12 Sweets of Christmas: #12 - Sandbakkels Recipe (or as I like to call them Mini Pecan Pies)

Quite a few years ago, and I really can't remember when, I came up with the crazy idea of not just making one or two different kinds of cookies or candies to give away during the Christmas season, but to make 12 different varieties, now known as the "12 Sweets of Christmas".  Once Thanksgiving had ended and the tree had been put up I begin the monumental task of mixing, baking, dipping and wrapping up the 12 goodies into tins to give as gifts to family and friends.  Sometimes I wonder what I have gotten myself into, but everyone seems to love my tins packed full of goodies and I think I would have a revolt on my hands if I failed to follow through on my yearly tradition.  

This year I figured I would share all my recipes and photos of each of the sweets and here is the final installment of the 12 Sweets of Christmas.

#12 Sandbakkels

When I make these little beauties it is a labor of love.  Not only is it tedious process to make them, but once I am done I can't even eat one or my lips and ears will balloon up and I will be itchy for weeks.  If I am not careful and literally touch a pecan my hands will get red, but so many of my family and friends love these that I can't disappoint them.  I suppose after reading this many of you will forgo making them, but they really are worth all the work.  Back before I knew I had a tree nut allergy I would even eat these and I hate pecans.  They are light and crispy, but not too sweet and the hint of almond in the crust is divine.  I catch myself sometimes weighing the pros and cons of eating just one, but then I know I wouldn't be able to stop and would likely end up in the emergency room.  Hmm, it may be worth it though!

Sandbakkels

1 C Butter

1 C Sugar

1 Small Egg

½ t Almond Extract

3 C (or less) Flour

-mix and chill

Filling:

3 Eggs

1 C Sugar

¾ t Salt

1 C Corn Syrup

3 T Butter

1 ½ t Vanilla

1 C Chopped Pecans

-press dough in tins

-fill with filling

-bake on cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes

Mix the dough.  It will be a bit crumbly.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Because of my allergies to tree nuts, I do not use pecans too often.  I keep mine in the freezer and they last for years, but I did have to purchase a brand new bag this year and Fleet Farm has the best prices not just for pecans but all nuts.

Mix up the filling.

Here are 3 different sized sandbakkel tins.  The smallest tins came from my husband's grandmother and I like them the best.  The middle are from my mother and the top I purchased at Wal-mart about 15 years ago.

Line the tins up on a cookie sheet and spray with oil.  If you don't you will be cursing the gods as they will stick and all of your hard work will be wasted.  So spray liberally!

Place a small amount of the dough in the tin and begin to press with your fingers.

Once you have evenly pressed the dough into the tin, brush off the edges.

This is what they should look like before you fill them.

Spoon in a small amount of the filling just shy of the top of the tin.  Don't let the filling overflow as you will have quite a mess once they are baked.  Because the pecans float to the top, don't forget to stir first or you will run out of the nuts and all you will be left with is the sugary filling.  Though this happens to me all the time - I just add a few more nuts towards the end.

Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.  Let cool for a few minutes and then carefully loosen the sandbakkels with the tip of a sharp knife.  I usually have a few that stick, but my family doesn't mind as they get to eat them right away, but this year I had only 4 stick which was quite a disappointment.

Cool on a rack before storing.

Here is a picture of the 3 different sizes.

I believe I saved the best for last as by far these are the most asked for of my 12 Sweets of Christmas.

12 Sweets of Christmas: #11 - Grandma Larson's Soured Cream Sugar Cookies Recipe

Quite a few years ago, and I really can't remember when, I came up with the crazy idea of not just making one or two different kinds of cookies or candies to give away during the Christmas season, but to make 12 different varieties, now known as the "12 Sweets of Christmas".  Once Thanksgiving had ended and the tree had been put up I begin the monumental task of mixing, baking, dipping and wrapping up the 12 goodies into tins to give as gifts to family and friends.  Sometimes I wonder what I have gotten myself into, but everyone seems to love my tins packed full of goodies and I think I would have a revolt on my hands if I failed to follow through on my yearly tradition.  

This year I figured I would share all my recipes and photos of each of the sweets and here is #11.

#11 Grandma Larson's Soured Cream Sugar Cookies

The name for this recipe should actually be Great Grandma Larson's Soured Cream Sugar Cookies.  I was fortunate to know my great grandmother and can remember visiting her along with my mother and sister.  She lived to be almost 100 years old and I think of her often as I bake her scrumptious recipes.  Though, the term recipes should be used loosely.  My mother had to convert her recipes to our modern days usage.  One of my favorite phrases is "enough flour to make a soft dough".  

These sugar cookies use cream (whipping cream - don't skimp) that you let sour naturally or sour with a bit of vinegar.  It is a great way to use that leftover whipping cream you forgot to finish off and sits lurking in the back of your fridge.  They are so soft and the flavor is wonderful.  They are truly the best sugar cookies I have ever tasted.  I hope you agree.

Grandma Larson's Soured Cream Sugar Cookies

1 C Butter

2 C Sugar (scant)

1 C Cream (soured)

2 Eggs

1 t Baking Soda

1 t Vanilla

Salt

4 C Flour

-chill, roll out, bake

Mix up your dough a day ahead of time, cover and chill in the refrigerator.  This dough is quite sticky and keeping it chilled helps in rolling it out.  

Lightly flour your work surface and your rolling pin.  

Divide the dough into the amount you can manage - about a third.

Roll out your dough to about 1/8" to 1/4" thickness.

Lightly flour your cookie cutters and cut out the shapes.  Before placing the cookies onto your cookie sheet, try to remove the excess flour by tossing the cookie back and forth.

Decorate with colored sugar....

or with candies.

My youngest decorated the Santa cookies.

I make all of my own colored sugar (except red).
Add sugar to a bag with a couple drops of food coloring.

Mix the sugar and food coloring by squishing the bag
until the sugar is completely colored.

Bake the cookies at 350 for about 7 minutes and cool on a rack.

Once you have cut out all of your cookies you will have quite a bit of leftover dough.  Toss the dough to get as much of the flour off of it and then form it into a ball.  Roll it out and cut more cookies.  Because this dough has added flour they are not as soft and fluffy as those from a first rolling.  Therefore, I do not decorate these cookies before baking, but frost them instead.

I mix up a cream cheese frosting for these cookies and add a bit of almond extract for flavoring.  

1 Stick of Butter

8 oz. Cream Cheese

Powdered Sugar

1-2 t. Almond Extract

Food Coloring

12 Sweets of Christmas: #9 & #10 - Peanut Brittle and Cashew Brittle Recipes

Quite a few years ago, and I really can't remember when, I came up with the crazy idea of not just making one or two different kinds of cookies or candies to give away during the Christmas season, but to make 12 different varieties, now known as the "12 Sweets of Christmas".  Once Thanksgiving had ended and the tree had been put up I begin the monumental task of mixing, baking, dipping and wrapping up the 12 goodies into tins to give as gifts to family and friends.  Sometimes I wonder what I have gotten myself into, but everyone seems to love my tins packed full of goodies and I think I would have a revolt on my hands if I failed to follow through on my yearly tradition.  

This year I figured I would share all my recipes and photos of each of the sweets and here are #9 & #10.

#9 & #10 Peanut and Cashew Brittle

My brother, who found this recipe, lives in Ohio.  We don't get to see much of him, but when he comes for a visit we spend the whole week baking and cooking and of course eating the fruits of our labor.  Oh, and we all gain a few pounds in the process!  This is one of the easiest ways to make peanut brittle, plus it is literally the best peanut brittle I have ever tasted.  The brittle is light and almost airy and not rock hard like the store bought stuff.  I gave some to our mailman a few years back and the next day he stopped me and said he hated peanut brittle, but loved mine - could he have the recipe?  I don't believe there is a better compliment for a cook than that.

Peanut/Cashew Brittle

-in a 8 C Pyrex

Slightly more than 1 C salted nuts (peanut or cashew)

1 C Sugar

½ C Corn Syrup

-microwave 6-8 minutes and stir ½ way through

1 t Butter

1 t Vanilla

-stir, microwave 1 ½ – 2 minutes

1 t Baking Soda

-stir in and immediately pour onto greased pan

-cool and break apart

Peanut Brittle

Before you begin, get all your ingredients together.  This is a quick recipe and seconds can cause you to have an amazing brittle or a total failure.  Also, remember to grease a cookie sheet with butter or oil.

Place the sugar, nuts and corn syrup in your 8 cup Pyrex.

*You must use an extremely heavy duty microwave safe bowl.  One year I used a bowl my sister loaned to me and it shattered due to the extremely high heat.*

Microwave for 3-4 minutes and stir.
(I microwave mine for only 3 minutes.)

Microwave another 3 minutes and add the butter and vanilla.  Stir.  Return to the microwave for another 1 1/2 - 2 minutes.  This is the tricky part of the recipe as just 10-15 seconds will burn your brittle.  I microwave mine for exactly 1 min 45 seconds.  Immediately add the baking soda, stir like mad and pour onto your greased cookie sheet.

Let cool for about a half hour and then break into pieces.

The worst part of this recipe is the sticky candy adhered to the Pyrex.  I let mine soak in hot, sudsy water for about a 1/2 hour and that usually cleans it up or let your dishwasher do all the work.  There is really no way to scrub the hard candy off the glass, so sit back, relax, let the warm water do the work and eat some brittle.

Cashew Brittle

The cashew brittle is made the exact same way as the peanut, but I found that I needed to reduce the cooking time or it would burn.  I cut back the last time in the microwave by 10 seconds.

12 Sweets of Christmas: #8 - Coconut Bon Bons Recipe

Quite a few years ago, and I really can't remember when, I came up with the crazy idea of not just making one or two different kinds of cookies or candies to give away during the Christmas season, but to make 12 different varieties, now known as the "12 Sweets of Christmas".  Once Thanksgiving had ended and the tree had been put up I begin the monumental task of mixing, baking, dipping and wrapping up the 12 goodies into tins to give as gifts to family and friends.  Sometimes I wonder what I have gotten myself into, but everyone seems to love my tins packed full of goodies and I think I would have a revolt on my hands if I failed to follow through on my yearly tradition.  

This year I figured I would share all my recipes and photos of each of the sweets and here is #8.

#8 Coconut Bon Bons

If you like an Almond Joy candy bar, you will love these little guys.  Full of coconut, with a dash of almond flavoring and covered in milk chocolate.  Life doesn't get much better.  

  I am not quite sure where this recipe originated.  I can clearly remember my mother and older sister making these many, many years ago.  Of all my Christmas candies these are my mother-in-law's favorite and I have to admit they are pretty darn good.

Coconut Bon Bons

1+ lb Powdered Sugar

½ C Butter, melted

1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

-mix

14 oz Coconut

1 t Vanilla

1-2 t Almond

-mix and refrigerate

-form into balls and chill

- melt milk chocolate chips with 1/8th of a bar of wax and dip

Begin by mixing the powdered sugar, butter and sweetened condensed milk.

You will have to add more than 1 lb of powdered sugar as my mother's recipe only called for 1 cup of sweetened condensed milk and I use the whole can.

Mix in the vanilla, almond extract and coconut.  

Add more powdered sugar if the final mixture is extremely sticky.  Cover and chill.

Take a small amount of the dough and roll into balls between the palms of your hands.  This mixture is quite sticky and I have to wash my hands periodically.  

Place on wax paper and chill (I usually place the pan out in our cold entry.)

The candies on the left were dipped in milk chocolate
and the candies on the right were dipped in semi-sweet.

Melt the chocolate and the shaved wax in a microwave safe bowl stirring every 30 seconds.
Dip the bon bons in the melted chocolate and place on wax paper to harden.

12 Sweets of Christmas: #7 - Truffles Recipe

Quite a few years ago, and I really can't remember when, I came up with the crazy idea of not just making one or two different kinds of cookies or candies to give away during the Christmas season, but to make 12 different varieties, now known as the "12 Sweets of Christmas".  Once Thanksgiving had ended and the tree had been put up I begin the monumental task of mixing, baking, dipping and wrapping up the 12 goodies into tins to give as gifts to family and friends.  Sometimes I wonder what I have gotten myself into, but everyone seems to love my tins packed full of goodies and I think I would have a revolt on my hands if I failed to follow through on my yearly tradition.  

This year I figured I would share all my recipes and photos of each of the sweets and here is #7.

#7 Truffles

This truffle recipe comes from Kraft, but I had to doctor it up a bit.  I never have bakers chocolate on hand and so I use chocolate chips instead.  Plus I dip the truffles in almond bark.  The first year I made these I followed the recipe and used chocolate and they were too rich for my taste and so I began using almond bark.  I think they are so much better. 

Actually, they are not just better, they are amazing as I can't stop with just one, or two, or three.....

Truffles

1 pkg. 8 oz Cream Cheese at room temp.

1 ½ C Melted Chocolate Chips

-mix, cover and chill

-roll into balls, chill on wax paper

-dip in melted white chocolate or almond bark

Melt 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips in the microwave stirring every 30 seconds.
I use semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Add the room temperature cream cheese and mix thoroughly. 

The chocolate/cream cheese mixture becomes nice and fluffy.  It is so tempting to take a taste, but one batch does not make much (about 60-70 small truffles.)

Cover and chill for quite a few hours.  I usually let it sit overnight.

Take a small amount of the mixture and roll into balls.  Be warned - it is quite sticky and your hands get covered in chocolate.  Place on wax paper and chill.

Melt almond bark or chocolate and dip the truffles.  I then add a white chocolate chip on top to cover the hole from the toothpick.  Let harden and enjoy.

I forgot to take a pretty picture of the finished truffle and I have none left as they are so addicting.  Maybe next year I can add a photo.

12 Sweets of Christmas: #6 - Chocolate Covered Cherries Recipe

Quite a few years ago, and I really can't remember when, I came up with the crazy idea of not just making one or two different kinds of cookies or candies to give away during the Christmas season, but to make 12 different varieties, now known as the "12 Sweets of Christmas".  Once Thanksgiving had ended and the tree had been put up I begin the monumental task of mixing, baking, dipping and wrapping up the 12 goodies into tins to give as gifts to family and friends.  Sometimes I wonder what I have gotten myself into, but everyone seems to love my tins packed full of goodies and I think I would have a revolt on my hands if I failed to follow through on my yearly tradition.  

This year I figured I would share all my recipes and photos of each of the sweets and here is #6.

#6 Chocolate Covered Cherries

This recipe is a family favorite.  My earliest memories of Christmas baking is sitting with my older sister and making these - though, looking back I probably ate more than I helped make.  It is a bit time consuming, but in the end well worth it.   

Chocolate Covered Cherries Recipe

Fondant:

1/3 C Butter, creamed

1/3 C Corn Syrup

1 t Vanilla

½ t Salt

1 lb Powdered Sugar

-mix and knead until smooth, chill

3 Jars Cherries (get the ones with stems)

-cover cherries with fondant and chill

Chocolate:

Chocolate Chips

Wax (you will find it in the canning section)

-1 bag of chocolate chips and shave about 1/8th of a block of wax

-melt in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds or less

-dip cherries by holding onto the stem

-let harden on wax paper

Begin by mixing the butter, syrup, salt and vanilla.

Weigh the powdered sugar and then add.

Mix thoroughly and your fondant should like look the picture above.

Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight.

Drain the cherries.

I like to purchase the cherries with stems, but I couldn't find them this year.

(It makes it so much easier to dip them in chocolate when you can hold onto the stem, plus everyone knows they are chocolate covered cherries.)

Take a small piece of the fondant and flatten.  Place a cherry in the middle.

Wrap the cherry and remove any excess dough.

Roll the enclosed cherry between the palms of your hands and place on wax paper.

When you are finished, chill the cherries for a few hours or up to a day.

I usually place my pans out in our cold entry to chill.

In a microwave safe dish add the chocolate chips.

Next, shave off about 1/8th of a bar of wax and add to the chocolate.  Microwave until melted, stirring every 30 seconds.  This wax/chocolate mixture makes a smooth and shiny coating for the candies.

Because I wasn't able to purchase the cherries with stems, I used a toothpick to dip the cherries.  Let drip for a few seconds.....

 and place on wax paper to harden.

These chocolate covered cherries are not as runny as those you purchase in the store, but I think they taste much better.