Fantastic Food Friday: Cookies for Santa

As everyone knows, you must leave cookies for Santa (carrots for the reindeer is always a good idea, too). This year we put out --

Clockwise: Chocolate Saucepan Brownie, Magic Bar Cookie,
Shortbread, and Butter Tart

Chocolate Saucepan Brownies


Magic Bar Cookies

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 15 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Melt butter in 9 x 13 pan while preheating oven to 350. Add the rest of the ingredients in the layers as listed, pouring condensed milk over all. Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes then cut into 24 squares. Place in fridge till hardened (and for ease in removing without crumbling).

Shortbread

Now, there is an ongoing battle in my family for the best shortbread and, while I've never submitted this one for comparison, I think it would hold its own.

1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/3 cup powdered sugar, unsifted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour, unsifted

Cream the butter until it is light. Cream in the powdered sugar, then vanilla. Work in the flour. Knead the dough on an unfloured board until nice and smooth (I've found that I can just do this within the bowl I mixed the ingredients saving a clean up step). Spray a shortbread pan (or a baking stone) with non-stick oil spray. Press the dough into the pan or form a disk on baking stone about 1/2 thick. Prick the entire surface with a fork, and bake at 325 for 30 to 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool for about 10 minutes, loosen edges with a knife, and flip onto a wooden cutting board. Cut shortbread into serving pieces while warm.

Butter Tarts

It's not Christmas for me without a batch, or two, or a dozen.

1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup currants
1 1/2 tablespoons cream
salt to taste (optional)
uncooked pastry dough

Roll out dough and line tart tins and set aside. Melt butter. Stir into butter sugar, mixing well. Add egg and stir slowly till well blended. Don't beat. Add vanilla, salt, and currants. Pour into unbaked tart shells and bake at 425 for 15 minutes or till brown. Makes 12 large or 24 mini tarts.

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