Archives for January 2021

Chiles en Nogada – Mexican Stuffed Peppers

January 30, 2021 by Serena Leave a Comment

1 pound ground pork (or I use breakfast sausage links from Morgan’s or Jimmy Dean sausage)
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 8 ounce can of sliced peaches, drained
1 medium pear, peeled and cored if fresh or 1 can of pear slices drained
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1/4 cup raisins
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
6 large green bell peppers or poblano chilies.
(This recipe is also good for just using filling as a tortilla or wrap as well since I really don’t like green peppers)
Nut Sauce
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)

In skillet cook pork, onion, and garlic till meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Chop peaches and pears and add to meat along with tomato sauce, raisins, salt and cinnamon. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile cut tops off from green peppers, remove seeds and veins. Cook in large amount of salted water for about 10 minutes or till tender crisp; drain.
Sprinkle insides of peppers with salt.

Spoon meat filling into peppers; place in shallow baking dish. Bake at 350 degree oven for 20 minutes until heated through.

To serve top with teaspoon of Nut Sauce for each green pepper; sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.
Makes six servings if using six peppers. Add nut sauce on top of meat filling and roll up if doing a wrap instead of stuffed pepper

Nut Sauce: in blender or with mortar and pestle, grind 1/4 cup walnuts and 1/4 cup blanched almonds. Combine with 1 cup dairy sour cream and 1/4 cup milk.
Stir in the nuts, 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, dash salt and dash pepper

Recipe on page 52 in Mexican Cookbook
Picture of stuffed peppers is on page 38.

A favorite and guests really like this when we have had friends for dinner. Since we don’t seem to eat the cooked green pepper we just use the filling as a wrap or roll up or just eat filling separately.

SourCream Cookies

January 30, 2021 by Serena Leave a Comment

Old-fashioned Sour Cream Cookies are soft, lightly sweet, and so easy to make that barely require any effort. You will want to make these all year because they are so irresistible. The single recipe does not make a lot so I always double or triple the recipe and often add a cup of raisins to a double batch. Use the medium large scoop. Good frosted but they never to make it to putting frosting on the cookies.

Single Batch Measurements
1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large gg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 2/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Double Batch Measurements
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sour cream
3 1/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy and pale in color
3. Beat in the eggs and vanilla on high speed, followed by the sour cream. Scrape down the sides and botttom of the bowl as needed.
4. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda together until combined. On low speed, slowly mix in the flour mixture with the sour cream mixture until combined. The dough will be soft and almost like a thick cake batter.
5. Drop tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Press each cookie flat with the bottom of a wet glass dipped in sugar.
6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until very lightly browned around the edges. Rotate the pan once halfway thru the baking time. Cool for five minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

Make Ahead Tips
1. The cookies will keep for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature or up to one week in the refrigerator
2. Bake unfrosted cookies will keep up to 3 months stored in the freezer. Thaw in refrigerator overnight and bring to room temperature before serving

This is a keeper and favorite recipe. Depends on how much sour cream I have as to if single, double, or triple batch.

Cookie Sticks

January 19, 2021 by Serena Leave a Comment

cookie sticks

Use Cookie Cutter for making four cookie sticks at once.

Recipe and decorating ideas from the package that the cutter came from. (see front and back scan of package)

Jumbo Raisin – Barb Humprhrey

January 19, 2021 by Serena Leave a Comment

Family Favorite Recipe from Mom (Barbara) Humphrey

1 cup water
2 cups raisins
2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
4 cups flour
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp all spice
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup chopped walnuts

Add raisins to water and boil five minutes, then cool.

Cream shortening, sugar and add eggs one at atime, vanilla, cooled raisin mixture and nuts

Sift dry ingredients and add to raisin mixture.

Bake 400 degrees fro about 10 to 12 minutes.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

I use the middle scoop for larger cookies on a greased cookie sheet.

Fruitcake

January 19, 2021 by Serena Leave a Comment

Fruitcake – recipe from Ann Stover in 1978. Has become a family favorite.

1 cup chopped candied cherries
1 cup yellow raisins
1 cup chopped candied pineapple
2 1/2 cups candied fruit mix
1 cup chopped walnuts (or less)

3 cups flour
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
3/4 cup corn syrup
1 tsp orange extract
1 tsp rum extract
1 tsp vanilla

Combine fruit and nuts with one cup of the flour and mix.

Cream butter and sugar until light. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each egg.
Combine corn syrup and flavorings and add to mixture.

Add alternately the dry ingredients with the wet mixture. Fold in the fruit/nuts mixture.

Grease pans. Makes eight small loaves of the 4.5 x 2.75 x2.25 size or can make three regular size bread pan.

Bake 275 degree for one hour. Remove fruitcake within 5 to 10 minutes checking for doneness and let cool completely.

Wrap cakes in foil with sheeting (sheeting dipped in pineapple or orange or combination of juices. Add rum or brandy if desired too.)

Let sit in refrigerator for one week.

Repeat dipping sheet and wrap again. Repeat again in another week if cakes are uneaten.

Snowflake Cookie Cutter Platter

January 8, 2021 by Serena Leave a Comment

I bought some new cookie cutters for a Snowflake Cookie Platter since I love to make and give cookies for the holidays.

Original Platter Picture – iced with royal icing
Platter 1
Platter 2
Platter 3
Variations of decorating for inspiration

Platter 2 variation

Platter 3 Variation

Variation for Decorations for Inspiration

Cookie Cutters for Snowflake platter for reference

Gingerbread House Kit 2020 Cookie Cutters

January 8, 2021 by Serena Leave a Comment

I bought some new cookie cutters in December 2020 to make a gingerbread house using a molasses cookie dough. I did not want to put together a full house but thought that a platter of cookies with these shapes would work. Will try again at another time to make in the shape of a gingerbread house and decorate the cookies.

Due to major shipping delays with the Covid Virus infecting everyone and postal service backlog of deliveries the cookie cutters never arrived in time for me to try them out for the holiday. Big disappointment.

Gingerbread House Cookie Kit

Best Cut-Out Cookie Recipe

January 8, 2021 by Serena Leave a Comment

Ingredients

1 ½ cups butter softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
5 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
powdered sugar for rolling

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl (or your stand mixer), beat together butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy. Add eggs, one at time with mixer running on low. Turn mixer up to medium and beat until well combined for about 2-3 minutes. Add extracts as mixer is going.
Combine dry ingredients and slowly add to butter mixture, beating on low speed until just combined.
Place about 1 cup dough mixture onto parchment paper or wax paper that has been dusted with powdered sugar and cover with an additional sheet of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll out to ¼ inch thickness and place in sealed storage bag or large covered container.

General Tips

For best results, be sure to use room temperature eggs and butter.
Re-roll sugar cookie dough scraps up to 3 times (refrigerating dough in-between if the dough becomes warm and squishy)
If using sprinkles, it is best to put on the cut out cookies before baking.
If icing these cut out cookies, let the cookies cool completely before icing.
Sugar Cookies will keep in an airtight container for 5 days. Be sure to store in the refrigerator if cookies are iced and let them come to room temperature before enjoying for best taste.

To Freeze Baked Cut-Out Cookies, allow cookies to cool fully and then place into a sturdy freezer-safe container and freeze for 2 months.
To Freeze Sugar Cookie Dough, Place dough on parchment paper in flattened rounds. Place the dough into a freezer-safe bag and tightly seal. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the dough out in the fridge the night before baking. And then roll out and bake as directed.
Bake Sugar Cookies. Bake for 6-7 minutes at 400 degrees. Bake until the tops of the cookies are just set. Don’t let the bottoms brown too much, or these cookies will lose the softness they are known for. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking tray for 1 to 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Original Recipe Source: The BEST Cut-Out Cookie Recipe https://amindfullmom.com/best-cut-out-cookie-recipe/ November 28, 2020

Made recipe 2020. Excellent taste. Left dough in refrigerator two days before rolling. Should have rolled per instructions since it was a huge hard ball of dough that was hard to portion out to roll out and needed to soften first. Should have made cookies a little thicker for softer cookies. Very similar to Mom’s crispy cutout cookie recipe but has butter instead of shortening. these taste better than Mom’s recipe. This is the Sugar Cookie recipe you have been looking for! This recipe produces the most perfect Cut Out Cookie EVERY single time. They bake up soft, are full of flavor, and the dough holds its shape while baking.

HOW TO FREEZE SUGAR COOKIES

You can freeze both iced and un-iced sugar cookies in the freezer, keeping in mind that iced cookies will not retain their flavor as long when stored in the freezer as plain sugar cookies do.

FOR NON ICED SUGAR COOKIES

Bake as directed and allow the cookies to cool fully.
Place the cookies into a freezer-safe container, separated by layers of parchment or wax paper, and freeze for up to 2 months.

FOR ICED SUGAR COOKIES

Place decorated cookies onto a cookie sheet and freeze until solid, about 1 hour. This will keep the icing from sticking to other cookies or parchment paper.
Once the icing is hard to the touch, transfer cookies to a freezer-safe container, being sure to place a layer of parchment paper or wax paper in between layers of cookies.
Iced Cut Out Cookies will last in the freezer for 4-6 weeks.

FREEZING SUGAR COOKIE DOUGH

Prepare cookie dough as directed.
Divide the sugar cookie dough into 3-4 sections and place each section on parchment paper.
Cover each section of dough with another piece of parchment paper and lightly flatten the dough into an even disk.
Place the sugar cookie dough into a freezer-safe bag and tightly seal.
Freeze for up to 3 months.
To bake, place dough in the refrigerator the night before to thaw. Roll out and bake as directed.

The cookies are buttery and soft. If rolled too thin they will be crispy.
They hold their shape perfectly when baked–meaning you actually know if your cookie is supposed to be a Christmas tree or whatever shape you used!
These sugar cookies are NOT bland in flavor. You can eat them plain or iced and will thoroughly enjoy them.
Even after rolling and re-rolling, and re-rolling some more, these Cut Out Cookies turn out tender and perfectly baked.
They can be made months in advance and frozen for future use.
To prevent cookies from spreading be sure your dough is well-chilled and re-chill your scraps after they get warm before cutting into more shapes. You also do not want to grease your cookie sheet. Use parchment paper or a nonstick pan instead.

Why powdered sugar?
I strongly suggest you use powdered sugar instead of flour for rolling out the sugar cookie dough. The powdered sugar works to keep the dough from sticking to your work surface just like flour, but the powdered sugar dissolves into the cookie when baked. Meaning, no raw flour taste or cookie coated in white dust.

How do you roll out sugar cookie dough evenly?
To roll out sugar cookie dough, I think it is best to roll out your cookie dough before refrigerating. It is MUCH EASIER to manage. To ensure the dough is even when rolled out, my tip is to use wooden spoons on either side of the cookie dough. These wooden handles work as a guide so that your dough will be rolled out to the same depth as the handle, about ¼ inch-evenly across the parchment paper or working surface.

What if sugar cookies look under-baked?
Do not be tempted to over-bake sugar cookies. They should be very blond in color and just set to the touch. Leave the cookies on the cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes to continue cooking a bit after removing from the oven and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Sugar cookies will go from perfectly cooked, to very crispy and browned in a matter of a minute or two and will lose the soft texture they are known for.

How many times can I re-roll dough scraps?
After you cut out as many cookies as you can, place the scraps together to form a ball of dough and roll out the sugar cookie dough again and cut out additional cookies. After that process has been repeated, place the 2nd batch of scraps together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and roll out the sugar cookie dough one final time. That is a total of 3 times for rolling out sugar cookie dough. Any additional rolling after that will result in an overworked cookie that will be tough and burn easily.

How to Make the Most Delicious Christmas Butter Cookies

January 1, 2021 by Serena Leave a Comment

Butter cookies are a holiday classic for a reason: They’re delicious, versatile, and make the perfect foundation for sugary-sweet frosting. Using the cookie cutter of your choice, turn this basic dough into stars, Christmas trees, and more. But don’t stop here: Try more of our favorite Christmas cookie recipes!

Editor’s Note: This recipe was updated on December 23, 2020 to clarify that you need to add salt to the dough if using unsalted butter.

1 c. unsalted butter (no substitutions), at room temperature
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Assorted colored granulated sugars for decorating
Ornamental Frosting

Preheat oven to 350ºF. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat butter and sugar until blended. Increase speed to high, beat until light and creamy. At low speed, beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in flour, baking powder, and salt just until blended.
Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Wrap each piece with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour.
On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll 1 piece of dough 1/8 inch thick. With floured 2- to 3-inch assorted cookie cutters, cut dough into as many cookies as possible, wrap and refrigerate trimmings. Place cookies, 1 inch apart, on large ungreased cookie sheet, sprinkle cookies with colored sugar now if you like, or frost with Ornamental Frosting after baking.
Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool. If you like, brush colored sugar remaining on cookie sheets onto piece of waxed paper to use again. Repeat with remaining dough and trimmings.
When cookies are cool, prepare Ornamental Frosting if you like, use to decorate cookies as desired. Sprinkle colored sugars as desired on frosting before it dries. Allow frosting to dry completely, about 1 hour. Store cookies in tightly covered container up to 2 weeks.

Notes: reviews on the website for this recipe have mixed comments. Many folks had issues with the recipes – too dry and not the best recipe to use. I have not made this recipe but added to the collection to try at another time.

Source: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/a4281/christmas-butter-cookies-1129/