Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons Instant Coffee Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Water
• 2 cups Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
• 1-½ stick Butter, Unsalted
• 2 whole Large Eggs
• 2 Tablespoons Coffee Liqueur (Kahlua)
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 5 ounces, weight White Chocolate, Cut Into 3/4″ Pieces
• ¾ cups Coarsely Chopped Pecans, Toasted
• _____
• FOR THE CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE:
• 1 ounce, weight White Chocolate, Melted
• 1 ounce, weight Semi Sweet Chocolate Melted

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 10-inch diameter cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment. If you don’t  have a 10″ round, you can use a 9×9″ square pan.

Combine coffee powder and the water in a heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until coffee dissolves. Add sugar and butter and stir until butter melts. Pour into a large bowl and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Add eggs and coffee liqueur to butter mixture and whisk to combine. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a small bowl. Add to butter mixture and stir to blend. Stir in chocolate pieces and pecans.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out almost clean, about 35 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack. Run a small sharp knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the brownies. Turn out onto a plate; peel off parchment.

Cut into small wedges. Put 1-oz. portions of semi-sweet and white chocolates in small Ziploc bags and melt in hot water. Snip a small bit off the corner of each bag, and drizzle chocolate decoratively on wedges.

You can also leave off the drizzled chocolate, and serve with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.SPICY MOLASSES COOKIES

Easy and inexpensive to make. Also delicious! A work friend gave these one year to coworkers for Christmas. She packaged them in brown paper lunch sacks, and attached the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Granulated Sugar
• 3/4 cup Crisco
• 1/4 cup Molasses
• 1 egg
• 2 cups A/P Flour
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Cloves
• 1 tsp Powdered Ginger
• 1/4 tsp Cardamom (if you don’t have this, you can use Allspice)
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 2-1/2 tsp Baking Soda

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat together the sugar, Crisco, molasses and egg.
Combine all dry ingredients, then add to the wet mixture.

Roll dough into walnut-sized balls, and coat with granulated sugar.
Place on an ungreased cookie sheet 1-2″ apart, and bake for 9-11 minutes. Tops should “crack”, but the middle should still be soft.

CHOCOLATE CANDY CANE COOKIES

I have made these for Christmas as giveaways, and although peppermint isn’t my favorite, these have a perfect balance of dark chocolate and sweet peppermint. This is a Pioneer Woman recipe (photos and more detailed instructions at link):

Ingredients

• 2 sticks Salted Butter, Slightly Softened
• 1 cup Powdered (Confectioners) Sugar
• 1 whole Egg
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla
• 2-1/2 cups Flour
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 4 ounces, weight (4 Squares) Almond Bark Or White Baking Chocolate (almond Bark Works Best And Is Cheaper)
• Large Handful Of Red Or Green Peppermints

Preparation

• • Cream softened butter with powdered sugar. Add egg and vanilla and mix to combine. Add dry ingredients and mix together until dough comes together. Place plastic wrap on surface of dough and refrigerate for 2 hours.
  • In the meantime, unwrap candies and place them in a plastic bag. Beat with a mallet until finely crushed, leaving larger chunks if desired.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Roll cookie dough in walnut-sized pieces and place on a cookie sheet. Gently press balls flat with a plain, smooth surface. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, being careful not to burn. Cookies will remain the same general size and shape after they bake. Remove from oven and place cookies on a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely.
  • Place crushed candies in bowl. Melt almond bark in the microwave. Dip cooled cookies into almond bark, coating half the cookie. Immediately sprinkle crushed peppermints over both sides of the almond bark. Gently set on parchment paper or other nonstick surface and allow to cool before serving.

I shouldn’t be baking any cookies at all, but I might make these. This is Jenny Jones’ recipe (remember her?) Her real name is Janina Stronski, and she was born June 07, 1946 in Bethlehem, British Mandate of Palestine.

EASY CHRISTMAS SNOWBALLS

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 stick butter (1/2 cup/4 ounces/113 g), softened (I use unsalted)
1 cup finely chopped toasted pecans (or coarsely ground)
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar for rolling

Instructions:

1. Put all ingredients except powdered sugar into a large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly by hand, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350° F. Roll cookies by hand into 1-inch balls.
4. Place on ungreased or parchment-lined cookie sheet an inch apart.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until set but not brown.
6. Let stand on cookie sheet about 2 minutes, then gently roll each one gently in powdered sugar. Let cookies cool.
7. Once they cool (15-20 minutes), roll again (gently) in powdered sugar. Store loosely covered.