LACY BUTTERSCOTCH

2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 cups sugr
1-4 oz. pkg butterscotch pudding mix
3/4 cups soft butter or margarine
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 t vanilla

Combine oatmeal, sugar and pudding mix.  Add butter, nuts and vanilla and mix u ntil well blended and of pie dough consistency.  Form dough into 1/2 inch balls and place about 3" apart on cooky sheet as cookies flatten during baking.  Bake at 350 degrees 8 to 10 minutes or until golden.  Let cool about 3 minutes or until easily lifted off sheets.  Don't cool too long or cookies crumble on lifting.  Makes 7 dozen.

Well, this was really strange to make, and the flatten during baking is an understatement!  When I took these out of the oven it was like one giant cookie on the sheet.  But I did as the directions said to do about the cooling and merely used the side of the spatula to cut them apart and lift them onto a wire rack to finish cooling.  It really looked like a disaster, but amazingly enough these are super delicious, kind of crispy and chewy both with a nice butterscotch flavor!  I think I'll save this one and make it again making sure to spread way apart on pan so that they will look a lot nicer with a proper round shape.

LIGHT CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE (THE BEST)

1 lb. dried fruit (finely chopped apples, dates, gold raisins, etc.)
6 oz. candied fruit (cherries and chopped candied pineapple)
4 T brandy or applejack, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 t each cinnamon and nutmeg
1/4 t salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
2/3 cup applesauce
2/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
(1-1/2 hours in ring with both bottoms)

Grease baking pan.  Line bottom of pan with waxed paper.  Grease wax paper.  Set aside.

In a large bowl combine drie fruit, candied fruit and 2 T of the brandy.  Mix well.  Cover and let stand while preparing batter.

In a 1-1/2 quart mixer bowl beat flour, sugar, spice, and salt at low speed of an electric mixer 25 to 35 seconds to blend.  Add butter, eggs, and fruit sauce.  Beat at low speed one minute to blend.  Turn mixer to high speed.  Beat 3 minutes.  Scrape sies of bowl often.  Stir batter and nuts into fruit mixture.  Mix well.  Spoon into prepared pan filling about 2/3 full.  This recipe makes 5 cups batter.

Spread batter evenly in pan.  Bake at 300 F until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean.

Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes.  To loosen, run a sharp knife around edge of pan.  Remove waxed paper.  Place on rack to cool  Drizzle remaining brandy over warm cake.  When cake is cool, wrap in brandy or liqueur soaked cheesecloth if desired.  Wrap in oil.  Store in cool place.  Pour more brndy or fruit liqueur over cheesecloth during aging.

I had high hopes for this one since I don't really like fruitcake, but it said it's the best!  I wasn't sure wht the direction was, 1-1/2 hours in ring with both bottoms?  Must be some kind of baking pan that they don't make anymore, not sure.  I also love how she gives the exact mixing times (25-35 seconds).  I followed this recipe exactly using brandy (not sure what applejack is).  Baking time was missing (unless that's the 1-1/2 hours referenced earlier), so I baked it for one hour.  I also poured the remaining brandy on the top. 

Sad to say that this just doesn't taste very good, and it's kind of hard too.  I really couldn't give it away.  I hope that somewhere in this file there's another fruitcake recipe that says it's the bestest!

EGG NOG (Dad's method) *****

1 quart dairy egg nog
1 pint vanilla ice cream (beat into nog in blender)
add brandy, etc.
1/2 pint whipping cream (for topping)
nutmeg (sprinkle over)

Well, this was certainly festive for Christmas, and the ice cream added those much needed extra calories!  It was very delicious and rich, definitely one you could make every year!

COOKIES (Gingerbread Boys - will hang on tree for weeks without breaking)

1/2 cup margarine
1 cup brown sugar
2 t soda
2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
1 t cloves
1 t allspice
1-1/2 cups light molasses
2/3 cup water or apple cider
6-1/2 cups unsifted flour (about)

In mixer cream together the margarine, sugar, soda, salt, and sices until light and fluffy.  Add molasses and beat until well blended.  Mix in water or cider.  Stir in flour adding enough to make a stiff dough.  Chill several hours or overnight.  Roll out small amounts of dough at a time on floured board to 1/8 to 1/4 inches thick.  Cut with cutter and transfer to lightly greased cookie sheet with turner under cutter.  Insert short length of drinking straw into top of each cooky to make a hole for hanging.  Decorate with frosting faces when baked and cooled.  Bake at 10-15 minutes,

I naturally made these during the Christmas holiday only I baked this in giant sheets for my kids to make gingerbread houses.  (See attached photo)  I would have liked to try the whole straw hole thing and make ornaments, but I already had baked three batches of this, so that was plenty!  I ate the scraps left over, and it was really delicious.  Had to increase the baking time to 20 minutes.