FRUIT FILLED COOKIES

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup solid shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the butter, shortening, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs.

Combine the all-purpose flour and whole-wheat flour in a small bowl. Stir in the baking soda and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until combined. Shape the dough into a couple of rolls of about 1 1/2-inch diameter. Wrap the rolls in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Before time to remove dough rolls from refrigerator, make the following FRUIT FILLING*:
1 cup dried apricots, cut-up
1 tbsp raisins, optional
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup chopped walnuts

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan; cook and stir over low heat, about 5 minutes or until thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped walnuts.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

To Assemble Cookies:
Cut one of the dough rolls into 1/8-inch slices. Place slices slightly apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of the fruit filling onto each slice then top with another slice from the other roll. Using a fork, seal the edges together to hold the filling in. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown.

Yield: 5 dozen cookies

*Optional Mincemeat Filling instead of fruit filling: 1/2 cup prepared mincemeat, 1/4 cup chopped pecans, and 2 tablespoons maraschino cherries that have been chopped.

Note: File Photo

VANILLA WAFER CAKE

2 sticks butter, softened
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups (1 large box) vanilla wafer cookies
1/2 cup milk
1 pkg (7.5-oz) flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
powdered sugar for dusting

Crush the vanilla wafers into fine crumbs using a food processor or rolling pin.

In mixing bowl, cream the butter; add sugar and beat until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, to butter and sugar while continuing to beat; add vanilla extract. Add the vanilla wafer crumbs and milk alternately to the egg mixture. Fold in the coconut and pecans.

Pour the mixture into a greased and floured bundt or tube pan. Bake at 275 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cake tests done when a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

  File Photo

CHRISTMAS SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE and BEST TASTING SUGAR COOKIE ICING RECIPE

 Recipe and photos from slow roasted Italian.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
3-4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Best Ever Sugar Cookie Icing
Pearl Sugar Balls (dragees)



Best Ever Sugar Cookie Icing - recipe below

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar, on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).

Add the eggs, vanilla and almond.  Beat until combined. Add the salt and 3 cups of flour; beat until you have a smooth dough. If the dough is sticky (meaning when you touch it and pull your fingers away the dough sticks to you), add more flour a tablespoon at a time until it comes together. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about one hour or until firm enough to roll.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.

Remove half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. (Keep turning the dough as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter.)  Cut out desired shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer cookies to baking sheet. 

Place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking. Note: If you are not going to frost the baked cookies, you can sprinkle the unbaked cookies with sparkling sugar at this point.

Bake the cookies for about 9-11 minutes (depending on size) or until the edges are just starting to brown. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Decorate the cookies with Best Ever Sugar Cookie Icing if desired. Be sure to let the icing dry completely before storing. (This may take several hours or overnight.) 

BEST TASTING SUGAR COOKIE ICING RECIPE

 6 cups powdered sugar
¼-½ cup whole milk
¼ cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons almond extract
gel food coloring (in desired colors)

  In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using an electric mixer) combine sugar and ¼ cup milk.  Mix until smooth.  Add milk as need to create a smooth mixture, one tablespoon at a time.  Add corn syrup and almond extract.

To decorate cookies, your outline icing should be the consistency of toothpaste, your flood icing should be the consistency of corn syrup.

Add food coloring one drop at a time until desired color is reached.  Pour into bottles, decorator bags or a cup.  Keep unused icing sealed until ready to use.

 

BANANA CRUMB PIE CRUST

1/2 ripe banana
6 tablespoons butter, preferably unsalted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream the ingredients together until well mixed, using your hands. Press the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Fill with your favorite banana pie filling recipe.

 

 Note: File Photo

CRANBERRY QUENCHER

1 gallon cranberry-apple juice, chilled
1 can (46-oz) pineapple juice, chilled
3/4 cup lemonade or orange juice concentrate
Pineapple tidbits for garnish, optional
Fresh cranberries for garnish, optional
Fresh mint sprigs for garnish, optional

Combine the cranberry-apple juice and pineapple juice in a large container or punch bowl. Stir in the lemonade (or orange juice) concentrate.

Garnish cups or glasses as desired.

Yield: 6 quarts

Note: Best served chilled without ice.

BRENDA BLAKEMAN OWENS' APPLE WALNUT BREAD

 This year I joined a facebook group called Olden Days of Christmas Town Recipes, Memories & More.  I have really enjoyed this group of people from around the world sharing stories and recipes. Today Brenda posted this recipe and the story of how she always made this for her parents who both passed away this year.I thought this was a recipe worth sharing here in honor of Brenda's parents.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. apples diced very fine
1 c. chopped walnuts
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Prepare one large loaf pan or 3 small. Spray pan(s) with non-stick spray and put parchment paper on the bottom of the pan(s).
Beat together first 4 ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients mixing well and scraping sides of the bowl.
Fold in the apples and the nuts.
Pour batter into loaf pan(s).
Bake for 60 min. (large) and 35-40 min. (small)
Let cool on a rack.

INDIVIDUAL TOFFEE PUMPKIN PIES

20 Single-Serve Graham Cracker Crumb Crusts
1-1/3 cups (8 oz. pkg.) HEATH BITS 'O BRICKLE Toffee Bits; divided
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
2 Eggs
1 can (15 oz.) Canned Pumpkin
1 can (12 oz.) Evaporated Milk
Sweetened Whipped Cream or Whipped Topping
Kisses Acorn Treats

Ingredients for Kisses Acorn Treats
Royal Icing or Decorator's Frosting (recipe follows)
HERSHEY'S KISSES Milk Chocolates
Mini Vanilla Wafer Cookies
REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips or HERSHEY'S Butterscotch Chips

Directions:
ROYAL ICING: Stir together 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon warm water and 1-1/2 teaspoons pasteurized dried egg whites (meringue powder). Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until spreadable. Add additional water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to get desired consistency. Transfer icing to pastry bag with desired tip. Cover icing and tip of pastry bag with damp paper towel to keep icing from drying out. This makes about 1/2 cup icing. 

Prepare ROYAL ICING and place in pastry bag with small tip. Remove wrappers from milk chocolates.
Place mini vanilla wafer cookies on tray or plate with flat side of cookie toward the top. Squeeze small amount of icing onto bottom of milk chocolate piece. Immediately press chocolate bottom onto vanilla wafer cookie. Allow icing to set.
Place small dab of icing on bottom of peanut butter chip or butterscotch chip; immediately attach to top of cookie to finish acorn.

Pie Instructions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Place individual graham crusts on baking sheet. Place 2 teaspoons toffee bits into bottom of each crust; set aside.
Stir together sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger in large bowl. Add eggs, pumpkin and evaporated milk, stirring until well blended. Gradually add 1/4 cup pumpkin mixture to each prepared crust.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted into pie centers comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack. Cover; refrigerate until ready to serve.

Prepare KISSES ACORN TREATS. To serve, top each pie with dollop of sweetened whipped cream, "acorn" and additional toffee bits, if desired.

Note: This recipe is from Dollar General.com

File Photo

TEXAS PECAN PIE POUND CAKE

This cake recipe and photo are from Texas Hill Country.

4 sticks butter

4 cups sugar

4 cups flour (cake or all purpose)

8 large eggs

8 oz. cream cheese

2 to 3 tsp of vanilla flavoring

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 cup brown sugar

1 jar of caramel ice cream topping

 

Leave cream cheese, butter, and eggs out to reach room temperature.

In mixer, cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time. Then, add flour, one cup at a time. Last, add vanilla flavoring.

Grease and flour tube/bundt pan and pour in batter. Pour in batter first, then sprinkle pecans and brown sugar on top (a cup or little more of each). Lightly press into the batter.

Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. (You may want to tent the top with foil to keep the nuts from scorching.) Then, increase the temperature to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Test the cake with a fork or wooden skewer to check for doneness. The utensil should come out dry and clean (no batter). Bake 5 more minutes if not quite done.

Remove from the oven and allow a few minutes to cool before removing from pan. When you invert onto a plate, you may lose a few nuts, but most will bake into the top layer of crust. Then, turn the cake onto another plate so that the nuts are on top. Drizzle with jar of caramel ice cream topping. Heat from the cake will make the caramel melt over the pecans. Enjoy!
Recipe by cookyourfood1.blogspot.com.

Disclaimer: This recipe and picture were sent to me to share with you. I do not believe this is the correct picture. I did go to the Texas Hill Country website to see if this was a mistake. This is the same as the picture they have posted with this recipe. That does not look like caramel to me. Anyway I am told by those who have made it that it is delicious. As a diabetic, I have not made it.

 

Happy July 4th!

MOTHER'S DAY

To all the mothers who follow this blog...