Two holiday recipes

COFFEE CAKE:

Ingredients

2 sticks of butter
1 1/2 cup of sugar
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp almond flavouring

topping:
1 cup of light brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup of crushed pecans

yields: 3 cakes in greased and flour tins

bake:  350 for 30 minutes

-sift dry ingredients: sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and flour
-in a separate bowl, cream melted butter & sugar, then add eggs
- next, add sifted dry ingredients and alternate with sour cream
- pour into greased and floured cake tins
- cut 1/2 of topping into cake then sprinkle the remaining half on top

Great served with coffee or milk.  Also a great gift wrapped in saran wrap and tied with a bow.


SUGAR COOKIES:

Ingredients

1/2 cup of butter
3/4 cup of sugar
1 egg or 2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon of cream or milk
1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

yields:  25 - 30 cookies

bake: 375 for 8 minutes

- Mix butter, sugar, vanilla, cream, and eggs.
- Sift remaining dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking powder)
- Stir dry ingredients into buttery mixture
- arrange by teaspoonfuls on a buttered cookie sheet


My mama makes the coffee cakes and banana bread recipes every year, along with the banana bread (recipe in December blog from 2009).  

Please note that the cookies can also be rolled out and cut with your favorite holiday cutter and decorated with sprinkles and icing (I like to use the cookie cutters from my childhood).  There are a few alterations I have made - if you would like to know how to add a few ingredients to make your sugar cookies - chocolate, butterscotch, maple, raisin, spiced, or raisin, I can give the slight changes. 

The coffee cake and sugar cookie recipes are 2 of the ones  I just love from my parents home and the wonderful traditions they created when I was little at Christmas.

Enjoy!



Merry Christmas!