I love Fall.
It makes me want to bake!
As much as I don't enjoy cooking - I love baking. I love trying out new recipes and coming up with 'tried and true' ones to add to my personal cookbook. I am getting geared up now because I need to try out some new recipes before December gets here.
Every year I go on a baking binge and make cookies, breads, fudge and brittle to give to neighbors, friends and co-workers. Since I don't have any co-workers anymore, I make trays for Bob to give to his clients. My mother (oh great and wise one) taught me this is a great way to make clients and co-workers feel the love when you don't have the fundage to give much else. It is also fun to have cookie parties to get yummy home made baked goods from others and new recipes to add to your holiday bounty.
So, since I live so far from all of you let's have a virtual cookie exchange!
This is how it works: I'll give you my tried and true, really yummy Snickerdoodle recipe (they are quite fabulous). Then you all can leave me your favorite cookie or quickbread recipe.
I hope that you play along. I would love to try some of your holiday favorites.
Snickerdoodles
1/4 cup sugar
1 tblsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Heat oven to 400.
Mix 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon; reserve. Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, the shortening, margarine or butter and eggs in large bowl. Mix in a separate bowl the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Add to sugar mixture.
Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Roll in sugar mixture to coat. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 10 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from cookie sheet. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
7 comments:
Yummy, the cookies sound to us especially at this kind of cold weather.. and even eating cookies in a front of a fireplace.
How about trying my six year son, "Dylan's Weird soup" ? (He made his name up)
1/2 cup of water
1 bundle of dry spaghettis
4 Tbsp of Parmesan Cheese
a handful of Pistachio
2 baby carrots
Cooked it up for 5 min in a saucepan and then cool it off in a refrigerator for a minute before you try it out.
Frankly, your recipe sounds a lot better than Dylan's. :-)
Are you a chocolate or a fruit gal... we'll go with fruit.
Banana Bread
2 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C sugar
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
3 VERY ripe bananas, mashed well (1 and 1/2 cups)
6 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 C plain yogurt (I use vanilla)
1 t vanilla extract
1 and 1/4 C walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse (optional)
350 degrees, lower-middle rack
Coat 9x5 loaf pan with veg. spray
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
Whisk the mashed bananas, melted butter, eggs, yogurt and vanilla together in a separate bowl.
Gently fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in the nuts (if using).
Do not overmix. Batter will be thick and chunky.
Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until golden brown, about 55 min.
Let the loaf cool in pan for 10 minutes and then transfer onto wire rack to cool completely (or until you just can't take it anymore and have to cut a piece).
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I made this a couple weekends ago and my husband remarked that it was so good he couldn't believe I made it. Rude. But a good endorsement none the less.
He he it must be in the air...last week I made Pumpkin Cookies, Banana bread and Chocolate bread!
Here is the recipe for the best darn cookies ever!!!
PUMPKIN COOKIES
2/3 C. Granulated Sugar
2/3 C. Packed Brown Sugar
3/4 C. Butter or Margarine
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 C. Pumpkin from can
2 Eggs
2 1/4 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Salt
FROSTING
3 C. Powdered Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
3-4 Tbsp. Milk
1/3 C. Butter (Not Margarine)
1. Heat oven to 375. In large bowl, beat sugar, brown sugar, butter and vanilla with mixer on medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally, until well blended.
2. Beat in pumpkin and eggs until well blended.
3. In another bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
4. Slowly mix the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture until well blended.
5. Drop cookie mixture onto ungreased cookie sheet by heaping tbsp.
6. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cookie should be firm to the touch only allowing for a small indentation when touched.
7. Cool on cooling rack completely.
Frosting
1. In medium bowl, place powdered sugar, vanilla and three tbsp milk.
2. In 1 qt. sauce pan, heat butter over medium heat, stirring constantly until golden brown.
3. Pour browned butter over powdered sugar mixture, blend on low speed until smooth. If needed, add additional tbsp. milk until frosting is creamy and spreadable.
Frost, and EAT!
They are super yummy!
Deby, did you know my mom owned a cookie business while I was in high school?
Anyway... one of our family traitions is to make snow ball cookies on the first day it snows... as well as other snowy days. They are delicious with hot chocolate, and they melt in your mouth. In fact, we made them tonight to celebrate the snow!
Snow Ball Cookies
1 cube butter (room temp.)
1/4 c. powdered sugar
-cream together, then add...
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 c. flour
mix well, then add
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
Roll into small, bite size balls. (About the size of a quarter.)
And place on cookie sheet.
Bake @ 300 for 15 minutes. (Cookies will look uncooked, but will be done.)
When cool, roll in bowl of powdered sugar, twice.
I always double the recipe because this yields approximately 1 dozen, and that's just not enough for my family!
Great idea, by the way!
I finally got to it... here's my entry!
http://fiveforefun.blogspot.com/2007/10/cookies.html
Maraschino Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
I posted one too, sorry for the long linky:
http://mizinformation.wordpress.com
/2007/10/23/grandma-junes-
chewy-oatmeal-cookies-for-
the-virtual-cookie-exchange/
I made a tiny url too, but I'm always a little suspicious of them if I can't see where they're going:
Grandma June's Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
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