Holiday Black Balls

Yummy in the Tummy....A tradition in our home every year our Holiday Balls here is the recipe you will never taste a better ball.








Ingredients

4 squares of unsweetened chocolate
2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of cooking oil
2 teaspoons of vanilla
3 large eggs
Shredded coconut
Powdered Sugar

Melt the chocolate on the stove it makes it easier and you can keep a better eye on it.
Set the chocolate aside.







Combine the flour and baking powder together in a mixing bowl.
 
Now in your mixer put the oil, vanilla, sugar, and add the chocolate last mix it up.

Add the eggs one at a time to make sure they get mixed in good.

Now add the dry ingredients make sure they are all well mixed you want your balls to be perfect.

Cover your mixture and put it in the refrigerator for at least an hour.





Ok now to make your balls.
Get your area ready for your balls
Put coconut in a bowl
Put your powered sugar in another bowl


 Alrighty now go get your mixture.




 
Have a plate for your balls you want to get your balls done a batch at a time after all we want good Holiday Balls have your cookie sheets ready and grease the cookie sheet , your balls will stick if it isn't.



Take a tablespoon and scoop some of your mixture on to your palm make a mark in your ball with your thumb to put the coconut in you want the coconut to be the surprise in your holiday balls.










So put just a pinch of coconut into the middle of your ball and roll the ball in the palm of your hand make it so you do not see the coconut.

Now place your ball on the plate and make more balls............ sweet .







Once you have a plate of balls pop them into the powered sugar and on to the cookie sheet











Cook them for 10 minutes or so in a 375 oven cool for a few minutes on the sheet then place on a rack to cool completely.....








There you are you have your delicious Holiday Balls ready to pop in you mouth
and wa...la.... Holiday Ballz oh oh oh . Just for a laugh here is a video on The Holiday Balls

Peanut Cookies from 1936

Well as promise here is Recipe #1 from a cute little book called  

Select Southern Recipes
Contributed by Southern Homemakers

 * I dedicate this one to Doug RIP





A little history on this little book it is so funny and so old from 1936. In the section for chicken it tells you to kill and pick your chicken the usual way. Keep in mind it should be a tender and fat.
The recipe on page 23 Good Ole' Possum and Sweet Potatoes Oh Yummy! 

I have let Pa pick the recipe each night that I will make the next day, it is nice to let him be a part of the magic and he then looks so forwards to seeing how it tastes each night when he comes home.
I will give you the recipe exactly the way it was printed in the book.

Monday April 19, 2011 is.........wait for it ...wait for it......


Peanut Cookies (No surprise as I see it is in the title)

Beat 3 tablespoons of butter to cream, beat in 1/2 cup of sugar.












Next step is to add 1 egg beaten light, 2 tablespoons of milk, and 1 cup of sifted flour, sifted again with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 2 level tablespoons of baking power.








Have ready a cup of blanched peanuts
(Skins removed)







Reserve 1/3 the nuts to press into the tops of the cookies after they are shaped in the pan.

Chop the rest of the nuts exceedingly fine & mix them into dough.













Drop teaspoons on a greased cookie sheet, shape with the spoon, finish with the whole nuts.
Bake in an oven at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.



The recipe makes 2 dozen cookies.


Just a note I cooked the cookies at 350 but after 12 minutes they were then ready so watch your oven after all this book is from 1936.....
Can not wait to see what Hubby picks for tomorrow......these would be great with a cup of tea....

Cranberry Biscotti

 I love Biscotti and I made it once when I was at my Mother-in-loves house. It was a fun cookie night and we were so busy laughing most of the cookies did not turn out. But the biscotti did. I took the recipe home and three years later here I am finally getting some made.






During the Holiday I melt chocolate and drizzle then I put some holiday sprinkles. Extra sugar no one complains!



Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract\1 cup dried cranberries
the zest of one lemon

 Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl sift flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl whip up the the eggs, yolks, sugar and vanilla. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient.


Mix until they are forming a sticky dough.









Stir in the cranberries and the lemon zest.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board. Sprinkle a little extra and knead the dough slightly





Shape the dough into two 9 x 3 1/2" logs. I use a ruler to make sure.

This one is cooked

Transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. They should look like fat paddles.


Bake them until they are golden brown. Anywhere from 25 to 35 minutes depending on your oven.

Take out the cookie sheet and let the dough cool until it is just right to handle about 10 minutes.









Reduce your oven down to 275 degrees.  My pictures show regular and the cranberry don't worry same instructions.

On a cutting board cut your logs into 1/2 inch thick slices. My mother in love is Italian and said they were to thick so many in tradition cut them a bit thinner.











Return the pieces to the cookie sheet cut side down. Bake them until they are lightly toasted about 15 minutes then I turn mine once while baking. Let the cookies get toasted on both sides.


They will be dry but that is the texture you want for your biscotti.

I call them Dipper's.

Chocolate Pecan Cookies

Martha Baked these Chocolate Pecan Cookies and I was delighted this cook loves Peecanzzz. I am going to do my best to give you a cookie a day for your Holiday Baking time.










This is the first of many. Enjoy and grab a friend there is nothing better than cooking with friends.
Every year I go to my Mother-in-loves home and get the 911 on the back in the day Italian Cookies.

 This in itself is a gift! 






These Chocolate-Pecan Cookies were (we ate them all) are really good. Then again what cookie is not really good. I found the recipe in an insert out of the Martha Steward Magazine my friend Linda drops at the house each month. It was a little Everyday Food insert . I subscribe to the magazine but I found I am saving so many. But good reference. Most of my cooking comes from desire and history .

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 sticks of unsalted butter room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup pecans chopped/crushed

Preheat you oven to 350 degrees

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.



In your mixer beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.





Add vanilla and eggs and beat until well combined.





Now sift in your dry ingredients (I sift then sift it into the batter) I'm a sift head!


Yes my sifter is old as the hills it was Mama's

Mix in your pecans and chocolate chips.







Drop the dough on to your prepared cookie sheet. You can see my cookie sheet is old and prepared for it's cooking.

Yes it's old all my stuff is old but reliable! Like me
I placed 15 on the cookie tray to start             


BUT

12 will work better and not get all attached. I got a little excited!
Blame it on Martha.

 Hey they still taste great.





 


Cook them for say 12 or so minutes they should be just brown around the edges. When they are done let them cool slightly then off to the rack to cool completely . Into an air tight container and they are good for a week if they last that long.



Here is the Original Post at Martha Stewart