Crescents

Just another quickie on the cookie frontier. I had to include this one. (I can't believe i forgot it!) One of MY favorites, Nutty deliciousy tender, crumbly powdery Crescent Cookies!

1 cup butter

1/2 cup sifted powered sugar

1and 1/2 cups sifted flour

1 teas. vanilla

1 cups finely chopped nuts (walnuts are best)

Cream butter add sugar and blend thoroughly.  (Sifting the ingredients in this recipe is VERY important to it.  It will give the cookie its tenderness, DO NOT omit this step) Add flour and vanilla.

Mix well. Stir walnuts

Chill dough thoroughly. Shape small pieces into crescents. Place on

ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in 350 oven 12 to 15 minutes. While still warm, toss in additional powdered sugar. Cool on wire rack. Store in airtight container.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 c. butter, softened

1 c. crunchy or smooth peanut butter

1 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

2 1/2 c flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugar together. Beat in eggs. Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt.  Stir into batter.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.  Shape into 1 inch balls. Flatten each ball with a fork dipped in sugar, making a criss cross pattern. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 375 for 10 - 12 minutes until edges begin to brown.

Our Favorite Bar Cookies

1 c. butter, softened

1 c. brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

8 chocolate bars (regular hersheys)

3/4 c. chopped nuts or candies (walnuts and heath bars work well)

Cream butter and sugar together.  Add egg and vanilla, flour and salt.  Spread into a 15"x10" Jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 15 - 20 min until firm.  Remove from oven and place chocolate bars on top while still hot.  Let chocolate bars melt, spread over top of bars.  Sprinkle with nuts, let cool, and cut into squares.

Santa's Whiskers

1 c. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

2 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 c. flour

3/4 c. maraschino cherries, drained and chopped

1/2 c. pecans, chopped

3/4 c. sweetened coconut flakes

Cream butter and sugar together.  Mix in milk and vanilla.  Stir in cherries, flour, and pecans.  Divide dough in two, form into two logs, 8-10 inches long.  Roll logs in coconut to coat dough.  Wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap and chill 4 hours or overnight.  Slice into 1/4 inch discs, place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 for about 12 minutes.  Makes 5 dozen.

Snickerdoodles

1 c. butter, softened

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3-4 Tbsp. cimmanon sugar

^^(discovered this typo as I was proofing and decided to leave it in. LOL. It reminds me of my little brother, how he used to say cinnamon.)

Cream butter and sugar together.  Add eggs and beat.  Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.  Add to first mixture.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.  Shape into 1 inch balls, roll in cinnamon sugar and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. 

Spritz Cookies

1 cup butter- {use 1 stick butter and 1 stick margarine]

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. vanilla

1/2 t. almond extract

1 egg yolk

2 to 2 1/2 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar. Add salt, vanilla, almond, then egg yolk

Beat well then add flour and blend until stiff.

Refrigerate for one to three hours.  Use a cookie press to shape dough or roll into 1/4 inch sheet and use cookie cutters.  Decorate with colored sugar or sprinkles.

Bake 375 for 10-12 minutes.

The Best Oatmeal Cookies (in case you missed it the first time)

1 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup dried cranberries (or raisins)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars until fluffy.

Add eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients. Add to butter mixture

and stir until well blended. Add dried cranberries and fold in. Drop by teaspoonful

onto parchment covered baking sheet. Bake about 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool. Store in airtight container.

Holiday Cookie Extravaganza!

This is one massive bonus-filled post with six, count them, SIX cookie recipes that are fast and easy and so darn tempting you may not be able to wait 'til Christmas!

Cookies, as I have said before, are so versatile and wonderful.  The basics of any cookie recipe are flour, sugar and BUTTER!!!! So make sure you have plenty on hand before beginning this baking adventure.  I usually buy two five-pound sacks or each flour and sugar for the Christmas season.  And anywhere between eight and twelve sticks of butter, depending on how many varieties you make. 

A note on butter:* We LOVE butter in my house, it is the BEST for everything, rich, creamy, delectable.  But we can't always afford the real stuff, especially in the quantity that cookies call for, when butter is almost 3 dollars for 4 sticks.  I have a secret that saves dollars without sacrificing flavor.  Margarine or vegetable oil "spread" is MUCH cheaper than the real sweet cream.  I paid 99 cents for 4 sticks yesterday.  That's a savings of two dollars per package.  Now, don't get me wrong, using ALL spread or margarine won't give fantastic results, but using equal parts of butter and of spread will yield the same results (ex: 1 stick of butter, 1 stick spread = 1 cup).  I HAVE NOT FOUND A COOKIE RECIPE YET THAT THIS DOES NOT WORK FOR.  As for salted/unsalted butter:  Truly, i have baked with both interchangeable.  I don't see a whole lot of difference.  Our little IGA supermarket doesn't always have both, so i get what i can get.  Some people would call this baking heresy but, when you have to make do, you do!

So here are half a dozen recipes for holiday cookie fabulousness.  I make these for parties and gatherings, for Christmas morning and Christmas eve, and to munch when nobody is looking!!!!!!  ENJOY!   

(P.S. I have already posted my recipe for Oatmeal Cookies, those are one of the varieties i made, so technically, I guess there are only going to be 5 more in this blog post. oops!)

Apple Pie

A word on pies.

I love Pies.  I love to bake them, to east them, to create them, and most of all, to share them.  They are nearly as versatile as cookies and never turned away at a holiday table.  I am going to share with you several of my favorite holiday pie recipes, from the traditional to the not-so.  The first is one that everyone loves, but people are so hesitant to make.  For what reason, I am not quite sure, but trust me, it's a lot easier than you think.  I DO admit to using shortcuts when crafting pies, namely the refrigerated, rolled-up dough that comes in a plastic sleeve.  I prefer them to the frozen, pre-shaped crusts that come already in a tinfoil pan.  They seem to work better and, the plus side is you can be creative with them the way the frozen variety does not allow. 

Case in point: Pie Eating Spider!!!  So that's my simple view on crust.  If you are really a traditionalist, you can make pastry from scratch.  I have done it, it IS delicious, but a royal pain in the bottom if you ask me, and difficult to get right. Here's a link to try that if you're daring
enough:Pie Pastry
So if you're up for this, start with the rolled crust, see how she goes, then progress from there.




So: Apple Pie.
Summer and fall favorite, oh who am i kidding, favorite any time of the year for most Americans.  But one thing is for sure, when fall rolls around and the farm stands and local stores fill with fresh fruit, it's hard to resist buying an armload and making pie.  For me anyway.  The best pie making apples in my opinion are Macintosh and Granny Smith.  I use them both in about half and half proportions.  My husband claims that Golden Delicious also work well, a suggestion I have not yet tried.  Whatever you do, though, do not, and I repeat, DO NOT use red delicious apples!!!  You will end up with a bland, mealy pie that is a shadow of what it could be. This is a simple, basic, no-frills recipe but I promise you it is a winner.

Apple Pie

Preheat Oven to 425
2 refrigerated pie crusts, unrolled
Place one crust gently in the pan and press it into place.  Cut the excess off, leaving about 1/2 inch hanging over the edge. Prick with a fork many times to steam vent the pie, so you wont get bubbles in the crust.

8 cups apples, peeled, sliced thin
       (I'm spoiled and have an apple peeler corer slicer doohickey, but cut em any way you want.)
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp cold butter or margarine, cut into pieces

Mix all dry ingredients in a small bowl, Put apples into a large bowl, large enough to accommodate all apples and toss them. Pour dry ingredient mix over apples and toss to coat. Turn the mixture into a prepared pie plate. (that is, a pie plate with the crust laid into it.) Dot with pieces of butter.  Cover with second pie crust carefully.  Seal edges.  You can either do this with your fingers, or a fork, a spoon, or by doing fancy finger-crimping. There is a good article here about crimping. It's not as hard as it looks and it really gives your pies a fancy, finished look.  Cut a few vents in the top crust of the pie to allow steam to escape.  You can get creative with this if you like. My ghost and spider pies for halloween helped to vent the steam as well as creating a festive fun pie piece of art! This is a double-crust pie and since you are using friut, it will ooze and bubble and probably spill over the edges of the pan no matter how well you seal it. I usually put a large piece of aluminum foil in the oven under the pie to catch the drippings and avoid burning them to the bottom of my oven.  Smoked pie= bad.  Bake 40-50 minutes. Then cool and enjoy!  I love pies, and this is one of many you will see in the coming months!!

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookie Bliss

Here is another faaaaah-bulous cookie recipe that my family can't get enough of.  I made this for the first time four or five years ago. Another hit at family parties.  This is versatile in the way you can use any nuts and dried fruit you want. Be creative! If you like pineapple, use dried pineapple and pecans, or almonds and blueberries, Experiment!


1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cardamon
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit)

1/2 c. chopped walnuts


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars until fluffy.
Add eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients. Add to butter mixture
 and stir until well blended. Add dried cranberries & nuts. Drop by teaspoonful
onto parchment covered baking sheet. Bake about 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool
EAT~!

Lime Cookies - Refreshingly Sweet

This post will probably begin a series of posts about cookies, since it is getting toward the christmas season, I get into the cookie making (and yes, cookie eating!) spirit and churn out dozens of tiny bites of yumminess.  I also am notorious of deciding at 9 PM on a weeknight that I just have to have cookies, and spending two hours making them.  I am a cookie fiend.  That is a confession I am not ashamed to make.  Cookies are a wonder, magical thing.  There are as many recipes for cookies as there are kinds of fancy, expensive ingredients in Mario Batali's kitchen.  They can be anything you want and lend themselves well to tweaking and customizing.  There are some very simple formulas for basic cookie dough that you can basically do anything with.  I like these, but how many ways can you really change a chocolate chip cookies? 

This recipe is not one of these.  It is unique, new, and probably nothing you've tasted before (unless you're priveleged.)  I , alas, can not claim as my own.  It is something I pulled off the 'net several years ago as kindof a "test" cookie to add to the winter sweets repertoire, and it was a HUGE hit.  They were all devoured in a matter of hours, leaving me lime-cookie-less and wishing I had made more.  I have also tried this recipe using lemon with the same result.  But let me say, there is something far more intriguing and bright about using lime in a cookie.  It is different and, dare I say, refreshing.  Try these, you won't be sorry. Well, you might be sorry when you eat them all, but you'll have a new favorite holiday (and low-liday) munchy treat.

Makes about 3 dozen

    * 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

    * 1 cup confectioners' sugar

    * Finely grated zest of 2 limes

    * 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

    * 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

    * 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

    * 2 tablespoons cornstarch

    * 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

   1. Put butter and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add lime zest and juice and vanilla, and mix until fluffy.

   2. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Add to butter mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined.

   3. Divide dough in half. Place each half on an 8-by-12-inch sheet of parchment or wax paper. Roll in parchment to form a log 1 1/4 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log. Refrigerate logs until cold and firm, at least 1 hour.

   4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove parchment from logs; cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space rounds 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until barely golden, about 13 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. While still warm, toss cookies with remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

These cookies will NOT brown.  If they do, you have baked them too long.  A teeny bit of color at the edges is not bad, but don't let them brown.  They also will not grow much from when you put them in the oven, they don't puff up like many cookies, you can place them close together on the baking sheet. They will look like they aren't done, but if you touch them lightly with the tip of your finger, you will be able to tell when they are dry and firm enough.  They are also delicate, and will break if roughly handled.  This is fabulous when you're eating them, as they are tender, and just crumble in your mouth, but it makes them slightly more difficult to store.  I suggest a tin.  I make one layer covering the bottom of the tin, then place wax paper over the layer, and make another one.  This works best in a large cookie tin.  I am now required to make at least two batches of these every year and both my family and my husband's family love them.

Wishing you the best cookie-making happy holiday luck!

My Husband's Favorite Pasta

This is a fantastic dish for any night.  It is simple enough to make on a week night, it can utilize leftovers in several ways, but its flavors are complex and rich enough for serving to guests and TRUST ME, they will be blown away! My husband calls this recipe the "Best Pasta Ever" and consequently, that's what it is labeled as in my digital recipe box.  I have served this to guests and family alike and everyone is mad about it.  Even those who aren't big on brussel sprouts.  They add a whole new dimension to this dish, and served steamed and then pan-seared, they are SO much less bitter than people are used to them being.  They take on the flavor of the bacon and bring a smoky, slightly sweet flavor, as well as helping add tot he substance.  I know I hate a dish that is nothing but noodles and sauce, and the additions of the veggies makes this something special.

Don't be intimidated by this recipe.  It uses refrigerated pre-prepared pasta and sauce in a jar.  There may seem to be a lot of ingredients, but it is SO worth it and, as i said, leftovers can be used to make this easier (ie: brussel sporouts and bacon, even sauteed mushrooms). 

A side note about herbs though:
FRESH ARE BEST.
If you don't have a windowsill herb garden, a back porch herb garden, or an "its in the spare bedroom because we have nowhere else to put it" herb garden, try to make one.  There is no substitute for fresh herbs, cut off the plant by your own two hands.  Even if you have a store nearby that sells snippets of fresh herbs for use in cooking, I'm here to tell you, the flavors are diminished by all that sitting in the fridge they have done.  Fresh are the HANDS DOWN best.  But be careful if you're used to using dried or pre-ground herbs. They are more potent and powerful.  Especially two used in this recipe, rosemary and nutmeg.  When i say a 'dash' of nutmeg, that's exactly what i mean, just one little pinchy dashy bit.  Be careful with nutmeg in savory dishes, it can be an amazing flavor-enhancer and deepener, but it can ruin a dish in a heartbeat if you overdo it.  That said, don't shy away from these things! They can add a whole new level of complexity and yumminess to your cooking! But if you're unsure, then taste, taste, taste.  Unless you work in a professional setting with food, nobody is going to blame you for dipping the spoon in from time to time to check your progress.  Always err on the side of too little spice, you can always add more, but can never add less.
Ok! caveats aside, let's get to the recipe.  Without further ado, I present:

Best Pasta EVER

½ sweet yellow onion, cut into thin slices

1 tomato, cubed

3 cloves of garlic, minced or run through garlic press

½ bag fresh Brussels sprouts

1 box(?) mushrooms (you know those little blue Styrofoam things you get at the store? is it called a box? a container, a crate?) thinly sliced

1 jar any white pasta sauce (alfredo works great) (or homemade if you can manage)

6 slices of bacon

1 pkg prepared stuffed pasta (I used Buitoni chicken and prosciutto tortellini, the kind you find near the butter in the refrigerated section of the grocery. But frozen or dried would also work fine.)

Fresh Sage

Black pepper

Nutmeg

Fresh Rosemary

Hint: The first two steps can be done ahead of time or can utilize leftovers!!

1.       1.   Steam Brussels until JUST tender and bright green, do not over cook. Run under cold water for 1 minute when finished to stop cooking process. Cut in half lengthwise.

2.       2.   Cook bacon in skillet until crisp, do not burn!! Drain on paper towels. Pour off most of grease, leaving enough to coat skillet bottom.

3.       3.   Start water boiling for pasta.

4.       4.   Add onion and Brussels, cut side down to greased skillet. Cook on high for 3 min or so, until sprouts being to brown.

5.       5.   Add mushrooms, garlic, a good shake of pepper, and bacon, cut or crumbled into large pieces. Decrease heat to medium and allow this to cook for a few minutes, until mushrooms begin to color and garlic becomes very fragrant. Add cut tomato to pan. It is important to add the tomato last, or you will end up with little limp red things that in no way resemble tomatoes.  I like my tomatoes to retain a little tooth instead of dissolving into mush.

6.       6.   Add pasta to water and cook according to package instructions.

7.       7.   During last few minutes of pasta cook time, add white sauce to skillet of veggies and bacon, stir well, add a good size pinch of fresh or rubbed sage (probably about ¾ tsp) , rosemary, and just a dash of nutmeg. Stir through to warm all sauce.

8.       8.   Drain pasta well and serve sauce over pasta with garlic bread or bread sticks or baguette (ooooo baguette *drool*).

Serves two very hungry people.

Appx. prep time: 30 min.

ENJOY!!!!