Recipes

 

Margarita Pie

1 9-inch graham cracker crust (store-bought works just fine)

3 cups vanilla ice cream

1/2 of a large can of frozen margarita mix concentrate, thawed (or you can use frozen limeade concentrate)

2 Tbsp. tequila (optional, and I rarely include this, because we our kids eat this pie)

1 1/2 cups lime sherbet

Lime slices for garnish (completely optional)

Make sure the ice cream is slightly softened. Combine the vanilla ice cream and margarita mix in a food processor, pulse until it looks like soft ice cream. Pour into pie shell and return to freezer for about half an hour, until it sets up.

If tequila is desired, mix that into the lime sherbet. Otherwise, just layer the plain, softened sherbet onto the top of the vanilla layer and smooth it across the top. Return to freezer until time to serve. I usually wash out the plastic protector that comes on top of the prepared graham cracker crust and turn it, dome-style, over the finished pie to keep it airtight in the freezer. Soften the pie for about 20 minutes before serving. Garnish with lime slices if desired.

 

Chocolate Eclair Dessert

2 (3 oz.) pkgs. instant pudding, white chocolate flavor

3 cups milk

1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip, softened

1 box chocolate graham crackers

1 container premade chocolate frosting

In a large bowl, combine pudding mix and milk. Mix well. Fold in Cool Whip and beat with mixer for 2 min., until thoroughly mixed.

Lightly butter the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Spread a layer of graham crackers across the bottom of the dish.

Spread 1/2 of the pudding mixture on top of the crackers. Add a second layer of chocolate grahams on top of the pudding. Spread rest of pudding mix over that and top with a final layer of crackers (crackers, pudding, crackers, pudding, crackers).

Take the lid and foil seal off the frosting. Pop it in the microwave for about 20 seconds, until it gets melty enough to pour. Pour that on top of the final layer of graham crackers and spread it around. Voila, you are finished. Put in fridge until time to serve. This is best if made several hours in advance so the crackers can soften a bit, but I actually like it crispy and will make mine an hour before dinner sometimes.

Brownie Trifle

 

Do not let the word “trifle” scare you. All that means is that it gets make in a fancy bowl. Any large bowl will do, or you can even just wing it and layer this one in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

1 box (family size version) fudge brownie mix

1/4 cup praline or coffee-flavored liqueur (optional–I have never used)

2 small boxes choc. fudge instant pudding mix

1 bag Heath toffee bits (the ones with the chocolate coating)

(or you can crush 8 Heath Bars up)

1 (12-oz) container Cool Whip

Something to garnish the top, like a dusting of cocoa powder or some of those chocolate curls, which you can purchase already made, in a can.

Prepare the brownies according to the package directions, but use the “cakelike” version where you add an extra egg. If you are adding the liqueur, you would poke the warm brownies all over and brush the liqueur on the top. If you aren’t using the liqueur, just let the brownies cool and crumble them into pieces.

Prepare the chocolate pudding mix according to the package directions, but do not chill.

Place half of the brownies in the bottom of your bowl. Top with pudding. Sprinkle with toffee bits and cover with half the Cool Whip. Repeat layers. Dust with cocoa or sprinkle with chocolate curls to make it look fancy. Chill for at least 8 hours. But to be honest, many times I’ve made this 3-4 hours ahead, and it still gets devoured.

 

French Apple Pie

1 9″ unbaked pie crust (preferably homemade with 1 Tbsp. sugar added to the dough, but Pillsbury works fine in a pinch!)

Topping:

Make topping first by mixing dry ingredients and then stirring in the melted butter. Don’t worry if it looks gooey rather than crumbly. Just put it in the fridge for 15 minutes until the butter re-solidifies, then break it up with a fork to add to pie.

¾ cup flour

½ cup light brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

¼ cup melted butter (the real thing-no margarine)

Filling:

¾ cup gran. sugar

¼ cup flour

½ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. cinnamon

dash of salt

5-6 apples (prefer Jonathan, but Granny Smith is also good)

Mix dry ingredients for filling in large bowl and set aside. Peel and core apples and slice thinly, then quarter the slices. Toss apple slices immediately in sugar mixture. Dump filling into pie shell and smooth it down. Cover apple filling with crumb topping. Cover edge crust with foil strips and place into preheated 400-degree oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then cover the crumb topping with a loose sheet of foil and bake for another 30 minutes. Cool thoroughly before slicing.

Pig Candy

There are two ingredients: bacon, and dark brown sugar. You just roll the bacon in the sugar and put it in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes.

My alternative version is chocolate pig candy. You take a strip of precooked bacon and crisp it up. Then place a line of milk chocolate chips down the center and nuke it for about 15 seconds or so. Spread the melty chips around with a knife and consume.

 

Jan’s French Dip Sandwiches

You’ll serve this on hoagie rolls or French bread. This makes enough for about 8 sandwiches. I usually use some and freeze some for a later meal.

Brown 2 lbs. lean stew beef cubes in olive oil or veg. oil. While browning, sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt, some garlic powder, and pepper to taste (use a fairly light hand on the garlic powder and pepper).

In your crock pot, combine 2 cans Campbell’s French Onion soup, 2 tsp. beef bouillon, 2 bay leaves, 1 clove minced garlic, 3/4 cup red cooking wine, 3/4 cup water, 1 huge squirt of ketchup, and 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce. Add the browned meat to that.

Cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Remove and discard bay leaves. The cubed beef will basically be falling apart by then, but you can shred it a bit more with a fork if you need to. Serve on warmed French bread or hoagie rolls with Swiss or Provolone cheese, as preferred (love it with Swiss). Serve small bowls of broth on the side for dipping.

 

5-Flavor Pound Cake

Batter:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup vegetable oil

5 eggs

3 cups granulated sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup milk

1 tsp. each, coconut, butter, rum, orange, and vanilla flavorings

 

Syrup:

1/2 cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. each coconut, butter, rum, vanilla, and almond extracts

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a tube pan.

2. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt.

3. Cream butter, oil, and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in flour mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix well. Stir in 1 tsp. each coconut, butter, rum, orange, and vanilla extracts. Pour batter into prepared pan and bang it on the counter a couple of times to level out the batter and break any bubbles.

4. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until cake tests done with a toothpick. Remove to cooling rack. After 10 minutes, remove inner ring from pan and let the cake cool to room temperature.

5. Remove cake fully from pan and place on cake plate. Use a toothpick or skewer to poke holes all over the top of the cake. In a small saucepan, combine water, sugar, and 1 tsp. each of coconut, butter, rum, vanilla, and almond extracts. Boil, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved completely. Spoon over hot cake (don’t feel you have to use all of the syrup). Cool cake completely before serving.

 

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies in the World

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup butter, softened (I do not recommend using margarine)

3 Tbsp. cream or milk

1 tsp. vanilla or 1/4 tsp. dried butter-flavored vanilla (King Arthur Flour catalog often stocks it)

1 egg

3 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the first 4 ingredients; blending well. Add the egg and mix in thoroughly. Mix together the last 3 ingredients in a separate bowl. With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients to batter and combine well. You can add a little extra cream if the dough is horribly thick, but you do want a fairly stiff dough for rolling out later. Refrigerate several hours or overnight (keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days).

Preheat oven to 400 (375 if your cookie sheets are dark or coated instead of shiny). Roll about 1/3 of the dough out at a time on a floured surface. These cookies are best if a little on the thick side, between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes and place about an inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 5-8 minutes. You want them to be mostly white, with a little bit of golden brown around the edges. Let rest on cookie sheet for 1 minute and then remove to a cooling rack.

When thoroughly cooled, ice with your favorite vanilla icing (Duncan Hines Creamy Homestyle Classic Vanilla is a real winner for this). Decorate with sprinkles as desired.

Hint: The canned frosting tends to stay softer than would royal icing, so if you want to stack the cookies in a container for storage, try placing a sheet full in your freezer for about 10 minutes. That hardens the frosting enough to allow them to stack. These freeze very well.

Oatmeal and Dried Cherry Cookies

1 1/2 cups all-pupose flour (I like to use half whole-wheat flour)

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup butter, room temp.

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups dried sour cherries

1. Preheat the oven to 350. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat to incorporate. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture by spoonfuls, beating on low speed to combine well. Stir in the oats and dried cherries.
3. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, leaving 1-2 inches between cookies. These should be substantial, but not massive mall-style cookies.
4. Baking time will vary depending on how large you make your cookies, but I found that about 12 minutes was good timing for the semi-large size I was making. You want the edges to just be turning brown and no moisture to be glistening on top of the cookies.
5. Cool before eating.

Bonbonnerie Poppy Seed Hearts

Dough:

1 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

 

Lemon Frosting:

6 Tbsp. butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a large bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds. Beat in sugar and salt until well combined. Add egg and vanilla. Add about 2 cups of the flour and then the poppy seeds and mix well. Then add the remaining 1/2 cup flour. Wrap the dough and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough, half at a time, to a 1/4-inch thickness. Using your choice of cookie cutter (Bonbonnerie always makes these into heart shapes; I did scalloped-edged rounds when I made them last.), cut out dough. Place cutouts on ungrased cookie sheets.

Bake cookies in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

To make frosting, beat 6 Tbsp. of butter with an electric mixer. Gradually add 1 cup of the powdered sugar, mixing well. Add 1 Tbsp. lemon juice. Gradually beat in the additional 1 cup of powdered sugar. If necessary, stir in additional milk or lemon juice, 1 tsp. at a time, to make a frosting of spreading or piping consistency.

Spread or pipe Lemon Frosting onto cookies. Makes about 180 small (1 1/2-inch), 64 medium (2 1/2-inch), or 24 large (3 1/2-inch) cookies. Cookies last about 3 days stored at room temp., or up to 3 months if frozen.

 

Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 (1 oz.) semisweet chocolate squares, melted

1 egg yolk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup very finely chopped pecans

16 milk caramels, unwrapped (I used Brach’s)

2 1/2 Tbsp. whipping cream

2/3 cup semisweet choc. chips

2 tsp. solid shortening, such as Crisco

–In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add melted chocolate and egg yolk, beating until blended. Stir in vanilla. Stir together flour, soda, and salt; add to butter mixture, beating well. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

–Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll balls in pecans. Place balls 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheets. Press thumb gently into center of each ball, leaving an indentation. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes, or until set. Combine caramels and cream in top of a double boiler over simmering water. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until caramels melt and mixture is smooth.

–Remove cookies from oven; cool slightly, and press center of each cookie again. Quickly spoon about 3/4 tsp. caramel mixture into center of each cookie. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

–Place chocolate chips and shortening in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; seal. Microwave on HIGH for 1 to 1.5 min.; squeeze bag until chocolate melts. Snip a tiny hole in one corner of bag; drizzle over cooled cookies.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

Toffee Chip Bars

(Recipe from FoodNetwork.com)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 sticks butter, softened

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups Heath Milk Choc. Toffee Bits (each bag has 1 1/3 cups in it, so buy 2 bags)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used mini morsels, which were perfect)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 x 13 baking pan. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture by spoonfuls. Stir in Heath bits (by hand if necessary). Go easy on the mixing here if you are still using the electric mixer–you don’t want the chips to turn into powder.

Spread dough in prepared pan. Sprinkle top with the chocolate chips. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool and cut into bars. I recommend cutting the bars again on the diagonal to make triangles. These are very rich, and small portions are a good thing.

 

Saltine Toffee Cookies

4 ounces saltine crackers (salted)

1 cup butter (use the real deal)

1 cup dark brown sugar

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped

(And if you really want these to be decadent, get out the leftover Heath Toffee Bits from yesterday’s recipe of the day and sprinkle a few of those over the top before baking. But that’s optional. Personally, I would totally do it, though, because I am like Paula Deen when it comes to baking: real cream, lots of butter, and don’t skimp on the extras!)

Directions: Preheat your oven to 400.

You’ll want a cookie sheet with sides to it, because you are basically going to pour a syrup mixture over the crackers. So use something more like a jellyroll pan here. Cover the bottom of the pan with a single layer of crackers–as many as you can fit, wall-to-wall.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Keep a good eye on it, because you don’t want burned butter here. As soon as it’s melted, throw in the brown sugar and stir together well. Really beat it together so that the sugar and butter don’t look separated at all–it should hopefully form a sort of a glossy sauce. Stoke up the burner a bit and bring this to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Boil for about 3 minutes. Immediately pour the syrup over the crackers and spread to cover completely. You don’t want any actual cracker to peek out. Cover those babies up to the max!

Bake for 5-6 minutes. Then remove the tray from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Let the pan sit for 5 minutes so the chips will soften, then spread the chips over the top of the crackers like frosting. Immediately sprinkle with the chopped pecans. Toffee chips, anyone? If so, sprinkle those on sparingly, along with the pecans. But to be honest, you don’t really need them. These are rich enough as is. Cool completely and break into pieces.

 

Chocolate Krinkles

In a large bowl of an electric mixer at medium speed, cream:

2 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil or 1/2 cup clarified butter plus 1/4 cup vegetable oil

 

Add and mix at low speed until well combined:

3/4 cup cocoa powder [Jan’s note: sift to remove lumps]

 

Add and beat until well combined:

4 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

 

Sift together:

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Add this to the sugar mixture and mix at low speed until combined.

Cover the soft dough with plastic wrap and chill for 6 hours or overnight.

Set aside: 1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease 2 cookie sheets. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in confectioners’ sugar and arrange them 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the cookies have puffed up slightly. Let the cookies cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

 

Coconut-Raspberry Delights

2 2/3 cups flaked coconut (I wasn’t sure if I needed sweetened or unsweetend, because the recipe didn’t specify, so I got mine at the health food store and used a half-and-half mixture. Turned out to be the perfect level of sweetness for my family, and the coconut from the health food store was wonderfully fresh and soft.)

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

3 egg whites, slightly beaten

1/2 tsp. almond extract

4 oz. chocolate chips (Both semi-sweet and milk choc. were great, so use whichever you prefer.)

1 Tbsp. solid shortening, such as Crisco

1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam or preserves

Preheat oven to 325. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the coconut, sugar, flour, and salt. Stir in egg whites and almond extract. Drop coconut mixture by teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookies sheets, making 3/4- to 1-inch mounds, about an inch apart. (I pressed the mixture together a bit with clean fingers to make sure they held together around the edges.) Lightly flour your thumb and press into the center of each mound to make an indentation.

Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until edges are golden. If necessary, use the rounded side of a teaspoon to press indentations again. Cool cookies completely on cookie sheets. Carefully remove cookies from cookie sheets, preserving the parchment paper for later use.

In a double-boiler over the stove, or in a glass bowl in the microwave, melt together the chocolate chips and the Crisco. (I know the Crisco may seem like a weird ingredient here, but confectioners add this to chocolate coating because it helps to keep the chocolate hardened once the cookies are coated; otherwise the cookies are messy to hold and eat.) Carefully dip the bottoms of the cooled cookies into the melted chocolate, letting the excess drip off; or use a knife to “frost” the bottoms with a thin layer of chocolate. Place the cookies, chocolate side up, on the parchment paper and let them stand for 30 minutes, or until the chocolate sets. Just before serving, fill each indentation with about 1/4 tsp of jam.

To store, layer unfilled cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container and fill with jam as needed, just before serving. They keep for a week in the fridge and for up to 3 months, unfilled, in the freezer.

 

 

Peppermint Meringues

2 egg whites

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

1/2 cup granulated sugar (superfine sugar, sold in small boxes, is great for this recipe, but regular white sugar works very well)

2 peppermint candy canes, well crushed (or use the equivalent in Starlight mints)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar (on low speed). Mix in about half of the crushed peppermints. Beat until whites form stiff peaks.

Drop by spoonfuls about 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle the remainder of the crushed peppermint candy over the cookies.

Turn off the oven and set the prepared cookies inside. Forget about them, letting them stay in the cooling oven overnight to harden. In the morning, remove them from the oven, peel them gently from the parchment, and store in an airtight container.

 

Browned-Butter Cookies

14 Tbsp. butter (that’s almost 2 sticks)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 cups dark brown sugar, packed

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 cups + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 large egg

1 egg yolk

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt 10 Tbsp. of the butter in a skillet and cook for an additional 1-3 minutes until butter turns brown and smells nutty. Watch it carefully or the butter will go from brown to burnt before you can say, “oh shoot!” Remove and pour into a heat-proof bowl. Add in the remaining 4 Tbsp. of butter and stir until that melts in. Let cool.

Mix the granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, and 1 tsp. of cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

Add remaining 1 3/4 cups brown sugar to cooled butter. Mix until no lumps of sugar remain. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Slowly add the flour mixture and stir just until all ingredients are combined. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Roll dough into 24-30 small balls. Roll each ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and place on cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until edges are just turning brown. This is intended to be a soft cookie, not a crisp one. Cool on wire racks before serving.

 

Split Seconds

2/3 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened to room temp.

2 tsp. vanilla

1 egg plus one egg white

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup your favorite red fruit jelly or preserves (I like seedless red raspberry)

Beat butter till light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla and eggs. Measure flour and baking powder together in a separate bowl. Spoon into butter mixture and mix thoroughly. Divide into 4 parts.

If you have a large enough cookie sheet (I have the mongo big professional size ones), you can shape all 4 portions of dough and fit them onto one cookie sheet, baking the whole recipe of dough at once. If your cookie sheets are not on steroids like mine, you may have to use two sheets. But as anyone who has baked cookies knows, you are still getting away easy, because if you had to roll all of these into balls or cut them into holiday shapes, you’d be there half the day doing it.

Anyway, the original recipe called for shaping the portions of dough into 12″ long x 3/4″ wide rolls on a floured surface. Frankly, I just plop the portions onto my cookie sheet and gently press them into the proper shape with my hands. After you have them shaped into 4 lengths, make a hollow about 1/2″ wide and 1/4″ inch deep down the center of each length of dough, kind of like you are making a long thumbprint cookie. Fill each length of dough with 2 Tbsp. of jam or jelly.

Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool slightly and cut the baked lengths on a diagonal, into strips about 3/4″ wide. Finish cooling on wire racks. To store, pack in a layers with waxed paper between. They stay good for about a week, and will keep longer if stored in the refrigerator. But eventually they soften too much, so eat them while they are fresh and give some to a friend.

NOTE: These don’t freeze well with jam in them. To make them in advance of serving, I have baked the dough unfilled, cut the strips and stored them in the freezer, and then filled them with jam on the day I wanted to serve them. They will taste best if everything is at room temperature when eaten!

 

 

Date Pinwheel Cookies

Crust:

2 cups light brown sugar

3/4 cup solid shortening (part butter)

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda dissolved in 1 Tbsp. boiling water

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking powder

3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Blend sugar and shortening together and beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Mix eggs in one at a time. Add the baking soda that has been dissolved in water, plus the vanilla. Combine well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture by spoonfuls and combine thoroughly. Form the dough into a flattened disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for at least half an hour.

Date Filling:

1 1/2 lb. moist pitted dates (get whole dates; the pre-diced kind are usually rolled in sugar before they are packaged, which is not a good thing for this recipe)

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup water

1 cup finely chopped pecans

Dice the dates or cut them up using a washable kitchen scissors. Put the dates, sugar, and water into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and cool. Stir in nuts.

To assemble, divide the refrigerated dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into an 11″ x 7″rectangle. Spread one quarter of the filling over each rectangle. Beginning at the wide side of each rectangle, roll the filled dough up, forming a log shape. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to bake, slice into 1/4″ slices and place on lightly greased cookie sheets, about an inch apart. Bake at 400 for approximately 10 minutes, until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Important safety tip: To freeze the unbaked cookie logs, wrap again in foil or freezer paper. They keep for several months and can be sliced straight from the freezer (without thawing) and baked. To keep the dough in a round shape, store the wrapped logs inside of an old paper towel or wrapping paper tube which you have slit lengthwise down the side. This keeps the dough from flattening out on one side as it lays in the refrigerator or freezer.

 

Paula Deen’s Pecan Tassies

1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts (I would use a homemade crust with 1 Tbsp. sugar added to the dough, but that’s just me.)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1 (10-ounce) package almond brickle chips (such as Heath Toffee Chips)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Unroll the pie crusts onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into 2 (15-inch) circles. Cut out 48 circles using a 1 3/4-inch fluted or round cookie cutter, re-rolling dough as needed. Place in 1 3/4-inch muffin pans, pressing on the bottoms and up the sides of each of the mini-muffin cups. Combine the melted butter, brown sugar, flour, and eggs in a large bowl, mixing well. Add the vanilla. Stir in the pecans and brickle chips. Spoon the pecan filling evenly into the pie shells. Bake for 25 minutes, or until filling is set and crust is lightly browned. Cool in pans on wire racks.

NOTE: Some of the reviewers on the Food Network site said they even used the milk chocolate covered toffee chips in this recipe, and that was apparently a winner, too. One lady said she left out the toffee chips altogether. So you can play with it. I think I’m going to try Paula’s recipe straight up for our family gathering on Dec. 29 and see what kind of a review it gets.

S’More Rockin’ Reindeer Ravioli

Original recipe by Laura Stanke, adapted by Food Network Kitchens

Filling:
5 graham crackers, broken into pieces
6 ounce milk or dark chocolate, or a combination, chopped
3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

Dough:
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
11/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup graham flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup heavy cream

For the filling: Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until crumbly. Add the chocolate and cream cheese and continue to pulse until crumbly but pasty.

Using the filling portion (’the bumpy side”) of a 12-section ravioli mold, cover the indented side with plastic wrap. Pack some of the filling into each indentation, leveling each one so it’s flush with the top of the mold. Remove and place on a plate. Repeat to make 24 fillings. Cover the filling with plastic wrap and refrigerate. (Eat the crumbs left behind.)

To make the dough: Combine the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed, until fluffy and combined, about 2 minutes. Add the molasses and vanilla and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk both flours, the baking soda, salt and cinnamon together. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 parts, alternating with cream in 2 parts, beginning and ending with flour. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Divide into 2 disks, wrap in plastic warp and chill until very firm, about 1 hour.

Lay out an 11 by 15-inch piece of foil on a clean workspace and sprinkle generously with flour. Place a disk of dough on top and cover with a large sheet of plastic wrap. Roll the dough between the two layers (Voila, no messy hands) until you have a rectangle measuring 10 by 13 inches, cutting and patching as needed. Repeat with the other disk of dough. Transfer each foil to a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

When chilled, remove plastic wrap from 1 flat of chilled and rolled dough. Spray the zigzag side of the ravioli mold with nonstick spray and sprinkle it with flour. Place the mold, zigzag side down, onto the lower half of the dough, making a slight indent in the dough. Take the chocolate filling from the refrigerator. Place a round of filling on the center of each square ravioli impression.

Using the foil to lift the top of the dough, fold it over the mounds on the bottom half leaving plenty of give to tuck dough between each mound. Gently press out the air around the mounds with wet fingers to keep the dough from cracking. Spray the zigzag side of the mold again and sprinkle the top of the ravioli with flour. Invert the press on the cookies, making another impression in the dough, and press very firmly to seal the 2 layers together and cut off excess dough.

To remove the mold, gently lift by pressing downward on the 2 mounds on the end. Lift up on the mold working your way across the dough slab. Use a dry pastry brush to brush off excess flour. Cut ravioli into individual portions, trimming away excess dough with a knife or fluted pastry cutter. Arrange on a baking sheet. Chill the molded ravioli in the refrigerator until firm to the touch, 30 more minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the ravioli for 25 to 30 Minutes. Remove from oven and let sit on cookie sheet 5 more minutes, using a pastry cutter to cut in between the ravioli while warm, if desired. Then slide the slab onto a cookie sheet to cool. Eat 1 slab and freeze the other to keep it really fresh. Yummmmm!!!!

 

Triple-Threat Brownies

1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

2 1/3 cups granulated sugar

3 eggs

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 squares unsweetened chocolate

2 cups flour

1/2 cup dairy sour cream

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips (I like mini chips for this recipe)

Preheat oven to 375.

Using a hand mixer, combine cream cheese and 1/3 cup sugar until smooth and well blended. Add one egg and combine well. Set aside.

In medium saucepan, combine water, butter, and chocolate; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Combine remaining sugar and flour and add to liquid in saucepan, stirring well. Blend in remaining eggs, sour cream, baking soda, and salt. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9 x 13″ pan. Spoon cream cheese mixture over chocolate batter in blobs. Cut through batter with a dinner knife to create the swirl effect. Sprinkle swirled batter with chocolate chips.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting into squares and serving.

 

 

Jan Hagel

(a.k.a. “Nutty Shortbread Strips)

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, separated

2 cups flour

1 Tbsp. water

1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (I use pecans)

Preheat oven to 350. You will need a jelly roll pan, about 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1, for this recipe.

Mix butter, sugar, and egg yolk until light and fluffy. Blend in flour by spoonfuls and mix well. This should form a fairly stiff dough. Using clean hands, press the dough evenly across the bottom of the jelly roll pan.

In a small bowl, mix together egg white and water, beating until frothy. Use a pastry brush to spread the egg white mixture over the top of the crust. Sprinkle with nuts.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until very lightly browned. Using a sharp knife, cut into strips about 1″ w x 2 ” long. Finish cooling in pan, then remove to serve.

Note: If you do want to try the cinnamon variation, mix 1/2 tsp. cinnamon into the dough. You can also sprinkle a basic cinnamon-sugar mixture lightly over the top of the egg white wash before sprinkling the nuts on. Very tasty either way.

 

Two Brothers’ Chocolate Gobs

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen and The Food Network

Cake:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa

Filling:
5 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and shortening until fluffy. Add eggs and continue to beat. Stir together buttermilk, boiling water, vanilla, and blend this into the creamed mixture at low speed.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa. Add to mixture 1 cup at a time, blending well at low speed. Batter will be very thin but do not worry. Drop by teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Allow to cool and transfer onto waxed paper.

To make the filling, place flour into saucepan and slowly add milk, stirring until smooth. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring until very thick. Mixture should become as thick as solid vegetable shortening. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. In a medium bowl, cream together sugar, butter, shortening, and vanilla using a hand-held electric mixer. Add the cooled flour mixture and whip until fluffy. Spread onto bottom side of cookie and top with another cookie to make a sandwich. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator.

Homemade Pop-Tarts

Crust:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup veg. shortening, such as Crisco

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (here’s where you can use, say 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour in place of some of the white flour)

1 tsp. baking powder

Filling:

Any jam, preserves, or other fruit filling you like. My daughter Allie would choose strawberry jam. I would personally spread mine with butter and lay down a layer of cinnamon-sugar, then sprinkle that with some dark brown sugar. But that’s just me.

Cream together sugar and shortening until light and fluffy. Add eggs and combine well. Sift together flour and baking powder and add to the sugar mixture by spoonfuls. Combine well. Chill dough for several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

Divide dough into 16 equal balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to about 1/8″ thickness. Trim the sides so you have nicely shaped rectangles. Move half of the squares onto the prepared cookie sheet. Spread these generously with about 1 Tbsp. of the desired filling(s), but do not spread all the way to the edges of the dough. Top each filled square with a plain square, and use the tines of a fork to press the top and bottom edges together all the way around each mock pop-tart. Prick the tops of the finished cookies with a fork. Brush lightly with milk and sprinkle with a little more sugar.

Bake for about 10 minutes, repricking the tops if they begin to puff up. Continue baking until the cookies turn a light golden brown, about 10-15 minutes more (this will depend on the type of filling you have chosen, so you will have to eyeball them).

The cooled pop-tarts can also be frosted with a mixture of 1 cup powdered sugar mixed with a scant bit of warm water, but this is completely optional.

 

Crispy Cornmeal Sugar Cookies

2 sticks butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 egg yolks

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 tsp. salt

some sugar and nutmeg for topping

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, vanilla, and lemon zest; mix well. Stir in flour, cornmeal, and salt; combine thoroughly. Chill dough for several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out until 1/4 ” thick. Using your choice of size in biscuit cutters (I made mine 2 1/2″ wide, but mini cookies can be nice for a party tray situation), cut into rounds. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle liberally with sugar. Dust lightly with nutmeg.

Bake 8-10 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown.

 

NOTE: You may also roll the dough into logs for chilling, then simply slice into rounds and bake, without rolling out.

 

 

Wishing Cookies

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3/8 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg white

1 Tbsp. molasses (dark unsulphured molasses)

1/2 Tbsp. water

1/4 tsp. grated lemon or orange peel

Stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.

Beat softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg white and mix in thoroughly.

Add molasses, water, and grated lemon or orange peel. Beat well. Add flour mixture by spoonfuls until well incorporated. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to about 1/8″ thickness. Cut with a small heart-shaped cookie cutter. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake about 8 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges. You want these cookies to be crisp. Cool on wire racks. These can be stored in an airtight container for several weeks.

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Poor Bob Andy Pie

1 pie crust, unbaked (Pioneer Woman has a great recipe for this)

1/4 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar (1 used half light, half dark)

2 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

1/4 tsp. salt

Mix the dry ingredients together.  Save out 1/2 cup and spread the rest into the bottom of the pie crust.

 

1 1/2 cups milk or half ‘n half

1 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs

Beat liquids together and pour over sugar mixture in crust.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of sugar mixture.  Cover edge of crust with foil strips and place in a preheated oven.  Bake at 375 for 45 min.  Cool well before serving and refrigerate any leftovers.