I’m Seeing Bunnies in My Sleep

I spent this week-end baking and decorating sugar cookies for Easter.  I usually make cookies for everyone in the office during Christmas time and this past Christmas slipped by without decorating any sugar cookies.  This year everyone is getting Easter cookies.

The recipe I use can be found in this post Sugar Cookie Recipe.  If you’ve never decorated sugar cookies with royal icing I encourage you to give it a try.  It’s really not hard, it’s fun and the cookies are adorable.  There are several sites on line that give step by step instructions on decorating with Royal Icing.  Enjoy!

 

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Black Raspberry Pie – A Taste of Summer

 

 

Black Raspberries remind me of summer … summer in Vermont where I grew up.  If I close my eyes I can see the fields and feel the grass on my bare feet and smell summer in the air.  Black raspberries/black berries grew wild on large bushes in a field near my house.  I was young, with not a care in the world, except to pick black raspberries and plop the sun ripened berries into my mouth one after the other.

Sigh … I am not as young any more and now I live in Ohio where black raspberries do not grow wild near my house and I cannot pick them for free.  I did, however, find a wonderful berry farm about 45 minutes from my house and the black raspberries were delicious … and yes, I still plopped them into my mouth … one after the other.

I picked enough berries to make my first ever Black Raspberry Pie.  WHY have I never made this pie before.  Bursting with fresh black raspberries and few ingredients, this pie way exceeded my expectations; which just goes to prove my saying that the simplest things in life bring the most pleasure.  ENJOY!

Old Fashioned Black Raspberry Pie

INGREDIENTS:

• CRUST
• Double Crust (Your favorite pie crust recipe)
• FILLING
• 4  or 5 cups fresh or frozen and partially thawed black raspberries
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• Dash of salt

PREPARATION DIRECTIONS:

PREPARE recipe for double crust pie. Roll out dough for bottom crust. Place in 9-inch pie plate. Press to fit without stretching dough. Trim even with pie plate. Do not bake

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

COMBINE blackberries, sugar, cornstarch, butter and salt. Toss gently. Spoon into unbaked pie crust. Moisten pastry edge with water.

ROLL out dough for top crust. Place onto filled pie. Trim 1/2-inch beyond edge. Fold top crust under bottom crust edge to seal. Crimp and flute edges. Cut slits in top crust or prick with fork to allow steam to escape.

BAKE 1 hour or until filling in center is bubbly and crust is golden brown. Cool to room temperature before serving

Recipe Source:  http://www.crisco.com

What is worth a splurge and is filled with red raspberries and dark chocolate?

 

Bakery Style Muffins with Red Raspberries and Dark Chocolate …. YES, PLEASE!

This was the best recipe find EVER for muffins!  I’ve tried so many muffin recipes over the years to get that “bakery style muffin” to no avail … until now that is.  These muffins are over the top … large and delicious.  They are moist and bursting with fresh raspberries and dark chocolate – a match made in heaven!  I liked these so much that I made 2 batches. I added more raspberries to the second batch … personal preference.  Then I wrapped them up and put them in the freezer … just because I was tempted to have more than one.  ENJOY!

Source:  Sallysbakingaddiction

Ingredients

• 3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour (very careful not to over-measure)
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (50 grams) light brown sugar
• 1 cup (240 ml) milk, at room temperature (I prefer buttermilk)
• ½ cup (120 ml) canola/vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup (120 grams) dark chocolate chips, (or semi-sweet)
• 1 and ¼ cup (215 grams) fresh raspberries*
• coarse sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Spray jumbo muffin pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, gently toss together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until all dry ingredients are combined – a 20 second toss to disburse everything together. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined. Mix in milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Mixture will be pale and yellow. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix everything together by hand. *Avoid over-mixing,* which will produce tough, dry muffins. Gently mix until all the flour is off the bottom of the bowl and no big pockets of flour remain. The batter will be extremely thick and somewhat lumpy. Fold in the chocolate chips, then *very gently to avoid them from leaking their color,* fold in the raspberries.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins, filling all the way to the top. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake at 425F degrees for 5 minutes. Keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce oven temperature to 375F and continue to bake for 25-26 minutes until tops are lightly golden. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Muffins taste best fresh the same day. Store muffins at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Baking up some Love – Valentine Cookie Box

What the world needs now, more than ever, is love and kindness.  Bake some love for that special person in your life.   Or better yet, bake it, decorate it and surprise someone who would least expect it and make them smile.  A little kindness goes a long way.

I made these with my favorite sugar cookie recipe and filled them with M&Ms.  They could be filled with any candy or even a note.  I baked 5 large heart-shaped cookies.  When the cookies cool slightly, take a smaller heart cookie cuter and cut out from 3 of the cookies – these will be used for your box.  To assemble, I decorated one heart with royal icing for the bottom of the box.  Immediately place your cut out cookie on top, pipe a small line of icing around the cookie and continue until all 3 cookies are stacked.  The last cookie will be your lid.  Let your imagination run wild and decorate however you like.  Most of all … have fun!

Recipe Source:  food.com

Kittencal’s Buttery Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened (no substitutes)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. For cookies; in a large bowl combine butter with sugar, eggs, vanilla and almond extract; beat using an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
2. In another bowl combine the flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually stir into the butter mixture until well blended.
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
4. Set oven to 400°F.
5. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (do not grease cookie sheets use parchment paper only)
6. On a very lightly floured surface roll out the dough into about 1/4-inch thickness.
7. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters.
8. Place cookies 2-inches apart on cookie sheet.
9. Bake 4-6 minutes.

(I do not use the icing recipe that come with this cookie recipe.  Most times I use Wilton’s Royal Icing recipe)

 

Cutie Pies – Mini Peanut Butter Pies

They are cute aren’t they?  Not only are they cute but they are the bomb … satisfying your craving for chocolate and peanut butter all in one luscious bite.  Go ahead, get out your baking supplies and ingredients … you won’t be disappointed.  ENJOY!

Cutie Pies –  PEANUT BUTTER PIES WITH CHOCOLATE CRUST

Ingredients:

Chocolate Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cold
4 tablespoons Crisco
Yolk from 2 large eggs
6 – 8 tablespoons iced coffee (Ice water will work as well.)

Peanut Butter Filling:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 package (8 ounce) Cool Whip, thawed

Chocolate Drizzle

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon Crisco
Chopped peanuts (optional)

Let’s begin with the crust.

In a food processor (you can also do this by hand if needed), combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, and salt on low until blended. Add the butter and Crisco and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbles. Add the egg yolks and iced coffee and process with slow pulses until the dough forms a ball. Start with about 5 tablespoons of iced coffee and add more until the mixture comes together.

Press the dough into two flatten discs. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Then, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

On a floured surface, roll out your dough until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Then cut out the dough using a flour shaped cookie cutter. My cookie cutter is 3-inches in diameter petal tip to petal tip. Once your first set of flowers are cut, you can ball up the dough and roll it out again. Repeat until you have used as much of the dough as possible.

Gently press the flowers into an ungreased mini muffin pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12 -15 minutes.

Allow the mini pie shells to cool completely in the pan before removing. This will ensure they keep their shape.

While they are cooling, mix up the peanut butter pie filling. Beat the peanut butter with the cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. Then add the powdered sugar, beating again until smooth. Add in the Cool Whip and beat the mixture one final time until smooth.

Add this filling into a piping bag or large plastic bag. Pipe into your cooled chocolate pie shells.

For the drizzle, melt the chocolate chips and shortening in a microwavable bowl (or in a double broiler). Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then transfer to a plastic bag. Snip off a tiny portion of one corner of the bag and drizzle the chocolate onto the filled pie shells. Top with chopped peanut for a garnish.

 Source:  www.inspiredbycharm.com

Pecan Pie and a Tribute for My Dad

Classic Pecan Pie – so easy to make and one of my favorite pies.  Pecan Pie was also a favorite of my Dad’s!  My Dad passed away December 23, 2014; following the recipe is a tribute I wrote that was read at his service.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Karo Light Corn Syrup
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans
• 1 (9-inch) unbaked deep-dish pie crust

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla using a spoon. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into pie crust.
3. Bake on center rack of oven for 60 to 70 minutes (see tips for doneness, below). Cool for 2 hours on wire rack before serving.  Once cooled, share with someone you you love!

A Tribute for My Dad

From the day I was born I was “Daddy’s Little Girl”. I think a Father and Daughter have a very special bond. I was also his favorite daughter … of course, I was his only daughter! The admiration and love went both ways. I thought the world of my Daddy and as a young girl I couldn’t wait for him to come home from work. As soon as I saw him coming up the driveway I would yell “Daddy’s home” and go running to see him.

My Dad loved to garden and even after working a long day he would go out to work in the garden after dinner. Being a typical girly girl, I didn’t like to get my hands dirty, but that didn’t stop me from following him everywhere he went and helping him to plant seeds in the garden. He used to pay me a penny for every potato bug that I picked off the plants; I amassed quite a few pennies and saved the potato crop!

When I was young he worked for a Dairy making home deliveries. I think what he enjoyed most about his job was that he was able to get out and talk with people. He enjoyed that so much and always had a kind word and a friendly smile for anyone he crossed paths with. What a treat it was when I got to ride in the truck with him to deliver milk! I got to sit up front with him on top of the cooler. When it was my birthday he would open the back of truck and I’d get to pick out any flavor of ice cream I wanted.

Every Sunday afternoon was “game day”. It was designated family time and we would play board games together. Sometimes we would play badminton or he would throw the softball for me to hit. No matter how busy he was he always made time for me, for his family.

Laughter and love filled our home. I remember how he and my mother used to tease each other and laugh around the kitchen table. God filled our home as well and I remember going to church Sundays and seeing him preaching and singing … oh how he loved to sing! I loved standing next to him hearing him singing the hymns.

When talking about my parents I always told people how lucky I was to have such great parents and what a great man my Dad was. I would tell them that he was a minister and how much I admired him. He lived the life he preached, he lived his faith. And what a great example and testimony to God that was!

Throughout my life my Dad always encouraged me, supported me and uplifted me. He was my strongest supporter and showed confidence in me when I didn’t have it for myself and helped to me to be a self-confident young woman. He lived his life as God wanted him to and was a shining example of everything God wants us to be. He was kind, loving, accepting without being judgmental, understanding, loyal, trustworthy, forgiving, sensitive, a good listener, giving, a great sense of humor, patient, steadfast and true. True to himself, his family and first most true to God. I am so proud to have called him Daddy.

Perhaps without knowing it my Dad passed many things down to me. I inherited his love of walking the beach and picking up shells, I inherited his love of gardening and flowers, and his love of antique dishes, glassware and old bottles.

The last word I remember my Dad saying was when he was in Nursing care. I brought him a flower cookie on a stick that I had decorated. He had always encouraged my artistic and creative endeavors and I hoped he would appreciate this or at least enjoy a homemade cookie. He wasn’t speaking much those days and when he did often times you couldn’t hear him or it didn’t make sense. But when I gave him that cookie he looked at it and said clearly “pretty”. Even at that stage he could appreciate what I made. I don’t know how aware he was during the past year but I always held his hand and made sure I told him I loved him.

I am so fortunate and blessed to have had such a truly amazing father – the best Daddy God could have ever given me. I am glad that my Dad is in heaven with God now and at peace. Selfishly, I miss him like crazy and I just wish I could hold his hand again and talk to him. When I was going through a particularly hard time my Dad said to me “the sun will shine brightly again another day”. He was right .. it did. And so today I remember those words and I know the sun will shine brightly again and I remind myself that now my Dad is in heaven singing with the Angels praising God.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice! Apple mini pies

Apple Hand Pies

What is sugar & spice and everything nice?  If you guessed mini apple pies you are right!  This is the first time I made apple hand pies. They couldn’t be easier or more delicious.  In my opinion anything with a fantastic homemade crust with cinnamon and apples is delicious.  Hands down … this is a winner.  ENJOY!

French Pastry Pie Crust (I love this pie crust – it comes together beautifully)

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 3 tablespoons white sugar 1 cup shortening

1 egg 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar 5 tablespoons water

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Mix well, then cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal.
2.	In a small bowl, combine egg, vinegar, and 4 tablespoons of water. Whisk together, then add gradually to flour mixture, stirring with a fork. Mix until dough forms a ball. Add one more tablespoon of water if necessary.
3.	Allow dough to rest in refrigerator 10 minutes before rolling out.

Source:  Allrecipes.com

Apple Filling:

2 cups small diced (peeled) Granny Smith apples or your favorite apple
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
Egg wash (1 egg lightly whisked with 1 Tablespoon water)
Crystal sanding sugar (optional)

Directions:

Make the filling:

In a small bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar and flour, stirring until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.

Assemble the pies:

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out.

Using a 4-inch (or whatever size you want your pies to be) circular cookie cutter or cup, cut out as many circles as possible. Re-roll the scraps and continue cutting out circles until you run out of dough, ensuring you end up with an even number of circles.

Place six of the dough circles on a Silpat or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Spoon a small portion of the apple filling into the center of each circle, leaving enough of a border around the filling. Place a second dough circle atop each filled circle then use a fork to crimp the edges together, sealing each pie.

Brush each pie with the egg wash, and using a sharp knife, cut two or three vents on the top of each pie. Sprinkle the pies with crystal sanding sugar (optional).

Bake the pies for about 17 minutes, or until they’re golden brown.

Remove the pies from the oven and allow them to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Repeat the filling and baking process with the remaining dough circles.

 

Blueberry Pastry Delights

As the name of this recipe implies this pastry recipe is delightful.  Very rarely will you see me using “something in a can or a box”.  I almost always make everything from :”scratch”.  This was one exception and I admit, they were quite good and very quick and easy to make.  Go ahead … try some delight!  ENJOY!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 can crescent rolls
• 1 cup blueberries

Instructions

1. Begin by combining the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a small bowl.
2. Roll the crescent roll dough out and press the perforations together.
3. Slice the dough into 8 equal squares.
4. Top each square with a spoonful of the cream cheese mixture.
5. Pile the blueberries on top of the cream cheese.
6. Fold the corners of the dough into the middle and place each pastry on a baking stone.
7. Place in the oven at 375° for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.  (My oven took 11 minutes.)

 

Source: Littleleopardbook.com

Easter Cookie Basket

Happy Easter!  This was an Easter Cookie basket I completed for a client.  I love the way this turned out.  The 3-D eggs were fun to design and decorate.  When I first started decorating cookies a couple of years I really loved doing it and then it turned into “I don’t think I like doing cookies” and for whatever reason, this Christmas it turned back to “I love decorating cookies” and now this year I’ve started a home business selling my creations!  LOL  Who says women can’t change their minds.  It has been fun also to observe my progress and improvements in technique in cookie decorating.  I look back at some of my first cookies I decorated and almost cringe seeing them being “Pinned” on Pinterest and I almost want to delete that post!  I’ll leave it, it’s good to see progress and improvement.

I’m happy to see Spring finally arriving … green grass, daffodils, trees budding and blooming … it is so uplifting.  Enjoy your Spring and your Easter!

 

Cinnamon Lovers . . . Fall in Love with Cinnamon Bundt Coffee Cake

Is it as good as it looks?  Yes, it sure is!  This is yet another recipe that you can use Vietnamese Cinnamon in.  When I purchased my Vietnamese Cinnamon at Amazon and it came in a 1 lb bag I thought I’ll never use up all this cinnamon.  Amazingly enough I am using it up and it is so, so good.  This cake is fantastic in the morning with a cup of freshly brewed coffee, or for that matter, any time of the day.  Bake and ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS:

Coffee Cake: 3/4 cup butter, room temperature 1 1/2 cups white sugar 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup sour cream 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1/4 cup white sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease a 10-inch bundt pan.
2.	Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Mix in vanilla.
3.	Combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Pour flour mixture into batter alternately with the sour cream, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in walnuts, mixing just enough to evenly combine. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan.
4.	Mix the remaining 1/4 cup of white sugar with the cinnamon.
5.	Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the batter in the pan. Drop remaining cake batter in heaping spoonfuls over filling, covering it as best you can.
6.	Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Lower heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for an additional 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.Source: Allrecipes.com