Judging by their vital statistics, Cindy Murray and Ruth Joseck of Charleston lead parallel lives. They became friends when their older daughters, now 23, were in preschool together. Ten years later, they found themselves pregnant with their second children at the same time.
12 ounces (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips*
3/4 cup chopped nuts*
HEAT oven to 400°. Line a 10- by 15-inch cookie sheet with foil. Spray very lightly with cooking spray.
COVER cookie sheet with saltines.
BOIL sugar and butter for 3 minutes. Pour mixture over saltines and spread evenly.
BAKE at 400° for 5 minutes. Remove from oven.
SPRINKLE with chocolate chips. Let set 1 minute, then spread melted chips with spatula.
SPRINKLE 3/4 cup chopped nuts over this and press down lightly.
CUT on diagonal immediately or cool until firm, then break up; pieces can be frozen.
* For variety, substitute 2 cups of white chocolate chips and crushed peppermint candies.
---
Almond Shortbread
Makes 2 dozen
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unblanched almonds, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate morsels, for drizzle
Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
HEAT oven to 350°. Lightly grease large baking sheet.
STIR together flour, almonds and salt in a small bowl.
BEAT together butter, sugar, vanilla and almond extract in medium-size bowl until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour mixture.
DIVIDE the dough into 4 equal balls. On a greased baking sheet, pat or roll out each ball of dough to 4 1/2-inch round. Smooth edge. Press with tines of fork all around edge, if desired. Cut each round into 6 equal wedges, but do not pull the wedges apart.
BAKE in 350° oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned at edges. While still hot, recut the rounds into wedges and remove to a wire rack to cook completely.
MELT semisweet chocolate morsels in small bowl in microwave oven or over pan of hot water. Drizzle over wedges. Sprinkle evenly with confectioners' sugar. Store shortbread in airtight container. You can redust shortbread with confectioners' sugar just before serving.
---
Cranberry Softies
Makes 48 cookies
1/4 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
Pinch of Salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup chopped fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
HEAT oven to 375°.
GREASE baking sheets.
BEAT together in a medium bowl, margarine, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, orange peel and salt until light and fluffy.
ADD salt, flour and baking soda, beating until well blended.
STIR in walnuts. Carefully fold in cranberries.
DROP by rounded teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, on greased baking sheets.
BAKE 10 to 12 minutes or until golden.
REMOVE from baking sheets; cook on racks.
Judging by their vital statistics, Cindy Murray and Ruth Joseck of Charleston lead parallel lives. They became friends when their older daughters, now 23, were in preschool together. Ten years later, they found themselves pregnant with their second children at the same time.
Today those girls, Cindy's daughter Billie and Ruth's daughter Sarah, also are friends. The teenagers and their moms get together one Sunday every December for a marathon baking session that produces 12 to 15 different batches, or roughly 45 to 48 dozen cookies and bars.
"We got the idea while we were talking about Christmas baking - all that we gave away at book club five years ago," Cindy said. "We decided it would be more effective, and we'd have a greater variety of cookies if we worked together and split our respective favorites."
Ruth's family was happy to hear the plan because she favors fruity cookies and doesn't often bake chocolate recipes they also love, while Cindy rarely made anything without chocolate. Between them, they satisfy just about every variety of sweet tooth.
Over the years, they've developed a list of "must-bakes," then experiment with a few new recipes each year. Some get added to the must-bake list, while others are scrapped. Every year, they make Oh Henry! bar, white chocolate/macadamia/cranberry cookies, Mystery Bars, wedding cookies, almond shortbreads, cranberry softies and apricot bars.
This year, right after lunch, they donned the personalized aprons Cindy purchased from a restaurant supply store and rolled up their sleeves and started mixing, beating and baking. Ruth learned after their first session to dress lightly. That year, she wore a festive sweater and wilted in the hot kitchen.
A baking session of this magnitude requires organization and coordination, even if it isn't immediately evident in the flour-smudged kitchen. The first step is to choose a date, which is written in ink on each family's calendar.
Then, they choose their recipes and make grocery lists with serious quantities of butter, flour, sugars, nuts, chips, eggs, spices and extracts. Ruth makes a list and her husband does the shopping. "My husband does the eating," Cindy said. Between them, they bought 11 pounds of butter.
"It seems like every recipe starts out 'cream, butter and sugar,'" Cindy said.
"You count calories all year long, but not at Christmas," Ruth added.
"That's why we give them away," Cindy said.
Ruth keeps enough cookies to make two trays for her family, but takes the remainder to co-workers at Huntington Banks and friends. Cindy packs tins and containers for neighbors, most of whom carefully return their empties, for next year.
They always bake at Cindy's South Hills house because she has a double oven in her kitchen. Ruth and Sarah arrive with packing carriers stuffed with supplies, including baking sheets and pans.
In the busy kitchen, timers buzz, causing everyone to start and Cindy to ask, "OK, here's a timer going off. Does anyone know why?" With many hands adding items to the ovens at different times, tracking the baking time is an important issue.
To save time, the Murrays and the Josecks usually make some doughs ahead of the appointed baking session, especially the doughs that require chilling. They've found that the girls usually tire of the baking by late afternoon, and the women finish the baking on their own. They usually finish with bar cookies.
Everyone was excited to try a new recipe for Snickers cookies, which is peanut-butter dough wrapped around a tiny Snickers candy bar. The rich cookies earned rave reviews and will be elevated to the must-bake list, but they won't make it to Ruth's cookie trays.
New recipe sources don't always come from cookbooks. Sarah was reading a book called "A Christmas Treasury," and came across a reference to Lebkuchen, a spicy German cookie she wanted to try.
"My family is German. I grew up with these cookies," Ruth said. "We're trying them for the first time this year."
With all the extra baking sheets, bowls and pans, the dirty dishes pile up. Whoever has a free moment tackles the pile. Well, whichever woman has a free moment - the girls don't seem to notice.
The clock struck 9 p.m. by the time the kitchen was cleaned and the cookies (except for the Snickers cookies) were packed up. Their long day's labor is always popular with recipients.
"The whole family goes with me to deliver the cookies," Cindy said. "People invited us in and we visit. It's a really nice way to connect with our neighbors."
Reach Julie Robinson at jul...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1230.
Today those girls, Cindy's daughter Billie and Ruth's daughter Sarah, also are friends. The teenagers and their moms get together one Sunday every December for a marathon baking session that produces 12 to 15 different batches, or roughly 45 to 48 dozen cookies and bars.
"We got the idea while we were talking about Christmas baking - all that we gave away at book club five years ago," Cindy said. "We decided it would be more effective, and we'd have a greater variety of cookies if we worked together and split our respective favorites."
Ruth's family was happy to hear the plan because she favors fruity cookies and doesn't often bake chocolate recipes they also love, while Cindy rarely made anything without chocolate. Between them, they satisfy just about every variety of sweet tooth.
Over the years, they've developed a list of "must-bakes," then experiment with a few new recipes each year. Some get added to the must-bake list, while others are scrapped. Every year, they make Oh Henry! bar, white chocolate/macadamia/cranberry cookies, Mystery Bars, wedding cookies, almond shortbreads, cranberry softies and apricot bars.
This year, right after lunch, they donned the personalized aprons Cindy purchased from a restaurant supply store and rolled up their sleeves and started mixing, beating and baking. Ruth learned after their first session to dress lightly. That year, she wore a festive sweater and wilted in the hot kitchen.
A baking session of this magnitude requires organization and coordination, even if it isn't immediately evident in the flour-smudged kitchen. The first step is to choose a date, which is written in ink on each family's calendar.
Then, they choose their recipes and make grocery lists with serious quantities of butter, flour, sugars, nuts, chips, eggs, spices and extracts. Ruth makes a list and her husband does the shopping. "My husband does the eating," Cindy said. Between them, they bought 11 pounds of butter.
"It seems like every recipe starts out 'cream, butter and sugar,'" Cindy said.
"You count calories all year long, but not at Christmas," Ruth added.
"That's why we give them away," Cindy said.
Ruth keeps enough cookies to make two trays for her family, but takes the remainder to co-workers at Huntington Banks and friends. Cindy packs tins and containers for neighbors, most of whom carefully return their empties, for next year.
They always bake at Cindy's South Hills house because she has a double oven in her kitchen. Ruth and Sarah arrive with packing carriers stuffed with supplies, including baking sheets and pans.
In the busy kitchen, timers buzz, causing everyone to start and Cindy to ask, "OK, here's a timer going off. Does anyone know why?" With many hands adding items to the ovens at different times, tracking the baking time is an important issue.
To save time, the Murrays and the Josecks usually make some doughs ahead of the appointed baking session, especially the doughs that require chilling. They've found that the girls usually tire of the baking by late afternoon, and the women finish the baking on their own. They usually finish with bar cookies.
Everyone was excited to try a new recipe for Snickers cookies, which is peanut-butter dough wrapped around a tiny Snickers candy bar. The rich cookies earned rave reviews and will be elevated to the must-bake list, but they won't make it to Ruth's cookie trays.
New recipe sources don't always come from cookbooks. Sarah was reading a book called "A Christmas Treasury," and came across a reference to Lebkuchen, a spicy German cookie she wanted to try.
"My family is German. I grew up with these cookies," Ruth said. "We're trying them for the first time this year."
With all the extra baking sheets, bowls and pans, the dirty dishes pile up. Whoever has a free moment tackles the pile. Well, whichever woman has a free moment - the girls don't seem to notice.
The clock struck 9 p.m. by the time the kitchen was cleaned and the cookies (except for the Snickers cookies) were packed up. Their long day's labor is always popular with recipients.
"The whole family goes with me to deliver the cookies," Cindy said. "People invited us in and we visit. It's a really nice way to connect with our neighbors."
Reach Julie Robinson at jul...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1230.
---
Mystery Bars
Makes 30 pieces
1 sleeve saltine crackers
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
12 ounces (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips*
3/4 cup chopped nuts*
HEAT oven to 400°. Line a 10- by 15-inch cookie sheet with foil. Spray very lightly with cooking spray.
COVER cookie sheet with saltines.
BOIL sugar and butter for 3 minutes. Pour mixture over saltines and spread evenly.
BAKE at 400° for 5 minutes. Remove from oven.
SPRINKLE with chocolate chips. Let set 1 minute, then spread melted chips with spatula.
SPRINKLE 3/4 cup chopped nuts over this and press down lightly.
CUT on diagonal immediately or cool until firm, then break up; pieces can be frozen.
* For variety, substitute 2 cups of white chocolate chips and crushed peppermint candies.
---
Almond Shortbread
Makes 2 dozen
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unblanched almonds, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate morsels, for drizzle
Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
HEAT oven to 350°. Lightly grease large baking sheet.
STIR together flour, almonds and salt in a small bowl.
BEAT together butter, sugar, vanilla and almond extract in medium-size bowl until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour mixture.
DIVIDE the dough into 4 equal balls. On a greased baking sheet, pat or roll out each ball of dough to 4 1/2-inch round. Smooth edge. Press with tines of fork all around edge, if desired. Cut each round into 6 equal wedges, but do not pull the wedges apart.
BAKE in 350° oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned at edges. While still hot, recut the rounds into wedges and remove to a wire rack to cook completely.
MELT semisweet chocolate morsels in small bowl in microwave oven or over pan of hot water. Drizzle over wedges. Sprinkle evenly with confectioners' sugar. Store shortbread in airtight container. You can redust shortbread with confectioners' sugar just before serving.
---
Cranberry Softies
Makes 48 cookies
1/4 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
Pinch of Salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup chopped fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
HEAT oven to 375°.
GREASE baking sheets.
BEAT together in a medium bowl, margarine, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, orange peel and salt until light and fluffy.
ADD salt, flour and baking soda, beating until well blended.
STIR in walnuts. Carefully fold in cranberries.
DROP by rounded teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, on greased baking sheets.
BAKE 10 to 12 minutes or until golden.
REMOVE from baking sheets; cook on racks.
Get Connected