15 December 2008

Fudgy Peanut Butter Mousse Cups


Fudgy Peanut Butter Mousse Cups (Cook's Country Magazine)
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

You will need a mini-muffin tin for this recipe. For neat assembly, use a piping bag to fill the cups with the peanut butter mixture (Heather said she used a zip lock baggie and just clipped of the end). Sugar cookie mix is sold in the baking aisle alongside boxed cake mixes. These cookies can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 days.

1 package sugar cookie mix (17.5-ounce), see note
1 cup pecans , toasted and chopped fine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 package cream cheese (8-ounce), softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12-cup mini-muffin tin. Combine cookie mix, pecans, and flour in bowl. Slowly stir in butter until mixture resembles wet sand. Press 1 tablespoon cookie mixture into bottom and sides of each muffin cup. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool 20 minutes in tin, then turn out cookies. Repeat with remaining dough.
2. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat 1 cup cream to stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. In another bowl, beat peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Fold in whipped cream.
3. Microwave chocolate and remaining cream in small bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour 1/2 teaspoon chocolate mixture into each cookie cup, then fill cups with 1 tablespoon peanut butter mixture. Drizzle remaining chocolate evenly over cookies and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.


Courtesy of Heather Brown

Chocolate Orange Logs

Chocolate Orange Logs (Lion House)

1 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 teaspoon orange flavoring
2 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350* F. In a large mixing bowl cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating till light and fluffy. Stir in orange rind and orange flavoring. Gradually add flour. Shape dough into a long roll 3/4 inch wide. Cut roll into 2-inch pieces. Place on greased cookie sheet. Flatten one end of each piece lengthwise with fork. Bake at 350*F. for 10 minutes, or till light brown. Cool cookies on wire rack. Melt chocolate chips in microwave oven or in top of double boiler over simmering water. Dip unflattened end of cookies in chocolate; then roll in chopped nuts. Store in covered container. Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Courtesy of Heather Koelliker

Peppermint Snowballs

Peppermint Snowballs

Cookie
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extact
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons finely crushed peppermint candy or candy canes
1 drop red food coloring

Topping
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons finely crushed peppermint candy or candy canes

*In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar; add vanilla. Stir in flour; knead until mixed well. Reserve 1/2 cup of dough; shape remaining dough into 1 in balls.
*For filling, combine cream cheese an milk in a small bowl. Stir in sugar, candy and food coloring; mix well. Make a deep well in the center of each ball; fill with 1/4 teaspoon filling. Use reserved dough to cover filling. Reshape if necessary into smooth balls.
*Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350* for 12-14 minutes. Combine topping ingredients; roll cookies in mixture while still warm. Cool on wire racks.

Courtesy of Heather Koelliker

Mrs. Fields Eggnog Cookies

Mrs. Fields Eggnog Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup salted butter, room temp (Mrs. Fields call for this)
1/2 cup eggnog
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon nutmeg (optional)

Preheat oven to 300F. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well with a wire whisk and set aside. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter with an electric mixer. Add eggnog, vanilla and egg yolks and beat at medium speed until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. (Chill dough if desired, by Jenny)

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets, 1 in apart. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg or skip this step and sprinkle on the nutmeg after you ice the cookies. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until bottoms turn light brown. Transfer to cool, flat surface immediately with spatula.

Eggnog Icing

3 C. confectioners' sugar
1/4 C. softened butter or margarine
1/3 C. commercial eggnog (use as much as you need)

In a small mixer bowl, beat confectioners' sugar and butter or margarine until well blended. Gradually beat in eggnog until icing is smooth. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Courtesty of Jenna Turley

Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredients
1 box spice cake mix
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1 C chocolate chips

Directions
Mix cake mix and pumpkin until moist
Add chocolate chips
Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes

Courtesy of Daija Heaton

Wassail

Wassail

2c. Powdered Tang
1/3 cup. PRESWEETENED powdered lemonade mix
1 1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Mix and store in a cool, dry place. Use within 6 months. Add 2-3 tsp. of mix to 1 c. hot water.

This actually makes a LOT of wassail mix. The girl I got the recipe from divides up the mix and gives it out for Christmas gifts. I thought that was a good idea. Anyway, so I have way more than I can ever use. If anybody wants some, let me know and I will bring you a little container that will go a long way!

Courtesy of Jenn Iverson

Spinach Dip

Knorr Spinach Dip
(from the Knorr Vegetable Soup package)

1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, drained and squeezed dry
1 pkg Knorr's vegetable soup mix (or spring vegetable mix)
1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, chopped
1 container (16 oz) sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
3 green onions, chopped

Mix the sour cream and mayonnaise together in a bowl. Pour in the soup mix, water chestnuts, green onions, and spinach. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate for at least two hours. Serve with vegetables, bread, or crackers.

Courtesy of Jenn Iverson

Deep Dish Pecan Pie Squares

Deep Dish Pecan Pie Squares

4 cups flour
½ cup sugar
1 ¼ cup butter
1 ¼ tsp. salt

Heat oven to 350ยบ. Grease 11x17x1 1/8 inch jellyroll pan. With a pastry blender (or knife or fork), blend flour, sugar, butter, and salt until crumbly. Mixture will be dry. Press firmly into bottom and up sides of pan. Make sure crust comes all the way up the sides. Filling should not get under crust. Bake about 5 minutes. If crust cracks, smooth it over with the back of a large spoon.

Filling:
5 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups corn syrup
5 tbsp. margarine or butter (melted)
2 ½ tsp. vanilla
3 cups chopped pecans

Prepare filling. Mix eggs, sugar, corn syrup, butter, and vanilla until well-blended. Stir in pecans. Pour over baked crust; spread evenly. Bake until filling is set and top is golden brown, about 30-35 minutes. Cool completely before cutting. These are better if made several days in advance to let them soften up a bit. Needs no refrigeration.

Courtesy of Jenn Iverson

Coconut Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

Coconut Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 C butter (softened)
1/4 C sugar
3/4 C brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 sm. box coconut cream instant pudding mix
2 eggs
1 1/2 C chocolate chips
1 C coconut

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flour & baking soda. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, & vanilla; mix until smooth. Beat in pudding mix & eggs. Slowly stir in flour mixture followed by chocolate chips & coconut. Drop heaping teaspoons of dough on to a greased baking sheet. Bake 9-10 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges. Makes 36 cookies.

Courtesty of Ky Stucki

Cranberry Bliss Bars

Cranberry Bliss Bars

2 C. Flour
1 1/2 C. Uncooked quick cooking rolled oats
3/4 C + 1 TBS Firmly packed brown sugar -- divided
1 C. Softened butter
8 oz. Cream cheese
14 ounces Sweetened condensed milk
1/4 C. Lemon juice
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 TBS. Cornstarch
16 oz. Can whole berry cranberry sauce

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Lightly grease 13x9 baking pan. In large bowl combine flour, oats 3/4 cup sugar and butter mix until crumbly. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture for topping. Bake 15 minutes. Cool completely. In large bowl beat cream cheese until fluffy, gradually mix in condensed milk, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth. Pour evenly over crust. In small bowl combine remaining sugar, cornstarch and cranberry sauce. Spoon over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle reserve crumb mixture over top. Bake 40 minutes, cool at room temperature, refrigerate before cutting. Store in refrigerator.

Courtesy of
Becky Wilson

14 December 2008

Chocolate Mint Pinwheel



1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
2 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon mint extract
2 to 3 drops green food color

1. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter and egg until dough forms. Divide dough in half. Stir cocoa into one half. Stir flour, mint extract and food color into other half. Place chocolate dough on 17x12-inch sheet waxed paper. Top dough with second sheet of waxed paper. Roll dough to form 12x7-inch rectangle. Repeat with green colored dough.

2.Remove top sheet of waxed paper from both doughs. Using waxed paper to lift green dough, invert onto chocolate dough. Gently press layered dough to 14x8-inch rectangle. Remove top sheet waxed paper. Use bottom sheet waxed paper to help roll doughs up together tightly, beginning at long side. Wrap tightly in waxed paper; freeze at least 2 hours or until very firm.

3. Heat oven to 375°F. Unwrap dough; cut into 1/4-inch slices. Place slices about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until set. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Decrease butter to 1/3 cup. Bake 8 to 10 minutes.

Do-Ahead
Keep a roll or two of this cookie dough on hand ready to bake. Cookie dough can be covered and refrigerated up to 24 hours before baking.

Each time you slice a cookie, roll the dough a quarter turn to prevent flattening on one side.
Courtesy of Ashley Boyer

Crescent Rolls

I know this is not a cookie recipe...but I wanted to get it in before I added all the cookie recipes. I promised one of our fellow recipe clubers that I would put this recipe on our blog.

Cresent Rolls

1/2 cup warm water
2 Tbsp. yeast
1 1/2 cups scalded milk
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
6 cups flour
Melted margarine/butter (your choice)

Dissolve the yeast in the water and set aside. In a large bowl combine milk, shortening, sugar and salt, and let cool. Add yeast mixture. Then add eggs and flour. Mix until smooth. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Divide into 3 balls. Roll each ball into a circle and brush with melted margarine. Cut the circle into 12 equal sections. Roll each section starting from the outside and going to the point. Place on greased baking sheet. Let rise for at least 3 hours. Bake at 375* for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Makes 3 dozen rolls.

***Just some tips I do to make the rolls light and fluffy. I sprinkle a little sugar on top of the yeast and water mixture and then let it sit 5-10 min before adding it to the rest of the mix. I also let the eggs sit out of the fridge until they are room temp. (I believe this helps the yeast because if they are too cold they can upset the yeast).

Courtesy of my Mom, Lyniss France

01 December 2008

Using food storage

I wanted to share another blog with all of you. I found a blog that is dedicated to incorporating food storage into everyday meals! Awesome hu! I am always trying to think of ways to use food storage so I can keep it rotated...and if I ever did need to live off of it I would definitely need some recipes. So here it is ladies

http://www.everydayfoodstorage.net/


Check it out!!!!