Buttery Jam Cookies (picture coming...)

2 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/4 t. salt

8 T. unsalted butter, at room temp.

2/3 c. sugar

1 egg

2 T. milk

1/2 t. vanilla

1/4 c. cherry preserves or any THICK jam you have on hand



Preheat oven to 375. Line cookie sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.



Beat the butter on med. speed until smooth. Slowly add sugar and beat for 1 minute. Add the egg and beat for an additional 2 minutes. The mixture will be satiny. Add the milk and vanilla and just beat until combined. (Don't worry if it looks curdled-the mixture will even out.) Reduce mixer speed to low and add jam and beat for 1 minute. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Your dough will be very thick.



Spoon the dough into a bowl of sugar and roll around to coat. Place about 1" apart on cookie sheet.



Bake for 10-12 minutes.The cookies will be barely firm, pretty pale, and brown around the edges. Allow cookies to rest for 1 minute and then transfer to cooling rack.

Chocolate Italian Cream Cake (picture coming...)

Chocolate Italian Cream Cake

This wonderful cake is a chocolate version of the classic Italian Cream Cake.

5 large eggs, separated

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

2/3 cup finely chopped pecans

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting

Garnish: pecan halves

Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form; set aside.


Beat butter and shortening until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.


Combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in coconut, chopped pecans, and vanilla. Fold in egg whites. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 8-inch round cakepans.


Bake at 325° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove cake layers to wire racks, and cool completely.


Spread Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish, if desired.


Yield: Makes 10 to 12 servings


Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup finely chopped pecans
Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.


Combine powdered sugar and cocoa; gradually add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with powdered sugar mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in pecans.


Yield: Makes 4 cups



From http://www.myrecipes.com/

S’mores Cookies

(ps Erica-this is for you...) :-)

S'mores Cookies

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

(they added 1/2 cup more-I (Janelle) didn't, I subtracted about 2-3 T. of flour for using Butter Crisco instead of butter)
1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups miniature chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
2 Hershey bars, chopped (I used baking size Hershey's kisses)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, salt. Whisk together. In a separate larger bowl beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 minutes, and remove from the oven. Push 3 to 4 marshmallows and a few pieces of hershey bar into each cookies. Return to the oven and bake an additional 3-4 minutes until fully cooked. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.

I got my recipe from: Two Peas and their pod

Candy Popcorn

**I gave this to the teachers and staff at our school on the last day because (let's be honest) we love them! Anyway, we LOVE this! I think I got it from Sentiments from my Kitchen (but I'll have to check…)!

Candy Popcorn

In a large bowl, mix:

2 bags of microwave popcorn (I use about 12 cups of homemade)

1 bag of mini-marshmallows

In a pan, add:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup butter

1/2 cup Karo Syrup

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Chop candybars or pour in you choice of candy. Some options:

• about 8 regular size Reeses Peanut butter cups
  
• about 40 Hershey's kisses (I used Mint Truffle last night and they were a hit!)
  
• 1 theater size box of Junior Mints
  
• about 30 Oreo cookies crushed
  
• a package of Chips Ahoy cookies, crushed
  
• get original, try something you love!
  

Add the candy or cookies to the popcorn. Pour the hot syrup over the popcorn. Put into a well-buttered 9x13" pan and cut like Rice Krispie treats or toss in a large bowl and serve with a scoop or spoon. Enjoy!

S’mores in a Jar

Smore's in a Jar

1 sleeve graham cracker crumbs

8 marshmallow bunnies or peeps or pumpkins-just depends on the holiday!

1 ¼ cups m&ms

1/3 cup brown sugar

Reduce 1 sleeve of graham crackers to crumbs. Layer 2/3 of the crumbs in a 1 qt. jar.

Place 8 marshmallow peeps standing up, facing out around the inside of the jar.

Press them up against the glass, but don't squash them.

Carefully spoon remaining crumbs in the center of the jar to support the bunnies,

Pressing down to keep it snug.

On top of this pour 1 ¼ cup m&ms.

Spoon 1/3 cup brown sugar into center of m&ms, gently pressing with a spoon.

Attach gift tag.

Gift tag says:

Empty jar contents into a bowl. Snip the bunnies into bits with kitchen shears or cut up

With a knife. Return the bunny bits to the mixture. Mix well.

Melt ½ cup butter, add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour this over the dry ingredients, mixing well.

Pat into a greased 9" square pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 min. cool and cut into bars.

*Option: leave bunnies whole; combine remaining ingredients and place the bunnies on top; then bake as directed.

Thick and Chewy Double chocolate cookies

Thick and Chewy Double-Chocolate Cookies
Adapted slightly from The New Best Recipe
**Resist the urge to bake the cookies longer than indicated; they may appear underbaked at first but will firm up as they cool.**
2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
½ cup (1 ½ ounces) baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
16 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (or melt the equivalent of semi-sweet chocolate chips)
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces) packed light brown sugar
½ cup (3 ½ ounces) granulated sugar
1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.Melt the chocolate in the microwave (50% power for 2 minutes, then stir and microwave in 20 second intervals until chocolate is melted - be careful not to overheat or chocolate will sieze).

In a small bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla lightly with a fork; set aside.Beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds. Beat in the sugars until combined, about 45 seconds; the mixture will look granular. Reduce the speed to low and gradually beat in the egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds. Add the chocolate in a steady stream and beat until combined, about 40 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer at low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Finally add the chocolate chips. Do not overbeat. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the consistency is fudge-like, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners (this is pretty important - if the cookies are baked on a greased baking sheet only, they will probably stick). Roll the dough into 1 ½ inch balls and place them on the cookie sheets, spacing them about 1 ½ inches apart.Bake until the edges of the cookies have just begun to set but the centers are still very soft, about 10-11 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets about 5 minutes or until set and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

From: My Kitchen Cafe blog

Mini Banana Cupcakes with Nutella (picture to come later...)

Mini Banana Cupcakes (Muffins) with a Nutella Swirl

Adapted from EveryDay Food and Spork or Foon
· 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
· 3/4 cup sugar
· 1 teaspoon baking powder
· 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
· 1/4 teaspoon salt
· 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
· 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas), plus 1 whole banana, for garnish (optional)
· 2 large eggs
· 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
· Jar of Nutella
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini muffin tin. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix). Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups.
3. With a toothpick swirl in the Nutella, about a ½ teaspoon each.
4. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack.

From Two Peas and Their Pod blog (yum!)