On The Third Day of Christmas

On The Third Day of Christmas
my true love sent to me
Three French Hens,
and the Best Ever Rum Balls Recipe

Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons

Makes 25-30 cookies

14 ounce bag of sweetened, shredded coconut
2/3 cup sugar
6 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 egg whites
1 tsp pure almond extract

6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, place coconut, sugar, flour, and salt. Mix by hand until well blended.

In a small bowl, combine egg whites and almond extract. Stir the egg-almond mixture into the coconut mixture until it becomes thick and sticky.

To form cookies, use a tablespoon (coated with cooking spray) to scoop up the cookie mixture and round it out with the palm of your hand. Slide the cookie off the spoon on to the parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake at 325 degrees F. for 20-25 minutes, until the tops become light golden brown. They should be crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. Remove from tray and let them cool on a rack for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate by placing 6 ounces of chocolate double boiler. If you don't have a double-boiler, then fill a small, deep pan with water and bring to a low boil. Place a glass Pyrex bowl over the simmering water, but not touching the water. Add the chips to the bowl.

As soon as the chocolate begins to melt, remove the pan from the heat and stir the chocolate with a spoon until it becomes smooth and silky. Note: If the heat is too high or you leave the chocolate on the heat too long, it will become thick

Dip one half of the cookie in the melted chocolate, letting excess drip back into the bowl. Place on a rack and allow to cool completely before serving.

Kourambiedes (Greek Shortcake)

makes about 4 dozen

1 lb. (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 shot ouzo, brandy, or cognac
3 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
2/3 cup roasted and crushed almonds
additional confectioners sugar, for rolling

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Beat the butter until very creamy, a good 10-15 minutes. Add the sugar and cream together. Beat in the egg yolks, one a a time, until well incorporated and finally, mix in the vanilla and the ouzo.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture slowly, until incorporated and a relatively stiff dough forms. Add more flour, if necessary. Knead in the almonds, and knead the dough 5 or 6 times.

Using tablespoon sized portions, roll the dough into crescents or rounds; crescents, rounds and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for about 24 minutes.. Cookies should be slightly browned, but not too dark.

Let the cookies cool for ten minutes or so before rolling in powdered sugar.

Christmas Wreath Cookies

⅓ cup unsalted butter
1 package marshmallows (10 oz; 40 marshmallows)
1 tsp green food coloring
6 cups corn flakes
red hot candies

In saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir to melt. Remove from heat, stir in food coloring. Stir in corn flakes to coat. Butter fingers, scoop 1/4 cup worth of the green flakes and shape into wreath and dot with red hots/cinnamon candies.

Makes approximately 16 small wreaths.