Here are some of my favorites :)
Simple Buttercream Icing:
8 cups of powered sugar
2 cups room temperature Butter
½ cup milk room temp (not skim milk)- or use heavy cream
Mix butter and sugar until sugar “comes together”/is smooth. Add milk and beat low speed 2 minutes. Use high quality butter (e.g. Land O’Lakes is the best on the open market). Lower grade butters have higher water content. Wrap a towel around mixer to keep sugar from flying.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buttery Raisin Scones
2 cups Flour
2 teaspoons Baking powder
2/3 cup Sugar
1/3 cup Butter
1/2 cup Raisins
1/4 cup Chopped walnuts
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Sour cream
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Beat together first 4 ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal. Beat in raisins and walnuts. Beat together eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended and add, all at once, to flour mixture. Beat until blended. Do not overbeat.
Spread batter (it will be very thick) into a greased 10-inch springform pan and sprinkle top with 1 teaspoon sugar (optional, but nice).
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until top is browned and a cake tester, inserted in center, comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan. When cool, remove from pan and cut into wedges to serve.
Note: Dried currants can be substituted for the raisins. Walnuts can be omitted, but are a nice addition.
----------------------------------------------------
Molasses Cookies
Preheat oven 375
2 Cup sifted flour
2 tea baking soda
½ tea cloves
½ tea powered ginger
½ tea cinnamon
½ tea salt
1 egg
¼ cup molasses
1 Cup sugar
¾ cup shortening (melted)
sugar (optional)
Sift dry ingredients together. Mix sugar, egg, molasses together and add to melted shortening. Add dry to liquid ingredients. Chill in refrigerator. Cut pieces off and roll into chestnut size spheres. Roll in sugar (optional). Bake 8-10 minutes until no puffiness in center)
-----------------------------------------------------
Pie dough
1 ¾ cup flour
1 Tab sugar
pinch salt
12 Tab very cold butter
4 ½ Tab ice water (approx)
1) put flour, sugar, salt into food processor. Start process and add butter, cut into small pieces.
2) continue processing and add the water. Add only enough water so that the dough comes away from the sides of the container. Gather dough into ball in wax paper. Chill 30 minutes
Makes 12 inch shell
Other tips: can add grated orange, lemon or other spice to complement pie filling. Freeze pie shell then bake in order to avoid bubbles/use of pie weights.
------------------------------------------------------
Best Pumpkin Pudding or Pie - Recipe
It’s so easy--all the mixing happens in a blender with the push of a button, and the results are rich, sweet, and totally luscious. If you don’t want the extra carbs of a crust, the recipe adapts beautifully to being made in little individual pudding ramekins. Serves 6-8.
INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/8 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup half-and-half or heavy cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Whipped cream (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 425F. Dump all the ingredients (except the whipped cream) into a blender and pulse until thoroughly combined.
2. Pour the mixture into buttered individual ramekins or ovenproof soup bowls, or the unbaked pie shell of your choice. (Decorate the top with little leaves cut from pastry, if you like.)
3. Bake for 15 minutes at 425F, then reduce heat to 350F and bake for 45 minutes, or until set. Allow to cool for 1 hour before serving. Top each portion with whipped cream, if desired.
-------------------------------------------------------
Meatless Mince Pie
From: Nick Malgieri's Perfect Pastry Create Fantastic Desserts by Mastering the Basic Techniques
Not traditional, but a light, fast version of mincemeat. For variety, substitute pears for the apples or use a combination. Yield: About 10 to 12 portions
Meatless Mincemeat Filling
3 golden delicious apples, about 1-1/2 pounds
3/4 cup yellow raisins, about 3 ounces
3/4 cup currants, about 3 ounces
1/2 stick butter, 2 ounces
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/3 cup brandy or dark rum (optional) – can replace with apple cider or water
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar, about 4 ounces
1 cup walnut pieces, coarsely chopped, about 4 ounces
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ginger
Egg Wash
1 egg
Pinch salt
Preparing the Mincemeat Filling
Peel, halve, core, and finely dice the apples. Combine with the remaining filling ingredients in a large saucepan and cook, covered, over medium heat, until the mixture is very liquid, about 15 minutes. Uncover, lower the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Cool.
Mixing the Egg Wash
Whisk the egg and salt in a small bowl until very liquid.
Assembling
Lightly flour the work surface and dough, then roll half the dough into a 14-inch disk, A inch thick. Fit the dough into a 9-inch pan and trim the edges of the dough even with the rim of the pan. Roll the remaining dough to a 10 X 14-inch rectangle. Cut into at least ten 1-inch strips and egg wash the strips and the edge of the bottom crust. Pour in the filling, smoothing the top. Apply the strips of dough, five in each direction, making a diagonal lattice. Trim the ends of the strips even with the edge of the bottom crust. With floured fingers, flute the edges of the crust.
Baking
Bake at 425° F for 15 minutes on the lowest rack of the oven. Lower the temperature to 350 and bake until the juices just start to bubble up and the bottom crust is baked through, about 30 minutes longer.
Holding
Store the pie at room temperature up to 1 day.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fondant Icing 101 – Marshmallow (MM) Fondant The WORLD’S BEST fondant!! (the sore stuff is horrible/inedible – this stuff is INCREDIBLE!)
16 ounces white mini-marshmallows (use a good quality brand)
2 to 5 tablespoons water
2 pounds icing sugar (please use C&H Cane Powdered Sugar for the best results)
½ cup Crisco shortening (you will be digging into it so place in a very easily accessed bowl)
NOTE: Please be careful, this first stage can get hot.
1) Melt marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave or double boiler: Put the bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds, open microwave and stir, back in microwave for 30 seconds more, open microwave and stir again, and continue doing this until melted. It usually takes about 2 ½ minutes total. Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallow mix.
2) Now grease your hands GENEROUSLY - palms, backs and in between fingers, then heavily grease the counter you will be using and dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle. (By the way, this recipe is also good for your hands. When I’m done, they are baby soft.)
3) Start kneading like you would bread dough. You will immediately see why you have greased your hands. If you have children in the room they will either laugh at you or look at you with a questioning expression. You might even hear a muttered, “What are you doing?”
4) Keep kneading, this stuff is sticky at this stage! Add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more. Re-grease your hands and counter when the fondant is sticking. If the mix is tearing easily, it is to dry, so add water (about ½ tablespoon at a time then knead it in). It usually takes me about 8 minutes to get a firm smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing when you apply it to the cake.
5) Its best if you can let it sit, double wrapped, overnight (but you can use it right away if there are no tiny bits of dry powdered sugar). If you do see them, you will need to knead and maybe add a few more drops of water.
6) Prepare the fondant for storing by coating it with a good layer of Crisco shortening, wrap in a plastic- type wrap product and then put it in a re-sealable or Ziploc bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible.
MM Fondant will hold very well in the refrigerator for weeks. If I know that I have a cake to decorate, I usually make 2 batches on a free night during the week so it is ready when I need it. Take advantage of the fact that this fondant can be prepared well in advance.
To see pictures of how to make it and more tips go to website:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/Fondant.htm
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Best Cranberry Bread
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Makes 1 loaf
2 cups flour
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons melted butter
2 Tablespoons boiling water
½ cup fresh orange juice
1 egg well beaten
½ cup chopped nuts
1 Cup raw cranberries (slice in half and soak/swirl in bowl of water to release seeds, rinse and drain)
Sift dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, combine orange juice, water, melted butter, egg. Blend dry and liquid ingredients. Add nuts and cranberries. Pour into a greased bread pan. Push batter into corners so that the surface is concave. Let is stand 20 minutes. Bake 60-70 minutes.
Can't wait to see the other recipes! Yummy! :)
