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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Christmas: A Picture and a Recipe (and Green & Red Socks)

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (1483–1520), Detail of Angel c 1499-1502

Let's call them Christmas Socks.  The pattern is L.Linneman's, free on Ravelry and found at this site.  The technique used is called "afterthought heel" in that the sock is knit as a tube, and then the heel is put in after the tube has been completed.  A YouTube video found here helps in learning how to knit the afterthought heel.



And on another note:
Christmas cookie baking this year in the Kinsey-McCarroll household has been a bit spare. One batch turned out acceptably.  That term is used loosely.  They were acceptable in that eating just one cookie would fill your tummy for the entire morning...a little too loaded with every dried fruit in the cupboard, with chocolate to boot.  So next on the baking agenda are some lighter, fluffier cookies.

My friend Natalie liked these little jewels, so I tracked down the recipe, courtesy of King Arthur Flour.


Soft and Chewy Vanilla-Orange Cranberry Cookies
These cookies remain beautifully soft for days, and their flavor is outstanding: bold orange and cranberry, complemented by a hint of aromatic vanilla.
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter
3/4 cup sugar
grated peel of 1 medium to large orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups Flour
2 cups dried cranberries; or a mixture of dried cranberries and toasted chopped walnuts or pecans

read more for how-to's:

1) Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line them with parchment.
2) In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, orange peel, vanilla, baking powder, and salt.
3) Beat in the egg. The mixture may look slightly curdled; that's OK.
4) Add the flour and dried cranberries (or cranberries and nuts), stirring until well combined.
5) Drop the dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about 1 1/2" between them. A level teaspoon cookie scoop works very well here; dough balls will be about 1 1/4" in diameter. Using the flat bottom of a glass dipped in sugar, flatten the cookies slightly, to a scant 1/2" thick.
6) Bake the cookies for 6 to 7 minutes, until they're barely set, and a light golden brown around the edges. Don't over-bake; if you do, the cookies will be hard, not soft and chewy. Gently lift one of the cookies and look at the bottom; if you've used parchment, it shouldn't be brown. If you're baking on a dark cookie sheet without parchment, it should be light (not dark) brown.
7) Remove the cookies from the oven, and cool them right on the pan. If you need a pan to bake the remainder of the cookies, give the cookies about 5 minutes to set before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

Yield: about 4 dozen cookies.

5 comments:

  1. The painting you posted is beautiful. I learn so much about art when I visit your blog. Blog art appreciation is what I call it. Always a pleasure.

    I started using King Arthur Flour a few months ago and happy to see your cookie recipe. I`ve been looking for something different. Can`t wait to try it.

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  2. Yummilicious cookies! I love those socks and have a favorite pair that I love LIKE those:) Have a blessed day my friend, HUGS!

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  3. Those socks are splendid! I'll have to try that heel construction one of these days. I'm gonna check out the YouTube video.
    Your cookies turned out yummy-looking.

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  4. Enjoyed looking through your blog, Nancy, and am anxious to try this recipe. BTW, I've overwintered plants a lot in our garage, and somewhere got the suggestion to water them on the holidays. It's easy to remember and works out to be about once a month.....

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  5. Yumm...I love cranberries, and the recipe looks delicious. I will try to make some cranberry oat bars in a few days. Will let you know how they fare. And, a beautiful painting. Love the socks! Have a wonderful weekend Nancy!

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