Holiday Baking

As stated previously, I did quite a bit of holiday cooking this week. My favorites are the simplest ones. I'm always a bit skeptical of recipes that have 5 ingredients or less, as some cookbooks like to promote, because I usually end up adding all the seasonings they have apparently deleted, or something else along this line. However, with the following two recipes, simplicity makes these the best ever. The first thing, shortbread, is something I began making several years ago because I often heard of it around Christmas but hadn't had it, so I found a recipe and tried it. Turns out, they're amazing! Not necessarily super-attractive (I had to jazz them up with cookie cutters and sprinkles), but it makes a beautiful dough (you'll understand if you make it) and they are SO good, SO simple (3 ingredients!) and a little unhealthy. :-) But hey, it's the holidays! (By the way, these are way, way, better than sugar cookies.)

Scottish Shortbread

2 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar, packed

4 1/2 c. flour

Preheat oven to 325. Cream butter and sugar together. Add 3 3/4 c. flour and mix well. Sprinkle board with remaining flour, and knead dough for 5 minutes, adding enough flour to make a soft dough. Roll the dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into 3x1 inch strips or cut out shapes. Prick several times with fork and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Yield: 3-4 dozen

The second simple sensation (man, I love alliteration!) is toffee. For some reason, the image that remains in my mind is from when I made this at home a few years ago. We broke it up and put it into a big Grinch mug (yeah, that's how we roll), and ate it up while we played Settlers of Catan, a family favorite :-) While candy might seem complicated, it only assumes you can do one thing: boil stuff. And that is really all there is to this: boil 3 things together until it gets to 285 degrees (use a candy thermometer), spread it in a pan, put chocolate chips on top, sprinkle nuts on top, and done! Give it a shot! It's definitely a Christmas classic in my house now!

Super Easy Toffee

2 c. butter

2 c. sugar

1/4 t. salt

2 c. chocolate chips

1 c. finely chopped nuts

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Combine butter, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Heat until butter has melted, bring mixture to a boil. Stir occasionally while mixture boils, until it turns a dark amber color, and reaches 285 degrees on a candy thermometer. [Watch carefully.] Immediately pour into prepared pan. Spread into pan with spatula. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and allow to warm 2-3 minutes. Spread melted chocolate over toffee with spatula. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top of chocolate and press down so they don't fall off. Chill in the refrigerator for several hours. Remove foil, break into pieces and store in airtight container.