Sour Cream Raisin Squares

This recipe reminds me of Rice Pudding, which was Dad's favorite, only instead of rice, there is a shortbread-style crust. On top of the crust, a custardy mix is poured and then baked until set. The result is a creamy treat with the benefit of cinnamon and nutmeg seasoning.

The crust is is a basic blend that is baked first. Then the filling is poured over the baked crust and returned to the oven for more time.  When I made this recipe, I did not have any sour cream on hand, so I substituted Greek yogurt. The result was just fine. I also used a little more cinnamon and nutmeg than called for in the recipe because those two flavors are so good.

Sour Cream Raisin Squares 

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened

Filling

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup raisins

Combine the flour, sugar, and butter for the crust. Mix until it resembles small peas. Press evenly into a 9x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 12 to 17 minutes. Combine the sugar, milk, sour cream, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla. Mix until blended. Stir in raisins. Pour over crust; return pan to oven Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until set. Cool completely; cut into bars. Store in refrigerator. Enjoy!

Strawberry Whipped Cream Frosting

On Thanksgiving, I made a huge batch of fresh whipped cream that was devoured by the family. So, for Meg's birthday, I thought I would try strawberry whipped cream frosting for her cake. It was another hit; everyone enjoyed the frosting. I just used the frosting on a standard yellow cake. I do think that this frosting would also be excellent on a chocolate cake too. Megan had a terrific 39th Birthday!

For this recipe, I used freeze dried strawberries that can easily be found at Trader Joe's or Aldi. Just grind the freeze dried strawberries in a food processor into a powder with some small pieces remaining. Fresh or frozen strawberries could also be used, but need to be cooked down and strained to remove some of the liquid. This recipe uses more powdered sugar than regular whipped cream to make a more stable whipped cream that serves better as frosting. To make whipped cream, I use my blender instead of a mixer. It seems to work fast but does need to be checked on regularly otherwise you will end up with really sweet butter.

Strawberry Whipped Cream Frosting 

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup powdered freeze dried strawberries

Place the cream, sugar, and powdered strawberries in a blending. Blend for two minutes. Check the consistency. Continue blending, checking frequently until you get the desired consistency. Frost your favorite cake. Enjoy!

Glazed Pecan Cake

I do not remember this cake from my childhood probably because I was not a big fan of nuts when I was young. But now I love nuts and regularly eats nuts and include them in recipes. This recipe is a fairly standard yellow cake recipe with the addition of nuts. I have used many variations of powdered sugar glaze, but this recipe introduced me to honey glaze.  The honey nicely complements the pecans

The recipe calls for using an electric mixer to prepare the batter. I just mixed by hand, which might have made my cake denser, but it was just fine for me. I liked the use of pecans but other types of nuts could be used. Hazelnut might be a good substitution.

Glazed Pecan Cake 

• 2 3/4 cup flour
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup butter

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add 1 cup softerned butter, two eggs, milk, and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer at medium speed for two minutes, scraping bowl as necessary. Add remaining two eggs; beat two minutes longer. Fold in pecans. Pour into a greased ten-inch tube pan. Bake at 375 for about one hour or until done. Cool in the pan for ten minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely. Prepare the honey glaze by placing the honey and the 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan. Boil for three minutes. Brush glaze over the cake. Enjoy!

Dutch Baby

This recipe is not an old family favorite but might just become a new family favorite. A Dutch Baby is a baked, custardy pancake. On New Year's Day, we often like to have breakfast for lunch, so I thought I would give this recipe a try. The Dutch Baby was so delicious. I enjoyed it with maple syrup and a side of bacon for a very delicious meal.

The Dutch Baby is very easy to make. The ingredients are pantry staples. After mixing the batter, it is poured into a pre-heated and buttered cast iron skillet. Then, it is baked in the oven. It is best to use a cast iron or oven-safe metal skillet because the outside will get more crispy while the inside will remain custardy. 

Dutch Baby 

• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2/3 cup flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tbsp. butter 

Prepare the batter by mixing the eggs, milk, flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla until there are no lumps. Preheat the oven to 425. Place an 8-inch cast iron skillet while the oven is preheating. Remove the skillet and place the butter into the skillet. Swirl the butter around. Return the buttered skillet to the oven for about one minute to slightly allow the butter to brown. Then, add the batter to the skillet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Enjoy with your favorite toppings!

Brown-eyed Orange Bars

I made these bars for this year's Christmas cookie bags. I am not sure how well they will survive the bags, but these bars are a delicious holiday treat. I just love the orange and chocolate flavor combination. The brown-eyed in the recipe name refers to chocolate chips. It might be better to call these Chocolate Chip Orange Bars.

Making these bars is quite easy. The recipe calls for grated orange rind, which is not too hard with a hand grater or could be left off. But I think it enhances the orange flavor, so I recommend keeping the grated orange rind in the recipe. When I made these bars, I multiplied the recipe by 1.5 to use a 9x13 pan instead of a 9x9 pan. The use of dry milk powder adds a nice richness to the recipe.

Brown-eyed Orange Bars 

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/3 cup instant dry milk
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp. grated orange rind
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 egg
• 2 tsps. vanilla

Orange glaze

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 Tbsp. orange juice
• 1 Tbsp. grated orange rind

Sift the flour, dry milk, baking powder, and salt together. Add butter, sugar, orange rind, orange juice, egg, and vanilla. Mix until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread in a greased and floured 9x9 pan. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until bars pull away from sides of pan. Make the orange glaze by blending the powdered sugar, orange juice, and grated orange rind. While warm, spread with orange glaze. When cool cut. Enjoy!

Peek-a-boos

Christmas cookies are often fancier than cookies made during the rest of the year. These cookies fit the bill by requiring rolling out the dough, cutting them just so, and assembling the cookie. The recipe card suggested using a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter, but I used a slightly smaller round cutter which worked out find. For the star pattern for the top cut-out, I just used a butter knife to cut a star pattern that created just enough of an opening for the cookie.

The flavors used in these cookies could very easily be adjusted to meet your needs. The recipe uses lemon extract, but other extracts could be used for a different flavor. The filling is a fruit preserve. I used strawberry preserves to compliment the lemon cookie, but other flavors could be used, such as blueberry preserves or raspberry preserves.  

Peek-a-boos 

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. lemon extract
• 2 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup fruit preserves

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and lemon extract. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt; and gradually add to creamed mixture. Mix well. Chill dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll part of dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut with 2 1/2 inch round cutter. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Drop a teaspoon of preserves in center. Cut a star pattern into another cut cookie. Center the star-cut cookie on the preserve-topped cookies. Seal outer edges by pressing with a fork. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes, or until golden. Allow to cool. Enjoy!

Brittle Cookies

When December comes around, I look forward to trying out new cookie recipes from Mom's recipe box. There are always certain favorite cookies that I make each December, but I love trying out recipes that are new to me. This Brittle Cookie recipe is one such new-to-me recipe that is terrific and easy. I actually made this for Thanksgiving. These cookies were a hit. The cookies are crunchy with a nice balance of chips and nuts.

This recipe gets its name from brittle candy, which is made as a large flat sheet that is then broken up into irregular pieces. These cookies are made as a large sheet, then broken into pieces. When I made this recipe, I used white chocolate chips rather than semi-sweet chocolate chips. These cookies are the right balance of sweet, salty, and crunchy.

Brittle Cookies 

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt until light and fluffy. Add flour; beat thoroughly. Stir in chips and 3/4 cup nuts. Press into an ungreased 13x10x1 jelly roll pan. Sprinkle remaining nuts on top; press in gently. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Cool; break into irregular pieces. Enjoy!