0:00
- I'm excited today, y'all,
0:05
all right, we got nine Christmas cookies videos shot.
0:12
we'll be finishing up the 12 Days of Christmas cookies.
0:17
And I'm excited about this recipe.
0:19
We hadn't done anything like it,
0:21
even though there's one very similar in the new cookbook
0:24
that my Aunt Trina made every Christmas.
0:26
But this recipe comes from Becky Williams.
0:31
And she said, "Christmas Cactus Cookies.
0:34
This is a recipe that my sweet mama used
0:36
to make every year at Christmas.
0:38
Now I make them every year, and my grown kids love them."
0:43
So thank you, Becky, so much.
0:45
I love the name Christmas Cactus Cookies.
0:49
And it's a easy, doable recipe, Becky,
0:54
which me and a lot of our viewers really appreciate that.
0:58
So I'm starting with two sticks of butter,
1:01
which is one cup of butter,
1:04
and I've got one cup of white sugar.
1:07
So we're just gonna cream this up until it's like smooth.
1:12
Okay, we're almost there.
1:14
Now we've got our milk and our vanilla
1:18
that we going to blend in.
1:21
And I'm gonna turn this down a little bit.
1:23
I don't want to splash it everywhere.
1:28
Oops, I've already done it. Too late. (laughs)
1:34
Is that as low as it'll go?
1:36
Even the low speed on this little hand mixer is fast.
1:42
Have to kinda watch it.
1:50
And I'm gonna add our vanilla.
1:52
And we need one teaspoon?
1:54
Yeah. One teaspoon of vanilla.
2:13
This is a real thick dough, y'all.
2:17
So we got it all together.
2:19
So we're going to add our nuts
2:22
and our candied cherries.
2:24
And I just love these things.
2:28
So I think that's gonna make our cookies look like a cactus.
2:33
I think I'm picking up what Becky's putting down.
2:41
So Becky tells us to roll them out two inches in diameter.
2:46
So I'm thinking, you know, one, two,
2:49
so about that big around.
2:55
And we just going to cut it in half.
3:06
I'm telling y'all it is a thick, thick dough.
3:14
What do I do with that?
3:19
This cookie didn't even have any eggs in it, did it?
3:41
And she said, "Refrigerate this
3:46
at least two hours, or you can do it overnight."
3:49
If you wanna make this one day
3:52
and think, "Heck, I'm gonna rest, (laughs)
3:54
and I'll make 'em tomorrow."
3:57
- [Theresa] I bet you could freeze this dough too.
3:59
- You know, it seems like you could.
4:01
All right, so you see what we got?
4:12
Yeah, that coconut's gonna make it look a lot
4:14
like cactus, isn't it? (laughs)
4:18
Becky, I hope this brings back wonderful memories
4:22
of when you had your mama
4:25
and eating her cookies.
4:30
I know I think about my mama all the time,
4:33
and she was the divinity queen.
4:37
Nobody, nobody could make divinity like my mother.
4:42
- [Theresa] Remember, you've got another roll to -
4:43
- [Paula] Yes, I know. - [Theresa] Dip in that.
4:44
- [Paula] But I'm gonna have to get some more coconut
4:46
'cause I used a lot of it.
4:54
- [Theresa] And I know you, so I have it off to the side.
4:59
Okay, so there we go.
5:02
looks so good, Becky.
5:07
So got it in clean wax paper.
5:11
I think this roll was a little bit bigger
5:16
Okay, in the refrigerator it goes,
5:19
minimum of two hours.
5:25
The Christmas Cactus Cookies have gotten so firm.
5:29
And we've been told to cut 'em a quarter of an inch.
5:36
Oh, look, how pretty.
5:37
Look how pretty, y'all.
5:46
I love it, love it, love it.
5:55
It's hard to cut 'em a quarter of an inch thick, though.
6:05
Bake in 375 oven for 12 minutes
6:07
or till edges are golden.
6:11
Makes about five dozen.
6:13
That's a lot o' cookie,
6:16
but I love it, Becky.
6:19
Becky, I love your cookies, girl.
6:24
Becky Williams sent me this recipe,
6:27
Christmas Cactus Cookies,
6:31
My coconut got a little brown.
6:34
I don't know if it's,
6:37
I know you cook these on 375,
6:39
which is a pretty high temperature,
6:41
you know, to cook 'em at,
6:43
but I might have turned mine a little too high.
6:48
You'll have to let me know
6:52
if I got these too dark or,
6:59
you just need to tell me, girl.
7:10
Okay, I'm just gonna have to put a few up here to cool.
7:13
But they look so pretty.
7:18
I got some a little thick,
7:21
but I find that it was very, very hard
7:24
to slice 'em a quarter of an inch thick.
7:27
Oh, but look at 'em, how pretty they are.
7:30
That coconut does not look too done to me.
7:33
- [Crew Member] That coconut browns up pretty quick.
7:36
- Uh-huh. It browns up quick.
7:43
I love the way they look,
7:47
and I love Becky for sending it to us.
7:58
If you like coconut, you're gonna love these.
8:00
Mmm. And I love coconut.
8:09
cake I'd have to say is my coconut cake.
8:13
So I do love coconut.
8:15
But thank you, Becky Williams,
8:17
for sharing something that's very special to you.
8:20
Thank you for sharing it with us.
8:24
And I know everybody's gonna love it.
8:28
"Love & Best Dishes."
8:30
With a whole bunch of thanks.
8:35
Hey, y'all, it's Paula Deen.
8:36
Now, if you enjoyed this video, be sure to like it
8:40
and click the subscribe button as well as the notification
8:44
and bail to be alerted when I post a video.
8:48
Love and Best Dishes Y'all.
