It's cookie and candy making time! Here are two of my favorites. One dates back to my grandma's day, and a wonderful new recipe I snagged last holiday season.
Grandma Eden's Date Pinwheels
Dough ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Filling ingredients:
1/2 pound (1 cup) chopped dates
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup chopped almonds
Directions:
Cream butter and sugars together. Add egg. Stir in flour and baking soda; mix well and chill for at least 1/2 hour. While dough is chilling, combine dates, water and 1/4 cup sugar in a heavy saucepan, over medium-low heat. Bring to boil and boil for five minutes or until mixture has become dense and sticky. Remove from heat and stir in almonds. Let cool to room temperature.
On waxed paper, roll out dough to 10x16 rectangle. Smear with date mixture and roll up tightly starting at wide end. Use waxed paper to keep dough intact as you ease it into a roll. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for another hour or overnight. Cut into 1/4-inch slices and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until golden (but not hard). Makes 6 dozen cookies.
Jeanetta's Pretzel Turtles
Ingredients:
Small round pretzels
Rolo chocolate-covered caramel candies
Pecan halves
Directions:
Cover a cookie sheet or shallow jellyroll pan with foil, spray lightly with Pam or other cooking spray. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place pretzels in a single layer on the sheet, leaving a bit of space between them. Unwrap and place a Rolo candy on each pretzel.
Place in oven and heat for 2-3 minutes (just until candies soften.) Remove from oven and immediately press a pecan half on each, pressing down to force chocolate and caramel into the pretzel. Allow to cool completely and refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve. Allow to come to room temperature.
Happy confecting!
