Berliner Kransers

Berliner Kranser
Prep: 45 minutes
Chill: 1 hour
Bake: 18 minutes per batch
Makes: 36 cookies
Oven: 325

1 cup butter
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 hard-cooked egg yolk, sieved
1 raw egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 slightly beaten egg white
2-3 tablespoons pearl sugar or coarse sugar (regular sugar works fine as well)

1. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add powdered sugar; beat until fluffy. Beat in hard-cooked and raw egg yolks and vanilla. Beat in flour until combined. Cover and chill about 1 hour or until firm enough to handle. (Chilling longer may make dough too firm to roll.)
2. Using about 1 tablespoon dough for each cookie, roll into 6-inch long ropes. On an ungreased cookie sheet shape into a ring, overlapping about 1 inch from ends. Brush with egg white; sprinkle with sugar.
3. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 18-20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Note: These cookies are great because they use such common (and so few) ingredients and are deliciously buttery! They are stupendous, and not just because they are Scandinavian holiday cookies.

This recipe, like them all, is from Better Homes and Gardens: New Baking Book.

Ribbon-of-Cranberry Cheesecake

Ribbon-of-Cranberry Cheesecake
Prep: 40 minutes
Bake: 45 minutes
Cool: 1 and 3/4 hours
Chill: 4 hours
Makes: 16 servings
Oven: 375

INGREDIENTS:
1 and 1/2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups cranberries
1 cup orange juice
1 cup cottage cheese
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel

1. For crust, combine vanilla wafers and butter. Press mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of an ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
2. For sauce, in a medium saucepan stir together 1 cup sugar and the cornstarch. Stir in cranberries and orange juice. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove 3/4 cup of the sauce; cool slightly. Meanwhile, cover and chill remaining sauce in the refrigerator until serving time.
3. Place the 3/4 cup sauce in a blender container or food processor bowl. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Set the pureed sauce aside. Wash the blender or container or food processor bowl.
4. For filling, place cottage cheese in the blender container or food processor bowl. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Transfer cottage cheese to a large mixing bowl. Add cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs all at once. Beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in orange peel.
5. Pour half of the filling (about 2 cups) into the crust-lined pan. Drizzle pureed sauce over the filling in the pan. Carefully spoon on the remaining filling, covering sauce as much as possible. Place in a shallow baking pan in oven. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45-50 minutes until center appears nearly set (or firm) when gently shaken.
6. Cool in springform pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Loosen crust from sides of the pan and cool for 30 minutes more. Remove sides of pan; cool 1 hour. Cover and chill at least 4 hours (up to 3 or 4 days).
7. To serve, top cheesecake with some of the chilled cranberry sauce. Pass remaining sauce.

Notes: We pureed extra of the cranberry sauce and poured that over the cheesecake instead of the un-pureed stuff. The un-pureed stuff didn't look very decorative. Also, be very sure to put the springform pan atop a shallow baking pan. There was a lot of melted butter on the baking pan when we pulled our cheesecake out of the oven.
Altogether, this cheesecake is fabulous.

Vanilla-Fudge Marble Cake

Vanilla-Fudge Marble Cake

Makes 12 servings

Prep: 30 minures

Bake: 50 minutes

Cool: 2 hours

Oven: 350

2 3/4 cups sifted flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups buttermilk or sour milk (the baking book here says "for each cup of sour milk needed, place 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar in a glass measuring cup, then add enough milk to make 1 cup total liquid. (Increase or decrease measures proportionately to get the amount called for in the recipe.) Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes before using it in your recipe")

2/3 cup chocolate-flavored syrup

1 recipe Semisweet icing (see below)

1. Grease and lightly flour a 10-inch fluted tube pan; set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. Beat butter on low to medium speed with an electric mixer about 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low to medium speed 1 minute after each addition and scraping bowl frequently. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Reserve 2 cups batter. Spread remaining batter in the prepared pan.

3. In a mixing bowl combine chocolate-flavored syrup and reserved batter. Beat on low speed until well combined. Pour chocolate batter over vanilla batter in pan. Do not mix.

4. Bake in a 350 degree oven about 50 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool thoroughly on wire rack. Drizzle cake with Semisweet Icing.

Semisweet Icing: In small saucepan heat 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces, 2 tablespoons butter, and 1 tablespoon light-colored corn syrup over low heat, stirring until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Use immediately.

This recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens: New Baking Book.