Looking for a new recipe for a holiday treat? Try out some from Illinois cooks:
Clara Belle Peterson, 83, of Lacon, Ill., shares her chocolate rum pie with readers.
Chocolate Rum Pie
1/2 cup sugar
1 envelop Knox gelatin
Dash salt
1 cup milk
2 beaten egg yolks
1 cup chocolate chips (she uses semi-sweet and milk chocolate)
1/3 cup rum
2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1 pre-baked pie shell
Whipped cream
Cook first five ingredients in a double boiler over low heat until it thickens. Remove from heat and add 1 cup chocolate chips and 1/3 cup rum (Clara Belle says it doesn't matter if it's light or dark rum). Chill this mixture.
Meanwhile, beat two egg whites with 1/4 cup sugar. Beat into the thickened chocolate mixture. Put half of it into the pre-baked pie shell. Cover with a layer of whipped cream. (Clara Belle uses Cool Whip)
Add remaining chocolate mixture and cover the entire pie with whipped cream. Garnish with chocolate curls.
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Lori Peifer of Washington, Ill., shares her great-grandmother's recipe for sugar cookies, one of her childhood favorites.
Grandma's Sugar Cookies
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cream of tarter
1 teaspoon baking soda
11/2 cups shortening
3 tablespoons milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
For frosting:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Crisco
1/4 to 1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the cookies, mix flour, sugar, cream of tarter and baking soda. Then cut in shortening.
In a separate bowl, mix 3 tablespoons milk, 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add both bowls together and chill for about half an hour.
Roll out thick on a heavily floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters. Cookies will puff up. The thicker they are, the higher they will puff up. Add colored sugar, sprinkles or candy if desired before baking.
Bake for 10-12 minutes in a preheated 375 degree oven. The edges should be barely golden. If they overbake, they will be crunchy.
For frosting, beat all ingredients with an electric mixer or whisk, adding more liquid or powdered sugar to reach desired consistency. Let frosted cookies dry uncovered for easier handling and storage.
Tips: For chocolate frosting, add some melted chocolate chips directly to the frosting. Beat well until combined. Add more milk or water, if needed, since chocolate will thicken it.
For pure white frosting, use clear vanilla instead of vanilla extract.
Store leftover frosting in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 2 weeks. Re-whip before using.
• • •
Denny Reed, co-owner of the Mission Oak Inn in Henry, Ill., shares an original cheesecake recipe.
Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake
Crust:
1 package butter recipe cake mix
1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
Filling:
3 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
2 tablespoons cornstarch
11/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup caramel topping
reserved mixture from crust
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine cake mix and butter in a large bowl, mixing at low speed until crumbly.
Set aside 1 cup of mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture in bottom and 11/2 inches up sides of ungreased 10-inch springform pan.
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth. Add the pumpkin, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well. Gradually beat in milk, eggs and vanilla just until blended. Pour into crust.
Make topping by combining the reserved crumb mixture, brown sugar and pecans. Blend well. Sprinkle the topping evenly over filling.
Place pan on a baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 70-80 minutes or until center is almost set and topping is golden brown. Remove from oven and drizzle 1/3 cup caramel over top.
Bake for 8-10 minutes more to set topping. Cool 30 minutes. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen. Cool completely. Remove sides of pan and refrigerate 4-5 hours or overnight. Store in refrigerator.
When serving, drizzle more caramel on top as an optional garnish.
Journal Star