Saturday, December 24, 2016

Brandy Drops

These cookies are eggnog in cookie form. It must be the brandy and nutmeg that give them this distinctive egg nog flavor.  Because I love egg nog, naturally, I loved these cookies. The cookies make a great addition to a Christmas cookie plate or can just be enjoyed any time.

The recipe itself is very simple. I did find that the cookies spread when baking, so be sure to place the dough two inches apart. The use of powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar results in a very delicate cookie. I followed the recipe and topped each cookie with a pecan, but if you are concerned about nut allergies, you could easily leave the pecans off.

Brandy Drops 
  • 1 cup softened butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten slightly
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 2 Tbsp. brandy
  • Pecan halves
Cream butter; add sugar and cream again. Beat in eggs. Stir in the dry ingredients alternating with the brandy. Chill. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls two inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Top each cookie with a pecan half. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Remove from sheet; cool on rack. Enjoy!


Saturday, December 17, 2016

Orange Sugar Cookies

Can basic sugar cookies be improved? These orange sugar cookies just might be an improvement. The recipe is the basic sugar cookie with the addition of grated orange rind. The resulting cookies are delicious with a subtle orange flavor that improves but does not overwhelm the cookie.

I used Christmas cookie cutters for these cookies to match the season when I was making them. But, you could use any shape to cut the cookies because they would be delicious any time of the year. If you do not want to actually grate orange rind, you can find dried grated orange rind at the grocery store. I topped the cookies with a basic vanilla sugar glaze and sprinkles. But as MDS can attest, the cookies are delicious even without frosting, especially straight out of the oven. I brought these cookies to a standard Saturday night at Mom's house, and the cookies were a hit with the nieces and nephews.

Orange Sugar Cookies 
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 tsp. grated orange rind
  • 3 1/2 cup flour
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup milk
Cream the butter and sugar. Beat eggs and rind into mixture. Sift together the dry ingredients. Add one half of the dry ingredients to butter mixture. Mix well. Add vanilla and milk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Chill well.

Roll 1/8-inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375 for about eight to ten minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Frost, if desired. Enjoy!


Sunday, December 11, 2016

Christmas Coffee Bread

This recipe makes a delicious bread that can be eaten anytime. The name of the recipe might make you save this bread for the Christmas season, but you can enjoy it in any season. Mom's recipe card calls for shaping the bread into a candy cane and a Christmas tree, but you could just make a braided bread or any other shape. The name also implies that it would be a delicious bread served with breakfast or brunch, which is true, but it can be enjoyed all day.

This bread is rich, thick and slightly sweet. Mom's recipe calls for shaping a candy cane out of plain dough and the Christmas tree out of dough with candied fruit added. But you could add candied fruit to all of the dough or leave it out completely. Instead of candied fruit, I used dried cherries. Also, instead of one very large Christmas tree as described in the recipe, I made two smaller trees. Shaping the candy cane was much easier than shaping the tree. A holiday-shaped bread would be a nice treat for a holiday party. Whether you make a candy cane shape or a standard loaf, give this recipe a try.

Christmas Coffee Bread 
  • 2 packages dry yeast
  • 3/4 cup warm water
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 5 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup candied fruit
  • melted butter to brush on bread
  • 1-2 cups Confectioner's sugar 
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • food coloring, optional
  • decorating sprinkles, optional
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in water that is about 120 degrees. Add buttermilk, sour cream, 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup butter, sugar, baking powder and salt. Blend all ingredient, scraping sides and bottom of the bowl. Stir in the remaining flour. Knead for five minutes on a lightly floured surface.
Shape one-third of the dough into a 30-inch rope. Fold the rope in half, twist together and form into a candy cane shape on a greased baking sheet. Brush with melted butter.
To the remaining dough, knead in candied fruit until evenly distributed. Shape into a 60-inch rope. Pinch off a one-inch segment for the trunk. On a greased baking sheet, Shape into a tree starting at the top, and increasing the length for each switchback turn. Brush the top with butter.
Set the bread in a warm place to rise for about an hour or two. Preheat oven to 375. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool. Make the frosting by combining the confectioner's sugar, vanilla, and a little bit of water until it reaches frosting consistency. Add food coloring, if desired. Frost the cooled bread. Add other decorations if desired. Enjoy!


Sunday, November 13, 2016

Cornmeal Cookies

I found this recipe among Grandma's recipe cards. I don't recall her making these cookies, but I could see how the use of cornmeal might appeal to Grandma because her mother often made polenta. MDS was skeptical of these cookies because of the inclusion of cornmeal and raisins, but after one bite, he was hooked. The cornmeal in the cookies add a nice crunch to the cookies, and in some ways, the cookies remind me of potato chip cookies.

I made these cookies and took them to Mom's for a typical Saturday night. Like MDS, the kids were skeptical of the cookies, primarily because of the raisins. But the kids who tried the cookies liked them. And Mom, who usually doesn't like to keep cookies around, even kept a few cookies to enjoy later. So give these cookies a try, you might find you really like them.

Cornmeal Cookies 
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 cup raisins
Mix butter and sugar in a large bowl; add egg and beat well. Add in the rest of the ingredients, mixing to combine. Drop dough by the teaspoon onto a greased pan. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, or until the edges turn lightly brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

Saturday, November 5, 2016

Pumpkin Scones

This recipe is not a family recipe, but is a personal favorite recipe of mine. These scones are inspired by pumpkin scones that can be found at Starbucks in the fall. They are easy to make and taste great with coffee or tea, or even on their own. They capture the classic Fall flavors, but are delicious year-round.

However, rather than making the larger size scones, I make these as a mini-sized scone so they are closer to cookie size or about three-bites per scone. I do not put a glaze on them, but you could easily use a powdered sugar glaze. If you make the glaze, consider adding some spice, like cinnamon and nutmeg. The spices that I use are cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon and ginger. But you can adjust the spices to meet your taste.

Pumpkin Scones 
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 7 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. cardamon
  • 1/4 tsp. ginger
  • 6 Tbsp. cold butter
  • 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
  • 3 Tbsp. buttermilk
  • 1 egg
Preheat oven to 425. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and spices in a large bowl. Cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. In separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, buttermilk and egg. Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Form one-third of dough into a ball and then roll into a rectangle. cut into small triangles. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake for 14 minutes. Allow to cool. Enjoy!

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Apple Crunch Cake

This recipe makes a delicious cake, especially during the fall when apple and cinnamon flavors capture the season. I brought this cake to Mom's house for a regular Saturday night. It was a hit with most there. Although not all the kids like cinnamon, all the adults liked the cake.

I used two apples to make this cake, but I could have used another apple to add to the apple flavor. The one addition that I made to the recipe was to use one teaspoon of vanilla in the batter. Good vanilla always improves baked goods. The recipe calls for using an 8X8 square pan, but I do not have that size pan, so I used an 8-inch round pan. My cake ended up being taller than the cake likely should be. The recipe could be easily doubled to use a 13X9 pan.

Apple Crumb Cake 
  • 1 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 3 Tbsp. butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 cup thinly sliced peeled apple
For the crumb mixture:
  • 1/4 cup raw or regular sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup butter
Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the egg, milk, vanilla, and melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the flour ingredients, mixing only until the dry ingredients are moistened. In a separate bowl, prepare the crumb mixture by mixing the sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until coarse crumbs form.

Spread half the batter in a greased 8X8 inch square pan. Arrange apple slices on the batter and sprinkle with half the crumb mixture. Spread the rest of the batter over the apples and sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on the top of the cake. Bake at 400 for 35 minutes or until done. Enjoy!

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookies

The first recipe when I started this blog was the standard Saturday night dinner of Spaghetti and Gravy with chocolate chip cookies for dessert. But sometimes for a special treat, Mom would make these delicious chocolate cookies with Reese's peanut butter chips. And, just like Mom's chocolate chip cookies, the recipe for these cookies is found on the back of the bag of chips, in this case, Reese's peanut butter chips. Even though the recipe is on the bag of chips that you need to make them, you will find the recipe below. The chocolate cookies themselves are so delicious, you can even make them without the peanut butter chips. Or use another type of chip, such as mint chips, for a different delicious cookie.

These cookies were a special treat in the Buckley household and would not last long. I am not entirely sure if they were so quickly eaten because they were rare or delicious. Just as when I was a kid, when I make these cookies, they are gone before I have had enough of them. The bag also suggests that cookie bars can be made by baking the dough in a pan for about 20 minutes. Although I have never tried this recipe as cookie bars, I might need to try that next time.

Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookies 
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup Cocoa
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/4 cups butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 10 oz. package Reese's chips
Preheat the oven to 350. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture; beating well. Stir in peanut butter chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 9 minutes. (Do not overbake; cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling.) Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Enjoy!