Keeping things sweet in the dark months

We have a sugary column this month. Our readers came through with recipes for winter treats. These squares and cookies would be a welcome gift in a tin or jar decorated with a ribbon, or a great easy addition to any potluck gathering. I’ve included the stollen recipe because it is a bit different from the recipes I’ve used, and I really like the ginger flavor of this bread. The sweet gingery smell warms the entire house when it’s baking.

DATE SQUARES
Doris Seaman, Moncton, N.B.

Date filling:
3 cups chopped dates
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
Crust:
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups rolled oats

For the date filling, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved. Remove and let cool. For the crust, cream the butter and the sugar. Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda and stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Mix in the rolled oats.
Place half the crust mixture on the bottom of a greased 9” by 9” pan and pat the mixture down firmly. Cover with the filling mixture. Put the remaining crust mixture on top. Bake in a 350°F oven for about 25 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.

MOLASSES CRINKLES
Myrtle Conrad, Cow Bay, N.S.

3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup molasses
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves

Mix all ingredients in the order given. Shape into balls. Dip in sugar and flatten with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes in a 350°F oven or until done.

MAGIC COCONUT SQUARES
Bonnie Whynot, Italy Cross, N.S.

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups graham crumbs
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
2 cups chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups fine coconut
1 can condensed milk

   Mix together the butter, sugar, and graham crumbs. Put in the bottom of a 9” by 9” pan and set aside.
   Combine the marshmallows, chocolate chips (hold back 1/4 cup), coconut, and condensed milk and mix well. Spread over the crumb mixture and bake at 350°F until golden brown.
   After removing from the oven, melt the 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and drizzle over the top of the squares. Cool and cut.

Chocolate chip cookies for everyone
Cindy Mayer, St John’s, Nfld.-Lab. sent us three versions of chocolate chip cookies, and says about them:
“There is no consensus in our house about cookies. Everyone seems to have a different idea of what the texture should be. By working with a couple basic recipes, I came up with three versions of chocolate chip so there’s something that suits everyone. On cookie day I have three bowls going, one for each kind of cookie. I set up an assembly line for mixing. Start with any one batter, mix it, and put it somewhere cool. Do the same thing with the other two. No need to wash the beaters in between, the ingredients are all the same. And then start baking: a pan of each going in the oven at the same time. At the end of baking, everyone is happy. You can keep the extra dough wrapped and refrigerated for several days.”

CRISP CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Cindy Mayer, St John’s, Nfld.-Lab.

1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound less 2 tablespoons soft butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 cup chopped toasted nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with foil or parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a mixer or by hand, cream the butter, sugars, and corn syrup until fluffy, about three minutes. Stir in the vanilla and the milk. Add the flour mixture all at once and blend just until a dough forms. Fold in the chocolate and nuts. Chill the dough.
Roll two-tablespoon-sized lumps of dough into balls, then place on the baking sheet and flatten to one-quarter-inch-thick disks spaced two inches apart. Chill the dough between batches. Bake until the edges are dark golden brown, 14 to 17 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer to a baking rack. Makes 24 cookies.

CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Cindy Mayer, St John’s, Nfld.-Lab.

2 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups chopped bittersweet chocolate
2 cups chopped toasted nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a mixer or by hand, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy, about three minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Add the flour mixture all at once and blend until a dough forms. Fold in the chocolate and nuts. Chill the dough.
Roll 2 1/2-tablespoon lumps of dough into balls, then place on the baking sheet and flatten to one-half-inch-thick disks spaced two inches apart. Chill the dough between batches. Bake until the edges are golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer to a baking rack. Makes 30 to 35 cookies.

THICK AND GOOEY CHOCOLATE-CHIP COOKIES
Cindy Mayer, St John’s, Nfld.-Lab.

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons kosher salt
8 ounces butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups chopped bittersweet chocolate (chunks and shavings)
2 cups chopped nuts (optional)

   Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
   In a mixer or by hand, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy, about three minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Add the flour mixture all at once and blend until a dough forms. Fold in the chocolate and nuts. Chill the dough.
   Roll one-quarter-cup lumps of dough into balls, then place on the baking sheet and flatten to one-half-inch-thick disks spaced two inches apart. Chill the dough between batches. Bake until the edges turn golden, 14 to 17 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer to a baking rack. Makes 30 cookies.

BREAD EXCHANGE
GINGER-ORANGE STOLLEN
Joyce Reynolds, Summerside, P.E.I.

1 cup golden raisins
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup chopped candied ginger
1 cup sliced or slivered almonds
2/3 cup orange liqueur (like Grand Marnier or Cointreau)
1 3/4 cups butter
1/3 cup milk
4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup confectioners sugar

   Combine the raisins, cherries, candied ginger, almonds, and orange liqueur in a medium bowl. Stir to combine, cover, and let sit at room temperature while you make the dough or overnight.
   Put one cup of the butter and the milk in a small saucepan and heat slowly until the butter melts. Combine the flour, one-quarter cup of the sugar, the orange zest, the yeast, one teaspoon of the grated ginger, the salt, and the nutmeg in a large bowl. When the butter mixture cools to the same temperature as the inside of your wrist add it to the flour mixture and stir together. Lightly beat together the eggs and vanilla and stir them into the dough.
   Knead the dough until it feels smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Grease the large bowl, add the dough, and turn it over to coat it lightly. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, put it in a warm place, and let the dough rise for 1 1/2 to two hours.
   Punch down the dough and add the raisin mixture. Knead the dough in the bowl until the fruit, nuts, and ginger are evenly incorporated. The dough will be sticky. Grease a baking sheet and shape the dough, into two to four long, oval loaves on the baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, put it in a warm place, and let the loaves rise for one hour.
   Heat the oven to 350°F. Uncover the baking sheet and bake until the loaves are golden brown, about 35 minutes for smaller loaves to one hour for larger loaves. When the stollen is baked, melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Brush the tops and sides of the stollen with the butter while the loaves are still warm. Combine the remaining sugar and the grated ginger and sprinkle it over the stollen. Cool thoroughly. Sprinkle confectioners sugar all over the stollen, pressing lightly to help it stick. Wrap each loaf in foil or plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for at least one day before serving.

REQUESTS:
We’d like you to send us your special holiday recipes. We’re not looking for North American turkey-and-trimmings. Please share your personal family favorites, whatever their origin and ingredients. What steps have you taken to keep the cost of groceries down? And what about cleaning products? Do you have some alternatives to commercial products?
You can email homemaking hints and recipes to dvlmagazines@gmail.com, or send them to us by mail at the following address: Household Notes, Rural Delivery, Box 1509, Liverpool, NS B0T 1K0.