Holiday Baking With A Regional Twist

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@ Holidy Bking With A Regionl Twist < , Regionl recipes, like Bnns Foster Brs (left) nd Almond Butter Buckeyes(right), my soonbe fvorite in your house. (NAPSA)—Bkers everywhere to 25 minutes or until toothre dusting off their rolling pins pick inserted in the center nd gthering up their mesuring comesoutclen. Remove pn to wire rck cups. Every corner of the country hs its own unique spin on holi- to cool completely. dy cookies nd cndies, with Frosting: recipes tht re often inspired by In lrge bowl, combine butlocl ingredients or reflection of ter, crem cheese, sugr nd trditions unique to the people extrct with n electric mixer. wholive there. Bet until light nd fluffy. Add Wherever you my live on the cinnmon nd 1 cup confecmp, there is recipe—or two—to tioners’ sugr; blend until dd to your holidy cookie plte, smooth. (Creful; overmixing such s: will cuse seprtion.) Add * Bnns Foster Brs, dditionl confectioners’ sugr dessert synonymous with New to crete desired consistency. Orlens—the plce where it ws Spred frosting immeditely creted. This recipe tkes ll over cooled brs. Cover nd those gret flvors—the rum, the store brs in refrigertor for up bnns nd, of course, the butto 3 dys. When redyto serve, ter—nd trnsforms them into cut brs into 2-inch squres. br cookie tht’s sure to mke ny *For thicker br, use n 8dessert plte hit. inch-squre pn. Almond Butter Buckeyes, Almond Butter Buckeyes buttery nd nutty chocolte confections inspired by the nuts tht Mkes 4 dozen cndies fll from Ohio’s fmous buckeye Ingredients: trees. Come holidy time, they re Cndies: produced—nd consumed—in 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, mss quntities in “The Buckeye softened Stte,” s well s in neighboring 1% cups lmond butter* sttes throughout the Midwest. 3 tblespoons drk rum or BnnsFoster Brs Mkes 16 2-inch brs Ingredients: Brs: % cup (1 stick) butter, softened 1 cup drk brown sugr, pcked 1 egg 1 tblespoon drk rum or 1 1 % % 1 % 1 tespoon rum extrct cup flour tespoon bking sod tespoon bking powder tespoon cinnmon tespoonslt cup bnns, diced % cup (2 ounces) pecns or wlnuts, chopped Frosting: 2 tblespoons unslted butter t room temperture 4 ounces crem cheese, softened 4 tblespoonslight brown sugr 1 tespoon rum or pure vnill extrct 1 tespoon cinnmon 1-2 cups confectioners’ sugr, sifted Directions: Brs: Prehet oven to 350F. Lightly butter nd flour 9inch-squre pn*. In lrge bowl, bet together butter nd sugr with electric mixer until cremy. Add egg nd rum; mix to combine. In smll bowl, whisk together flour, bking sod, bk- ing powder, cinnmon nd slt; grdully dd to butter mixture. Mix in bnns nd pecns; stir to incorporte. Pour btter into prepred pn nd spred evenly. Bke for 20 1% tespoons rum extrct 1 tespoon lmond extrct 3% to 4 cups confectioners’ sugr, sifted Coting: 12 ounces bittersweet chocolte, chopped Directions: Cndies: In lrge bowl, combine butter, lmond butter, rum, lmond extrct nd confectioners’ sugr using electric mixer. Dough will be smooth nd firm. Shpe dough into 1-inch blls; plce on prchmentlined bking sheets. Refrigerte until firm, bout 30 minutes. Coting: Melt chocolte in shllow, microwve-sfe dish. Het 30 seconds; stir; then continue in 10-second intervls, stirring fter ech cook time. Chocolte should be melted nd smooth. To dip blls, insert toothpick bout % inch intothebll, dip into melted chocolte, leving smll circle of dough visible t the top, nd plce on prchment pper to dry until chocolte is firm. Repet with remining cndies. Store in irtight continer for up to three dys. *You my substitute penut or cshew butter for lmond butter; omit lmond extrct if you use substitution. Visit butterisbest.com for more regionlly inspired recipes, from Mount Rinier Mcroonsto Apple Cider Buttons. While there, sign up for the dily holidy cookie enewsletter, “Better Bking with Butter,” vilble to subscribers from Nov. 27 through Dec. 24.