a little of each

A family's cookbook

Gingerbread-Pear Tart June 2, 2013

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 3:18 pm
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From “Better Homes and Gardens.”

 

This is a delicious mix of cheesecake and fruit with both pear and raspberry flavors. Take care, and the presentation will be beautiful. I used two large cans of pears, and the results were delicious.

 

Ingredients

2 cups water

½ cup sugar

2 Tbl lemon juice

5 medium pears, peeled, cored and sliced

1/3 cup seedless red raspberry jam

½ cup butter, cut up

1 (14.5 oz) package gingerbread mix

1 egg yolk

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

½ tsp vanilla

1 tsp finely shredded lemon peel

 

Directions

In a large saucepan bring the water, the ½ cup sugar and lemon juice to boiling. Add pears. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in raspberry jam. Cool 1 hour. (If desired, cover and chill up to 6 hours.) Drain.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place gingerbread mix in a bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into mix until pieces are pea-sized. Stir in egg yolk just until combined. Remove and discard ½ cup of the crumb mixture. Press remaining mixture onto bottom of a 10-inch springform pan. Bake for 25 minutes and then cool completely.

In a medium bowl beat cheese on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1/3 cup sugar; beat until light. Add eggs and vanilla; beat on medium speed until combined. Stir in lemon peel. Spoon about half of the cheese mixture into crust.

Spoon drained pears evenly over cheese mixture. Spoon remaining cheese mixture over pears. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until center is set. Cool 30 minutes on rack. Loosen sides of pan. Cover; chill 2 to 24 hours. Remove sides of pan.

 

Peanut Butter Cookies

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 3:10 pm
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From the Pillsbury Book of Baking.

 

Ingredients

½ cup sugar

½ brown sugar

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup peanut butter

2 Tbl milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 ¾ cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

 

Direction

Cream sugars and butter together. Add peanut butter, milk, vanilla and egg, and mix well. Add in flour and baking soda, and mix well. Use a tablespoon to scoop out the dough onto a cookie sheet. Use a fork dipped in granulated sugar to press hatch-marks in the top of each cookie. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

 

 

Pecan Cookies

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 3:08 pm
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Ingredients

1 ¼ cup flour, sifted

¼ tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1 stick butter

1 ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed firmly

½ tsp vanilla

1 egg, beaten

1 cup pecans, chopped medium-fine

 

Directions

Sift flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Melt butter over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in sugar using a wooden spoon. Add vanilla, egg and finally the dry ingredients, stirring until smooth. Stir in chopped nuts last. Place rounded teaspoons of dough two inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes at 350 degrees.

 

Cinnamon Jumbles

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 3:06 pm
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Ingredients

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

¾ cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

 

Directions

Mix butter, one cup sugar and egg thoroughly. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla. Blend together flour, baking soda and salt. Stir into the buttermilk mixture. Chill dough. Drop rounded teaspoons of dough about two inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Bake for eight to 10 minutes.

 

Hozen Blozen

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 3:04 pm
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This is an old recipe from Mama Kate. It’s not very sweet, and the recipe makes a nearly literal ton of the little flaky knots. While Mama Kate’s family was from Slovakia, the cookie seems to be Hungarian.

 

Ingredients

8 eggs

2 Tbl salt

2 cups sugar

¼ cup whiskey

1 ½ cups milk

13 cups flour

½ cup shortening (Crisco)

¾ cup butter

vanilla

 

Directions

Rub shortening and butter into flour very well, as in making pie crust. Beat all other ingredients together and add to flour mixture. Knead well. Roll out to desired thickness (about 1/16”). Cut into strips three inches long. Make a small slit in the center of each strip and pull one end through. Fry in deep fat until golden brown. Makes about 350. (!)

 

Wedding Cookies

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 2:58 pm
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Ingredients

1 cup plus 2 tsp all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

½ butter, softened

½ cup finely chopped nuts

¼ cup powdered sugar, sifted

½ tsp vanilla extract

 

Directions

Combine flour and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add butter, nuts, powdered sugar and vanilla and blend well. Dough will be stiff. Shape dough into one-inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool slightly. While still warm, roll cookies in powdered sugar until thoroughly coated. Cool completely.

 

Peter’s Cookies

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 2:56 pm
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Dad traditionally makes these around the holidays, but they are perfect any time of the year. He often adds chopped pecans and will make a batch especially for mom who doesn’t like chocolate chips: no chips, extra pecans.

* * *

Since Dad died I’ve made these cookies a few times, and, unintentionally, those few times have been for new moms. After they are baked I realize, Oh, oatmeal is good for nursing mothers!

Alice and I recently baked them for the first time for our family, and when Ken tasted one he said it might be the best cookie he’s ever had, hands down.  Better than Oreos??  Alice loves them because they have two of her favorite foods: oatmeal and brown sugar.

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter

1 ½ tsp vanilla

1 egg

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups flour

2 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats

6 oz milk chocolate chips

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Directions

Melt butter, and combine with vanilla and egg. Then mix in both sugars. Add flour and baking soda. Mix well. Add the oats, and mix well. Lastly, blend in chocolate chips. Use a Tablespoon to scoop out the dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

 

Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 2:55 pm
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Ingredients

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup butter, softened

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 ¼ cup all purpose flour

1 (12 oz) package Nestle Toll House morsels*

* For variety, try white-chocolate or butterscotch morsels, or mix ½ and ½ chocolate with peanut butter chips.

 

Directions

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Set aside. Beat butter, sugars and vanilla extract until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time. Gradually beat in flour. Fold in morsels until well distributed. Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for nine to 11 minutes. Let stand two minutes and remove cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with cold milk.

 

Chocolate Kisses Peanut Butter Cookies

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 2:54 pm
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Ingredients

2 2/3 cups flour, sifted

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup + granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

5 dozen Hershey Kisses, foil removed

 

Directions

Sift flour, baking soda and salt together. Set aside. Cream butter and peanut butter. Add vanilla. Add one cup white sugar, one cup brown sugar and beat until smooth. Add flour and blend thoroughly. Shape dough into one tsp balls and roll in some granulated sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet two inches apart and bake at 350 degrees for eight minutes. Remove and press a Kiss into the middle of each cookie. Bake for two more minutes. Remove to wire rack and let cool. Makes five dozen.

 

Grandma Willis’s Molasses Cookies

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 2:51 pm
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2 cups molasses

1 cup lard

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp saleratus (baking powder) dissolved in ½ cup boiling water

flour to mix

 

No baking temperature or times.