THE AMISH CHRISTMAS KITCHEN by Kelly Long, Jennifer Beckstrand, & Lisa Jones Baker
Pub Date: September 27th 2016
Delicious homemade food is a hallmark of the Amish, especially during the Christmas season. So celebrate with this heartwarming collection of Christmas romances honoring the Plain ways that nourish both the body and the soul from these three outstanding authors.
http://www.jenniferbeckstrand.com/
http://www.lisajonesbaker.com/
(Kelly Long has no website)
(Baking Love on Ice Mountain by Kelly Long)
Amish Snowballs
INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1⁄2 cup powdered sugar
11⁄2 teaspoons vanilla
21⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
3⁄4 cup finely chopped nuts
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir in flour, nuts, and salt until dough holds together.
3. Shape dough into one-inch balls. Place about one inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly on wire rack.
5. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar; cool on wire rack. Roll in powdered sugar again.
(The Christmas Bakery on Huckleberry Hill by Jennifer Beckstrand)
INGREDIENTS
1 cup flour
1⁄2 cup butter, softened
1⁄2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
16-ounce tub of whipped topping (like Cool Whip)
Two 41⁄2-ounce packages of instant chocolate pudding
3 cups milk
1⁄4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
2 tablespoons chocolate sprinkles (optional)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
CRUST
With a pastry cutter, combine:
1 cup flour
1⁄2 cup butter, softened
Add:
1⁄2 cup chopped pecans
Mix and press into the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan. Bake at 300 degrees F for 25 minutes. Watch closely so it doesn’t burn around the edges. Cool.
CREAM CHEESE LAYER
Mix well:
1 cup powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
Add:
Half of the whipped topping
Mix well and pour over the cooled crust.
PUDDING LAYER
With a hand beater or an electric beater, mix until set:
2 packages of instant chocolate pudding
3 cups milk
Spread over the cream cheese layer.
Spread the rest of the whipped topping over the top of the pudding layer. Sprinkle with chopped nuts or chocolate sprinkles (optional). Let set in fridge for 4 to 5 hours.
(The Special Christmas Cookie by Lisa Jones Baker)
LISA JONES BAKER’S CHRISTMAS COOKIES
When I took my first bite of these cookies, over four decades ago, I knew they were, without a doubt, the best I had ever eaten. The recipe came from my aunt. At the time, I was in 4H and loved to cook. I still do! Over the years, when I visited my sister’s family, I would take the ingredients with me and make the cookies at their house. The batch would quickly disappear. Now the cookies are a Christmas tradition. My niece bakes the treats for her boys, and I’m sure this recipe will stay in our family forever.
INGREDIENTS
23⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, sift together and put aside flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl, let the butter soften naturally. Mix in sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Once blended, add flour mixture.
After the cookie dough is made, bunch it into a ball, wrap it tightly in waxed paper, and refrigerate for two to three hours. Then, take half the batch, roll it out, and sprinkle lightly with flour so the dough won’t stick. Cut into ornament shapes.
Bake on a cookie sheet at 375 F for eight minutes or so. Enjoy!
For icing, I let a stick of butter get to room temperature. When it’s soft, stir in enough powdered sugar and milk to make the icing smooth and creamy.
Something’s always baking in an Amish oven, and at Christmastime, all the ingredients for joy are at hand. Wrap yourself in the warmth of the Amish home—and the Plain peace of hearts joined by love. Each story includes a recipe from the author!
Baking Love On Ice Mountain
Kelly Long
Newly married, Clara Mast and Daniel Kauffman have little to give but love during their first Christmas season together. But generous hearts are always willing to be creative in this “Gift of the Magi” inspired story.
The Christmas Bakery On Huckleberry Hill
Jennifer Beckstrand
When shy Katie Rose Gingerich’s dat sends her to Huckleberry Hill to secure a marriage proposal, she never expects to long for carefree Titus Helmuth—or to hope that he might want to spend every Christmas with her . . .
The Special Christmas Cookie
Lisa Jones Baker
A charity auction, an unexpected friendship, and a stubborn spirit combine in an unusual courtship. But for Emma and Jonathan, overcoming obstacles is just one of the lessons to be learned about special blessings this holiday season.
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