Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Erin's Toblerone fudge

 Ingredients

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c butter

3/4 c evaporated milk


Preparation

1. Bring above three ingredients to a boil on medium heat. Boil 5 minutes stirring constantly.

2. Remove from heat and add a 400g Toblerone chocolate bar, broken into pieces.

3. Pour into an 8x8 square pan lined with parchment or wax paper.

4. Chill.

Erin's Chocolate dipped shortbread

 Ingredients

3/4 c butter

room temperature

1/2 c icing sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cold water

1 3/4 c flour

3/4 c chopped pecans

1 c mini chocolate chips

Chocolate for dipping

Preparation

1.Mix the first 8 ingredients together and form into 3/4” balls.

2. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.

3. Let cool then dip half in melted dipping chocolate.



Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Gina’s Magic Refrigerator Cookies

 

2 cups pre-sifted all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

½ cup soft butter

½ cup soft shortening

½ tsp lemon extract

½ tsp almond extract

½ tsp vanilla

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

Additional Ingredients for the “Magic” portion:

·         Sliced blanched almonds

·         Chopped candied fruit or red and green cherries.

·         Peppermint extract; red and green food colouring.

Directions:

Measure flour without sifting; add baking powder, soda and salt. Stir thoroughly to blend.

In a separate bowl, Cream butter and shortening until fluffy. Add flavourings. Gradually add sugars, mixing until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add dry ingredients to wet, combining thoroughly.

Chill dough ½ to 1 hour.

Shape chilled dough into rolls 2 inches in diameter and wrap in waxed paper.

Chill overnight or at least 8 hours in the refrigerator.

Cut chilled dough into 1/8 inch slices, using a sharp knife or dental floss (really, who would think of this?).

Place on ungreased cookie sheets 2” apart.

Bake at 375F for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove cookies from pan. Place on wire rack to cool.

Yield: 7 dozen cookies

Here’s the magic part: multiple variations.

·         Tutti-Frutti: Add 1/3 cup sliced, blanched almonds and ½ cup chopped candied fruit or red and green cherries to dry ingredients. Mix well before adding wet.

·         Peppermint Slices: Omit lemon and almond extract. Before chilling dough first time, divide into three portions. Combine 1/3 dough, 1/4 tsp peppermint extract and enough red food colouring to make dough desired shade of red. Repeat with 2nd third of dough, 1/4 tsp peppermint extract, and greed food colouring. Leave the final 1/3 with no additional flavor or colour. Chill the ½ to 1 hr. Shape each 1/3 portion into 2 rolls and press together to create 2 tri-coloured roles.

·         Orange Delight: Omit almond and vanilla extract. Add 1 tablespoon grated orange rind, 1 tsp grated lemon rind and 1 tablespoon orange juice to sugar-egg mixture.

I often separated the dough in half and made two types of cookies at once (e.g. ½ to the peppermint slices and ½ to the orange delight). You just need to alter the additions by ½.

David’s Peppernuts (Papanate)

 

Mix:

·         1 cup room temperature butter

·         1 ½ cups brown sugar

 

Add and mix 2 eggs and 2 Tbsp. corn syrup

Mix in:

·         2 tsp baking soda

·         1 tsp ginger

·         ½ tsp cloves

·         1 tsp anise seed

·         Add ½ tsp black pepper if desired.

 

Add 3 ½ cups flour and mix until it is even throughout.  If you double the recipe, only use 6 cups of flour.)

·         Cover the bowl and refrigerate until cold throughout (3-4 hours).

·         Take the bowl out of the fridge.  Cut out chunks of dough about the size of your fist and roll into log about the diameter of a nickel on a clean, dry countertop. 

o   Do not put flour on the countertop. If the dough starts to stick, refrigerate again until it is cold, and repeat.

·         Place completed logs on a flat tray and cover in saran wrap.  Freeze overnight or until hard.

 

·         Take out one log at a time and cut into disks about 5 mm (less than ¼ inch) thick.  Place the disks on a non-stick cookie sheet and bake at 375F for 7-8 min. 

 

** Peppernuts burn easily and bake differently depending on the thickness of the disks. Watch the first few batches to get the texture and size that you want**

Laureen’s Mushroom Tarts

 

Ingredients

1 package of onion soup mix

3 eggs

1 cup sour cream

Pinch of garlic powder

Pinch of black pepper

¼ tsp paprika

2 cans sliced mushrooms, drained and chopped

3 TBSP melted butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Mix ingredients together and put into unbaked tart shells.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes

Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 20 more minutes.

Makes 5 dozen small appetizer tarts.

This recipe freezes well.

Laureen’s Pecan and Blue Cheese Shortbread

 

For those of us who love blue cheese . . . these savoury nibbles taste great served with a glass of wine or added to a charcuterie board.  You can make the dough, store in your freezer and slice off and bake just what you need for a quick appetizer. 

Ingredients

½ cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup crumbled blue cheese

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions

In a medium bowl, beat butter and blue cheese until blended (don’t worry about getting rid of all the lumps).

Add flour and nuts and stir into a soft dough.

Shape into a log, wrap in parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (or freeze for up to 6 months).

When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice dough into ¼ inch thick rounds and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10 minutes or until pale golden around the edges.

Makes about 24 pieces of shortbread.  

Laureen’s Ginger Sparkler Cookies

 

¾ cup margarine

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

¼ cup molasses

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp cloves

½ tsp ginger

Cream margarine and sugar. Add egg and molasses. Beat well.

In separate bowl mix the dry ingredients. Stir dry ingredients into the molasses mixture and mix well.

Set cookie dough in the fridge for an hour or so to chill.

Roll dough into balls, then roll in white sugar. Place on greased baking sheet.

Leave room between these cookies – they do spread out.

Bake at 350 for 9 minutes.

Makes 5 dozen cookies.

Penny’s Grandma Anderson’s Fudge

 

Penny’s Grandma Anderson’s Fudge

This is the complete opposite of Super Fudge as it is not healthy in any sense of the word! I suggest making both to see which you prefer. My Grandma made this fudge every Christmas and put a tin of it in our annual parcel that also contained fruitcake and Christmas pudding.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. butter

2/3 cup (1 small can) evaporated milk

1 2/3 cup sugar

½ tsp salt

2 cups mini marshmallows (or 1 bottle marshmallow crème)

1 ½ cups chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup chopped nuts or crushed mint candies

Directions:

Mix butter, milk, sugar and salt in saucepan.

Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients until marshmallows melt.

Pour in buttered 8” square pan.

Cool and cut into squares.

Nadette’s Homemade Butter Cookies

  Nadette’s Homemade Butter Cookies (makes 7 dozen cookies)

4 cups All-Purpose Flour

• 1 tsp Baking Powder

• 1/2 tsp Salt

• 1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature

• 2 cups Granulated Sugar

• 2 Large Eggs, room temperature

• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until nice and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract.

3. Switch the mixer speed to low a& gradually add in the dry mixture until it's well blended.

4. Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of 1 hour (or overnight) in the refrigerator.

5. Adjust the oven rack to the 2nd level mark (just above center) and preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats and set aside.

6. Roll out the dough (1/2″-5/8″ thickness) onto a clean, lightly floured work surface. Using a lightly floured cookie stamp, stamp out each cookie and place it on the parchment-lined baking sheet. For a well-defined cookie shape, chill the cookies in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes before placing in the oven to bake.

7. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes (my oven did well at 10 minutes) at 325ºF. Remove the cookies from oven and allow to cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container with a slice of bread.

Courtesy of https://beyondthebutter.com/wprm_print/recipe/1611 12/1/2020 RECIPE NOTES Recipe adapted from A Recipe Sampler by St. Andrew's Evangelical Lutheran Church cookbook. 

Chris’s Lemon Bars

 

1 Cup Flour

Combine ingredients on the left side and press into an 8-inch square pan and bake at 350 degrees 15-20 minutes until cooked and then cool.

 

2 Eggs slightly beaten

½ Cup butter

1 Cup of sugar

¼ Cup Icing sugar

¼ tsp. salt

 

3 Tbsps. Lemon juice

½ tsp. Baking powder

2 Tbsp. flour

 

Mix eggs, sugar, salt and lemon juice; add the 2 Tbsp of flour and baking powder. Mix very well.

Pour over cooled cooked crust.

 

Bake for 25 minutes @ 350

 

Sprinkle with powdered icing sugar upon removal from oven. 

 

Cool and then cut into small bites (16-24 bars).