Angela's Sugar Cookies

Bake at 375 for 7-9 minutes.  Yields 24-30 3 inch cookies.

Ingredients

-1 1/2 sticks room temperature salted butter

-2 oz Cream Cheese at room temperature

-2 cups granulated sugar

-2 large eggs at room temperature

-1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

-1 teaspoon almond extract

-1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste (optional)

-1/2 tsp baking powder

-4 1/3 cups flour

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

2. Start by beating the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until smooth.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla until combined.

4. Add the eggs and vanilla mixture to the other ingredients in the mixer and beat together until combined. 

5. In a large bowl add the flour and baking power. Whisk together the dry ingredients to ensure lumps are eliminated. 

6. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer one cup at a time and beat until combined. You will know the dough is ready when it starts to pull away from the edges of the mixing bowl (forming a ball around the paddle). 

Butterballs

• 1 Cup Soft Butter (Unsalted)
• ½ Cup Sifted Confectioner's Sugar
• 1 Tsp Vanilla
• 2¼ - 2½ Cups Sifted Flour
• ¼ Tsp Salt
• 1 Cup Chopped Walnuts or Pecans

1. Cream butter and confectioner's sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla, mix to blend in.
3. Add flour and salt a little at a time.
4. When all the flour is in, add walnuts, mix until crumbly (not thoroughly mixed).
5. Turn mixture out onto lightly floured board.
6. Form dough into log, chill for 30 minutes.
7. Roll into 1-inch balls and place onto un-greased cookie sheet.
8. Bake until set, but not brown, 12-15 minutes at 350° F.
9. Cool cookies then roll in confectioner's sugar while still warm.

Kelley's Easy Cobbler

-Canned fruit of choice

-Or fresh fruit of choice (about 6 apples or peaches), peeled and cut up and tossed with cinnamon sugar

-One box yellow cake mix

-1 stick butter melted

Preheat oven to 350, spray a glass baking dish, put fruit on bottom, top with cake mix evenly, pour melted butter on top, covering the cake mix. Bake for about 40-45 min until golden brown and bubbly :)

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

My mother in law makes an amazing pumpkin pie.  I planned on making this last Thanksgiving so I got the recipe from her.  I never ended up making it...I'm posting it for myself so I can make it this year. 

-1 envelope unflavored gelatin
-3/4 cup milk
-1/2 cup sugar
-2 slightly beaten egg YOLKS
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 cup canned pumpkin
-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-2 eggs WHITES
-1/2 teaspoon allspice
-1/4 cup sugar
-1/4 teaspoon ginger
-1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped
-1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
-1, 9" graham-cracker crust

Combine 1st 7 ingredients in saucepan. Stir in milk, egg YOLKS and pumpkin. Cook and stir over medium heat till mixture boils and gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and chill till partially set
(this might take 1/2 hour or more). When its almost ready, start the next steps.

Beat egg WHITES till soft peaks form; gradually add sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Fold into pumpkin mixture with whipped cream. Pile into crust. Chill till firm. You can trim with more whipping cream or just walnut halves.

Note from my MIL:
I never put more whipped cream on top because there is plenty in the pie. I have also had enough of the pie mixture left, so I get the individual size graham-cracker crust and fill them. This is be frozen
for 4-5 months, also.

From the kitchen of Jan Segal.

Chocolate Spoons

This year, I made some chocolate spoons to add to the goodies I gave to friends and neighbors for Christmas.  They can be used in coffee or warm milk to make hot chocolate.  My kids had fun watching the chocolate on their spoons melt and then drinking it up.  These are very easy to make and you can decorate however you like.

Melt chocolate or white chocolate chips (I microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds or so).  Dip plastic spoon and coat with the chocolate.  While chocolate is still wet, coat with your choice or topping/decoration.  We have used shredded coconut, Christmas sprinkles, crushed candy canes, mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, etc.  Then, lay on a sheet of wax paper and let the chocolate completely harden. 

Grandma Drake's Baked Apples

These baked apples have been a holiday staple in our family since my Mom was a little girl.  From what I understand, the recipe was passed along to my Grandma so I'm sure it goes back even farther than I know.  My mom and I tried to make these for Christmas while she was visiting this year.  However, we didn't trust the original recipe (thought there was too much flour) and ended up botching the entire batch.  I tried making them again this week and they turned out PERFECT!  It's amazing how food can bring back so many memories from childhood.  We eat these right along with the turkey dinner, but you could also serve them as a dessert.   

 -3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut in half
-1 cup white sugar
-1/2 cup margarine (cold)
-3/4 cup to 1 1/4 cup flour (enough to make thick dough like consistency)
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-cinammon

To make the filling, use a pastry cutter.  I couldn't find mine so I just used a fork.  In a large mixing bowled, cut margarine into the sugar with a fork (or your pastry cutter) until thoroughly combined.  Then, slowly cut in flour until you get a VERY THICK, dough like consisentcy.  I ended up using a little over a cup or so of flour.  (When my mom and I made these we did not use enough flour and the filling just melted off the apples...make sure the filling is super thick).  Add vanilla and combine thoroughly with fork/pastry cutter. 

Lay apple halves, core side up in a 9X13 inch pan.  Spoon a generous amount of filling into the core/top of each apple.  Sprinkle lightly with cinammon (use your fingers to sprinkle just a tad on each apple.

Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for about 1/2 -1 hour.  Baking time depends on your oven and the apples. Start checking apples for doneness at 30 minutes but they will most likely cook for close to an hour.  Use a fork to poke the apple to see if it's tender.  It should be tender, but not completely soft.

Christmas Bark

Whoops...this one has been sitting in my drafts box for the last month. 

Christmas Bark is one of my favorite things to consume during the Christmas season.  Ghirardelli's version is A-mazing but gets a little pricey (at least with the amount that I consume during the Christmas season).  I'm just as happy with my version...

-24 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
-24 ounces white chocolate chips
-40 or so peppermint candy canes, crushed
-Green, red, white sprinkles

Lightly grease 2, 9X13 inch baking sheets and line with waxed paper, smoothing out the wrinkles.  Set aside.

Melt semi-sweet chips in microwave.  Heat for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.  Pour into the baking sheets and spread evenly over the bottom of the sheet.  To smooth the ridges/bubbles, I gently slam (can't think of a better word than slam) the cookie sheet on the counter a couple times.   Sprinkle half of the crushed candy on top of the chocolate and press gently with your hands.  Refrigerate until completely hardened, about 1 hour.

Melt the white chips in microwave the same as before.  Pour the white chocolate over the hardened semi-sweet chocolate layer.  Spread evenly. Cover with the rest of the crushed candies and some Christmas colored sprinkles and gently push it down into chocolate with hands.    Slam the cookie sheet on counter again to remove ridges/bubbles.   Refrigerate until completely hardened.  Remove from pan and break into small pieces to serve.  I start this by slicing a chunk with a knife and then break with my hands.

Easy Buckeyes

Scott isn't much of a sweets guy.  This is great, cuz I'm not much of a baker.  However, this year, he kept hinting that he was craving Buckeyes...a staple at Christmas time in our home state of Ohio.  Believe or not, in all my 34 years I've never eaten a buckeye, let alone made one.  I wanted to surprise him with a batch.  Thank goodness for the Internet because I found this recipe for "Almost Instant Buckeyes."  I think making these will now be an annual tradition in the Segal home.  They got great reviews from the hubs, kids, and friends/neighbors. 

-1 (10 ounce) package peanut butter chips

-1 (16 ounce) can vanilla ready-to-spread frosting

-1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

 

Line some cookie sheets with waxed paper or parchment paper.  Melt pb chips in microwave.  Stir after every 30 seconds.  They will take about 2 minutes to melt.  Remove from microwave and stir in frosting...I use a hand mixer. Let stand about 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle. 

Roll peanut butter mixture into 1-inch balls; place on cookie sheet.  Refrigerate (or freeze) for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips the same way you melted the pb chips. 

 

 

Pierce each pb ball with a toothpick and dip into the melted chocolate.  Leave a small area around the toothpick uncoated so the ball resembles a buckeye.  Place dipped ball on a wax paper covered cookie sheet, pushing the candy off of toothpick with tines of a fork (or a clean finger).  To smooth  out the toothpick mark, give the hole a pinch and then smooth it down.  Let stand for 5 minutes or until set. (I put mine in the freezer).

 

 

Makes about 5 dozen.

 

 

These truly were a cinch to make...I mean I made them so how difficult could they be??   Mine don't look as pretty as those on the website but hey, it was my first go at them!

Chris Kringles

These are my favorite Christmas cookies. I'm not much of a baker the rest of the year, but I do bake some cookies for friends during the holidays.  These cookies taste like brownies with powdered sugar on them. Santa likes them too!

-1/2 cup vegetable oil
-4 squares unsweetened chocolate

Melt these two ingredients together. Heat slowly, mixing every 30-60 seconds in microwave or heat in a double boiler, stirring constantly.

-2 cups sugar
-4 eggs
-2 teaspoons vanilla
-2 cups flour
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 cup powdered sugar

Mix chocolate and oil mixture with sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Stir in dry ingredients until mixed thoroughly. Refrigerate dough, covered, for a MINIMUM of 2 hours or overnight. Drop teaspoons of dough into powdered sugar and roll to coat. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.*

Cool slightly (about 2 minutes) and then remove from cookie sheet before completely set. Makes about 3 dozen.

*While I have the cookies in the oven baking, I stick the bowl of dough back in the fridge or freezer to keep the dough cold. The dough is much easier to work with when it is super cold.

Frozen Turtle Dessert

My friend, Heather, made this for our 4th of July celebration yesterday and it did not disappoint (and it's EASY).  Delish!

-17 ice cream sandwiches
-1 jar of caramel
-1 1/4 cups of pecans, (Oreos can be substituted for pecans.  This is how I have had it.  Yum!)
-1 (12 ounces) Cool Whip
-Hot fudge

Place 8 1/2 ice cream sandwiches in a 9X13 inch baking dish. Spread evenly with caramel and sprinkle with 1 cup pecans (or Oreos). Top with 2 cups cool whip and remaining ice cream sandwiches. Spread remaining cool whip evenly over sandwiches. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup pecans. Cover and freeze at least 2 hours.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving; cut into squares.
Drizzle with fudge.

Note the chocolate smudges on Adam's lips...I think he snuck some bites of Oreos when I wasn't looking.  ;)

From the kitchen of Heather Campbell.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

I think I need to stock my pantry with canned pumpkin...

Cooking time: 1 hour + Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-3 cups white sugar
-1, 15-oz can of pumpkin puree
-1 cup vegetable oil
-2/3 cup water
-4 eggs
-3 ½ cups flour
-1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
-1 tablespoon nutmeg
-2 teaspoons baking soda
-1 ½ tsp salt
-1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
-½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Grease 3 1-lb. size coffee cans or 3 9x5-inch loaf pans. Combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water, eggs. Beat until smooth. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Fill cans ½ to ¾ full.

Bake until knife comes out clean. Cool on wire racks before removing from cans or pans.

From the kitchen of Gena Navitskis.

Pumpkin Bread

I have a few fall recipes to share with you. I could eat an entire loaf of this pumpkin bread by myself!

-3 cup sugar
-1 cup vegetable oil
-4 eggs, beaten
-1 16oz can pumpkin (this is the smaller can)
-3 1/2 cups flour
-2 teaspoons soda
-2 teaspoons salt
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1 teaspoon nutmeg
-1 teaspoon all spice
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
-2/3 cup water
-pecans if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar and oil together. Add eggs and pumpkin. Mix well. Sift together dry ingredients. Add water. Mix all ingredients together (add nuts here if you wish). Pour into two well greased and floured 9x5 inch loaf pans. Bake for 50-60 min or until knife comes out clean (this is the key step--don't overcook, but don't undercook either...the last few minutes the bread will set up pretty quickly, and remember it will continue to cook a bit out of the oven). Let stand 10 minutes, remove from pan to cool. It's easy to double the recipe and then freeze for weekend mornings/holidays.

From the kitchen of Bethany Keller.

Macadamia Caramel Clusters

I've never made this, but my sister-in-law says it's SUPER yummy and tastes like Snickers bars. They are low glycemic (don't cause a spike in blood sugar), vegan, and gluten-free.

-½ cup almond butter
-½ cup agave nectar
-1 tablespoon vanilla extract
-½ tsp celtic sea salt
-1 cup macadamia nuts, toasted
-1 cup dark chocolate 73%

Combine almond butter and agave in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in vanilla and salt, then add macadamia nuts. Allow mixture to cool a few minutes. Drop mixture by the tablespoonful onto a parchment lined dish. Place dish in freezer for 10 minutes. Melt chocolate in a medium saucepan over lowest heat possible, stirring continuously to avoid scorching. Remove dish from freezer and drop chocolate over each caramel cluster, spreading gently to coat. Store macadamia caramel clusters in freezer. Remove from freezer just before serving (if left out for long they become quite messy).

Baked Apples

This is a Thanksgiving favorite that goes back on my mom's side. I can never get them cooked perfectly like hers, but they are yummy just the same.

-Baking apples
-1/2 cup margarine
-1 cup sugar
-2/3 cup flour
-1 t vanilla
-Cinammon

Peel, half, and core apples. Place core side up in a baking dish.

Cream together margarine and sugar. Add in the flour and vanilla and stir well to mix. Spoon the mixture evenly into the core section of each apple. Sprinkle with cinammon and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Test "doneness" with a fork, apples should be slightly soft and tender.

Like I said before, this is a great side dish for Thanksgiving or any turkey dinner. The apples also go well with pork.

All American Trifle

A little something in honor of Independence Day! It's super easy and yummy. Happy 4th of July!

-2 cups cold milk
-1 pkg. vanilla Jello pudding (4 serving size)
-1 pound cake, cut into 1/2" cubes
-2 cups strawberries, sliced
-1 cup blueberries
-1 tub Cool Whip topping

Pour milk into large bowl and add pudding mix. Beat with whisk until well blended. Place half of the cake cubes in a serving bowl (approx. 3 quart - I like to use a trifle dish) and top with half of each of the fruits. Spread all of pudding mixture over fruit. Repeat layers of cake and fruit. Top with Cool Whip. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Kim's Tiramisu

• 1 pkg. frozen pound cake, thawed and cut into 9 slices
• 3/4 cup strong coffee
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Hershey’s chocolate syrup
• 1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 bars chocolate-covered toffee candy, chopped (like Heath Bars)

Arrange cake slices on bottom of rectangle baking dish (cut slices if necessary to fill in spaces). Drizzle coffee over cake. Beat sugar, chocolate syrup, and cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add whipping cream. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. (Be patient, this takes a while….it will eventually get fluffy!) Spread over cake. Sprinkle with candy.

Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, but not longer than 24 hours to set and blend flavors.