coconut pecan squares

sunday, january 5th

coconut pecan squares

crust:

½ cup butter

½ light brown sugar

1 cup flour

preheat oven to 350° F. combine ingredients and press into a 9X13 baking dish. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until light brown.

filling:

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup light brown sugar

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp four

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

1 cup pecan pieces

1 cup flaked coconut

combine ingredients in medium sized bowl. carefully spread filling over baked crust. bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. cool completely and cut into squares. makes 24 squares.

molasses cookies

sunday, december 29^th

molasses cookies

molasses cookies 2 cups (260 grams) all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1  teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup (210 grams) dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons vegetable, canola, or safflower oil 1/3 cup (80 ml) unsulphured molasses (lightly grease measuring cup to prevent the molasses from sticking) 1 large egg 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract garnish: 1 cup granulated white sugar for covering the cookie balls before baking

in a large bowl sift or whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. in the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes). add the oil, molasses, egg, and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. beat in the flour mixture until well incorporated. cover and chill the batter until firm (about 2 hours or overnight). preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  place about 1 cup of white granulated sugar in a medium sized bowl. when the dough has chilled sufficiently, roll into 1 inch balls. then roll the balls of dough into the sugar, coating them thoroughly. place on the baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart and, with the bottom of a glass, flatten the cookies slightly. bake for about 9 - 10 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies have crinkles yet are barely dry. (they will look a little underdone.) remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. store in an airtight container for up to a week. makes about 3 dozen cookies recipe from: http://www.joyofbaking.com/MolassesCookies.html#ixzz2sTlvLCz6

reindeer cookies

sunday, december 22nd

reindeer cookies 

reindeer cookies

honestly, i saw this idea online--or maybe on the back of the sugar cookie dough wrapping--but there wasn't a real recipe. yes, i did use store bought, premade dough for this one. didn't taste the best so if you have the time, make it from scratch. but these turned out great for a fun, quick, somewhat cheesy treat. 

red hot candies--for the nose

broken pretzels--for the antlers 

chocolate chips--for the eyes

sugar cookie dough

bake the cookies at 350 for 5-7 minutes. pinch the edges and add facial features... haha. voila! 

decorating-only gingerbread cookies

sunday, december 15th

gingerbread cookies...not for eating

decorating-only gingerbread cookies

2 ¾ c flour

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp cloves

2/3 c cloves

2/3 c molasses

1.3 c brown sugar

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 egg ½ c oil

3 tsp baking powder

mix 

oil a sheet of aluminum foil. roll out dough onto it and put in oven (350 ° for 15-20 minutes)

place pattern on hot gingerbread and cut out with a knife. wait until cool.

bake a little longer after cooled.

royal icing

3 egg whites

½ tsp cream of tarter

1 lb powdered sugar (about 4-5 cupts)

put all together and beat for about 5 minutes, or until the peak stays firm. add food coloring for desired colors.

eggnog coffee cake

sunday, december 8th

eggnog coffee cake

eggnog coffee cake

*from cooking light DECEMBER 2013

crumble:

• 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

cake:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• baking spray with flour

preparation

1. preheat oven to 350°.

2. to prepare crumble, combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. cut in 2 tablespoons butter using a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. stir in toasted pecans.

3. to prepare cake, weigh or lightly flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through 1/4 teaspoon salt); stir with a whisk. place 3 tablespoons butter and granulated sugar in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined. add whole egg and egg yolk, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. add milk, sour cream, and vanilla; beat at low speed for 1 minute or until well combined. add the flour mixture; beat at low speed 1 minute or just until combined.

4. spoon half of batter into an 8-inch round metal cake pan coated with baking spray. sprinkle with half of crumble mixture. spread remaining batter over crumble, smoothing top with a spatula. sprinkle evenly with remaining crumble mixture. bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. place a plate upside down on top of cake; invert onto plate. place another plate upside down on top of cake; invert onto plate.