1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
sugar
11/2 cups all-purpose flour
11/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins -- chopped
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Grease large cookie sheet.
In cup, with fork, mix cinnamon and 1 tablespoon sugar;
set aside.
In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 cup
sugar. With pastry blender or two knives used scissor-fashion,
cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in
dried cranberries, sour cream, orange juice, and orange peel just until ingredients are blended.
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; with floured
rolling pin, lightly roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness.
Cut out scones with 3-inch star-shape cookie cutter.
With pancake turner, place scones
2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
Press trimmings together;
roll and cut as above.
Sprinkle scones with cinnamon mixture.
Bake scones 10 to 12 minutes until golden.
Serve scones warm.
Or cool scones on wire rack; wrap in single layer with foil.
Just before serving, reheat if desired.
From Cookery Service Notes
for November 1943, in London
These were published by the Margarine Cookery Service,
to help solve your war-time cookery problems.
At this - our fifth wartime Christmas - we shall not be able
to give our families all the good things which we associate
with the 25th December, but if we have saved up our
little stocks of dried fruit, it is surprising how many
party dishes we shall be able to make.
In this leaflet we are giving several Christmas Pudding and Cake recipes, Mincemeat, and some biscuit and other pudding recipes too. Some of the recipes include our home-grown nuts. Not all of you will be able to obtain them, but if you have your own trees or live in districts where they grow, use them to help with your Christmas cooking. They give a lovely flavour and make your dried fruit go further. For those unable to get the nuts, an alternative recipe is given in every instance.
Note 1. Home-grown cob or hazel nuts need not be peeled. Walnut skin is sometimes bitter, and the nuts are nicer if it
is removed. Pour boiling water over the walnuts, leave them
in the water for a few minutes, then remove the skin.
To use the nuts for cooking, if you do not possess a nut mill (they are now unobtainable),
chop them finely with a sharp knife.
You will find the best way is to slice them first,
then proceed with the chopping in the same way
as mint is chopped.
Note 2. In all the recipes, if you cannot use the dried fruit stated, use an equal weight of another kind.
Note 3. A little ale or brandy can be added to the Christmas Puddings if these are liked or available,
but they are not essential.
Be careful not to make the mixture too wet.
Note 4. Do not make the Christmas puddings
before December 1st.
Christmas Pudding
(including Breadcrumbs, and Nuts, if vailable)
1/4 lb self-raising flour
1/4 lb margarine
2 ozs breadcrumbs
2 ozs chopped nuts (if available)
1/4 lb sugar
1/4 lb raisins
2ozs sultanas
2 ozs currants or prunes
1 level tsp mixed spice
2 tbsp dried egg
rind of orange, if available
pinch of salt
milk to mix
Clean all the dried fruit. Chop the nuts finely. Sieve the flour,
dried egg and salt into a basin. Add the dried fruit, nuts,
breadcrumbs, sugar, spice and grated orange rind and mix all
together. Melt the margarine and pour over the dry ingredients and stir well. Add a very little milk so that the mixture is moist all through but quite stiff. Give a final stir, and pour into a well-greased basin. Cover with greaseproof paper and a pudding cloth, and steam for 2 hours. When the pudding is cools, remove pudding cloth and greaseproof,
and re-cover with clean dry greaseproof and another
pudding cloth: this helps the pudding to keep well.
Store in a dry place.
Before serving, steam again for 2 hours.
Makes one pudding sufficient for 8 persons.
Christmas Cake
8 ozs self-raising flour
3 ozs margarine
3 ozs sugar
8 ozs mixed fruit (sultanas, currants, raisins or prunes)
2 tbsps dried egg
1/2 level tsp mixed spice
10 tbsps milk to mix
pinch of salt
Sieve flour, dried egg, spice and salt into a basin. Clean the
currants and sultanas, and stone and chop the raisins or prunes.
(Prunes should be soaked in cold water overnight).
Cream the margerine and sugar together, and beat well.
Add a little milk and sieved flour mixture alternately,
a little at a time of each, until all the
10 tablespoonsful milk and flour have been beaten in.
Add the dried fruit, and give the mixture a final stir. Line a cake tin with greaseproof paper and brush over with
melted margarine, and pour in the mixture.
Bake 1 hour in a moderate oven (Regulo Mark 4),
then 1 1/2 hours in a very slow oven (Regulo Mark 1).
This bread is a big hit with children.
Give gumdrop bread with a bright holiday tray
or a puzzle for the whole family to enjoy.
2½ cups (250g) flour
1¼ cups (295ml) buttermilk
½ cup (100g) sugar
½ cup (100g) brown sugar, packed
¼ cup shortening
2 large eggs
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup gumdrops, cut in half
½ cup nuts, chopped, optional
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Grease the bottom only of a 9"x5"x3"
(23x13x7cm) loaf pan.
2. In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt,
and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In a separate mixing bowl combine shortening, sugar,
and brown sugar and beat till fluffy.
Add buttermilk and combine well.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth.
Add vanilla and mix thoroughly.
4. Add half of the dry ingredients and combine well.
Add the rest of dry ingredients and mix
until smooth and creamy.
5. Add gumdrops and nuts (if desired)
and mix by hand until well combined.
Spoon into loaf pan and
bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until done.
6. Cool completely on a wire rack and turn out
and wrap in plastic wrap.
For best results store 24 hours before slicing.
4 cups milk
3 oz chocolate,chopped
4 peppermint candies, crushed
4 small candy canes
Whipped cream
1. In a saucepan bring the milk to a simmer.
2. Add the chocolate and the crushed peppermint candies
and whisk until smooth.
3. Garnish with whipped cream and serve with a
candy cane stirring stick.
2 teaspoons chocolate syrup
1/3 teaspoon nutmeg
Hot coffee
Cinnamon stick
Place 2 teaspoons chocolate syrup and
1/3 teaspoon nutmeg into each serving cup.
Fill cup with hot strong coffee.
Top with whipped cream;
stir with cinnamon stick.
12 oz white chocolate, coarsely chopped
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c coarsely chopped peppermint candies
Butter 8" square baking pan; line bottom and sides with foil allowing foil to extend over sides of pan by about 1".
Butter foil.
Over medium-high heat in top of double-boiler or
heatproof bowl set over pot of hot water,
combine white chocolate and condensed milk.
Cook,stirring frequently,until melted and smooth,5 minutes. Pour mixture into pan; sprinkle candy over top.
Using knife lightly swirl candy into chocolate mixture. Refrigerate until firm, about 6 hours or overnight.
Cut into 1" squares, diamond shapes or rectangles.
Store in refrigerator.
Makes 64 pieces.
Spaetzle
Spaetzle is a simple dish served in many German homes at
Christmas time. This dough is often rolled into tiny
dumplings or pushed through a colander with large holes to
form noodles, then boiled and tossed with butter or used in
soups. Spaetzle is like pasta in its versatility, but it
should be like gnocchi in its lightness and texture.
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of grated nutmeg
1/4 cup plain or seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup butter
In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs.
Gradually add the flour, water, salt, baking powder,
and nutmeg mixing until well blended.
Form the dough into small dumplings or noodles.
In a large stockpot, bring 2 quarts of water to a
boil, and drop the dumplings into the water
and cook for about 4 or 5 minutes.
Toss the noodles in a large bowl with
some butter and serve.
