Peppermint Chocolate Slice and Bake Cookies

Source: Becca

Serves: About 6 Dozen

Ingredients: 

• 1 large egg
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 4 candy canes

Directions:  

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°.
2. Mix eggs and vanilla in a small bowl. Beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer. Beat until smooth. Add egg mixture and blend until incorporated. Add the flours and blend on low until a dough is formed.
3. Divide the dough in half. Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and put half of the dough on it. Using a floured hand, shape the dough into a 9" long roll. Cover with the wax paper and chill for a minimum of 45 minutes (the longer the better), or until dough is firm. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
4. Slice dough into 1/4" thick pieces. Bake for approximately 14 minutes. Cool on a rack.
5. Melt the chocolate chips. Crush the candy canes by placing in a Ziploc bag and lightly hitting with a rolling pin. Spread the melted chocolate over the top of the cookie and sprinkle a small amount of crushed peppermint on top.

**I really liked these cookies, but the cookie part was a little bland. Next time I'll try adding some kind of artificial flavoring. The combination of  melted chocolate and peppermint is delicious though!

Cherry Tea Cakes

Source: Robin

Serves: About 5 Dozen

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons maraschino cherry liquid
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 4 drops red food coloring
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup drained maraschino cherries, chopped
• 1/2 cup white vanilla baking chips (I omitted)

Directions:  

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°.
2. In a large bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter, cherry liquid, almond extract and food coloring on medium speed until blended. On low speed, beat in flour and salt. Stir in cherries.
3. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. On a cookie sheet, place balls 2 inches apart.
4. Bake 8-10 minutes until edges are light golden brown. Remove from cookie sheets, and put on a cooling rack for 20-30 minutes.
5. Place baking chips in a 1 quart freezer bag. Microwave on high for 35-50 seconds, squeezing chips in bag every 15 seconds, until chips are melted and smooth. Cut a small tip from bottom corner of bag and drizzle over cookies.

Ribbon Salad

Picture from Robin

Source: Robin

Ingredients: 

• 1 box cherry (or other red colored) jello
• 1 box lime (or other green colored) jello
• 16 oz container sour cream
• 4 cups vanilla frozen yogurt
• 4 cups water

Directions:  

1. In large bowls, prepare jello (add two cups of boiling water to each bowl and stir until completely dissolved).
2. Add two cups of frozen yogurt to each bowl and mix until smooth.
3. Pour half of the green jello into a 9x13 glass pan. Place in refrigerator for 30-40 (or more) minutes, or until completely set. Spread a thin layer of sour cream across the entire pan. Pour half of the red jello on top and put in refrigerator for 30-40 minutes, or until set. Repeat with the rest of the jello.

**I omitted the sour cream when I made this and it was a disaster. When I would pour the next layer of jello it would ruin the previous layer. There wasn't anything to keep all of the layers together. A good dairy-free substitution would be dairy-free whipped cream or frosting. It tasted really good, but just wasn't very presentable :)