December 15 – Debra Elise – Author Dahlia Donovan

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Let’s welcome Debra! Be sure to check out the giveaway at the end of the post.

Hello, everyone. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

My name is Debra Elise and Dahlia and I *met* last year when we each had a short story published in a Christmas anthology by the same publisher. Hers was in, A VERY WEREY CHRISTMAS, and mine in, TEMPTING SCROOGE. Hard to believe it’s been a year since they were released. Thank you, Dahlia for including me in your holiday party!

I write contemporary romance and currently have a series, The Outlaws of Baseball, out in the wild. The first two books are available now and next year I’m going to add a bit of holiday cheer to the series and spice things up with some Christmas magic for the third book – I can’t wait! While writing the new story, it brought back memories of my childhood and the anticipation my sister, brother and I had for the box of Christmas cookies our grandmother would send every year in December. They were all homemade and carefully packed in wax paper. Layer after layer of assorted treats filled the package from Colorado and each year among our favorites she included one or two new cookies we’d never tried. As we became older and so did she, the boxes stopped coming. But the memories will always be there. My mouth is watering now just thinking of all those cookies!

She is now 92 and doesn’t bake as often or as prolific, but she still makes my favorite, Lemon Bars. I’m sharing with you the closest recipe I could find to hers; she refuses to give it up until she can no longer make them herself. J

And for fun, I’m listing my Top Ten Grandma Christmas Cookies of all time.

Wishing you all a joyous holiday season!

Debra

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Buttery Lemon Bars (of course they’re number one!)
Shortbread cookies
Frosted sugar cookies (the bells and tree shapes were my favorites!)
Chinese Christmas cookies
Holly cookies (made from frosted flakes and melted marsh mellows– yum!)
Jam-filled shortbread cookies
Coconut macaroons
Meringue cookies (a different flavor every year)
Rum snowballs (I know these were for my parents, but I always snitched one or two 😉
Peppermint chocolate cookies

Buttery Lemon Bars

1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

6 tablespoons lemon juice

4 large eggs

Prep

In a bowl, with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in 2 cups flour until dough is no longer crumbly. Pat into a ball.
Press dough evenly into a buttered and floured 9- by 13-inch baking pan. Bake in a 350° oven until golden, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a food processor, or in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, whirl or beat granulated sugar, remaining 1/3 cup flour, baking powder, grated lemon peel, lemon juice, and eggs to blend. Pour onto hot crust.
Bake until lemon mixture is no longer runny in the center (cut to test), 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and dust with remaining 2 tablespoons powdered sugar.
Let cool completely in pan, then cut into 24 bars and enjoy!

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