It’s the most wonderful time of the year! That it is and what better way to bring in the holiday season than with delicious holiday treats. Now that the Christmas season is approaching here is a way to bring the family closer together than delicious holiday treats. Here are  five favorite holiday recipes:
– Old Fashion Cranberry-Apple Pie
What is a better way to celebrate the holidays than with a warm slice of apple cranberry pie and a glass of cider on Christmas Eve?
Ingredients:
pastry for 2 crust pie
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 ¼ cups Sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
6 large tart apples, pared, cored and cut into eigths
¼ cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons butter or margarin
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On light floured surface, roll out half of pastry in 11 inch circle. Line a 9 inch plate. Refrigerate with rest of pastry, until ready to use. Wash cranberries. In a saucepan, combine 1 ¼ cups sugar, flour and salt; mix well. Add apples cranberries, and maple syrup. Cook, covered, over medium heat, stiring occasionally, until cranberries start to pop an mixture is thickened; 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter. Place sauce pan in a bowl of ice cubes 20 minutes to cool quickly. Roll out other half of pastry intio11 inch circle. With knife or pastry wheel, cut ten ½ inch wide strips. Pour cranberry-apple filling into pie shell. Moisten edge of shell slightly with coldo water. Arrange 5 pastry strips, 1 inch apart, across filling; press ends to rim of pastry. Place 5 pastry strips oppisite. Fold overhang of lower crust over ends of strips, to make a rim. Crimp rim decoratively. Lightly brush lattice, not edge, with egg yolk miked with water. Sprinklelattice lightly with sugar. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until crust is lightly brown.
– Grandma’s Gingerbread Cake
I don’t know about you, but when I think of Christmas, I think gingerbread. And grandma’s freshly baked gingerbread cake always adds an extra touch to Christmas for me.
Ingredients:
1 cup dark molasses
½ cup of boiling water
5 tablespoons butter or margarin
2 ½ – 3 teaspoons of ginger
1 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups of all-purpose flour
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, pour molasses, boiling water and butter/margarin; mix well. Add ginger, baking soda, and salt; mix lightly. Add flour, mix enought to moisten. pour batter into greased 9”x 2” square pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until top springs back when pressed lightly and batter starts to come away from the sides. Dust wit confectioner suger or spread a thin layer of chocolate icing.
– Santa’s Favorite (chocolate chip cookies)
Traveling around the world in one night delivering toys is a lot of work for one person. And what better way to give a little back to someone giving to you than to have chocolate chip cookies and a tall glass of milk waiting for them.
Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
¾ cups granulated sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 370 degrees F. Combine flour, baking and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in large mixing bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Make tablespoon size drops and place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes until edges are golden brown.
– Mama’s Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients:
4 medium sweet potatoes
½ stick butter, softened
¼ cup sugar
¾ brown sugar
2 eggs beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cups evaporated milk
1 unbaked pie crust
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake sweet potatoes for 1 hour in the oven on baking sheet. When done, let cool. Peel the skin, then place in a large bowl to mash. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and brown sugar until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and salt. Add evaporated milk and stir mixtureinto sweet potatoes. Beat together with mixer until smooth and pour into an unbaked pie shell. Bake on bottom rack for 1 hour or until center of pie is firm.
– Pumpkin Cakes (pumpkin spice cupcakes)
Ingredients:
Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon salt
1 15-ounce cans pure pumpkin
1 ½ cups of sugar
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
Icing:
1 package cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 ½ cups of confectionary sugar
¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Combine the pumpkin, sugar, orange zest and vanilla in a stand miker fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each one is incorporated. With the mixer running, add the vegetable oil in a steady stream. Add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated Add 1 ½ ice cream scoop of batter into cupcake shells. Bake for 30 minutes or untill toothpick comes out clean. Place cupcake on cooling rack. Then top with icing.
In a small bowl mix sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a large mixing bowl, mix cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla and milk. Slowly add sugar mixture. Add milk and sugar as needed.