Cajun Holiday Treats + Pralines 101

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is baking special cookies and treats. In fact, when my kids were little, I let them throw a Christmas party, every year and invite the whole neighborhood. These adorable gingerbread men were their favorite cookies to make and eat at the party. And they are still mine! If you have little ones around your house, they will delight in helping to decorate them. They are very delicious, easy to make, and fun to decorate. Enjoy!

Gingerbread Men 
3/4 cup light or dark molasses

1 1/2 sticks butter

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3 2/3 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp.'s ground ginger

2 tsp.'s ground cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 egg

Decorator icing /or candies

In 3 qt. saucepan, over medium heat, heat the molasses, butter, and brown sugar, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, set aside and let cool. In large bowl, combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and nutmeg. Blend egg into molasses mixture. Stir molasses mixture into the flour mixture with a large spoon,  and beat until smooth. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with 5x3 inch gingerbread man cookie cutter. Transfer with spatula to a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool. Decorate with holiday cookie icing, (recipe below), or use a store bought icing.

Holiday Cookie Icing

2/3 cup unsalted butter

2 (2/3) cups confectioner's sugar

2 to 3 tbs.'s milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Food coloring, (red, green, and white)

Beat butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla, with an electric mixer, until smooth. If icing is too thick, add a little more milk. Divide icing into several small bowls.  Add a few drops of each color to each bowl. Stir well. Decorate as desired. I used a zip loc bag with a tiny cut on the corner to pipe the icing.

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This next recipe is the best "no fail" sugar cookie recipe that I have ever tried. It was given to me by one of my oldest and dearest friends, back in the child rearing days. She and I made about a hundred, dozen of these every year! Those were the days when we would bake cookies, not only for the kids, but for their teachers, the church, the mailman, the neighbors, the relatives, and friends. They are scrumptious, make wonderful gifts, and freeze well.

 Joyeaux Noel Sugar Cookies

 1/2 lb. butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 tsp.'s vanilla extract

1 tsp. almond extract

Cream all of the above, by hand or mixer, until smooth.

1/2 tsp. salt

4 tsp.'s baking powder

4 cups flour

Mix all of the above and then add to butter mixture.

Add 1/4 cup milk and mix again. Chill.

Cut out with assorted holiday cookie cutters and bake @ 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

Serve plain, dusted with powdered sugar, or decorate with holiday cookie icing and sprinkles.

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And last, but not least are my absolute favorite, Pecan Pralines. (Puh-kawn - Praw-leens) A Southern favorite, these melt in your mouth treats are absolutely heavenly! So creamy and crunchy and easy to make. Here is a simple video explaining how to make them. To see more recipes for pralines, click here. Bon appetit!

Wishing you all a warm and lovely weekend! Merci beaucoup for stopping by!