Christmas Cookie Baking Reprise

As promised, there was a reprise to the Christmas cookie baking on Sunday. Only two types of cookies were made, but they are delicious types of cookies and absolutely worth the reprise.

First to be baked (and decorated!) were the butter cookies.

The second and final type were the always delicious chocolate crinkles!

The remainder of the day was dedicated to making peanut brittle and fudge. I'll have those recipes up soon!

Christmas Cookie Baking Day!

The yearly tradition of spending a day baking cookies occurred today. Unfortunately, two or so types of cookies  were not baked today. Don't you worry about that because there will be a reprise on Sunday!

I can't remember a December without a day or two dedicated to cookie baking. This is the reason why I think a single batch of cookies is such a small and sad amount. Even the amount of cookies we made this year seems so insignificant compared to the piles of cookies we used to make when I was little. I don't know if any pictures of that exist, I'll have to investigate that at some point...

Here is how the baking spree happened today:

First we made the compromise cookies. Sugar cookie dough and mini snickers.

Next up were the kolachky. These were filled with cherry, poppy seed, and apricot.

We bought a new spritz cookie press. It's the Wilton Pro Ultra. It works great! We used the recipe that came in the box.

Only a single batch of the peanut butter kisses were made. We have enough kisses for three batches, but I'm sure there is a good reason for not making more.

A day spent baking cookies is never complete without chocolate chip cookies. We followed the recipe on the back of the Nestle bag, but added 1/4 C flour extra. Want super soft chocolate chip cookies? Use this recipe!

Oatmeal cookies, while not a standard cookie to make during such a baking spree, are always welcome!

And, finally, we made the Danish Nut Horns.

While baking, Lucky insisted on staying in the kitchen. He would look at us with a hopeful and sad look. He also was missing his nap-times and kept looking at us with sleepy, slow blinking eyes. I tried to convince him to sleep by giving his pillow to him. That didn't work out.

Ready to go bake now? It's lots of fun! Plus, most people will be absolutely happy with a gift of cookies.

Crumb Cake 2

I have a lot of recipes, have I mentioned that? Most of them are variations of some other recipe in the collection. I didn't count how many crumb/coffee cake recipes I have, but I'm sure there are over twenty. Each one is different, so I can't simplify the list due to similarity.

This is the first crumb cake that I made that is actually crumbly. Not that I made it right, of course. I added too much baking soda. Actually, I imagined that the recipe called for baking soda and baking powder, so I added baking powder when I shouldn't have. It turned out okay. I'm not fond of the flavor of this, but we shall assume that is simply because I made it wrong. I should start giving myself a gold star when I follow a recipe correctly!

Crumb Cake (Printer-friendly PDF Version)
2 C flour
2 C brown sugar (packed)
1/2 C shortening
1 t baking soda
1 egg
1 C sour milk
1 t vanilla
1/2 C nuts and/or raisins (optional)

At this point you may be wondering what "sour milk" is and whether it is something you want to cook with. My 5 minutes of internet research informed me that back in the days when refrigerators weren't common, milk went sour from sitting at room temperature. Instead of tossing out the milk, they made used it in baking. Sour milk isn't something you can buy at a store; it needs to be made.

To make sour milk you need 1 T vinegar (or fresh lemon juice). Place this in a measuring cup. Add milk up to the 1 cup line and stir.

Let it sit at room temperature for 15 or so minutes. It will start to slightly curdle, which is gross.

Place the flour, brown sugar, and shortening in a mixing bowl. Combine these all together into a crumbly mixture. I cut it like pie dough and stirred it with a fork.

Remove 1/2 C of the crumbly mixture and set it aside. Stir in the baking soda into the mixing bowl full of crumbly mixture.

Once the milk is soured, place it into a small mixing bowl with the egg and vanilla. Lightly beat together. Pour this liquid mixture over the crumbly mixture and stir well.

Pour the batter into a well greased cake pan. Sprinkle the top of the batter with the 1/2 C of crumbly mixture.

At this point you can sprinkle the top of the mixture with the raisins and/or nuts. You can also mix these in the batter before pouring it into the cake pan. I know picky people who don't like raisins or don't like nuts, so it had to be obvious which half was which.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. The bake time depends on the size of cake pan you use. The larger the pan is, the shorter the cook time.

Refrigerated Potato Dinner Rolls

As everyone knows, the best way to eat a potato is raw. Fortunately, potatoes are also incredibly useful when it comes to cooking. You can boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew... the possibilities are probably limited. This recipe is going to do the first two and then stick them in to bread dough. Potato rolls are absolutely delicious.

I currently think my favorite part of making bread is the smell of the yeast and the dough puffing up.

Refrigerated Potato Dinner Rolls (Printer-friendly PDF Version)
1 C lukewarm mashed potatoes
1/2 C shortening
4 T sugar
3/4 C milk
1 packet dry active yeast (or one cake)
1/4 C warm water
2 eggs
5 C flour
1 1/2 t salt
butter

First, the mashed potatoes need to be made. You can be lazy and use instant mashed potatoes, but then you can't eat any of the raw potato during the preparation. Three potatoes should be enough for 1 cup of mashed. Peel them, cut them into cubes, and boil until soft. Don't forget to add salt to the water.

Mash the potatoes and measure out one cup. Set the remaining mashed potatoes aside or eat them. Up to you.

In the mixer, place 1 cup of mashed potatoes, shortening, sugar, and milk. Mix well.

Soften the yeast in the warm water. Beat the eggs.

Once the yeast is soft, add the eggs and yeast to the potato mixture. Add 4 cups of flour. Mix until combined.

Attach the dough hook to the mixer and knead the dough for 5 minutes. If you are lacking the nifty and expensive style of mixer, knead the dough with your hands. During the kneading process, slowly add flour until the dough loses most of its stickiness. I only had to add a few more tablespoons.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and spread a thick layer of butter on top of the dough. Cover the dough with wax paper.

Place a towel over the bowl and place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. This dough can stay in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Two hours before dinner, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Roll out on a well floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with a biscuit cutter or large cookie cutter. Butter the tops of the rolls. Optionally fold in half and butter the top again. Most of mine unfolded during baking.

Cover and let rise for one hour before baking (or until dough is doubled. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

I think I will reduce the heat to 375 next time I make these. The bottom of the rolls started to burn and the tops were not browned at all! So check these after about 12 minutes or they may burn.

Easy Pumpkin Pie

For every holiday gathering my grandma made pies. Lots and lots of pies. Thanksgiving called for pumpkin pie and apple pie. Other pies were sometimes requested. This year my mother made the pie as I took pictures. She doesn't completely understand the part where she pauses between steps to allow pictures to be taken, so there aren't many pictures. One day she will learn!

The recipe for apple pie was posted back in July, so here is the recipe for pumpkin pie. This is a recipe that is slightly modified from the back of a can of pumpkin. Doubling the recipe results in two pies (obviously). We made two pies, so the pictures will reflect that.

Pumpkin Pie (Printer-friendly PDF Version)
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
3/4 C sugar
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
2 t pumpkin spice
2 eggs (beaten)
1 9" pie crust (unbaked)

Mix together the pumpkin and the evaporated milk in a sauce pan. Start to warm over medium heat.

Add the sugar, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. Mix well. Add the eggs and mix well. Heat until warm.

Place the pie crust in a pie plate. Once the pumpkin goo is heated, pour it into the pie shell.

Bake the pie at 350 for 45 to 55 minutes. The pie is done when a knife can gently stab it and come out clean.