Ingredients
1 C. Butter
1 1/2 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
2 3/4 C. Flour
2 t. Cream of Tarter
1 t. Baking Soda
1/4 t. Salt
Topping:
3 T. Sugar
3 t. Cinnamon
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix dough ingredients together and chill in refrigerator 10-15 minutes.
2. Roll dough into balls, then roll in cinnamon sugar mix.
3. Bake on chilled, ungreased cookie sheet 10 minutes. Remove immediately.
Ingredients
2 C. Flour
1 1/2 t. Baking Powder
1 t. Baking Soda
1/2 t. Salt
1 1/4 C. Sugar
1 t. Cinnamon
1 Stick Butter (Room Temp)
2 Eggs (Room Temp)
1 C. Sour Cream
1 t. Vanilla Extract
1 C. Chocolate Chips
Topping:
4 T. Butter
1/4 C. Flour
1/4 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Chocolate Chips
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 C. sugar and cinnamon.
2. Beat together butter and remaining 1 C. sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in sour cream and vanilla. Fold into the flour mixture until just combined. Add cinnamon sugar mixture and chocolate chips. Spread into pan.
3. Mix together butter, brown sugar and flour for topping. Crumble over top of batter. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
4. Bake 30-35 minutes
Notes: The chocolate chip coffee cake from Einstein’s Bagels is very yummy and while pregnant I was really craving it, so I searched around for some recipes that seemed like they’d be close. We added the streusel and chocolate chip topping and it was perfect! Great as a breakfast or a dessert.
Ingredients
3 1/2 C. Flour
3/4 C. Butter (Softened)
2 1/2 C. Sugar
3 Eggs (Room Temp)
6 T. Red Food Coloring
3 T. Unsweetened Cocoa
1 1/2 t. Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 t. Salt
1 1/2 C. Buttermilk
1 1/2 t. Cider Vinegar
1 1/2 . Baking Soda
Icing:
6 T. Flour
2 C. Milk
2 C. Butter (Softened)
2 C. Sugar
2 t. Vanilla Extract
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and lightly flour cake pans.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together red food coloring, cocoa and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.
3. Stir the salt into the buttermilk, then add to the batter in 3 parts, alternating with flour. In a small bowl, stir together vinegar with baking soda. Add to batter and mix well.
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Let layers cool in pans for 1 hour. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.
5. For Icing–in medium size saucepan, whisk flour into milk until smooth. Place over medium heat and, stirring constantly, cook until the mixture becomes very thick and begins to bubble, 10-15 minutes. Cover with waxed paper placed directly on the surface and cool to room temp, about 30 minutes. In a large bowl, beat the butter for 3 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating constantly for 3 minutes until fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat well. Add the cooled milk mixture and continue beating on medium high for 5 minutes until very smooth and noticeably whiter in color. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes (no less and no longer–set a timer!). Use immediately.
Notes: We make these for Easter! They’re delicious!
Ingredients
1/4 C. Butter (cut into chunks)
1 t. Baking Soda
1 T. Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 t. Cinnamon
1/2 t. Salt
2 1/2 C. Sugar
1/3 C. Light Corn Syrup
1 1/2 C. Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Method
1. Lightly butter 10×15 baking pan. In small bowl, stir baking soda and vanilla to dissolve. In another bowl, stir together cinnamon and salt.
2. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together sugar, 1/2 C. water, corn syrup and 1/4 C. butter until butter is melted and sugar dissolved. Increase heat to medium and boil, stirring occasionally until it turns a deep amber.
3. Remove sugar mixture from heat and carefully stir in vanilla and cinnamon mixtures. Immediately stir in pumpkin seeds and pour into pan, using spoon to smooth out and evenly fill pan. Let cool at room temperature 30-40 minutes. Gently twist pan to release brittle, then break into chunks.
Notes: This would be a great “after carving the Halloween pumpkins” dessert treat. It could also be given as a Halloween gift for a party if left in pan, tied with a ribbon and presented with a cute, new hammer.
Ingredients
1 egg (room temperature)
1 egg yolk (room temperature)
1/4 C. Sugar
1 1/2 C. Whole Milk
1/4 C. Cream of Wheat
1/2 C. Butter (cut into bits)
2 t. Lemon Juice
1/2 t. Vanilla Extract
1 Pkg. Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry (in the freezer section, near the frozen pie shells)
Method
1. Beat eggs until frothy. Beat in sugar until thick and foamy, about 4 minutes (a Kitchenaide stand mixer will help here)
2. Heat the milk in a medium pot until hot, but not boiling. Remove from heat and whisk into egg mixture in thin stream until all the milk is used up–never stop whisking.
3. Pour custard mixture back into pot and set on medium-low heat, stirring constantly, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Gradually sprinkle in Cream of Wheat, letting it flow out of your hand gradually. Add a pinch of salt.
5. Reduce heat to low and cook until thick and smooth, about 5-6 minutes. Whisk in pieces of cut up butter, incorporating completely.
6. Remove from heat, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard and cool completely. Once cool, stir in lemon juice and vanilla.
7. Lay one piece of puff pastry in bottom of baking dish and cover with custard. Lay second piece of puff pastry on top (it will sink)
8. Bake at 350 about 1 hour. It’s ready when top piece of puff pastry has risen to the top, puffed and browned.
9. Cool slightly and serve warm.
Notes: This was my absolute favorite dessert while living in Greece–way better in my opinion than Baklava! Before leaving the country, I asked our school cooks for the recipe and they gave me the recipe for something else on accident. I’ve been trying to recreate this dish ever since, with no luck. I found this traditional recipe online and modified it to make it easier–I use the puff pastry instead of the many sheets of Filo and butter. It doesn’t look quite as pretty, but it tastes fantastic! Bryan has heard me gush about this dish for years now and the first time I made it this way his response was–”Whoa, I need more of that.” It’s pretty awesome 
.
Ingredients
1 C. Whipping Cream (Chilled)
1/2 C. Mascarpone Cheese (Chilled)
1/4 C. Sugar
Method
1. Combine all ingedients in a medium bowl. Beat until soft peaks form.
Notes: Excellent on brownies, molten chocolate cakes, pancakes! A recipe from my friend Kim.
Ingredients
Crust:
2 2/3 C. Flour
1 t. Salt
2/3 C. Vegetable Oil
6 T. Cold Milk
Filling:
1 1/4 C. plus 2 t. Sugar
1/3 C. Flour
1/4 t. Nutmeg
1/4 t. Cinnamon
3 C. Strawberries (Halved)
2 C. Rhubarb (Thinly Sliced)
2 T. Butter (Cut Up)
2 t. Milk
Method
1. Preheat oven to 40. Mix flour and salt. Measure oil and milk together–don’t stir. Add to flour. Make crust on wax paper.
2. To make filling, mix sugar, flour, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add fruit, stirring to coat.
3. Fill crust with filling. Scatter butter. Add top crust. Pinch edges and ventilate top. Brush with milk. Sprinkle sugar on top.
4. Bake on cookie sheet for 50 minutes. Allow to cool 1 hour before serving.
Notes: If rhubard isn’t in season, you can make this with just strawberries, peaches or blueberries. Whatever extra you add, just make it equal to the amount of rhubarb in the original recipe. The nutmeg may be too much for some–if you’re not a huge fan, either omit it or just add less.
Ingredients
1 C. Slivered Almonds
2 Sticks Butter
1 C. Sugar
3 T. Water
1 T. Corn Syrup
1/4 t. Salt
6 oz. Chocolate (Finely Chopped)
Method
1. Sprinkle half the almonds in the baking pan.
2. Melt butter in saucepan. Add sugar, water, corn syrup and salt. Cook, stirring over medium-high heat until mixture boils. Reduce heat to medium and boil until reaches soft ball stage. Remove from heat and pour candy over almonds in pan.
3. Let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with choolate. Let stand until chocolate softens, about 2 minutes. Spread chocolate evenly over candy. Sprinkle with remaining almonds.
Notes: This makes a great Christmas gift!
Ingredients
1/4 C. Brown Sugar
1/4 C. White Sugar
1/2 t. Ground Cinnamon
1/8 t. Ground Nutmeg
Pinch Salt
5-6 Apples (I like to mix varieties..)
1 T. Lemon Juice
1 Deep Dish Pie Shell (Marie Callendar makes a good one in the frozen food section)
2 T. Unsalted Butter (cut into bits)
Topping:
1 Stick Butter (8 T.)
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Walnuts (Chopped)
1 T. Lemon Juice
1/2 t. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 C. Flour
Method
1. Peel and core apples. You can buy a nifty device in the grocery store gadget aisle that cores and slices in one step–it’s about $1 and totally worth it!.
2. Toss together sugars, spices and salt. Toss the apples with the lemon juice, then this mixture.
3. Add the apples to the pie shell and top with butter pats.
4. Cream together the butter and brown sugar for the topping. Add the walnuts, lemon juice, spices and flour. Put topping over top of apples.
5. Bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes or until center of pie is bubbly and streusal mixture is browned.
Note: I have had great luck making these pies, then wrapping tightly in plastic wrap and a couple layers of foil before baking, then freezing. I then bake the frozen pie for 60 minutes at 375. I do this advance prep for Holidays–take the kiddos apple picking in the fall and have great pies for Thanksgiving. I also made a bunch of these pies for my wedding because my husband hates cake and loves apple pie. With the help of one of my bridesmaids, we set up an assembly line and catered the dessert portion of the wedding in under an hour! We baked the pies the day before and it worked great.
Ingredients
2 C. White Flour
1/2 C. Whole-Wheat Flour
1/4 C. Cornmeal
1/4 C. Wheat Germ
1/2 t. Salt
1 T. Baking Powder
1 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1/4 C. Butter (melted)
1 1/4 C. Milk
1 Can Pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 t. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 t. Ground Ginger
1 Pinch Ground Cloves
1 Pinch Nutmeg
1 C. Chocolate Chips (if you’re feeling wild!)
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a loaf pan.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients. Add the egg, butter and milk. Add the pumpkin.
3. Bake 1 hour.
Notes: I make this for my 17 month old daughter for breakfast (without the chocolate chips). It’s easy, she loves it, and it’s good for her (and cleaner than oatmeal!). You can make the same recipe with apple sauce, substituting it for the pumpkin. If you want it as a dessert, add the chocolate chips and serve it warm with butter. Delicious!
