Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

My niece made these last weekend, from scratch. I'm not a huge cake/cupcake fan, but I am not kidding, these tasted EXACTLY like a snickerdoodle. They are super rich, but oh so yummy. And she made them in the mini cupcake size, which is just enough sweet, and you don't have to feel guilty if you go back for seconds or thirds or....

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup melted butter, cooled

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp almond extract

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup cinnamon/sugar

Beat sugar and butter. Add all wet ingredients. Mix in dry ingredients. Bake at 350 for 18-25 minutes

Brush top with butter and sprinkle with 1/4 cup cinnamon/sugar on top.

Cinnamon Buttercream

1 stick butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

3 T milk

Beat butter, add 2-3 cups sugar. Beat 4-5 minutes. Add vanilla and cinnamon. Add milk to loosen.

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

Got this recipe here. It is a pretty cookie for a plate for the neighbors. I liked them, but they were a little dry...so don't overcook them.

Yield: 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 12 min

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/4 cups butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon peppermint extract, optional
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Candy Cane flavored Hershey's Kisses, finely chopped
granulated sugar
additional, unwrapped Candy Cane Kisses- about 30

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Make room in either refrigerator or freezer for your cookie sheet.

2. In large mixer bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, extracts and egg. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until creamy (2-3 minutes). In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to wet mixture and beat, scraping bowl often until well blended (1-2 minutes). The mixture will be a bit crumbly. Stir in chopped Kisses.

3. Shape dough into 3/4-inch to 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar. Place 1-inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set. As soon as they come out of the oven, press a Candy Cane Kiss in the center of each cookie. They'll crack a little around the edges, so just use your fingers to kind of hold the cookie together while you set the kiss inside. Put cookie sheet (with cookies) immediately into the freezer (preferred) or refrigerator so that the Kisses will set quickly. As soon as you press them into the cookie, they will begin to soften... so if you can get them into the freezer then they will keep their Kiss shape.

4. Store in a covered container- at room temperature for up to a week. In the freezer they should be ok for a couple of weeks.

Tips:

*The addition of peppermint extract is completely optional. The cookie gets plenty of peppermint flavor from the addition of the chopped kisses, but if you’d like it really minty then go ahead and add the peppermint extract.

PUMPKIN BREAD WITH STRUSEL TOPPING

Pumpkin Bread with Streusel Topping found this on pinterest, pretty tasty and a good VT treat for Nov....

PUMPKIN BREAD WITH STRUSEL Makes 6 mini loaves, or 3 7x3-inch loaves Ingredients FOR THE BREAD 3 1/2 cups (445 grams) all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 cup (125 ml) canola or vegetable oil 1/2 cup apple sauce 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) sugar 1/2 cup (127 grams) brown sugar, packed 4 eggs (or 1/4 cup ground flaxseeds combined with 3/4 cup (187 ml) water, for vegan/dairy free) 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree 2/3 cup (167 ml) water FOR THE STREUSEL 1/2 cup ( 127 grams) brown sugar 1/2 cup (63 grams) all-purpose flour 1/2 cup pepitas (or pecans, walnuts, or any other nut, chopped) 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/4 cup (half a stick or 56 grams) unsalted butter, melted To make the bread: Preheat oven to 350 degrees (165 C). Lightly spray 6 mini or 3 7x3-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray with flour, or grease and flour each one; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the oil and apple sauce. Stir in the sugars until combined, then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Stir in the pumpkin until thoroughly combined. Mix in the water. Sprinkle about half of the flour mixture over the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the remaining flour mixture, and mix just until no streaks of flour remain. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and set aside while you mix the streusel topping. To make the streusel: In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together, whisking until thoroughly combined. Stir in the pepitas or nuts. Drizzle the melted butter over the mixture and stir with a spoon until you have a mixture that resembles lumpy wet sand. Do not break up the clumps too much. Divide the streusel evenly between the pans, sprinkling it over the top of the bread batter to cover it completely. Bake mini loaves, three at a time on a rimmed baking sheet, for 20 minutes. Rotate the pans, front to back, and bake for another 20 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Repeat with remaining three loaves. If making large loaves, bake all 3 7x3-inch loaves on a rimmed baking sheet for 25 minutes. Rotate the pans, front to back, and bake for another 25 to 27 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before serving, preferably longer, if you can.

Almond Roca

Found this online and then changed it up each time I made it. I think it's pretty much perfect now. :) Good treat to take home or visiting teacher, neighbor goodie plate-- or you know, just to have in the fridge or on the counter tempting you...

AlMoNd RoCa


INGREDIENTS:
2 cups butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 package chocolate chips
2 (3-oz.) packages slivered almonds
1 (3-oz.) package sliced almonds

Line a 9X13 cookie sheet pan with foil. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add sugar to melted butter and stir over low heat until sugar granules are dissolved (don't rush this step! It takes a good five or six minutes to melt the sugar but you don't want to move on until the sugar is dissolved). Turn the heat up to medium and continue stirring mixture until it turns golden brown. At this time add the slivered almonds. Continue stirring mixture until it becomes liquefied again and turns caramel colored. If using a candy thermometer, the temperature should be 300 degrees. .) Immediately take it off the stove and pour the mixture onto your prepared 9X13 pan. It should spread out on its own, but you may need to spread it a little to help it along. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and let melt (it helps to put a piece of tin foil loosely on top to keep the heat in and help the chocolate melt). Once melted, smooth with a spoon. Finally, sprinkle sliced almonds on top. Let cool in fridge. Once hard you should be able to easily pull candy off cookie sheet and crack into pieces.

Trade Secrets: You can leave out the slivered almonds (I've done it before) with great results. It makes a delicious toffee instead of a roca. I also use salted butter. If using unsalted butter, I would add 3/4 teaspoon salt when adding the sugar.

Sugar Cookie Bars

1 cup butter; room temp.
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soda

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Add vanilla & mix well. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt & soda & stir with a whisk to combine. Add to wet mixture and mix just until combined. Spread on a greased baking sheet (use a 13 x 18 pan). Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 min, until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and frost.

Frosting
1/2 cup butter; room temp
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbsp milk
food coloring (if desired)

For frosting combine butter and shortening until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments until combined, then add milk & mix until smooth and spreading consistency. Spread over cooled cookie

Thanksgiving Turkey (or any other time!)

I just used this recipe for the turkey we had for Mother's Day dinner and it was pretty easy and it worked!  It came from a google search "how to cook a turkey".  It's recommended for turkeys under 20 lbs.  Mine was 12.85 lbs.  You can check out the web site for lots of details here.

Defrost the turkey and remove the giblets and pieces from both inside the turkey and in the neck cavity.  Wash under cool running water.  Pat dry.  Separate the skin from the breast meat and pat a small amount of butter (the website said to melt the butter, but I just used room temp butter and spread it on with my hands) on the breast meat.  Stuff a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme between the skin and the meat.(See picture below)  If you don't have fresh herbs, sprinkle some dry herbs on the breast.

Preheat the oven to 475.  Put the turkey in a covered roasting pan or wrap in heavy-duty tin foil. Roast for 20 minutes then turn the temperature down to 250.  Cook for 20 minutes per lb (estimate the weight of the turkey w/out the giblets, ice, etc.) until the deepest part of the breast registers 140 on an meat thermometer.  Mine took about 3 hours after the first 20 minutes...I got home from church and it was done.  It probably could have come out 20-30 minutes earlier as well.  Check out the website for more information.

Lion House Bran Muffins

This is a great recipe because you can mix it up once and then store in frig. Make as many or as few muffins as you want at any given time! And they are so delicious that you won't even realize they're healthy! I like to bake them in the mini muffin tins for bite-size deliciousness.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2 c. boiling water           5 c. flour (I use 2-3 c. whole wheat flour)
4 c. All-Bran cereal        1 t. salt
1 c. canola oil                5 t. baking soda
2 c. sugar                      1 quart buttermilk
4 eggs                           2 c. Wheaties
Pour boiling water over 4 c. of bran cereal. Sift together dry ingredients. Cream together oil and sugar. Add eggs, hot bran mxture, dry ingredients, and buttermilk. Lastly, add the Wheaties. Mix just enough to combine. Bake in greased muffin tins for 15-20 minutes. Recipe makes 6 dozen muffins but the batter may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks. Any amount may be baked  when desired.