas break. It is so easy to put together and will be done in no time. If you are a peppermint lover you sure would love this.
Ingredients
Crushed candy canes, to yield 1 cup
2 pounds white chocolate
Peppermint flavorings, optional-1/2 tsp
Method:
Place candy canes in a plastic bag and hammer into 1/4-inch chunks or smaller. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Combine candy cane chunks with chocolate (add peppermint flavoring at this point if desired.) Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet layered with parchment or waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or until firm. Remove from cookie sheet and break into pieces (like peanut brittle.)

Vattayappam /Steamed Rice Cake

Vattayappam is a steamed rice cake which  is a Christmas delicacy in Kerala where I am from. But if you want to have a bit of Christmas all year round, you can still make this.This makes a delicious breakfast or an any time snack.
Wishing all my friends best of joy  and best of cheer!
Ingredients
Raw rice( Sona masoori)– 2 cups
Idlli rava– 1/2 cup ( Cooked  Rose matta /matta-1 and 1/2 cups)
Grated coconut/Thick coconut milk – 1 and 1/2 cup
Active dry yeast – 1 tsp
Sugar – 1 cup
Salt – a pinch
Roasted Cashews and Raisins – as needed (Optional)
Cardamom-  4 powdered
Method :
Soak the rice in water for 5-6 hours and drain it. Pressure cook idlli rava using one cup of water for 5 minutes or till cooked.  Grind one and half cups of this cooked idlli rava  with grated coconut,sugar and socked rice adding just enough water to a smooth batter.Be careful while adding water,the batter should not be very watery,it has to be in the consistency of dosa batter.Add the yeast and salt  to this batter and mix well .Cover it with a lid and keep it in a warm place for to ferment or till it doubles.I kept this in my oven with the light on and it doubled in 3 hours .
Add cardamom powder if you’re using and gently stir .Grease a flat pan or idly mould with little oil or butter and spoon in the fermented batter.Steam this for 15 minutes,if you're using cashew and raisin you can add them when its half done.

Christmas Fruit Cake

This is an alcohol free Christmas fruitcake that can be made with little advance planning. Typically for making fruitcakes you need to soak the fruits in rum at least  for 24 hours. But as this one doesn't use any rum, this can be enjoyed by teetotalers or even kids.
So if you were putting off starting the preparation for the Christmas fruitcake, and is panicking that now there is not enough time to get that perfect soak for the fruits, there is an alternative for you.
Recipe Source:Edible Garden
Ingredients:
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup chopped cashewnuts
1/4 cup black raisins
1/2 cup mixed dry fruits (dates, cherries, orange peels)
1 + 1/2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup butter, at room temperature
3 eggs
1 clove + 1 cardamom pod + small piece of cinnamon + a pinch nutmeg (pound together to powder)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
Method:
In a pan on medium heat, melt 1/2 cup sugar slowly. It will first melt and then turn dark brown . Keep stirring and let it turn a deep dark caramel color. Don't let it burn. Turn off heat and add about 1/4 cup water. The sugar will harden. Turn the heat back on and slowly heat the mixture until the sugar crystals dissolve. This will take around 10 mins. Let this cool and set aside.
Pre-heat oven to 350F / 180C.
 Add 3 tbsp flour to the dry fruits and nuts and completely coat the nuts and fruits with flour. This is done to prevent  them  from sinking to the bottom of the cake  while baking. Set aside.
Mix the remaining flour and baking powder, spices, and salt until well combined.
Beat the butter and 1 cup sugar until fluffy - about 10 mins by hand, 3-4 mins with an electric beater. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Add 1 egg and beat. Then add a bit of the flour mixture and fold. Likewise, alternate between the eggs and flour mixture until they are used up.
 Add the cooled caramel  fold in and finally add dredged fruits and gently fold in. Pour batter into a greased cake pan and smooth the top.
 Bake for 50-55 mins until the top turns a dark brown and when a skewer inserted into the cake comes out with dry crumbs. You can start checking from 45 mins on wards The top will look like it's overdone but don't worry, make sure the inside is also completely cooked.

Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

This would be my last post of this year. So I thought of putting something that would be good to make as a New Year breakfast, for a new beginning. I had made this for Christmas, though. As this re heats well, you may even make it ahead of time and have a relaxed beginning to your New Year, after the festivities of the new year's eve. I have combined the recipes from the Cinnamon Pull-Apart recipe from  Joy the Baker and the Cinnabons recipe from Across the range, as the original Cinnamon Pull-apart recipe doesn't re-heat well. But if you have enough time and you can go with the original recipe itself.
Pssst...my hubby was so generous with presents this Christmas (or was it Santa himself, I am not sure!..), I got an overload of presents - a bread machine,a digital food scale, a new camera and all the other stuff from my wish list. May be I was such a good girl throughout the year!! With all these new gadgets I hope to make my blog even better next year - of course, with all your encouragement and support.

WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!!

Ingredients:
1 cup milk - heat in microwave for 1 minute
1 egg, beaten
1/4  Cup melted butter
7 tbs water
1 box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding powder
4 Cup bread or white flour
1 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp traditional yeast

Filling
1/2 Cup butter, softened
1 Cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
Method:
Dough can either be made in bread maker or the old fashioned way with hand. If using a breadmaker add the ingredients in the following order: boiling water, cold milk, melted butter, sugar, salt, egg, 1 cup of the flour, the pudding mix, 2 1/2 more cups of flour and dry yeast. Add another 1/2 cup of flour as the dough cycle runs, or as much flour as needed to make a soft, smooth dough . If  making the dough by hand in traditional manner take a large mixing bowl, combine the hot water with the cup of (cold) milk to make a luke warm milk-water mixture. Add dry yeast and when it starts to froth add the butter, sugar, salt, egg, flour and vanilla pudding mix. Then  make a sticky dough. Add more flour as needed (about a cup more, or as much as it takes to make a smooth dough). Let rise for an hour. Punch down. Roll dough to 17" x 10".
Combine filling ingredients and mix well. Heat in microwave 10 seconds to make it spreadable. Spread over rolled out dough getting as close to the edges as possible.  Slice the dough vertically, into six equal-sized strips.  Stack the strips on top of one another and slice the stack into six equal slices once again.  You’ll have six stacks of six squares.  Layer the dough squares in the loaf pan like a flip-book.  Place a kitchen towel over the loaf pan and allow in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes or until almost doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Transfer the loaf to the oven and bake 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown.  (If the top seems to be browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil at the end of baking.)  Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan 20-30 minutes.  Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen and carefully turn the loaf out, transferring to a serving plate.  Serve warm.
Sending this over to Radhika's Let's cook #10 Baked Goodies event

and Sangeetha's Bake fest # 2 an event started by Vardhini

Achappam

Achappams are one of the traditional Kerala snacks. But of late I came to realize that something similar to these exists in other cultures/countries, known by varying names such as Rosettes, Rose Cookies etc. I haven't had a chance to try any of these other delicacies yet, but I feel that an Achappam is an achappam whatever name you call it by! My theory is that these would have probably reached the other cultures through the European colonization of Kerala - or probably the other way round. Any way, in the traditional Kerala version, as with most of the Kerala cooking, you have to use the coconut milk also.
The unique, flower like shape of these cookies are the result of using the uniquely shaped molds - it is important that you get a mold made of the right metal, something that could retain heat. The one I use is made of brass.
               Wishing all my beloved readers a Merry Christmas !

Ingredients:
Rice powder  - 2 cups
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Coconut Milk - 1 ¼ cup
Eggs - 2
Sesame seeds - 2 tsp
Salt - 1/8 tsp
Vegetable oil - enough for deep frying

Method:
Beat the eggs in a deep vessel. Add sugar and coconut milk and mix it until the sugar dissolves. Mix in the rest of the ingredients to make a thick batter.

Heat the oil and dip the achappam/rose cookie mould in it. Immediately dip the mould in to the batter, making sure that only about 3/4th the thickness of the mould goes in the batter. Now put the mould with the batter coating into hot oil. (If the mould is not hot enough or too hot the batter will not hold on to the mould). Hold the mould in the hot oil for a few seconds and then gently shake the mould so that the batter shapped like achappams separates from the mould. (It would take some practice and geting used to doing to get the batter off the mould without breaking the Achappams or them losing thier shape)

Fry both sides on low-medium heat till slightly golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. Continue making more achappams until the batter is finished (make sure to dip the mould in the oil before dipping into the batter). Store in an airtight container to retain crispiness.

Monkey bread

Today Aishwarya  wanted to help in the kitchen ,and she asked me if we could make Cinnamon buns. As it takes some time to prepare them and as I didn't have that much patience, I ended up making Monkey bread. Unlike the traditional  way of making this in Bundt pan I made this in my muffin tin. I love it this way because each person can have their own individual serving. As I used Refrigerated biscuit  dough we were able to put it together in less than 5  minutes. Aishwarya was a good  sport and helped me from lining the muffin tins cutting the biscuits into quarters, dusting the pieces with cinnamon sugar and packing them in the muffin tin. All I did was boil the butter and pour over the biscuits and  bake them. I remember last Mothers Day when my husband helped Aishwarya make this for my special Mother's Day breakfast. Those of you out there looking for an easy recipe to surprise your Mom or wife can give this a try  and  I am sure the mother in your life is going to love this. Jai and Aishwarya, thank you dears for last year's wonderful mothers day brunch! I loved it so much. I will stock the refrigerator with biscuit dough so that this year you both don't have to panic and do any last minute shopping to surprise me ;-)
Source:All Recipes
Serve:8
Ingredients
Refrigerated biscuit dough-1 (12 ounce) package
White sugar-1/3 cup
Ground cinnamon-3/4 teaspoon
Butter/Margarine-2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons
Brown sugar-1/3 cup packed
Chopped walnuts (optional)-3 tablespoons and 2-3/4 teaspoons
Raisins-2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a muffin tin with  8 paper muffin liners.
Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag. Cut biscuits into quarters. Shake 6 to 8 biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the lined muffin tin. Continue until all biscuits are coated and placed in pan. If using nuts and raisins, arrange them in and among the biscuit pieces as you go along.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the biscuits.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes. Let bread cool in muffin tins  for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Do not cut! The bread just pulls apart.
Sending this to "Cooking with your Little Sous-chef "Event at Sugar'N Spice

Meringue Mushrooms

For this months Sweet Punch challenge we had Meringue as the theme .We had 3 choices and I chose the Meringue Mushrooms as they looked sooo cute.This was so easy to make and turned out pretty nice.They were so light and were  melting away in our mouths in just seconds.As I made this a few days before I used them to decorate my Yule Log that I made for Christmas and I liked the overall look.Thank you Sweet Punch for this nice recipe.
Source:  joyofbaking.com
Ingredients:
2 large (30 grams) egg whites, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup (100 grams) superfine (caster) white sugar (if you don't have superfine sugar simply take granulated white sugar and process it for about 30 seconds in a food processor).

Method:
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Have two pastry bags ready (one for piping the caps and stems and one for gluing them together). Fit one small pastry bag with a number 3 (1/16 inch diameter) (.2 cm) round plain tip (used to glue the stems and caps together) and one large pastry bag with a number 6 (1/2 inch diameter) (1 1/4 cm) round plain tip (for stems and caps).  Fold down the tops of the bags to form a deep cuff on the outside and place each bag in a tall narrow glass for support. This will make it easy to transfer the meringue to the pastry bags.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (100 degrees C) and place 2 oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.

In bowl of electric mixer, at moderately slow speed, beat the room temperature egg whites until foamy.  Add the cream of tartar and beat at medium speed until soft peaks form.  Continue beating (increasing speed to high), gradually adding the superfine sugar, until the whites are very stiff and glossy.  (You want to make sure that the sugar has dissolved completely - to test rub a little of the meringue between your fingers.)

With a rubber spatula place approximately 1/4 cup of the meringue in the pastry bag with the small tip (used to glue the caps and stems together).  Place the remainder of the meringue in the large pastry bag.

To Pipe Caps: Holding the pastry bag upright and close to the parchment paper, pipe the meringue with even pressure, into even rounds building up the meringue to form a 2 inch (5 cm) round that is about 1 inch (2.5 cm) high.  Sharply twist the bag and stop the pressure as you slowly move the tip off the meringue.  Try to make the top as smooth as possible but use a wet fingertip to smooth out any bumps.

To Pipe Stems: Holding the pastry bag upright and close to the parchment paper, pipe the meringue with even pressure, into a cone-shape, making the base of the stem a little larger than the top.  The stem should be about 1 inch (2.54 cm) high.  Try to keep the stems as straight as possible.  Some of the stems may fall over on their sides during baking, so it is a good idea to make extra.

Bake the meringues for approximately one hour, or until the mushrooms are firm enough that they can be lifted from the baking sheet without sticking.  Rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back (about three quarters of the way through) to ensure even baking.

Remove from oven and with a small sharp knife, make a small hole in the middle of the underside of each mushroom cap.  Using the small pastry bag fitted with the 1/l6 inch tip, pipe a little bit of meringue in the hole and gently press the top of the stem into the hole.

Place the mushrooms, caps down, on a parchment lined baking sheet and return to oven for about 15 - 30 minutes, or until the mushroom are dry.  Remove from oven and lightly dust the tops of the mushrooms with cocoa powder.  Use a small pastry or paint brush to smudge the cocoa powder, if desired.

Store in an airtight container for several weeks.

Makes about 24 - 30 mushrooms (depending on size)

Yule Log

Merry Christmas to all my readers!
Today being the Christmas day, I thought of posting something Christmassey!
What better that a Yule Log -  traditionally a large wooden log which was burned in the hearth as part of the Christmas celebrations in European cultures - "Yule" meaning Christmas. Yule log has also came to be referred to log-shaped Christmas cakes - also known as chocolate logs or Buche de Noel.
Basically it is a sponge cake filled with cream and covered with chocolate frosting. I got this recipe for the sponge cake from one of my earlier collections - I don't remember which one. If any of you recognize the source, please let me know so that I can credit accordingly.
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. water
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. cocoa
Filling
1 c.Whipping cream
1/4 c. confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
MOCHA CREAM FILLING:
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
MOCHA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup baking cocoa
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon brewed coffee
2 tablespoons milk
Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line jelly roll pan 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 inch with waxed paper or foil. Grease generously. Beat eggs in small bowl on high speed until thick, about 5 minutes. Pour into larger bowl. Add sugar gradually. Beat in water and vanilla on low. Add flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder gradually. Beat just until smooth. Pour into pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes.
Immediately remove cake, invert onto towel that was sprinkled with powdered sugar. Remove foil. Trim stiff edges if needed. Roll cake up with towel. Cool on cake rack, 30 minutes or more.Meanwhile beat the mocha cream filling till you get soft peaks. Unroll cake and spread with filling.In a mixing bowl, beat frosting ingredients until smooth. Frost cake. Decorate it with merigue mushrooms.
Sending this over to Bake off hosted by Champa

Eggnog

Eggnogs used to be an enigma till I came to US but once I got the recipe I realized that this is something I grew up drinking. My mum used to feed us a version of this when we were babies and had just started on other foods apart from milk.There are  lots of eggnog recipes that use raw eggs but this one uses cooked eggs and you can use alcohol or not depending upon your taste. Hence kids need not miss out on this.

Source : Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

2 cups milk

2-1/2 whole cloves

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups light cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Method:

Mix together milk, cloves, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and cinnamon in a saucepan, and heat at the lowest setting for 5 minutes till the mixture comes to a boil.

In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until fluffy. Whisk in hot milk mixture slowly into this. Pour  this mixture into saucepan. Cook  for about 3 minutes at medium heat, stirring continuous until thick. Do not allow mixture to boil. Strain out the cloves, and let it cool for about an hour.

Mix in  cream, 3/4 teaspoon vanilla, and powdered nutmeg. Refrigerate overnight before serving.

Serving suggestions : Stir in 1-1/4 cups light rum and serve with whipped cream or stir in 1-1/4 Kahlua and serve with whipped cream or serve as it is with whipped cream. 

Candy Cane Biscotti

For that last minute gift giving here is a simple but festive biscotti that will steal your hearts as well as that of the recipiants.If you're a pepper mint lover you should surely try this.
Source: Land O' Lakes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 Eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4tsp peppermint extract
Coating
1 (14-ounce) package (almond bark) vanilla candy coating
2 drops red or pink food color(optional)
1/4 tsp peppermint extract, (optional)
2/3 cup crushed peppermint candy canes, (optional)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.Mix butter and sugar in large bowl, until creamy. Add eggs; continue beating until well mixed. Add flour and baking powder; continue beating until well mixed.Add the peppermint extract and mix well.
Divide dough into fourths on lightly floured surface with lightly floured hands. Shape each into 9x1 1/2-inch logs. Place logs 3 inches apart onto lightly greased large cookie sheet.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until tops are cracked and ends just start to turn light brown. Remove from oven; reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Cool logs 10 minutes on cookie sheet.
 Cut into 1/2-inch slices with sharp serrated knife. Arrange pieces on same cookie sheet, cut-side down. Continue baking for 12 to 14 minutes, turning once, at about 6 minutes remove the cookies when they are lightly browned and crisp on both sides. Remove to wire cooling rack; cool completely.
Place candy coating in 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until melted (5 to 7 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in food color and peppermint extract, if desired.
Dip each biscotti half way into warm coating; shake off excess. Place onto waxed paper. Immediately sprinkle with crushed candy canes, if desired. Let set at room temperature until coating is hardened (about 1 hour).
Sending this over to Bake off hosted by Champa

Sugar Cookies

My daughter was after me to make a ginger bread house for some time. I didn't have the patience for that and didn't wan't to waste food also as since my daughter would wan't to keep it till new year and by then it won't be fit to be eaten any more. So to humor her we baked these sugar cookies and frosted them. She was happy and I was too.These Sugar cookies tasted better than the store brought ones.
Source:Cookies from Annie's Eats
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 ½ tsp almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
2 ½ c. sifted flour
Method:
Cream butter. Add powdered sugar. Blend in egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt and flour. Chill dough until firm. Roll to ¼” thickness on well-floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-10 min. Cookies should not brown. Frost and decorate when cool. And for my favorite royal icing go to bake at 350.
Sending this to Bake Off