Sugar Cookies

Cookies:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
7-8 tbsp. milk (plus more, as needed)
sprinkles
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

To frost the cookies, place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter, vanilla, and milk to the bowl and whisk until smooth. Whisk in additional milk as necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Use an offset spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies. Top with sprinkles if desired. Serve and enjoy!

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Chocolate Lava Cakes

Chocolate Lava Cakes

Serves 4 (I doubled the recipe when I made it to make 8)

Ingredients:

6 oz. Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate (or use your favorite 70% dark chocolate bar)
6 oz. Butter (diced, room temperature)
3 Eggs
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/3 cup Flour
Butter and flour for muffin tins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Melt chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals for about 1-1/2 minutes. When melted, stir in the butter until it melts.

In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar, until it starts to whiten. Stir in melted chocolate and then the flour. Butter and flour 4 regular sized muffin tins and pour in ¼ cup of chocolate batter.

Cook for about 10 minutes.

Let cool for about 15 minutes.  Run your knife around the outside to loosten the edges.  Then turn them out onto a dish.  Warm them for 15 seconds before serving if not serving immediately after baking.  Enjoy!

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Pecan Shortbread

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into chunks

1 teaspoon water

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Add the flour, salt, and powdered sugar to a bowl and stir with a fork. Add in the vanilla, the butter and the 1 teaspoon of water. Using the fork or yours hands, mix the dough together just until a dough is formed. Add the chopped pecans and mix. Put the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a log, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 5 inches long. Tightly twist each end of the wrap in opposite directions. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.


Slice the log into 1/3-inch thick disks. Arrange on nonstick cookie sheets. Bake until the edges are just light brown, about 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans half way through the baking process. Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes. Tansfer to wire racks and cool until room temperature. 

In the microwave melt the chocolate chips.  I do about 30 second intervals, stirring in between.  Usually it takes 1-1/2 minutes.  Then dip half of the cookie into the chocolate and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Put in the fridge for about 30 minutes just so the chocolate can harden.  Enjoy!

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Cream Puffs

Ingredients:
Dough:
1 stick butter
1 cup water
4 eggs
1 cup flour

Filling:
2 boxes instant vanilla pudding
2 pints heavy whipping cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. 

In a small pot on the stove, boil the water and butter until the butter melts and begins to bubble.  Once it boils, shut off the heat and stir in the 1 cup of flour.  Once it begins to pull away from the sides, add one egg at a time, stirring vigorously in between each egg.  Once the dough has formed, drop tablespoons on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.  Then turn the oven down to 350 and bake for another 15 minutes or until brown. 

In a large bowl, beat the whipping cream until peaks begin to form.  Then beat in the two boxes of vanilla pudding until they become fully incorporated. 

Once the cream puffs have completely cooled, cut them in half and stuff the inside with a tablespoon of filling into each one and put the top back on.  Some of the cream puffs I filled with lemon curd instead of the vanilla filling.  Serve with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and enjoy!

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Mini Raspberry Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups finely ground graham crackers (about 12)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

½ cups plus 3 tablespoons of sugar

4 8-ounce packages of cream cheese

Pinch salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 large eggs

1 pint raspberries for garnish

½ cup raspberry jam

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line standard muffin wins with paper liners.  Stir together the crushed graham crackers (I crush mine in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin), butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar.  Press 1 tablespoon into bottom of each cup.  Bake about 10 minutes or until set and beginning to color.  Let cool.

With mixer, beat cream cheese until fluffy.  On low, add remaining 1 ½ cups sugar in a slow stream.  Mix in salt and vanilla until well combined.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined after each.  Spoon 3 tablespoons of filling into each muffin tin over the crust. 

In a small bowl, put the raspberry jam and microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir.  Then put a teaspoon on top of the filling of each muffin tin.  Using a tooth pick, swirl the raspberry jam through the filling, without completely mixing it in.  Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes.  Cool completely and refrigerate for 4 hours.  If you want, put one raspberry on the top of each cheesecake for decoration.  Enjoy!

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Cranberry Orange Scones

Ingredients:
2 c. unsifted flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. buttermilk or milk
1 lg. egg
1 orange
1 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

 

Grease baking sheet. In large bowl combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut in butter with pastry cutter or a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

 

In small bowl combine milk, egg and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and stir until combined.  Then add in the cranberries. Zest the entire orange and add the zest to the batter, reserving the rest of the orange for later.  Dough will be sticky and elastic.  Using a large tablespoons, drop spoonfulls onto the baking sheet. Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown.

 

While the scones are baking, you can make the glaze, in a bowl stir the juice of one orange and gradually add powdered sugar to it until it becomes a little runny, but not too liquidy.  If it is too liquidy add more powdered sugar.  Once the scones have come out of the oven let them cool completely before drizzing the glaze on.  Once they are cool spoon the glaze over the top and allow to set a little before serving.  Serve and enjoy!

 

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