Candy Cane Cookies
(shortbread)
Mix:
1 cup shortening
1 cup sifted 10x sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sift and Add:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Add and swirl red food coloring. Form into canes and place on ungreased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes.
Note: For shortening, you may want to use butter or butter-flavor Crisco. Although regular Crisco keeps the cookies more white, the butter or butter-flavor Crisco adds a bit more flavor.
Glazed Apple Cookies
MAKES 3-4 DOZEN [Caution: If you are making a tray of assorted cookies and plan to cover it, do not put the apple cookies on the tray. The flavors might draw into the other cookies. Also, the apple cookie softens crisper cookies.]
Cookie Ingredients:
2 cups sifted unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup shortening
1-1/3 cups brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg, unbeaten
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup finely chopped unpared tart apples
1 cup raisins, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup apple juice or milk
Vanilla Glaze:
1-1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla 1/8 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 tablespoons light cream
Preheat oven to 400° F. Sift together flour and baking soda. Mix shortening, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and egg until well blended. Stir in half of flour mixture. Add nuts, apples and raisins. Blend in apple juice, then remaining flour mixture. Drop by tablespoons, 2-inches apart, onto greased cookie sheets. Bake approximately 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, make vanilla glaze. Mix together all ingredients until well blended. Spread thinly over hot cookies.
Lemon Pound Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 eggs, beaten
juice of one lemon (about 1/4 cup or 3 tablespoons)
zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Butter or oil two loaf pans or one bundt pan.
In bowl, mix flour with baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In large bowl, cream sugar and butter together until smooth. Add lemon zest.
Alternately add eggs and flour mixture, then add vanilla and lemon juice.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
I found the original recipe for these Chocolate Muffins (are muffins just cupcakes without frosting?) on the internet, looking for a recipe with oil instead of butter, and then tweaked it. These are fabulous! So rich and tasty! Highly recommended.
And here’s the recipe:
Chocolate Muffins with Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp vinegar
6 oz. pkg of chocolate chips
In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Mix/whisk together until blended.
Add water, oil, egg, and vanilla to dry mixture. Mix things together and then add the vinegar and mix until the batter is smooth and free of lumps.
Line a cupcake tin with paper cups. Fill each cup 2/3 full with batter. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top of the batter in each cup, about 8-10 chips per muffin.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Makes about 16 cupcakes.
Chocolate Eclair Cake
1 Large Box of Jello Vanilla Instant Pudding
Milk
Graham Crackers
Cool Whip
Chocolate Icing
Mix pudding and cool whip.
Microwave frosting for about 40 seconds.
Layers in 9×13 inch pan:
graham crackers (on bottom of pan)
pudding and cool whip mixture
graham crackers
pudding and cool whip mixture
Layer of frosting
Refrigerate overnight.
Chocolate Pound Cake with Ganache Icing
1 1/2 cup butter
3 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup milk
6oz. mini chocolate chips (optional)
Beat butter and sugar together, cream well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one is added. Beat in vanilla.
Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add the dry alternately with the milk to the creamed mixture.
Pour the batter into a greased 10-inch tube pan, leveling it in the pan somewhat as batter will be rather thick. Bake at 325° for 80 minutes, or until chocolate pound cake bounces back when touched lightly in the center with finger. Let cake cool completely before adding ganache.
Ganache Icing
1 cup heavy cream
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Pour chips into a medium mixing bowl. Then, pour heavy cream into a small saucepan, and heat on low to medium heat until milk JUST begins to boil. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips. Mix with spoon or whisk until all chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Cool icing until it’s a thick texture, but not too thick, because you’ll want to drizzle it over the cake. Then, take a spoon and start drizzling!
We recommend keeping the cake in the refrigerator, especially during warm months.
Carrot Cake
Mix:
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Add and Mix:
1 cup vegetable oil
2 small jars strained baby carrots (baby food works)
3 eggs
Stir with a spoon (don’t beat) until mixed. Grease and flour a 9×13 inch pan and spoon the batter into the pan. Bake at 300 degrees for one hour. Cool.
Frost with cream cheese frosting, if desired.
Note: You can add a little bit of grated carrot to the cake mix if you like. Adds a little more ‘orange’ color and carrot flavor.
Zucchini Bread
3 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teas. baking powder
1 teas. salt
2 cups grated zucchini, unpeeled
1/2 cups chopped nuts
3 teas. cinnamon
3 teas. vanilla
Beat together eggs, oil and sugar. Add and beat in flour, soda, baking powder, and salt. Add and stir in zucchini, nuts cinnamon, and vanilla. Bake in a greased and floured tube or bundt pan at 350 for 45 to 60 mins. Or you can use a bread pan, but it may take longer. it’s done when you insert a knife and it comes out clean.
Basic White Bread
(makes 2 – 9×5 loaves)
2 cups warm water (110 degreesF/45 degrees C)
2/3 cup white granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour
In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9×5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 C) for 30 minutes.
Hawaiian (Portugese) Sweet Bread
2 tablespoons dry yeast (2 packages)
1/4 cup warm water, lukewarm
7 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 eggs
1 cup warm milk
6 tablespoons melted butter
1-1/4 cup sugar
Combine the yeast, water and a pinch of sugar. Set aside to rise. Sift the flour and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
Beat 4 eggs in a small bowl and set aside.
Combine the warm milk and butter in a large bowl. Beat in the sugar. Add the yeast, then the beaten eggs and stir until well blended. Add six cups of flour, one cup at a time, mixing as each cup is added. When the dough is well mixed it should be soft and wet.
Place dough on a flat surface and knead for 10 minutes, adding the remaining cup of flour as the dough and surface become sticky. Be careful to knead the dough in a consistent manner.
Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover with a towel. Let dough rise rise in a cool spot until it has doubled in bulk. This should take at least three hours.
Preheat oven to 350º. Push the dough down and knead lightly. Divide dough into four equal parts and form each into a round shape. Place each loaf on a greased baking sheet and allow to rise again until double in size. Beat the remaining egg and gently baste the loaves.
Bake for about 30-45 minutes until golden brown.
