Cranberry Muffins
Shown on
page 119
and
above left.
1
cup fresh cranberries
2
tablespoons sugar
2
cups all-purpose flour
V
4
to V2 cup sugar
4
teaspoons baking powder
1
teaspoon finely shredded
orange peel
V2
teaspoon salt
1
egg, beaten
%
cup milk
V
4
cup butter, melted
Coarse sugar
Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease twelve
to fo u rteen
2 1
/
2
-inch m uffin cups
or line w ith paper bake cups. In a
m edium bowl, toss cranberries with
2
tablespoons sugar; set aside.
In a large bow l, com bine flour,
(4 to f/
2
cup sugar, baking powder, orange
peel, and salt; stir well. In a small bowl,
combine egg, milk, and butter. Make a
well in center of flour mixture; add egg
mixture and cranberries. Stir just until
moistened. Spoon into prepared muffin
cups. Sprinkle tops with coarse sugar.
Bake in the preheated oven about
15 minutes or until golden. Cool on a
wire rack. Makes 12 to 14 muffins.
Basil-Walnut Pesto Wreaths
Shown on
page 120
and
above right.
Shape each portion of dough into a
6-inch-diameter wreath to fit an 8- to
10-inch gift tin. Separate and turn the
slices enough so you can see the
cut sides.
V
3
cup chopped walnuts, toasted
3
large cloves garlic, quartered
4
cups loosely packed fresh basil
leaves (about 3V2 ounces)
V3
cup olive oil
V3
cup grated Parmesan cheese
2
tablespoons lemon juice
V
4
teaspoon salt
1
16-ounce package hot roll mix
1
egg, slightly beaten
1
tablespoon water
For pesto, place w alnuts in a food
p ro ce sso r or b lender;
cover and
process or blend until finely chopped.
Add garlic; cover and process just
until blended. Add basil leaves. With
machine running, gradually add oil in
a thin, steady stream, processing until
the mixture is combined and slightly
chunky, stopping to scrape down sides
if necessary. Add Parm esan cheese,
lemon juice, and salt. Cover and process
or blend just until com bined.
Set
pesto aside.
Prepare hot roll mix according to
package directions. After kneading,
divide dough into
2
portions; cover
and let rest for 5 m inutes. Grease
2
baking sheets; set aside.
Turn dough portions out onto a
lightly floured surface. Roll each portion
to a 14x9-inch rectangle. Spread half
of the pesto atop each rectangle to
within f
/2
inch of edges. Starting from a
long side of each, roll up into a spiral;
seal seams.
Place d o ugh rolls on p rep a re d
baking sheets. Attach ends of each
roll together to form a circle; pinch
seams to seal. Using a sharp knife,
cut slits at
3
/4-inch intervals around
each ring. Gently turn each slice so
cut edge of each slice shows.
Cover and let rise in a warm place
until nearly double (ab o u t 30 to
40 minutes).
Preheat oven to 375°F. Com bine
egg and water; brush onto wreaths.
Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to
20 minutes or until golden. Carefully
remove wreaths from baking sheets.
Cool slightly on wire racks. Makes 2
wreaths
(8
servings each).
124
Best of Christmas Ideas
