Holly Clusters

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

Title: Holly Clusters
Categories: Cookies, Chocolate
Yield: 1 servings

1 1/4 c Firmly-packed brown sugar
3/4 c Golden crisco shortening
2 tb Milk
1 tb Vanilla
1 Egg
1 3/4 c All-purpose flour
1 ts Salt
3/4 ts Baking soda
1 c Semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c Coarsely chopped pecans *
Decoration:
3 1/2 tb Icing sugar
1/2 ts Water
4 oz Marzipan
Green food colouring
1 sm Red cinnamon candies

1. Preheat oven to 375oF (190oC). Place sheets of foil on
countertop for cooling cookies.
2. Combine brown sugar, shortening, milk and vanilla in
large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until
well blended. Beat egg into creamed mixture.
3. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Mix into creamed
mixture just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and
pecans.
4. Drop by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls (15 mL) of
dough 3 inches (7 cm) apart onto ungreased baking sheet.
5. Bake one baking sheet at a time at 375oF (190oC) for 8
to 10 minutes for chewy cookies, or 11 to 13 minutes for
crisp cookies. DO NOT OVER BAKE. Cool 2 minutes on baking
sheet. Remove cookies to foil to cool completely.
6. For decoration, mix icing sugar with water to form
thick paste.
7. Add green food colouring to marzipan until desired
colour. Roll marzipan 1/16-inch (2 mm). Cut into holly leaf
shapes using a sharp knife or small cutter. Place leaves on
cooled cookies with paste. Add small red candies for holly
berries. Allow to set completely before storing cookies. 3
dozen cookies.
* If nuts are omitted, add an additional 1/2 cup (125
mL) semi-sweet chocolate chips.

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