Toffee Squares

Some years, Mom included these toffee squares in her annual Christmas cookie plates. I now see why. They are super easy to make and taste delicious. After tasting these toffee squares, I remembered them from my childhood. The squares can be cut into any size. I made some medium size and some quite small. This flexibility makes these squares great for sharing with a crowd.

Mom's recipe calls for adding finely chopped nuts. I left out the nuts because I planned to test the toffee squares out on my nieces and nephews. Like many kids, they are not fond of nuts in or on baked goods. The toffee squares were a hit with the kids. Mom's recipe is for a 15x10x1 pan. I do not have a pan that size, so I used my 13x9 pan. The result was just fine. Another modification that I made was that I used a 12 ounce package of chocolate chips. This modification resulted in a thicker chocolate layer, but I think it worked out well, just with a thicker chocolate layer.

Toffee Squares 

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy; add egg and vanilla. Beat thoroughly. Add flour and salt; beat until well blended. Spread butter evenly in a 15x10x1 jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Sprinkle on chocolate chips; return to oven for about one minute. With a spatula, spread chocolate over the surface to form a glaze. If desired, sprinkle with nuts. Cut into squares while warm. Allow to cool. In warm weather, store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Nut Edged Butter Slices

These fancy little cookies are the result of another great Christmas cookie recipe. And these cookies could not be easier to make. Edging the cookies in nuts makes them look fancier than your average cookie. The ingredients are basic and the recipe whips up quickly. The dough does need to be refrigerated, but just an hour, or overnight, if you prefer. When I made this batch, I followed Mom's recipe and used almonds. But any type of nut could be used. I think the next time that I make them, I might try using pistachios. The nuts should be finely chopped, but nowadays, it is easy to find finely chopped nuts in a store if you don't want to bother with a food processor. Also, I did not have light cream on hand, so I just used milk. The cookies turned out great, so the substitution worked out fine.

Nut Edged Butter Slices 

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg, separated
• 2 tbsp. light cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
• 3 tbsp. sugar

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cream together butter, 2/3 cup sugar, egg yolk and vanilla; beat well. Add flour mixture gradually to the butter mixture, beating well. Shape dough on waxed paper into a 12 inch by 1 1/2 inch roll. Chill for one hour. Combine almonds and 3 tablespoons sugar. Brush chilled dough with egg white and roll in almond mixture, pressing the nuts in firmly. Cut 1/4 inch slices. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet, leaving at least one inch between cookies. Bake at 400 for 7-10 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

Sugar-Crusted Chocolate Pretzel Cookies

If it is December, it is time to make Christmas cookies. When Mom made these cookies, she put us kids to work shaping the pretzels. Back then, I thought it was fun to shape the pretzels. Now, I recognize that it is time-consuming and tiring.  Mom was just keeping us out of trouble. But, the end result of all the hard word are delicious cookies. Don't let the work deter you.

When I showed these cookies to Ava, Patrick, Lorelei and Delilah, I was met with skepticism. One of the kids even said, "I don't like pretzels." Of course, these are cookies, not pretzels. These cookies were a hit with the kids, especially Delilah. And these cookies will also be a hit with adults. They have a nice subtle chocolate flavor and they are not too sweet. So, the next time that you want to make cookies and also need to keep some kids busy, give these cookies a try. Or, try them out even if you don't have kids to help shape the cookies.

Sugar-Crusted Chocolate Pretzel Cookies 

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp. dark rum
• 1 tsp. water
• 1/4 cup large crystal sugar

In a bowl, sifter together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together butter, sugar, 1 egg and rum until light and fluffy. Stir in dry ingredients and mix well until a soft dough forms. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour. Divide into three sections. Work one section at a time while keeping the remaining dough in the refrigerator. If needed, use a little flour on your work surface. Using a level tablespoon of dough, roll into a 15 inch rope with palms on a smooth counter top. Cut into three five-inch pieces. Roll each piece into a seven inch rope, tapering the ends. Twist each rope into a pretzel shape. Repeat with remaining dough. Beat the remaining egg with water in a small bowl. Brush egg over the pretzels. Sprinkle with decorating sugar. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Allow to cool. Enjoy!