Lemon Cookies

These Lemon Cookies were a winner. 

Maybe I over did the powdered sugar a bit....but I did not hear any complaints.

LEMON COOKIES
The original recipe can be found here.

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 t. lemon zest
• 1 T. lemon juice (not gonna lie...I used 2 tablespoons)
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. baking powder
• 1/8 t. baking soda
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease cookie sheet with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Strawberry Coffee Cake

STRAWBERRY COFFEE CAKE
Original recipe and more pictures of how to make this bad boy can be found at Chickens in the Road.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening, butter, or lard
• 1 cup strawberries, chopped
• 3/4 cup milk
• 4 ounces cream cheese or more, softened
• 4 ounces strawberry jam or more

Place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl and cut in the shortening, butter, or lard with a pastry cutter.  

Mix in strawberries.

Add milk. Place dough on a floured surface. Sprinkle more flour on top and roll into an approximately 12 x 8 rectangle.

Spread cream cheese down the center then top with jam. Make cuts, about an inch and a half apart, all along both long sides. Criss-cross cut strips of dough over the top. Pinch ends to seal.

Transfer to a greased baking or 13 x 9 casserole pan or cookie sheet. (If you’re planning to take this somewhere, you might want to use the casserole pan.)   I roll out on parchment paper and then lift it on to my baking sheet. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 25 minutes or till nicely browned. 

Powdered Sugar Icing:

Combine 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and enough milk (one to two teaspoons) for drizzling consistency.

Make long, lovely slices.  Note: This dough spreads out as it bakes, making one giant strawberry coffee cake, enough to feed a small army or large family.

Check out Tasty Tuesday for more tasty ideas!

Cinnamon Roll Cake

 

CINNAMON ROLL CAKE
The original recipe can be found at Six Sisters' Stuff.  This is one tasty looking blog.

3 cups flour
1/4 t. salt
1 cup sugar
4 t. baking powder
1-1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
4 T. butter, melted
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 T. flour
1 T. cinnamon
2/3 cups chopped pecans

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1-1/2 t. vanilla extract
6 T. butter, melted
4 T. hot water

With an electric mixer or stand-up mixer, mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, milk, eggs and vanilla. Once combined well, slowly stir in 4 tablespoons melted butter. Pour batter into a greased 9x13" baking pan. In a large bowl, mix the 2 sticks of softened butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nuts until well combined. Drop evenly over cake batter by the tablespoon and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out nearly clean from center. Place powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla and hot water in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Poke holes in cake with a thin poker (I used a metal skewer). Drizzle over warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies

After dropping the brownie/cookie dough on the cookie sheet, gently press a ball of heaven...peanut butter and powdered sugar into the center.

This recipe said it would make 24 cookies...so said baker could only make 24 cookies.  As a result there was a little batter left over which she dolloped on top of the peanut butter.

Here is how it looked out the oven with the chocolate hat.

AMAZING!!

PEANUT BUTTER BROWNIE COOKIES

1 (19.5 oz.) Pillsbury Classic Fudge Brownie Mix
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter

Combine brownie mix, melted butter, softened cream cheese and egg, mixing by hand 50 strokes.  Batter will be thick and sticky.  Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Combine powdered sugar and peanut butter.  Roll into balls and gently push down in the center of the chocolate cookie.  If you have a little cookie batter left, like we did, you can put a little on top of each peanut butter ball.  Bake at 350 for 10 to 14 minutes, until edges are set.  Let cool on cookie sheet for 30 minutes.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

Who isn't hooked on Pinterest?  Now if there was only time to try every recipe that I have pinned to my board...that would be AMAZING.  (Maybe I should spine less time pinning and more time cooking.)  But life gets busy, I serve spaghetti. 

I made this cake today in honor of Valentine's Day, which is not a holiday we really fall over ourselves to celebrate...but we did enjoy some crafts and treats with our dear friends. 

Then we enjoyed some heart shaped pizzas from Me and Ed's.  We finished off the evening with Sour Cream Pound Cake and homemade whipped cream.

SOUR CREAM POUND CAKE
This recipe comes from the The Cutting Edge of Ordinary where you will find many other delightful looking recipes!

• 2 stick butter at room temperature (do not substitute)
• 6 eggs at room temperature
• 8 ounces sour cream at room temperature
• 3 cups sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1-1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 1/2 t. almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a tube pan or a bundt pan. Use the second rack from the bottom in your oven.

In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs in one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold the baking soda into the sour cream. Add half of the flour and half of the sour cream into the mixer. Beat well. Add in the remaining flour, remaining sour cream and the vanilla and almond extracts. Mix well. Pour into pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center tests done. Cool in pan 10 minutes, invert onto rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.  Serve plain, with whipped cream or whipped cream and fresh fruit.

This post is linked up with Raising Homemakers and Works For Me Wednesday.

Snowballs...a cookie with many names...I call it my favorite!

This is my favorite Christmas cookie.  I love the Snowball.  I do believe that these cookies have many other names...Mexican Wedding Cakes is one of the more popular ones.  Ever since I can remember these have been my favorite at Christmas and they were always called Snowballs.  There is no way to eat just one. Crunchy, sweet, salty, buttery!

SNOWBALLS!

3/4 c. shortening (I use butter flavored Crisco)

1/4 c. butter

1 t. salt

1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 T. vanilla

2 c. flour, sifted

1 c. pecans, chopped

Powdered sugar for rolling cookies

Cream shortening, butter and sugar. Add vanilla, flour, salt and nuts. Shape into balls. Cook 20 to 25 minutes at 325 degrees.  Cookies should look very pale tan, with the bottom being a little darker. Cool on wire rack and then roll in powdered sugar.

Peach Cobbler

The world's easiest Peach Cobbler! 

Toss prepared peaches with sugar and let macerate (juices release and make a sugary syrup).

Batter.

While the oven is preheating, place 13x9 inch baking dish with 1 stick of butter in oven to melt the butter.  No, that is not pepper...that is black flecks of granite.

After pouring batter into melted butter (DO NOT STIR!), spoon peaches and juice over the top.

Bake until brown and bubbly.

PEACH COBBLER

• 3 cups fresh peaches, sliced or chopped
• 2 cups sugar, divided
• 1 stick butter
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 t. baking powder
• 3/4 cup milk

Prepare peaches and toss with 1 cup sugar.  Let set for 10 to 15 minutes, until the get really juicy.  Meanwhile preheat oven to 350 degrees. While oven is preheating place the cube of butter in a 13x9 inch baking dish and melt in oven.  Prepare batter by mixing flour, milk, salt, baking powder and 1 cup sugar.  When butter is melted and oven is preheated, pour batter evenly in pan, without stirring.  Spoon peaches and juice over the top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.  Let cool some, batter will set up more as it cools.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. 

Monday link ups:

Meatless Monday

Mammaw's Diner

Gooey Toffee Butter Cake...thanks Paula Deen

I like to watch Paula Deen.  She uses lots of butter.  I have seen many recipes for cakes like this...now I have made one.  Here I go using a boxed cake mix.  Didn't I just post about making things from scratch?  Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside.

Freeze the Score bars for 10 minutes or so.  Dice em' up or you can use toffee bits ready to go from a bag.  We kinda live in the boonies and the store does not sell pre-chopped toffee bits.

Still using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Dump in confectioners' sugar and beat well. Reduce the speed and slowly pour in butter. Mix well. Fold in toffee bits. Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly.

GOOEY TOFFEE BUTTER CAKE

Original recipe found here.

Cake:

• 1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 (16-ounce) box confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 Score bars (frozen and chopped) 1 cup almond toffee bits or chocolate toffee bits

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9 by-2-inch baking pan.

For the cake: In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside.

For the filling: Still using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Dump in confectioners' sugar and beat well. Reduce the speed and slowly pour in butter. Mix well. Fold in toffee bits.

Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Don't be afraid to make a judgment call on the cooking time, because oven temperatures can vary. You want the center to be a little gooey, so don't bake it past that point! Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares. Just remember that these wonderful cakes are very, very rich, and a little will go a long way.

French Coconut Pie

Once you stop blogging it is really hard to get going again.  You get lazy.  Your not a good photographer.  You just want to eat Cheetos.  The kids are arguing.  It's really hot.  I am gonna try.  This recipe is for Anna.  She likes coconut.  So does Rowdy.  This is the best and easiest coconut pie ever! It tastes like a giant macaroon.  Did I mention that I am really hot?

Prepare your favorite pie crust.

Melt butter (I use a glass bowl so I can melt butter in Microwave and only dirty one bowl) and throw in the rest of the ingredients....I put the eggs in last, kinda on top so they don't start cooking in butter that might be a little too hot.

All mixed!

Pour in crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Cool to room temperature and enjoy!

French Coconut Pie

Straight from the Tasty Kitchen.  Many good things come from the Tasty Kitchen.

• 
  3 whole Eggs Beaten
• 1-½ cup Sugar
• 1 cup Flaked Coconut
• 1 stick Butter, Melted
• 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 whole 9" Uncooked Pie Shell

Mix filling ingredients well and pour into the pie shell. Bake at 350F for 1 hour.

Strawberry Yumminess!

Here is a recipe you must try from Tasty Kitchen.  This is so buttery good.  I used 1-1/2 times the ingredients because my cookie sheet is quite a bit bigger than the one mentioned in the recipe.  Next time I am going to try peaches and peach jam.  A big scoop of ice cream on top would make this even better.

Yummy.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and cut in chilled butter. 

Reserve 1 cup of the crumbly mixture and pat the rest evenly into your pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. 

Melt jelly in microwave and carefully spread on crust.  If you aren't careful the crust will get a little crumbly.

Sprinkle with chopped strawberries.

Sprinkle with reserved crumbles.

Bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until it becomes a light golden brown.  Cool for 1 hour.

Drizzle with white chocolate.  Maybe you can do it prettier than I can...

Strawberry White Chocolate Streusel Bars

• 2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
• 1-1/2 cup all-purpose Flour
• 3/4 cups white Sugar
• 3/4 cups brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cold Butter, Cut Into Small Pieces
• 4 ounces, fluid Strawberry Jam
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
• 2 cups strawberries, chopped or sliced
• 3 ounces fluid White Chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, both sugars, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the chopped up cold butter and work it into the dry ingredients with your fingers or a pastry blender until the mixture looks like small crumbles. Reserve 1 cup of this mixture.   Dump the remaining crumb mixture into an ungreased 15” x 10” pan (jellyroll pan) and press it into an even crust.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 12-13 minutes or until it is firm to touch. Do not brown.  Remove pan from oven. Warm the jam in the microwave for 30 seconds and then stir in the lemon zest. Drizzle the warm jam over the warm crust. Spread the chopped strawberries over the crust. Sprinkle on the reserved cup of crumb mixture.  Return pan to 350 degree F oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the crumbs on top are lightly browned. Then remove it from the oven and let the pan cool for 1 hour.  Melt the white chocolate in microwave, following directions on package. Drizzle melted chocolate in thin lines over the streusel top. Cut into bars.

Mini Pecan Pies ala Mode

I have posted about these before.  They are billed as Pecan Pie Muffins, but to me they are much more of a dessert.  In fact, on my Pecan Pie Muffin post I metioned at the bottom that these would be amazing as dessert.  I was right.  These are better as dessert than breakfast.  We mixed these up after dinner clean up and ate them hot with vanilla ice cream.  Every bowl was licked clean!

Pecan Pie Muffins

• 1 cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
• ½ cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 cup Chopped Pecans
• ⅔ cups Softened Butter
• 2 whole eggs, beaten
• Vanilla Ice Cream

Preheat oven 350 F. Grease your muffin pan well. In a medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour and pecans. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and eggs together until smooth. Stir into the dry ingredients just until combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Cups should be about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. This made 10 muffins for me, but this will vary depending on the size of your muffin pan and how much batter you put in each cup.  These are sticky little guys.  You will need to go around the edges with a knife and then let cool a couple of minutes before removing.  For best results, flip the pan upside down to remove to avoid tearing the muffin into pieces.  Top with vanilla ice cream.

Nana's Apple Crumb Pie

My favorite pie is apple, but only if it is my Nana's apple pie recipe.  Cooked at a high temperature, for almost an hour leaves you with very soft, almost mushy apples.  I do not like crunchy apples in my pie.  If I want a crunchy apple, I will grab one out of the fridge and eat it.

APPLE CRUMB PIE
1 pie crust
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 cup sugar
1 t. cinnamon

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, chilled

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare pie crust in your favorite manner. 

Peel and thinly slice apples.  Toss apples with 1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or more). 

Evenly layer the apples into the crust.  Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 3/4 cup flour.  Cut butter into eight slices and put in with flour.  Cut in butter with pastry cutter until you have pea size and smaller crumbs.  Sprinkle evenly over apples, being sure to cover the entire surface. 

Place pie on a cookie sheet to catch anything that might bubble over.  Bake for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes check pie to be sure it is not getting to brown.  If it is getting to brown, lightly tent with foil.  Spin pie around 180 degrees and cook for another 20 minutes, making sure it doesn't brown to much if not covered with foil. 

Cool on rack for a couple of hours before serving.

Check out more fun stuff at Works For Me Wednesday.