Cranberry Christmas Cake

 Recipe: Cranberry Christmas Cake

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

12 ounces fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With a mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5-7 minutes. The mixture should almost double in size. The eggs work as your leavening agent in this recipe, so do not skip this step. This mixture should form a ribbon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl. Add the butter and vanilla; mix two more minutes. Stir in the flour until just combined. Add the cranberries and stir to mix throughout.

Spread in a buttered 9x13 pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting into small slices. Cut into fairly small pieces, about 1"x2", so that they could be easily eaten at a party. Enjoy!

Pear and Cranberry Crisps

Filling:
3 ripe pears
1/2 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce.
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 8 or 10 pieces
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon milk

Grease an ovenproof casserole dish.

Dice the pears and measure 3 1/2 cups of the diced pears into a mixing bowl.

Add the remaining filling ingredients to the bowl with the pears, mixing well. Spoon the fruit mixture into the casserole.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all of the topping ingredients except the milk in a large bowl. Kids will have fun using their fingers to create large crumbs. Drizzle the milk over the mixture to moisten it. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling, patting it down lightly.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Cool 20 minutes before eating.