SWEET TREATS
Recipes from the
Moonglow Christmas Series
Deborah Garner
Copyright © 2019 Deborah Garner
Cranberry Cove Press / Published by arrangement with the author
Sweet Treats: Recipes from the Moonglow Christmas Series by Deborah Garner
All rights reserved. Except for brief text quoted and appropriately cited in other works, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photocopying or by electronic or mechanical means, including information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the copyright owner/author.
Excerpts in this book are from works of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cranberry Cove Press
PO Box 1671
Jackson, WY 83001, United States
Library of Congress Catalog-in-Publication Data Available
Garner, Deborah
Sweet Treats: Recipes from the Moonglow Christmas Series / Deborah Garner—1st United States edition
Non-Fiction 2. Holidays 3. Cooking
p. cm.
ISBN-13:
978-0-9969961-6-7 (paperback)
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Books by Deborah Garner
The Paige MacKenzie Mystery Series
Above the Bridge
The Moonglow Café
Three Silver Doves
Hutchins Creek Cache
Crazy Fox Ranch
The Moonglow Christmas Novella Series
Mistletoe at Moonglow
Silver Bells at Moonglow
Gingerbread at Moonglow
Nutcracker Sweets at Moonglow
Snowfall at Moonglow
The Sadie Kramer Flair Series
A Flair for Chardonnay
A Flair for Drama
A Flair for Beignets
A Flair for Truffles
A Flair for Flip-Flops
Cranberry Bluff
To the amazing readers of the
Moonglow Christmas Series who share recipes for others to enjoy, and to all those who love sweet treats
Table of Contents
Recipes from Mistletoe at Moonglow
Excerpt from Mistletoe at Moonglow
Glazed Cinnamon Nuts
Cook’s Nut Balls
Melting Moments
Ginger Crackle Cookies
Lemon Bars
Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies
Potato Chip Cookies
Chewy Coconut Cookies
Pumpkin Squares
Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Yolanda’s Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ricotta Cookies
Pecan Melts
Peanut Blossoms
Grandma's Shortbread Cookies
Holiday Eggnog Snickerdoodles
Spiced Apple Cookies
Almond Thumbprint Cookies
Salted Double Chocolate Chili Cookies
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Amish Ginger Cookies
Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
Mother’s Sugar Cookies
Bourbon Balls
Recipes from Silver Bells at Moonglow
Excerpt from Silver Bells at Moonglow
Cranberry-Orange Cookies
Swedish Dream Cookies (Drömkakor)
Pecan Cookies
Candy Cane Brownies
Chocolate Chip Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
Thumbprint Cookies
Gluten-free Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Jumbles
Eggnog Cookies
Peppermint Candy Canes
Divinity Puffs
Snickerdoodles
Sharon's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Odessa’s Pumpkin Cookies
Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs
Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Snowball Cookies
Grandma's Opera Fudge
Dutch Sour Cream Cookies
Soft Raisin Cookies
Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies
Recipes from Gingerbread at Moonglow
Excerpt from Gingerbread at Moonglow
Gingerbread Cookies
Cherry Pecan Holiday Cookies
Gingerbread-Eggnog Trifle
Homemade Eggnog
Cocoa Kisses
Lois Tallman’s Ginger Snaps
Santa's Whiskers Cookies
Angel Crisp Cookies
Kourabiedes
Kitchen Sink Cookies
Ginger Orange Cookies
Christmas Swirl Fudge
Grandma's Kringles
Vegan Sugar Cookies
Mint Chocolate Macarons
Chocolate Mint Ganache Filling
Easy Cookies
Khrustyky
Peanut Brittle
Swedish Coconut Cookies
Recipes from Nutcracker Sweets at Moonglow
Excerpt from Nutcracker Sweets at Moonglow
Christmas Crack
White Christmas Fudge
Cathedral Cookies
Molasses Sugar Cookies
Peanut Butter Fudge
Lemon Crinkles
Krum Kake Cookies
Cranberry Drop Cookies
Double Chocolate Walnut Brownies
Granny’s Butter Rolls
Christmas Hard Candy
Lingonberry Macarons
Lingonberry Buttercream Filling
Yummy Dates
Twenty-first Century Peanut Brittle
Healthy No-Bake Apple Energy Bites
Grandma Chauncey's Date Nut Bars
No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Cinnamon Refrigerator Cookies
Mocha Candied Nuts
All-In-One-Pan Cookies
Date Balls
Recipes from Snowfall at Moonglow
Excerpt from Snowfall at Moonglow
Peanut Butter Cookies *gluten-free and low-carb
Norwegian Kringla
Jo’s Fudge
Wunderbar Ginger Bar Cookies
Orange Sablés
Lemon Nut Cookies
Cinnamon Cookies
Chocolate Peppermint Bark
Mrs. Prager’s Cry Babies
Choco-Mint Puffs
Pecan Pie Cobbler
Meringue Chocolate-Chip Cookies
Eve’s Apple Pecan Pound Cake
Pumpkin Cookies
Polka Dots
Pfeffernüsse Fruitcake Cookies
Chocolate Refrigerator Cookies
Pecan Dreams
Aunt Shirley’s Oatmeal Cookies
Lone Ranger Cookies
Mystery Bars
Recipes from
Mistletoe at Moonglow
Excerpt from Mistletoe at Moonglow
Marge was the first to arrive for the cookie exchange, bringing a plate of snickerdoodles, which she placed on the buffet. Mist had heard that Marge’s cookies were legendary, a town favorite. She eyed them with interest as she set out a pot of freshly brewed coffee. She’d make a point of trying them.
A few minutes later, Maisie arrived, a tub of chocolate chip mint cookies tucked under her arm. She handed Betty the container before taking off her coat, knit cap and thick, emerald green scarf and hanging them on the lobby rack.
“These look decadent, Maisie!” Betty exclaimed. “We’d better watch these carefully. We have a five-year-o
ld chocolate fanatic running around here this year.” She added the cookies to the buffet arrangement.
The variety of cookies mounted, one by one, some holiday favorites, others simply beloved family recipes. The owner of the beauty shop brought Melting Moments, a recipe she’d begged a local client for after receiving a batch as a gift one year. Soon after, Millie, the town librarian, showed up with a plate of ginger crackle cookies. She poured a cup of coffee, and joined Betty, who was in conversation with the curator of the local historical society, who had just arrived with a tin of powdered sugar concoctions.
“Cook’s Nut Balls, you say?” Betty eyed the tin with delight. “I do believe I’m gaining two or three pounds every time someone walks in.”
“That’s what the holidays are for, Betty!” Marge laughed.
Glazed Cinnamon Nuts
(A family recipe)
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
Heaping teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups walnut halves
Directions:
Boil sugar, water, cream of tartar and cinnamon to soft ball stage (236 degrees.)
Remove from heat.
Add butter and walnuts.
Stir until walnuts separate.
Place on wax paper to cool.
Cook’s Nut Balls
(A family recipe)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and form into small balls.
Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes.
Cool and roll in powdered sugar.
Makes about 18 cookies.
Melting Moments
(Submitted by Elisabeth Conley)
Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 cups flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 teaspoons vanilla
Directions:
Cream together sugar and butter.
In separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar; add to creamed mixture; add vanilla.
Drop on cookie sheet by teaspoonful.
Gently press flat with a fork dipped in milk.
Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, 10 minutes or less.
Ginger Crackle Cookies
(Submitted by Kim McMahan Davis, from her blog, Cinnamon and Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder)
Ingredients:
2 1/4 (10 ounce) cups flour
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup (2 ounces) vegetable shortening
1 cup (8 ounces) granulated sugar, plus 2/3 cup for rolling
1 large egg
1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) molasses
1/2 to 3/4 cup crystallized ginger pieces, finely chopped
Directions:
Position oven rack to the middle. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment or Silpat.
In large bowl, combine flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Whisk until well blended.
In another large bowl, combine butter, shortening and 1 cup sugar. Beat with mixer on medium-high speed until well combined. Add egg and molasses and beat until well blended. Pour in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until well blended. Add crystallized ginger and blend in.
Pour remaining 2/3 cup sugar into shallow bowl. Using a small scoop, make 1-inch balls with dough. Roll each ball in sugar and set 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. (If dough seems too soft to work with, place in refrigerator for a couple of hours.)
Bake one sheet at a time until puffed and slightly browned around the edges, about 10 - 13 minutes. Let cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then place cookies on wire rack to cool completely.
To make ahead:
The dough can be made, shaped and rolled in sugar through step 3, then frozen for up to 2 months before baking. For best results, position the shaped dough snugly on a small cookie sheet and freeze until very firm. Then pile the frozen balls into a heavy-duty freezer bag and store in the freezer. When you’re ready to bake, remove only the number of cookies you need, place them on the prepared cookie sheet and leave them on the counter while the oven heats up. Bake as directed.
Lemon Bars
(Submitted by Carol Anderson)
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup butter
2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Lemon layer:
4 eggs
4 tablespoons flour
2/3 cup lemon juice
2 cups sugar
Directions:
Cream ingredients for crust together and pat into 9 x 12 pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
Mix ingredients for lemon layer together. Pour over baked crust.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into squares.
Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies
(Submitted by Beth Britain, originally from Mollie Katzen’s “Still Life with Menu”)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
Cream together butter and sugars with an electric mixer at high speed. Beat in egg. Stir in vanilla and peppermint extracts.
Sift together dry ingredients and add them to the butter mixture along with the chocolate chips. Stir until well combined.
Drop by rounded teaspoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.
Remove from sheet immediately after baking and cool on a wire rack.
Potato Chip Cookies
(Submitted by Erika Bonham Kehlet)
Start with:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream above ingredients together.
Add:
1/2 cup crushed potato chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 cups flour
Roll into walnut sized balls.
Flatten with a glass dipped in granulated sugar.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
Chewy Coconut Cookies
(Submitted by Valerie Peterson)
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups ground raisins
1/2 cup coconut
Directions:
Cream together sugar and shortening.
Add eggs, salt, soda and vanilla. Beat well.
Add flour, oatmeal and raisins. Add coconut last.
Roll in balls the size of a walnut.
Place on cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.
Pumpkin Squares
(Submitted by Carol Ann Kauffman)
Crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
Mix together. Spread on bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool.
Filling:
1 pound can pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of nutmeg
Mix. Pour over crust. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Topping:
3/4 cup walnut
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
Mix and spread on top of cooked pumpkin mix. Put back in oven for another 15 minutes.
Note: Double recipe for a cookie sheet size.
Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
(Submitted by S.A. Molteni, author of I.T. Geek to Farm Girl Freak)
Ingredients:
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda