Peppermint Meringues

Serving Size: 48 Meringues

Preparation Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 egg whites
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar
• ½ cup of white sugar
• 2 peppermint candy canes (crushed) 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two cookie sheets with foil.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites, salt and cream of tartar. Gradually add sugar, continuing to beat until whites are stiff. Drop by spoonful 1 inch apart on cookie sheets. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint candy.
3. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes in oven. Meringues should be completely dry on the inside. Turn oven off and keep oven door open. Let meringues sit in the oven until cool. Serve meringues or store in a loosely covered dry place for up to 2 months.

Caramel Pecan Cookies

Serving Size: 48 cookies

Preparation Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of butter (softened)
• 1 cup of white sugar
• 1 cup of packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup of unsweetened cookie powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 cup of chopped pecans
• 1 tablespoon of white sugar
• 5 rolls of chocolate-covered caramel candies

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, cup of white sugar and the brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract. Combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda; stir into the sugar mixture until well-blended. Stir in ½ cup of the chopped pecans. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, or until firm.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup of pecans and 1 tablespoon of sugar; set aside.

3. Press 1 tablespoon of cookie dough around each chocolate coated caramel, forming a ball. Dip one side of each ball into the pecan mixture and place pecan side up, 2 inches apart on baking sheet.

4. Bake for 8 minutes in the oven. Cool on the pans for 1 minute before removing from oven to cool completely.

Spicy Gingerbread Men

Serving Size: 15 cookies

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of margarine
• ½ cup of sugar
• ½ cup of molasses
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups of sifted all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon of ginger
• ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until smooth. Stir in the molasses and egg yolk. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg; then blend into the sugar mixture until smooth. Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the oven, until firm. Remove from cookie sheets to cool. Frost or decorate when cool.