Chocolate Rolled Cookies

This is a sophisticated alternative to the usual rolled sugar cookie. These chocolate cookies are not overly sugary, so they tend to appeal more to adult taste buds. But if you wanted to make a kid-friendly version, you could use all white sugar (instead of a mix of white and brown) and exchange the coffee for milk. This recipe comes from Toba Garrett, the famed cookie and cake decorator, in her book Creative Cookies. They are versatile, like any rolled sugar cookie - You can decorate them with icing or fondant for something special, or you can make sandwich cookies with them. You could add jam to make a chocolate version of a linzer tart. But my favorite is to just give them a drizzle of mocha icing!

1 Cup Butter
2/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1 large Egg
1 Tbsp Extra Strong Coffee
1/3 Cup Cocoa Powder (the recipe says Dutch-process, but regular is fine)
3 Cups All-purpose Flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars together with an electric mixer for two minutes. Scrape down the bowl, then Beat in egg and coffee. (I also like to add a touch of vanilla even though the recipe doesn't list this). Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda in a separate bowl, then gradually add it to the butter mixture, adding the last cup of flour by hand. This is a stiff dough and you need to get your hands in there to work in the last little bit.

You do not need to chill this dough before rolling out, and in fact it will be too stiff if you do. If you do need to make it ahead of time, store it in the fridge but take it out about an hour before rolling.

Roll about 1/4" thick and bake on a greased cookie sheet for about 6-8 minutes, depending on the size of your cut-outs.


Here are some things you can do with these cookies:

Fancy Decorating...

 Sandwich cookies...

Mocha Hearts: For the Mocha glaze, mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 Tablespoon espresso powder, and just enough milk to thin it to a drizzling consistency. Stir well until the sugar and espresso powder are dissolved. Drizzle over the cookies.

Vegan Chocolate Cake

I am not vegan, so if there is anything I've overlooked here, please let me know! But people ask me to come up with vegan recipes all the time, and I realized that since this chocolate cake contains no eggs or dairy, it fits the bill nicely. It is the same as the Quick and Easy Skillet Cake with only a minor modification to the frosting.

1 1/2 Cups All-purpose Flour

3 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder (natural, not dutch-process)

1 Cup Sugar

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon salt

6 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

1 cup cold Water

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

Grease or line with parchment paper one 9" cake pan for a single layer, or two 6" cake pans for a double layer cake.

Sift dry ingredients together and stir with a fork until well-mixed. Make three wells in the dry ingredients. Pour the oil into the first well, the vinegar into the second, and the vanilla into the third. Pour the cold water over the top of it all, then stir with a fork until well-blended. Pour into greased or parchment-lined pan and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it cool, then frost.

Vegan Mocha Frosting:

4 Tablespoons Crisco

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar

dash of salt

2 Tablespoons strong black coffee

Cream together the Crisco, sugar, cocoa and salt until well-mixed. Add the liquid and beat until fluffy. You can do this by hand since it is such a small batch, you really don't need to use a stand mixer for this.

If you prefer just a glaze on top, you can omit the crisco - just mix the coffee (or use soy milk if you don't want the mocha flavor) with the sugar and cocoa powder. You can add more liquid or more sugar to get the consistency you want.

Mile-High Lemon Meringue Pie

Despite what we all say about Apple being the All-American favorite, THIS is the pie everyone drools over. Maybe it is the combination of the sweet meringue and tart lemon that goes so good together, or maybe it's just that the billowy meringue piled high on top looks so impressive. Maybe it is the fact that pie lovers know this one is like a hothouse flower - delicate, prone to wilting, and a bit temperamental. I don't know, but pie lovers RAVE about Lemon Meringue pie like no other. This particular recipe is my mother's. She is not a big pie baker, but this is the ONE pie she bakes, and it is her signature dessert. (Incidentally, my mother claims that making this is as easy as...well...pie. But what does she know? I have made tons of pies over the years, and I am officially labeling Lemon Meringue as one of the comparatively high-maintenance ones. So there.) If I haven't scared you off from trying it yet, let me tell you that it is WORTH THE EFFORT! This recipe calls for double the amount of meringue, because Mom likes it piled high and peaked, never swirled!

Fair Warning: This pie is best served the same day it is baked. The meringue will wilt and shrink a little by the next day, and if by some slim chance there is any left after two days, it looks downright pitiful! So be sure it is nice and fresh.

Prepare one recipe for Flaky Pie Crust (You will use the bottom crust only, so freeze the other half for later use). Pat the dough into a pie pan, flute the edges, and blind bake it. (Blind Baking is pre-baking the crust before filling it: Prick the crust bottom a few times all over with a fork, then put some tin foil inside the crust and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, then let it cool.) Leave the oven on so it is already preheated for the next step.

Filling:

1 1/2 Cups Sugar

3 Tbsp Cornstarch

3 Tbsp Flour

dash of salt

1 1/2 Cups Hot Water

3 Slightly beaten egg yolks (save whites for meringue)

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp lemon zest

1/3 Cup lemon juice

Mix Sugar, Flour, Cornstarch, and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Cook until boiling, then reduce heat and cook two minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat. Mix a small amount (about 1 tsp) of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and stir. Add a little more and stir again (this is to temper the egg yolks so they don't cook and curdle). Then add the yolk mixture back into the pan and cook two more minutes, again stirring constantly, until even thicker. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and lemon zest, then slowly pour in the juice. Pour into the pie shell. Make meringue right away so that you can top the filling with meringue while the filling is still hot.

Meringue:

6 egg whites

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 Teaspoon cream of tartar
6 Tablespoons Sugar

Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Add sugar two tablespoons at at time, then beat until peaks are stiff and glossy.  Spread over the lemon filling, being careful to "seal" it to the crust well at the edges.

Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes until the meringue is nicely browned.

Let it cool for at least an hour before slicing. I prefer to let it cool to room temp, which is usually 2+ hours (This pie is delicate - if it is too hot it will fall apart). Slice it with a sharp knife dipped in hot water.

Valentine's Day Cake

This striped Valentine's Day Cake is made up of layers of Red Velvet Cake and Strawberry Butter Cake, topped with Whipped Strawberry Buttercream. To create this cake, you need four things:

1) Recipe for Red Velvet Cake

 

2) Recipe for Strawberry Butter Cake 

 

3) Recipe for Whipped Strawberry Buttercream

 

4) Instructions for Levelling Cake Layers (to get the stripes even)

 

I used two 8" pans and cut each layer horizontally into two pieces. Then you will have four layers of each color. I used two red pieces and three pink pieces to create striped layers, putting a thin layer of raspberry jam between each color (you can't really see it). Alternately, you could use the pink frosting to fill between layers. This will give you an extra cake layer to munch on or freeze for another project.

 

You will have leftover batter, especially with the Strawberry Butter Cake, so plan to use it up on cupcakes or mini-cakes.

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Fresh Strawberry Buttercream

This frosting has a surprising taste of fresh strawberries, and it gets raves every time I make it. Alternately, you can use 1-2 Tablespoons (depending on your taste) of seedless Raspberry Jam to make a Raspberry frosting instead.

1 Cup good quality Butter
4 Cups Confectioner's Sugar
1/4 - 1/2 Cup Real Strawberry Puree (see directions below)

Beat the butter in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on low until creamy. Add the confectioner's sugar and beat on low until combined. Add 1/4 cup strawberry puree. Whip on medium for 5-7 minutes until very fluffy, scraping down the bowl about halfway through (this is one time where it really is good to have a KitchenAid mixer!) If necessary, add a little more strawberry puree or more powdered sugar to adjust the consistecy as you like it. It should be creamy and very fluffy, but firm enough to hold its shape.

Strawberry Puree - this is easy to make from fresh strawberries, or, if they aren't in season, use frozen ones instead. Just slice up 2cups of strawberries and add 2 Tablespoons of sugar. Stir them and let them sit 10-20 minutes until they create some juice. Then puree the strawberries with their juice in a blender until there are no big chunks. Freeze leftover puree or use it in smoothies. If you are making the strawberry butter cake to go with this frosting (see recipe page), you will need 1 1/2 cups of strawberry puree, so go ahead and make a lot!

Quick & Easy Skillet Cake

This chocolate cake isn't fancy, but it is super quick and can be made with basic ingredients most of us have on hand at all times. There is no waiting for your milk/butter/eggs to get to room temp, because none of those things are in the cake (but it's still yummy, I swear!) Bake it in a cast iron skillet, or it would also work in an 8x8 casserole dish or cake pan. I have to give credit for this recipe to Marcia Rose-Richie. This recipe of hers originally appeared in the monthly catalog for Penzey's spices.

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

1 1/2 Cups All-purpose Flour

3 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder (natural, not dutch-process)

1 Cup Sugar

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon salt

6 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon vinegar (do not use balsamic or flavored vinegar)

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

1 cup cold Water

Sift dry ingredients together into a (10" or 12") cast iron skillet. If you don't have a skillet, use an 8x8 baking pan or casserole dish. Stir the dry ingredients with a fork until well-mixed. Make three wells in the dry ingredients. Pour the oil into the first well, the vinegar into the second, and the vanilla into the third. Pour the cold water over the top of it all, then stir with a fork until well-blended. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it cool, then frost.

Frosting:

4 Tablespoons softened Butter

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar

dash of salt

2 Tablespoons milk or room temp black coffee

Cream together the butter, sugar, cocoa and salt until well-mixed. Add the liquid and beat until fluffy. You can do this by hand since it is such a small batch, you really don't need to use a stand mixer for this.

 

This recipe is featured on Simple Supper Tuesday at Hun, What's For Dinner?

 

 

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

Get a glass of milk - you'll need it! These cookies are thick with peanut butter flavor. PB cookies made with butter tend to be flavorful and crunchy; ones made with shortening tend to be chewy but less flavorful. So I use mostly butter in these, with just a touch of shortening. That makes them slightly softer (but not quite chewy), while keeping that buttery flavor. This recipe is a cross between an old family recipe and one I found in my best cookbook. I really think it is the best Peanut Butter Cookie ever - And you can add any number of chips, nuts, or candies into this dough, so it's versatile too!

1 Cup Peanut Butter (Chunky or smooth depends on whether you want bits of peanut in the cookies)
1/2 Cup Butter (1 stick)
2 Tablespoons Shortening
1 Cup brown sugar (I like dark brown for more depth of flavor, but light brown or half white/half brown sugar will work too)
2 Eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 Cups Flour*
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

Optional: Add Peanut Butter Chips or Chocolate Chips (1/2 to 1 Cup as desired)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream the Butter, Shortening, Peanut Butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until combined. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda with a fork until well-mixed. Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and beat on low until smooth. Add any chips/nuts you want to at this point.

Drop onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom and the tops no longer look shiny.

*If using all natural Peanut Butter, which is more runny, increase the flour to 1 3/4 cups.

Meyer Lemon Pie

Have you heard of Meyer Lemons? They are a cross between a Lemon and a Mandarin Orange. Meyer Lemons are smaller than regular lemons and are slightly sweeter with just a hint of orange flavor. They are sold in Supermarkets in small bags:

I decided to try out Meyer Lemons in a pie. So I made my Shaker Lemon Pie, but using Meyer Lemons instead of regular ones. It came out great. I had to make some adjustments to the recipe for these little lemons, but the result was fantastic.

This Pie is for the true Lemon Lovers - it is as tart as it is sweet! Remember to prep the lemons a day ahead, because they need to macerate in the sugar for up to 24 hours.

Meyer Lemon Pie:

1 recipe Flaky Pie Crust

4 Meyer Lemons

2 Cups Sugar

pinch salt

4 eggs

Grate the zest from TWO of the lemons and put it in a large ceramic or stainless steel bowl (Just don't use an aluminum bowl since it can react with lemons, giving them a metallic taste). With a very sharp knife, slice the rind from all four lemons:

 Cut the Lemons into thin, small pieces, being careful to remove all seeds as you go. (Have a towel handy to wipe up your board or your knife, because all that juice can get slippery!) Add the lemon pieces to the zest in the bowl. Add the sugar and salt, then stir well. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight up to 24 hours (the longer the better).

 After the lemon/sugar mix has sat for a long time, Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, beat the eggs lightly and then add them into the lemon mixture. Stir well. Roll out your pie crust and line a pie pan with the dough. Pour in the lemon mixture (it will be liquidy).

Place the top crust gently on the lemon filling and crimp the edges of the pie crust. Cut vents into the top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush with milk and sprinkle sugar over the top crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temp to 350 and bake an additional 40-45 minutes. (Check after 20 minutes to see if the edges need to be covered with foil to prevent overbrowning.)

Cappuccino Pie

This is another variation on the standard cream pie recipe I like to use. It has a strong coffee flavor, and just a hint of cinnamon. I developed this recipe for a pie cook-off and it was a HUGE hit with my family and friends who were my taste-testers. I didn't get into the cook-off with it, but I got a fantastic new recipe out of it, so it's a good thing.

1 recipe Graham Cracker Crust but add a dash of cinnamon to the crackers before mixing.

Filling:
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 Cups milk
3 egg yolks
2 Tablespoons Instant Espresso Powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or for something interesting, try Rum extract instead)

In the top of a double boiler combine the sugar, flour, salt, and milk. Stir the mixture in the bowl while the water boils beneath it, cooking for about 10 minutes until the mixture thickens (stir it frequently). Remove from the heat.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks. Take a small amount of the hot milk/flour mixture (about a tablespoon) and stir it into the eggs. Add another spoonful and stir it in (you are "tempering" the eggs so they don't cook and curdle). Now pour the egg mixture into the rest of the hot milk mix. Return it to the double boiler and cook until thickened some more (about 3-5 minutes) stirring constantly. Take it off the heat and let it rest.

Add the Espresso powder and vanilla extract to the filling mixture. Now let it cool a bit. (You can stick the filling in the fridge or freezer to help it chill faster, just remember to take it out and stir it occasionally). When the filling has cooled pour it into the pie shell. Then return it to the fridge to for another hour to make sure it is well-chilled before topping it with whipped cream (you can add the whipped cream ahead of time or just before serving) and a light dusting of cinnamon. Keep it in the fridge when not serving.

Fresh Whipped Cream Topping:
1 pint heavy cream
1/4 - 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, depending on how sweet you want it

Make sure the cream is well-chilled, (I even chill the mixing bowl and beaters when I make whipped cream). Beat on high speed with mixer until it is thickened. Spread it over the chilled pie and then put the pie back in the fridge until serving.

Almond Coffee Cake

This coffee cake is a delicious alternative to the common cinnamon coffee cake. Sour cream makes it moist and dense. This basic recipe can be altered to make many other flavors - the Lemon Coffee Cake and Cinnamon Coffee cakes listed on the recipe page are just variations of this one.

2 Sticks of butter, softened

1 Cup Sugar

3 Eggs

2 1/2 Cups All-purpose Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 Cup Sour Cream

1 teaspoon Almond Extract

Glaze:

1 Cup Powdered Sugar

1-2 Tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 Cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt or tube pan.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together with a fork until well-blended. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter on low until for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until smooth. Add the eggs and almond extract, then beat for about two minutes until creamy.  Add the flour mixture to the butter and beat until smooth. Add the sour cream and mix on low until just blended (don't overmix).

Spoon the batter into the pan and Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let it rest for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a cooling rack. After it has cooled a bit, you can add the glaze and the sliced almonds: Just mix the powdered sugar, milk (1 teaspoon at a time until you get a pouring consistency) and almond flavoring together in a bowl. Spoon it over the cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. Then sprinkle almonds on top.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

This is a dense, home-style Coffee Cake. This basic recipe can be altered to make many other flavors - the Lemon Coffee Cake and Almond Coffee Cakes listed on the recipe page are just variations of this one.

2 Sticks of butter, softened

1 Cup Sugar

3 Eggs

2 1/2 Cups All-purpose Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated if possible)

1 Cup Sour Cream

Streusel Topping:

3/4 cup Brown Sugar 

3/4 cup Flour

1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon

1/4 cup Butter, softened

Mix until crumbly. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt or tube pan.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together with a fork until well-blended. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter on low until for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until smooth. Add the eggs and beat for about two minutes until creamy. Add the flour mixture to the butter and beat until smooth. Add the sour cream and mix on low until just blended (don't overmix).

Spoon half of the batter into the pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the streusel topping mixture on top, then cover with the rest of the batter. Sprinkle the remaining streusel topping on top of the batter. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let it rest for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a cooling rack. (You will need to invert it twice to get the streusel side up - just flip it onto a cookie sheet, then flip again onto a cooling rack or a decorative plate.) Let it cool another 10-15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm if possible. 

Lemon Coffee Cake

This is a variation of the same basic coffee cake recipe I use. The Almond Coffee Cake and Cinnamon Coffee Cakes listed on the recipe page are all variations of this one.

2 Sticks of butter, softened

1 Cup Sugar

3 Eggs

Zest of two whole lemons

2 teaspoons Lemon Extract

2 1/2 Cups All-purpose Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 Cup Sour Cream

Glaze:

Juice of two whole lemons

1/2 -1 Cup Powdered Sugar (depending on how thick you want your glaze)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt or tube pan.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together and stir until blended. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter on low until for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until smooth. Add the eggs, zest, and lemon extract, then beat for about two minutes until creamy. Add the flour mixture to the butter and beat until smooth. Stir in the sour cream by hand just until it is thoroughly mixed in (don't overmix).

Spoon the batter into the pan and Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let it rest for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a cooling rack. After it has cooled a bit, you can add the glaze: Just mix the powdered sugar into the lemon juice a little at a time until you get a pouring consistency. You can choose whether you want a thin glaze that will saturate the cake and add flavor but not be visible when dried, or a thicker glaze that will look like a thin white icing. Either way, spoon it over the cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. You can garnish with a sprinkling of lemon zest on top of the icing if you wish.

Sour Cream Yellow Cake

I can't take credit for this recipe, I found it on CakeCentral.com. It is apparently the classic Yellow Cake Recipe from Sylvia Weinstock, the legendary Cake Decorator. It is delicious, with a buttery taste and a nice soft texture. The sour cream helps keep it moist.

This recipe goes great with Whipped Butter-Rum Frosting

2-1/4 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) sweet butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, separated (you will use both the yolks and the whites)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line two 9x2" pans with parchment. (You could also do two 8x3" pans or three 6x2" pans).

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy and light in color, about 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the sugar and continue to mix until fluffy and light. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, being sure each is well incorporated before adding the next one. Add the vanilla.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour. Be sure the mixture is completely blended after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl, and beat for 1 minute.

In a separate bowl, with clean beaters, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and smooth with a rubber spatula.

Bake in the preheated oven, 35-45 minutes (depending on which pan size you use.) The top of the cake should be nicely browned. Test for doneness with a skewer or a toothpick; the tester should come out dry and clean.

Whipped Butter-Rum Frosting

This frosting looks light and fluffy, but tastes decadent. Using rum extract instead of real rum means that you can control the strength of the rum flavor without adding a lot more liquid, and the bonus is that anyone can eat it, even kids.

1 Cup good quality Butter
4 Cups Confectioner's Sugar
1-2 Teaspoons Rum extract, to taste
2 Tablespoons Dream Whip Powder*
3 Tablespoons milk (you can add more for a softer consistency)
1/2 teaspoon salt (if using salted Butter, omit salt)

Beat the butter in a KitchenAid mixer (with the whisk attachment) on low until creamy. Add the confectioner's sugar and beat on low until combined. In a separate small bowl, dissolve the salt (if using) into the milk (use the minimum of milk for now - you can add more later). Then add the milk, 1 teaspoon of the rum extract, and the Dream Whip powder into the frosting. Whip on medium for 5-7 minutes until very fluffy. Taste it and add the second teaspoon of rum if you'd like a stronger flavor. Add more milk or powdered sugar to adjust the consistecy. It should be creamy and very fluffy, with a rich decadent butter/rum taste. This frosting is a good choice for piping since it holds its fluffy shape.

*Dream Whip Powder is sold in most grocery stores in the pudding aisle. I actually DO NOT recommend it for its intended purpose, which is to make a whipped cream-like topping for desserts (real whipped cream is so much better and just as fast to make!) But for giving a fluffy consistency to frosting that will not deflate or give an off-flavor, this is great stuff.

Sinful Chocolate Buttercream

This frosting is so thick and rich, it is positively sinful. A light and mildly flavored cake won't stand up to the full force of this chocolate, so choose a rich butter cake or a chocolate cake.

1/2 Cup Softened Butter
2 oz. chopped dark chocolate
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
2 Cups Confectioner's Sugar
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
1-3 teaspoons of milk (add 1 and then see if you need more)
1 tsp Vanilla extract

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or you can microwave it in ten-second intervals, stirring each time you check it. Then beat the chocolate with the butter, cocoa and confectioner's sugar on low in a KitchenAid mixer until combined. Add the remaining ingredients and turn the mixer setting to high. Beat an additional two minutes. Frost Cake immediately or cover in plastic wrap until ready to use.

Granny Mahoney's Mince Pie

This recipe comes from my husband's great-grandmother, and it is at least 100 years old. This one does not have actual meat in it, but suet (beef fat). For those who want to make this a vegetarian pie, just omit the suet altogether and add 1 teaspoon of instant tapioca or cornstarch to thicken it.

If possible, It is better to make this a couple of weeks ahead so the flavors can age. According to the directions, you are supposed to stir it every other day, adding a spoonful of Brandy each time you do. The recipe was originally meant to make A LOT of mincemeat, which would be sealed in jars and left to age for months, each jar enough to make one pie. But for this post, I have cut it down to a one pie recipe:

3 lbs apples (mostly very firm apples, though you can have a variety)
1 large box seedless raisins - dark, or a mix of dark and golden
3/4 cup chopped suet
1 tsp salt
1/2 Cup candied orange peel
1/2 Cup candied lemon peel
1 whole lemon, cut in half
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of mace


Peel and core the apples, and chop them into chunks. Put HALF of the apples, and HALF of the raisins into a large pot with the orange and lemon peel, the sugar, molasses, salt, and spices. Squeeze the lemon over the fruit, getting as much juice out as you can. Then put the lemon into the pot to simmer with the fruits (you will take it out later). Simmer (covered) on low for one hour, stirring often. Add the remaining apples and raisins and simmer for two or more hours, stirring often to make sure the bottom doesn't get scorched. Test it to make sure the candied fruits have softened. At this point you can add more sugar and spices to taste. Simmer longer if necessary to soften everything up, then take it off the fire and let it cool to room temp. Put in an airtight container and add a spoonful of Brandy to the top. Add a lid and let it sit for two weeks, stirring every other day and adding another spoonful of Brandy. (I have made this just a few days ahead and it is fine, but it will be better if you can give it the full two weeks).

Roll out a two crust pie dough (I like to use old time lard crust for this) and fill with the mincemeat. Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, checking after 20 minutes to see if the edges need to be covered with foil. Let it sit for 1-2 hours before serving.

Old-Time Lard Crust

This is the same as the flaky crust, but it comes out sturdier, less tender, because of the lard. It also has a slightly "meaty" aroma and flavor, making it great for pot pies and mince pie.

2 Cups sifted All-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 Cup chilled Lard
2 Tbsp chilled butter
4 Tbsp Ice Water

*For a sweeter crust, you can take 1/4 cup flour out and replace it with 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Sift together Flour and Salt. Cut half of the shortening into the flour with a pastry blender, until it looks like the texture of cornmeal. Cut in the remaining shortening and butter until the dough is in pea-sized crumbs. Sprinkle on the water and blend in lightly with a fork. If needed to hold the dough together, you can add more water a scant teaspoon at a time. When you can gather up the dough in a ball, stop working it. Divide the dough in half, press circles between two sheets of waxed paper to make a disc. This makes chilling the dough faster and rolling it will be easier later. Put the dough in the fridge to chill for an hour or so before rolling. If not using it right away, put the dough in a large Ziploc bag and freeze it.

Then I just go ahead and roll my dough between the two pieces of waxed paper. You need to keep lifting and repositioning the paper when you do this, but it means that you add little or no extra flour to the dough.  It also makes transferring it from the board to the pie tin easier.

Spritz Cookies

These small butter cookies only seem to come out at Christmas time, and that's a shame. They are buttery, delicious, and such a fun cookie. Maybe people don't make them often because they are what I would call a "high maintenance" cookie - they require specific equipment and several steps to prep/make. But they are worth it, since they are so tasty and so festive! This particular recipe comes from the Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cookie book:

3 1/2 Cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups butter
1 Cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
food coloring (optional)
Required tools: Manual or Electric Cookie Press (Spritz Cookie Maker)

Stir together flour and baking powder. In your kitchenaid mixer bowl, beat the butter until softened. Then add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg and extracts and beat well. Gradually add flour mixture until well-combined. DO NOT CHILL THE DOUGH so that it will pass easily through the cookie press. If desired, tint the dough different colors. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray or lay down parchment. Press the dough through the cookie press in whatever shape you desire (follow directions for your particular model). Decorate with sugars and sprinkles if desired (I find it helps to brush them with a little water before sprinkling with decorations so they stick better). Bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes.

Retro Christmas Cookies

I usually send my family fancy decorated sugar cookies for Christmas, but this year I was short on decorating time. I still wanted to send cookies, though. So I decided to dig through my family's old cookie recipes and see if I could do something faster, yet still conjuring up the nostalgia of Christmases past. I came up with Rolled Oats Icebox cookies, Old fashioned Molasses, Butterscotch Walnut cookies, and Brandied Chocolate Balls. Making these old recipes was like visiting a time before I was born! You can find all of these recipes in the recipe page.

Best Gingerbread Cutouts

 

 

When people say they don't really like gingerbread cookies, it's usually because they haven't had really good gingerbread cookies. Many recipes give you tough, hard cookies that are not very sweet or, in some cases, overly sugary. This recipe gives you a softer cookie that has a delicious balance of sugar and spice. Roll them on the thick side.

3 Cups All-purpose Flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 Cup light molasses
1/2 Cup melted butter
1/2 Cup sugar
1 lightly beaten egg

Mix together dry ingredients in your mixer bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the molasses, sugar, and melted butter, then add to the dry mixture. Add the beaten egg last, and beat just until well-combined. Chill the dough at least one hour before rolling. Roll the cookies thick, then bake in a 350 oven for approximately 6-8 minutes, depending on the size of your shapes.


Simple Milk Icing: 1 Cup powdered sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon milk, stir well. Add more milk just a few drops at a time until you get the consistency you want. You don't want it too runny, it should be thick and when you run a knife through it, it should take 7-10 seconds for the icing to come together again, making the knife mark disappear. You can always add more powdered sugar if you thin it too much. Use a pastry bag to pipe on designs, or frost with a knife for simpler shapes.

Let the cookies dry overnight before packaging or stacking them. This icing takes longer to dry than royal icing, but it is tastier.

 

 

Gingerbread Houses - Tips and Ideas

'Tis the season for Gingerbread Houses! I love to build gingerbread houses, and the great thing is that you can make them as simple or as involved as you wish. This week I will posting some tips about building gingerbread houses from simple to complex. I will also include some professional tips for adding details that take it to the next level, for those who would like to take a house from simple to stunning. Here are some tips for success:

Dough:

• Use a dough that is specifically for houses, not cookies. Cookie dough is meant to be softer. There are two kinds of gingerbread dough for houses - regular and construction grade. Regular Gingerbread Dough is tasty and suitable for building small houses and children's houses. It is easy to roll out and work with. Construction Grade gingerbread dough is tougher and harder to roll out, but it yields amazingly hard dough that will not warp after assembly. Construction grade is usually only used for large houses or competition houses (which may have to sit for a long time and are susceptible to humidity). 


• Lay a piece of aluminum foil on your cookie sheet and roll your dough out right on that instead of rolling it on a board and then transferring it. (Transferring it can cause the dough to break or the shape to become askew.) If your dough spreads during baking, you can trim it with a sharp knife after it comes out, so your sides stay nice and straight.

• Roll the dough thick (about 1/4"). For large houses, I bake it twice for extra hardness. The bigger the house, the more important it is that the dough be very firm. After initial baking, let the pieces sit for a day, then rebake them at 250 degrees for ten minutes to dry the dough out a little more.

Constructing the House:

• If you aren't working with a pattern, build a model out of cardboard first. Tape it all together to see how the house will look.  Then use the pieces as a pattern to cut out your dough. You can do a search online for gingerbread house patterns if you do not want to design your own. Here is one good source for patterns: Gingerbread by Design

• Build your house on a sturdy base. The larger the house, the sturdier it needs to be. Small houses can go on cardboard cake boards. Large houses require a wooden board of some kind (scavenge your own from your shed or buy pre-cut plywood squares at your local hardware store).

• Assemble it with Royal Icing, which dries super-hard like glue: (Royal Icing recipe) For a professional look, Tint half of your Royal Icing the same shade of brown as your gingerbread dough and use that icing to assemble the house (so that the icing does not show through in the cracks):

                                           

• You will still use white royal icing for the decorating, and for adding "snow."

• It is generally easier to decorate the sides of your house - windows and walls - BEFORE assembling the house. It is easier to have a steady hand for piping if the walls are flat, and candies will dry without sliding downward like they sometimes do when you decorate after the house is assembled and walls are vertical.


• Use soup cans to prop up walls while you wait for them to dry. You can also use soup cans or something similar to hold the edges of your roof up while drying.

• Plah ahead to give yourself assembly time! Allow the assembled house to dry overnight (8 hours) before adding the roof on top. Then give your roof several hours up to overnight to dry before adding shingles or decorations on top. The larger the house, the longer you need to let it dry for structural integrity. For large houses, it can take up to 48 hours of assemble/dry/assemble phases. Very small houses can be completely decorated and assembled in one day, but plan ahead because they always take longer than you think they will!

Decorating Tips:

• Get creative! Go around your grocery store looking for crackers, candies and cereal that could work as shutters, roof tiles, or accent pieces. Be open to using things other than candy. Remember that what you use for roof tiles will need to be pretty flat because shingles are stacked on top of each other. I have also seen gingerbread houses where the roof pieces are "embossed" or imprinted with a shingle design prior to baking. I have also seen pretty designs drawn on with royal icing. The important thing is to make the house yours, in your own personal style. I tend to make houses that are replicas of real buildings, so they are less whimsical than other gingerbread houses. That is my style, and everyone has their own. Many people prefer a gingerbread house that is whimsical and covered with a rainbow of different candies. I love those houses too, so explore your own design style.

• Snow makes everything look nicer. You can cover up areas that don't look so good with icicles and snow. Dusting the entire house with a touch of confectioner's sugar when it is complete will give it a "just dusted with snow" look.

Take it to the next level:

• Let there be light! It is not hard to add lights to the inside of your house. Buy a strand of battery operated christmas lights at any craft store. Put them inside (I prefer to have the side and front walls on before I place the lights, so I can tape down the strand while making sure I get the bulbs placed beneath the windows.) Make a little notch in the back wall to allow for the cord to go underneath it, then put the battery pack in back of the house. Depending on how opaque your windows are, the lights should give a nice warm glow to your house.

                                      

                                     

• Candy Windows: Just cut the window holes when you are rolling out the dough. After baking your pieces and cooling them, you can pour crushed candy pieces into the window holes and bake at 350 for 5 minutes or so, just until they are thoroughly melted and no chunks remain (watch carefully to avoid overcooking). Let them sit until cool. If the house is lighted inside, the light will show through the windows a little, giving the gingerbread house a warm glow. You can use any hard candy (lifesavers, jolly ranchers) but sometimes candy windows melt out after several days. Brach's Butterscotch discs are the only ones I have found that never melt out, but they are more opaque than other candies, so it is a trade-off.

  

• See-through windows: Gelatin sheets (aka "leaf gelatin") can be purchased at cake decorating stores or online. You will be able to see completely through the window, so you could place items in the window for viewing:

• Landscaping: The area around the house looks nicer if there are trees, bushes, etc. You can use trees, fences, etc. to create visual interest, and bushes close to the house can be strategically placed to cover up areas of the house that may look unsightly.

• Glitz it up! Your local Cake Decorating store or craft store will sell edible glitter which can be dusted lightly over the top of the house to give it sparkle and make the snow "glisten." The one I like best is something called "Disco Dust" - it is far more glittery than other powders.
  
  FYI - Disco Dust, Lustre Dust, and Metallic Gilding Dust all fall into the category of "Non-Toxic" which means that they won't make you sick, but are not classified as "Edible" by the FDA. So on items that WILL get eaten, do not use them in large quantities. Just something to keep in mind if you plan to eat your house. You only need a little anyway, and in truth, most gingerbread houses do not get eaten after they have been getting stale on display for weeks.

 Again, I have to give a plug to a great gingerbread website, Ultimate Gingerbread. Go visit this site for tons of ideas, how-tos, and gingerbread inspiration! The woman who runs the site, Loreta, is also very helpful if you have questions. She returns my emails promptly and gives helpful suggestions.

Have FUN!