CRUNCHY COCONUT BARS

This recipe is from a little old lady in Ohio, a friend of my mother. It dates back many years. These rich bars are easy to make, even though they have three layers.

Bottom layer
   ½ cup butter, softened
   ½ cup brown sugar
   1 cup flour
Mix all ingredients together until mixture is crumbly. Press into a 9 x 13-inch pan and bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool slightly.

Second layer
   2 eggs
   1 cup brown sugar
   2 tablespoons flour
   ½ teaspoon baking powder
   ¼ teaspoon salt
   1 teaspoon vanilla
   1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
   1 cup shredded coconut
In medium bowl, beat eggs. Add brown sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and vanilla; mix well. Fold in nuts and coconut. Spread mixture over first layer. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool thoroughly.

Third layer (frosting)
   1 cup powdered sugar
   1 teaspoon butter
   1 tablespoon orange juice
   1 teaspoon lemon juice
Combine all ingredients; mix well. Frost cooled bar mixture and cut into bars or diamond shapes.

—Marty Green
Old Littleton Road

CHRISTMAS WASSAIL

6 sticks whole cinnamon
16 whole cloves, plus more for studding oranges
3 oranges
6 cups apple cider
2 cups cranberry juice
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon aromatic bitters
1 cup (or more) of rum
1 teaspoon whole allspice

Combine cinnamon sticks, 16 cloves and allspice in cheesecloth and secure with string. Press whole cloves into oranges, making two or three criss-cross patterns. In a large pot combine cider, juice, sugar, bitters, clove-studded oranges, bag of spices. Simmer for about 10 minutes; remove spice bag. When ready to serve, add rum.

—Lynda King
Bolton

CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING

Note to chocolate-lovers: Serve the pudding warm and top it with hot fudge sauce, purchased or homemade, and a dollop of whipped cream.

2 cups stale bread squares, crusts removed (firmly packed)
1 quart scalded whole milk
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (Ghiardelli baking bar preferred, but Hershey’s or Bakers is OK, too)
1½ cups sugar
¼ cup melted butter, unsalted preferred, but salted will do 
2 eggs, slightly beaten
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325°. Generously butter an oven-proof bowl or casserole.

In a saucepan, on low-medium heat, combine the unsweetened chocolate (in little pieces), butter, sugar, and milk. Stir frequently so you don’t burn the chocolate. Continue cooking until milk is scalded and chocolate is blended in. Remove from heat. Soak bread squares in the milk until cool, stirring occasionally. Add beaten eggs, salt, and vanilla. Mix well.

Bake in the buttered casserole for 1¼ hours. The pudding will be puffy when first removed from the oven and will fall a bit as it cools.

Serve warm or cold, with whipped cream or spiced whipped cream. To make spiced whipped cream, simply whip a quart of heavy cream with ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg. I prefer to serve the pudding warm—it re-heats nicely, too.

—Valerie Hurley
Candleberry Lane

DRIED CRANBERRY AND WHITE CHOCOLATE BISCOTTI

(Adapted from Bon Appétit, December ’98)

These are great anytime, but for the holidays, sprinkle the white chocolate with colored sugar or other seasonal decorations.

2½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1½ cups sugar
½ cup unsalted butter
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon almond extract
1½ cups dried cranberries
1 egg white
6 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, eggs, and extract in a large bowl until well blended. Mix in flour mixture, then cranberries.

Divide dough in half and, using floured hands, shape each piece into a log 2½ inches wide, 9½ inches long, and 1 inch high. Transfer both logs to baking sheet, spacing evenly. Whisk egg white in small bowl until foamy and brush egg white glaze on top and sides of each log.

Bake logs until golden brown (logs will spread), about 35 minutes. Cool completely on sheet on rack. Maintain oven temperature. Transfer logs to work surface and, using serrated knife, cut on diagonal into ½-inch-wide slices. Arrange slices, cut side down, on same sheet. Bake 10 minutes; turn biscotti over. Bake until just beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Transfer biscotti to rack.

Stir white chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water until smooth. Remove from over water. Using fork, drizzle chocolate over biscotti or spread on one cut side with knife. Let stand until chocolate sets, about 30 minutes. Makes about 28. Can be made one week ahead. Freeze in an airtight container. Thaw at room temperature.

—Barbara Kemp
Blanchard Road

PECAN TORTE WITH TANGERINE CREAM FILLING

A torte is a cake made with eggs, little or no flour, and ground nuts.

2½ cups broken pecans, toasted
3 tablespoons flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
¼ cup butter
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon finely shredded tangerine or orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pecans on a cookie sheet and toast until brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Coarsely grind toasted pecans in a food processor. Pour pecans into a mixing bowl and combine with flour and baking powder. Mix together eggs and sugar in the food processor until smooth. Add nuts and process until smooth. Spread mixture in two greased and floured 8 x ½-inch round cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until tops are light brown and spring back when lightly touched. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes.

Tangerine filling:
In a small bowl beat cream cheese and butter at medium-high speed until fluffy. Gradually add brown sugar and beat for 3 to 4 minutes until smooth. Stir in vanilla and tangerine or orange peel.

Whipped cream frosting:
1½ cups whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
¾ teaspoon finely shredded tangerine or orange peel
In a chilled bowl combine whipping cream, sugar, and shredded peel. Beat at medium speed until soft peaks form.

Assembling the cake
Using a serrated knife, cut the two cake layers in half to form four rounds. Place one layer cut side up on a platter. Spread ⅓ of the tangerine filling on the layer. Place the second layer on top of the filling, and repeat, using all four layers. Spread whipped cream frosting on tops and side of cake. Sprinkle with chopped pecans if desired.

—Eileen Maher Kronauer
Old Littleton Road

DECORATED SUGAR COOKIES

This is my all-time favorite butter cookie recipe. It rolls out perfectly and is delicious.

1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling

Sift together baking powder and flour. Cream butter and sugar until light (3 minutes), scraping bowl as necessary. Beat in egg and vanilla until well combined.Add flour mixture, 1 cup at a time; mix thoroughly after each addition. (Dough will be stiff.)

Gather dough into ball. Press into disk shape. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove dough from refrigerator and allow to soften until just rollable. On floured surface, roll to a thickness of ⅛ inch. Lift repeatedly as you roll, to make sure dough is not sticking. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters dipped in flour. Refrigerate on cookie sheet until firm. Poke 4 holes in each with toothpick to prevent bubbles during baking. Bake until edges of cookies are golden and cookies feel “firmish.” The tops should be pale, not brown. Let cool completely before decorating with royal icing.

Royal icing:
¼ cup pasteurized egg whites (found in cartons in dairy section of grocery store)
1 pound confectioners sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon water
Combine ingredients in large bowl and mix on low speed for 10 minutes; scrape bowl periodically. Icing can be thinned by adding more water, thickened with more sugar. Beat additional 3 minutes if adding more ingredients. To check for best consistency, drop a spoonful onto the remaining icing. It should take 5 seconds to disappear completely. Keep covered with plastic wrap at all times.

—Abbe Alpert, Gingersnap Bakery
Jacob Gates Road

BOB BROWNING'S EGGNOG

This recipe is rumored to have contributed to Bob’s impressive longevity (96 years).

6 eggs, separated
1 pint whipping cream
1 quart blended whiskey (e.g., Canadian Club)
1½ quarts milk
2 cups sugar
Grated nutmeg

Beat egg yolks into milk in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar and mix until dissolved. Add whiskey and mix well. In a separate bowl beat egg whites and fold in. Whip cream and fold in. Sprinkle with grated nutmeg. Refrigerate or store outside in a snowbank.

—Lucy Wallace
Orchard Hill
(Bob Browning’s daughter)

[Editor’s note: Is this how Lucy has survived 12 years on Harvard’s Board of Selectmen?]