COOKIE & TART RECIPE FOR JANUARY: WALNUT BUTTER BALLS AND WALNUT BUTTER TARTS

Here are 2 great and simple recipes for the winter months, perfect for tea time or morning coffee, you may use pecans or chopped walnuts or any chopped raw nut on hand.


WALNUT BUTTER BALLS (this can be made Vegan by substituting Vegan Margarine for the butter)
Very similar to a Mexican Wedding Cakes

Makes 24 +

1 cup room temp butter
2 cups all purpose ( or 50:50 all purpose  and whole wheat)
1tbsp vanilla extract*
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups chopped raw nuts

Powdered sugar to roll the cookie in once baked


Method: Preheat oven 350F  and use ungreased cookie sheets
 
Beat the butter until light and fluffy, then beat in the sugar and vanilla extract.
Gradually add the flour and salt, mix very well.
Stir in the the chopped nuts and mix very well.
Roll into balls the size of walnuts.
Bake for 15-18 mins be very careful they burn easily, they just have to be light golden. 
Cool slightly on cookie sheet then when able to handle them, roll in powdered sugar.

Store in air tight tin/container

* if using chopped almonds add almond extract

If using 50:50 flour mix, add 2tbsp milk

RICH WALNUT BUTTER TARTS ..makes 24 small tarts or 12 larger

bake in tart tins or 1 3/4 inch muffin cups

3ozs cream cheese at room temp
1/2 cup butter also at room temp.
1 cup flour ( may use 50:50) 
Blend cream cheese and butter well.
Mix in the flour, wrap in waxed paper and chill for 1 hour.

After chilling, roll into 24 small balls, place in bottom of muffin cups and press well into  bottom and side of cup ( this is too difficult to roll as it is very tender).

When all are filled, set aside and proceed with the filling,


PREHEAT OVEN 325F
1 large egg
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1tbsp soft butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
 pinch of sea salt
2/3 cup broken raw nuts 

Beat the egg, sugar, butter, salt and vanilla well to  combine well.
Then place half the nuts in the lined muffin cups/tart pans.
Add the egg mix and top with remaining chopped nuts
Bake in oven FOR 25 MINS.
Remove from oven and cool in pans, then very carefully remove from pans and serve.

This recipe can make a large tart, in this case roll the pastry out between sheets of wax paper, dusted with  powdered sugar,  as it is very tender.
Bake for longer until filling is firm to touch.

These are perfect finished with either a bitter chocolate sauce or a rum-butter sauce

QUICK AND EASY IDEAS FOR WINTER HOLIDAY DESSERTS

Now is the time to pack some of your dried fruit in hard liquor for the Winter Holidays.

It has long been a custom in Western Europe, to soak dried fruit and this way, it is low sugar and has many uses.

For 1 pound dried fruit:

Wash in warm water and then allow to drain.
If the fruit is large ( apricots, pitted dates or prunes, then snip into bite sized pieces with kitchen scissors).
Pack into a clean jelly/jam jar and top with hard liquor (Rum, Whisky, Brandy, Bourbon), tightly cap and shake to remove any trapped air pockets.

Store in a cool place and shake the jar on a daily basis.

After 2 weeks ( minimum) serve with ice cream , top fruit cakes or fruited steamed puddings,  bake in a pie with apples, use in any cookie recipe that requires dried fruit,..OR

Heat  the fruit and liquor in a clean skillet, then, when it is hot enough set alight then serve immediately in either  the skillet or a hot chaffing dish.
The idea is that people try to pick up the lighted fruit before the flames go out and without burning themselves..a Victorian Children game called "Snapdragons".


Hints and Variations:
There is no need to add any sugar but you may add liquid honey after 2 weeks.
Add any raw nuts to the fruit mix
You may use any combination of fruit, just don't mix the hard liquors.
This is a wonderful way for prunes, as they become very rich and deep flavored.