Caramel-y Popcorn--Week #10 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies

Good grief!  Are we seriously already to week 10?  How did this happen?  I gotta get started on making the kids' Christmas presents, I guess!!!!

Anyway, this week's recipe is another tasty fail.  (Like how I fail tastily, so I can still use the recipe, just change what it is a recipe for?)  I was hoping to make popcorn balls without corn syrup, since A) I don't use the stuff often enough that it fits in my X-Treme Food Stamp Challenge lifestyle and B) I question how healthy the stuff is.  I found that my alternate sugary substances didn't give it enough sticky cohesion at the end to hold a ball shape.  It did make for a darn tasty caramel corn though!  You probably could even substitute turbinado or Sucanat for the sugars in this recipe if you try to avoid processed sugar, if those kind of fancy-schmancy sugars fit in your budget.

One more thing to note: when making the coating, if you taste it right after you put everything in, it will taste really molasses-y, but the taste will fade and transform into more of a caramel flavor as it cooks.  I was scared when I was making it, so I figure I should warn you!

Caramely Popcorn

6 tbsp sugar

6 3/4 tsp water

pinch of cream of tartar

2 tbsp molasses

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

1/4 tsp salt

 8 cups plain popped popcorn

Combine sugar, water, and cream of tartar in a large pan or Dutch oven.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Reduce to simmer; cover for 3 minutes.  Uncover and simmer, stirring often until mixture reaches a temperature of 235-245 degrees.  Add molasses, brown sugar, butter, and salt.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in popcorn until well coated.  Spread out coated popcorn onto waxed paper and let cool.

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Let's see what tasty treats are popping on the other blogs in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies this week!

Pumpkin Spice Cake--Week #9 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies

Well, this was supposed to be a cookie recipe.  I'm not sure I understand what happened here.  The recipe I was working off of clearly said "pumpkin spice bar cookies", but what I ended up was definitely more cake-like.  Maybe my eggs were too big.  Maybe it was because I was using homegrown (by my mom) pumpkin instead of canned.  If I cut out an egg or two, it probably would have been denser and more cookie-like, but I didn't have any more pumpkin to make a second batch to try my theory (if someone else tries that, please post here to let me know how that worked out).  Regardless, it still tasted good and I'd be proud to share it at a holiday party.  In fact, I'll be bringing this (minus the parts we ate in the name of evaluating the finished product) to the in-laws' for Thanksgiving today!

Pumpkin Spice Cake

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups pureed pumpkin (I used frozen and thawed homegrown pumpkin)

2 cups white whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 cup raisins

3 oz cream cheese, softened

6 tbsp butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 15 1/2x10 1/2 x1in jelly roll pan.  Beat together eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin.  Blend in flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.  Mix in raisins.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake 30 minutes or until light brown and cool.  Beat together cream cheese and butter.  Gradually add powdered sugar and beat in until creamy and smooth.  Frost cooled cake.  Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

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Triple Layer Cookie Bars--Week #8 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies

I wanted to make 7-layer bars for this week's cookie, because I have a bit of a weakness for them and suspect it will be a loooooooong time before I can go to a coffeehouse and have one as one of my rare ultimate indulgences.  When I started to look over the ingredients to make them to see if I had everything I needed, I discovered some oversized varmints, ie the kids and hubby, had eaten all the graham crackers!  I decided this recipe with its three delicious layers would be close enough to satisfy my craving and just used ingredients that no one had gotten into (probably because I tend to hide certain valuables, like chocolate chips!).

My cell phone camera does NOT do this thing justice!

Triple Layer Cookie Bars

1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup cocoa powder (the baking stuff, not the hot cocoa stuff)

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, cold

2 eggs, beaten

1 7oz pkg flaked cocnut

1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups chocolate chips

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 baking pan.  In a medium mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.  Use a pastry blender to cut in butter, until mixture resembles fine crumbs.  Mix in eggs; you may need to use your hands to get the last bit of powderiness mixed in.  Press dough into the bottom of the baking pan to form a crust.  Bake for 8 minutes.  Spread coconut in an even layer over crust.  Drizzle sweetened condensed milk over the coconut.  Bake an additional 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned.  Melt chocolate chips and peanut butter in a double boiler (or in a saucepan over really, really low heat!), stirring constantly until smooth.  Spread over bars.  Let cool completely before cutting.

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Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies--Week #6 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies

You read that right: Strawberry. Cheesecake. Cookies.

I have discovered the food of the gods!  (You can thank me by clicking that little "donation" button over there-----> and giving me all your worldly wealth.  This recipe is worth it!)

I'll say it again: Strawberry.  Cheesecake.  Cookies.

Tiny, little bites of cheesecake flavor, in a portable, hand-held pick-up-able form.

Strawberry.  Cheesecake.  Cookies.

These definitely should grace your holiday dessert table or are worthy of being given as a gift for your cooking challenged friends and family.

Yum.

Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 oz cream cheese, softened

1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup finely ground whole wheat flour

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

strawberry jam

Cream butter, cream cheese, egg yolk, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt until fluffy.  Gradually beat in powdered sugar and flour.  Chill for 2 hours.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Roll dough into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter.  Roll balls in graham cracker crumbs and place on an ungreased baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.  Use your thumb to make an indentation in each cookie.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Fill each cookie's indentation with a dollop of strawberry jam.  Let cool before removing from baking sheet.

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Here's what others are baking for the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies (I can't believe it is half over already):

Chocolate & Oat Bars--Week 5 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies

These certainly aren't the cheapest cookies I've ever made, but sometimes you want what you want, ya know?  And the more expensive ingredients in these, the chocolate chips, the nuts, sweetened condensed milk, and butter all tend to go on very nice sales around the holidays.  Plus, if you have coupons....well, it could become one of the cheapest cookies, if you play your couponing/sale-searching game right!

I used more chocolate chips in this than nuts, because that is what I had on hand (and I didn't feel like going out to the garage and shelling black walnuts for these cookies and didn't feel like using acorns either), but if you wanted to make these a bit healthier, you could decrease the chocolate chips and increase the nuts.  As long as the total chocolate/nut addition equals about 2 cups, it shouldn't affect the recipe very much (although you would get a more chocolaty or nutty taste, depending on your ratio.  Duh)

Chocolate & Oat Bars

1 cup whole wheat flour (finely ground would work best)

1 cup quick-cooking oats

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk (not to be confused with evaporated milk)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix together flour, oats, sugar, and butter.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the oat mixture and firmly press the rest of the mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 baking pan.  Bake 10 minutes.  Spread sweetened condensed milk over crust.  Sprinkle on the nuts and chocolate chips.  Sprinkle remaining oat mixture and press firmly.  Bake 30 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool.  Cut into bars.

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Here's what everyone else has been baking up this week for the 12 Weeks of Christmas cookies:  

Apple Spice Cookies--Week 4 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies

I have it on good authority (my 4 year old daughter) that Santa would approve of these cookies, even with the whole grains and fruit in them.

I've been trying to make my contributions to the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies a little healthier, with ingredients like fruits, nuts, and whole grains.  My kids and picky husband haven't noticed.  With the overload of flat out junk food during the holidays, I'm trying to make them a teensy bit healthier, so we can relax a little more and enjoy ourselves--not worry as much about the overload of sugary treats we are being constantly tempted with.  I'm not going to guarantee that this is what will be happening for the next 8 weeks, because I give in to temptation sometimes too, but I'm trying....and I hope you enjoy my efforts.

Apple Spice Cookies

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, plain or cinnamon

1 egg

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Beat together brown sugar, butter, applesauce, and egg.  Stir in flour, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and salt.  Mix in raisins.  Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto an ungreased baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.  Bake 10 minutes, or until set.  Let cool before removing from baking sheets.

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Here are this week's other cookie and sweet recipes for the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies:

Chocolate Chip Acorn Bar Cookies--Week 3 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies

I made a very exciting discovery when figuring out this week's cookie recipe.  Acorn flour can actually be used as a straight wheat flour substitute.  This is fantastic!  That means people on gluten-free diets don't have to be slaves to the super high grocery store prices for gluten-free products.  There is an alternative.  It is also fantastic since flour was one of the few things I was still feeling like I'd have to buy from the store until I get some fairly serious land to grow my own, and now that isn't true either.  I probably will still have to buy quite a bit this year, since I found out this miraculous tidbit so late into the acorn season, but next year, gathering acorns will definitely take more of a priority!  Acorn flour does make a denser baked product though, so for flavor/texture preference, I probably won't use anything stronger than a blend of acorn flour and wheat flour for now.  In theory though, you could make these cookies gluten-free by upping the acorn flour (at least some would have to be flour and not meal at that point) to 2 1/2 cups and omitting the whole wheat flour.

(Note:  if you're new here and haven't started gathering acorns for these great recipes, or you live in one of the few-ish places in the world that doesn't have acorn trees, but still want to make these cookies, you should be able to find hazelnut flour at a health food store.  It should give you a fairly similar flavor, I would think.  It is expensive though!)

So how do you make acorn flour?  Once you've made your acorn meal, as described in my previous post on this subject (or one of the many other ways floating around the internet), just grind it again to get a finer, flour-sized product.

Chocolate Chip Acorn Bar Cookies

1 cup butter

3/4 cup honey

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup acorn meal or flour (or combination)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375.  Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.  Remove from heat.  Beat in honey, sugar, and egg.  Stir in flour, acorn meal, baking soda, and salt.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Pour into an ungreased jelly roll pan, 15 1/2 x10 1/2 x 1 inch.  Bake 20 minutes.  Cool before cutting into desired sizes.

Here's what everyone else has been baking this week for the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies:

Banana Peanut Butter Cookies--week #2 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies

 During the holiday season, many people try to limit their sugary treats and flat-out junk food.  Personally, I don't even bother any more than I usually do, but, for those that do, here is a relatively guilt free cookie, containing fruit, not a lot of refined sugar, and whole wheat flour.  You'd never know how healthy(ish) it is to taste it though!  Surprise, surprise: it just tastes like a (banana-y) cookie!

Banana Peanut Butter Cookies

3/4 cup mashed overripe bananas (about 2 bananas)

6 tbsp honey (1/2 cup sugar if you have something against honey)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat together banana, honey, brown sugar, and peanut butter.  Mix in remaining ingredients.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake 10-15 minutes or until set.  Let cool before removing from baking sheet.

Here's what everyone else is baking this week for the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies:

Lemon Squares--Week #1 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies

You read that right--12weeks of Christmas cookies.  This is an annual blog hop tradition, I believe to now be in its second year.  Last year, of course I didn't participate, since I didn't have a blog yet, but this year, it sounded like a ton of fun (and tasty!)!  Every Thursday, all participating bloggers are supposed to post a new cookie or other holiday treat recipe.  I then post this cute little icon to show it is part of the blog hop and to linky up at the bottom of the post so you can see what other goodies people have posted:

For the first week of this event, I decided to bake up some lemon squares.  I've been wanting some anyway, since they've been mentioned a couple times in the silly novel I'm currently reading (How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper, in case you were wondering what I'm reading.  They also mention chess squares in there quite a bit, which is apparently some sort of southern treat, but I don't know what they are really so reading about them didn't make me crave them.  Lemon squares I'm very familiar with!).

Lemon Squares

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

powdered sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix flour, butter, and powdered sugar in a small bowl.  Press into an ungreased 8x8 or 9x9 pan.  Build up 1/2 inch edges on the sides.  Bake 20 minutes.  Beat remaining ingredients until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Pour onto hot crust.  Bake about 25 minutes or until no indentation remains when touched lightly on the center.  Cool completely & sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Cut into 1 1/2 squares.

Here's what everyone else is baking for the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies:

LAST Homestead Happenings Linky of 2011--What's going on at YOUR place?

I've been keeping people informed with what's going on at the Trailer Park Homestead since it was first created and people always tell me how inspiring it is to see what I'm doing.  I figure if others share what they are doing on their homestead or garden, that should crank the inspiration up another notch or two.  Hence this linky.

This is the last linky of 2011.  If there is enough interest, I may choose to resume the feature in the spring.

Homestead Happenings linky guidelines:

1. Please provide a link back to this post in your post. Or if you're like me and don't care to add links into the post, grab either my main button from my sidebar or the Homestead Happenings button below (or both if you want! I won't stop you!) and stick it in your sidebar to show you were here.

2. Please link to a specific post in your blog, not your blog’s home page.

3. If you link a recipe, please use real foods that mostly can be actually grown or made on a homestaed and avoid highly processed ingredients.

4. I reserve the right to remove any posts that I deem inappropriate.

5. If you don’t have a blog, please leave a comment to share what what's been happening on your homestead or in your garden this week.

<a href="http://adventuresofathriftymama.blogspot.com/p/button.html" target="_blank" title="Adventures of a Thrifty Mama"> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLMfVqNr8AN-YcAwiAB3r7dPzFIpQgCC1Tj0w-Y8LJKL2YJK2CbUJ68gqKUIVdT6ngliZJiSRJr6PUMiVxiEoMmuzsXrAdOOPwhFTOR1oQ7r2NNevF8OOV8YWdfu7Q92ZUqM5YTn8524I/s1600/Homestead+happenings+button.jpg" alt="Alternative Name" /></a>

Homestead Happenings Linky--What's going on at YOUR place?

I've been keeping people informed with what's going on at the Trailer Park Homestead since it was first created and people always tell me how inspiring it is to see what I'm doing.  I figure if others share what they are doing on their homestead or garden, that should crank the inspiration up another notch or two.  Hence this linky.

Homestead Happenings linky guidelines:

1. Please provide a link back to this post in your post. Or if you're like me and don't care to add links into the post, grab either my main button from my sidebar or the Homestead Happenings button below (or both if you want! I won't stop you!) and stick it in your sidebar to show you were here.

2. Please link to a specific post in your blog, not your blog’s home page.

3. If you link a recipe, please use real foods that mostly can be actually grown or made on a homestaed and avoid highly processed ingredients.

4. I reserve the right to remove any posts that I deem inappropriate.

5. If you don’t have a blog, please leave a comment to share what what's been happening on your homestead or in your garden this week.

<a href="http://adventuresofathriftymama.blogspot.com/p/button.html" target="_blank" title="Adventures of a Thrifty Mama"> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLMfVqNr8AN-YcAwiAB3r7dPzFIpQgCC1Tj0w-Y8LJKL2YJK2CbUJ68gqKUIVdT6ngliZJiSRJr6PUMiVxiEoMmuzsXrAdOOPwhFTOR1oQ7r2NNevF8OOV8YWdfu7Q92ZUqM5YTn8524I/s1600/Homestead+happenings+button.jpg" alt="Alternative Name" /></a>

Homestead Happenings--What's going on at YOUR place?

I've been keeping people informed with what's going on at the Trailer Park Homestead since it was first created and people always tell me how inspiring it is to see what I'm doing.  I figure if others share what they are doing on their homestead or garden, that should crank the inspiration up another notch or two.  Hence this linky.

Homestead Happenings linky guidelines:

1. Please provide a link back to this post in your post. Or if you're like me and don't care to add links into the post, grab either my main button from my sidebar or the Homestead Happenings button below (or both if you want! I won't stop you!) and stick it in your sidebar to show you were here.

2. Please link to a specific post in your blog, not your blog’s home page.

3. If you link a recipe, please use real foods that mostly can be actually grown or made on a homestaed and avoid highly processed ingredients.

4. I reserve the right to remove any posts that I deem inappropriate.

5. If you don’t have a blog, please leave a comment to share what what's been happening on your homestead or in your garden this week.

<a href="http://adventuresofathriftymama.blogspot.com/p/button.html" target="_blank" title="Adventures of a Thrifty Mama"> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLMfVqNr8AN-YcAwiAB3r7dPzFIpQgCC1Tj0w-Y8LJKL2YJK2CbUJ68gqKUIVdT6ngliZJiSRJr6PUMiVxiEoMmuzsXrAdOOPwhFTOR1oQ7r2NNevF8OOV8YWdfu7Q92ZUqM5YTn8524I/s1600/Homestead+happenings+button.jpg" alt="Alternative Name" /></a>

Homestead Happenings Linky--What's going on at YOUR place?

I've been keeping people informed with what's going on at the Trailer Park Homestead since it was first created and people always tell me how inspiring it is to see what I'm doing.  I figure if others share what they are doing on their homestead or garden, that should crank the inspiration up another notch or two.  Hence this linky.

Homestead Happenings linky guidelines:

1. Please provide a link back to this post in your post. Or if you're like me and don't care to add links into the post, grab either my main button from my sidebar or the Homestead Happenings button below (or both if you want! I won't stop you!) and stick it in your sidebar to show you were here.

2. Please link to a specific post in your blog, not your blog’s home page.

3. If you link a recipe, please use real foods that mostly can be actually grown or made on a homestaed and avoid highly processed ingredients.

4. I reserve the right to remove any posts that I deem inappropriate.

5. If you don’t have a blog, please leave a comment to share what what's been happening on your homestead or in your garden this week.

<a href="http://adventuresofathriftymama.blogspot.com/p/button.html" target="_blank" title="Adventures of a Thrifty Mama"> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLMfVqNr8AN-YcAwiAB3r7dPzFIpQgCC1Tj0w-Y8LJKL2YJK2CbUJ68gqKUIVdT6ngliZJiSRJr6PUMiVxiEoMmuzsXrAdOOPwhFTOR1oQ7r2NNevF8OOV8YWdfu7Q92ZUqM5YTn8524I/s1600/Homestead+happenings+button.jpg" alt="Alternative Name" /></a>

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1. Images from around our little farm.

2. Whats Grown in the City

3. Fragmentary Green

4. Homesteading in a small town

5. pressure canning spaghetti sauce w/ hamburger

6. Home Canned Salsa

7. Growing your own wheat for baking

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