Bourbon Coconut-Pecan Pound Cake
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1-1/2 cups butter, room temp
- 1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, room temp
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet 5-7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Cool completely and set aside. Reduce oven temp to 325 degrees. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Sift together flour and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with bourbon, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in coconut, vanilla and toasted pecans. Pour batter into a greased and floured tube pan (12 cup). Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 10-15 minutes. May be baked in loaf pans also - adjust baking times accordingly.
Powdered Sugar Glaze: Stir together 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 to 4 Tbsp milk, and 1 tsp vanilla extract until smooth, stirring up to 1 Tbsp additional milk, if necessary, for desired consistency. Pour over cooled cake.
It would not be Christmas without some Gingerbread Men or as Joe calls them -- 'Cookie Men'.
Dark & Spicy Gingerbread Cookies
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2/3 cup unsulphured molasses
- 1 large egg
Sift all dry ingredients together into a bowl and set aside. With an electric mixer, beat butter and shortening until well combined. Add brown sugar and beat until the mixture is light in texture and color. Beat in molasses and egg until well blended. With a wooden spoon, gradually add dry ingredients to make a stiff dough. Divide dough in to parts and form into flat disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
To roll our cookies, work with one disk at a time, keeping the other refrigerated. Remove dough from the refrigerator and let stand at room temp until just warm enough to roll out without cracking. Place dough on lightly floured surface and sprinkle top with flour; roll out the /18 inch thickness, making sure dough is not sticking to surface. Using cookie cutters, cut out cookies and transfer to baking sheets, placing 1-inch apart. Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes, depending on size of cookie. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before transferring to cool racks to cool completely. Cookies may then be decorated and stored in airtight containers for up to a week) Undecorated cookies can be frozen for 2 to 3 months.
Royal Icing: 1 pound of powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp dried egg-white powder, 6 Tbsp water. Mix together until smooth. Decorate cookies by frosting or piping on - sprinkles can be added while icing is still wet.
