Baking today…

I delivered the teacher gifts this morning, since they wouldn’t fit in my son’s backpack. My son had a harmonica concert for the other students. This apparently involved the entire third grade playing “Jingle Bells” on their harmonicas. God bless the music teacher! I can’t imagine. I’m reminded of the years I played violin. How did my parents deal?

Meanwhile, I’m trying to get some baking done today. I’m cheating on the sugar cookies, because the fun part is letting my son attack the dough with the cookie cutters and spread the frosting, so I’m using refrigerator dough. But that’s for afterschool–and can you believe this is the last day of school until Jan. 2? How am I going to get anything done?!

Right now I’m working on Treasure Balls. My mom has been baking these since the ’70s when she got the recipe in a Welcome Wagon cookbook. Now I bake them usually 2 or 3 times during the season, quadrupling the original recipe. Here it is if you’d like to try it out–don’t forget the last step, which is shaking the cooled balls in confectioners’ sugar. If they don’t come out round, don’t worry, they still taste good!

TREASURE BALLS

1 stick butter or margerine

3 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c. walnuts

1/2 c. choco. chips

1 c. minus 2 tbsp. flour

Roll into balls on pan, bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins. The bottoms should look golden brown. Let cool completely then roll in confectioners’ sugar (either by shaking in a bag or sprinkling over top).

Another recipe from the ’70s is, I think, from Girl Scouts. I don’t know if they leader made it up or what. Could’ve been from school, but I have this vague memory…might have been Brownies actually, when we made out situpons. This is so easy for kids to make to give someone:

SPICE TEA

1 lb. 2 oz. jar Tang (when’s the last time you had Tang?)

1 lb. 8 oz. jar instant tea with lemon

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 tsp. ground cloves and 1 tsp. ground cinamon

On tag, say “Use 2 tsps. per cup water.” And it smells really good.

Okay, hopefully the butter sticks are softened enough to stir now. One day maybe I’ll own a stand mixer, which would make the whole “creaming” process much simpler.

Shara

www.sharalanel.com