Here is the NerdPie’s Cake from last week. Because this is Wordless Wednesday I will save the instructions for the next post;).
Tag Archives: desserts
Ancient Gingerbread
This is one of my first recipes. I started making it when I was probably a freshman in high school and it was always one of my mom’s favorite things I would make. It was out of the first Jewish cookbook I ever got. Fresh it is great with Cool Whip or butter (for breakfast). If any of it lasted my mom would cut it into cubes and pour milk on it like cereal.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of shortening or butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses (or equivalent ingredient combo)
1 cup hot water
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon and ground ginger each
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
Procedure:
Cream the sugar and shortening together. Blend in the beaten egg. Mix the molasses and hot water separetly then mix with the sugar, shortening and egg. Then sift the dry ingredients. Combine with wet ingredients in stages, mixing after each stage. Line a 9 inch square pan, or a loaf pan, with wax paper (or parchement) and turn the batter into the pan. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Then cut it into squares and serve!
Brownie Peanut Butter Bites
I got this recipe out of a Pampered Chef cookbook. I made them for MOPs. I also make these for all my parties and they are always a huge hit. The only problem is that they are a bit rich so they go great with milk. This is an awesome recipe to make with kids. You mix up everything while they unwrap the peanut butter cups
***Frugal hint: If you watch the after holiday clearance, you can also get the mini peanut butter cups for a fraction of a price. They always come out with different holiday themed wrappings that the stores have to get rid of them. Then remember, chocolate and peanut butter store well.
Ingredients:
1 package of brownie mix (I use about a 20 oz family size box but the original recipe calls for 15oz)
1/3 cup hot water
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
48 mini chocolate covered peanut butter cups
Process:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients well except for mini chocolate peanut butter cups. Place liners into your mini-muffin tins (you really needed to line them). Fill the cups half way with batter and then press in a mini chocolate peanut butter cup into each cup. Bake 13-20 minutes or until the brownies are set. I use 2 Pampered Chef mini-muffin tins and it takes 13 minutes. Cool completely.
Lemon Ricotta Cookies
Every once in a while you want a dessert that isn’t just chocolate (very rarely;) and this is a great answer for that. I have used this for Awana snacks a few times and it always goes over well!
Ingredients:
Cookies
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 stick butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 container ricotta cheese (15 oz)
3 tbl lemon juice
1 lemon’s zest
Glaze
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbl lemon juice
1 lemon’s zest
Procedure:
Cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (could be as long as 3 minutes). Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating until fully incorporated. Then add the ricotta, lemon juice and lemon zest. Beat well. Then add the baking powder and salt, mix. Then stir in the flour. I then use a medium scoop (from Pampered Chef and about a couple of tablespoon’s worth) to place the dough on cookie sheets. These cookies don’t spread very much so you can place a lot on a cookie sheet. Then bake for 15 minutes. They will turn a little golden on the bottom but remain very light on top. Once you take them out of the oven, let them sit on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.
Glaze: Mix all the ingredients until it is all smooth. Place about 1/2 tsp on each cookie. I use a metal 1 tsp measure and only 1/2 comes out at a time (the other 1/2 sticks in the spoon). Use the back of the spoon to spread it out a little. Then let the cookies to sit for 2 hours to get the glaze to harden.
A warning: if you keep them all bagged up they will get gummy. The cookies have so much moisture that they can be transported enclosed but don’t store them long term that way.
This is going to be submitted to be part of Lemon Day!
Super Easy Cake Mix Cookies
This is an extremely easy Double Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe that is always a hit. I got it off the back of a cake mix box years ago and I always use it when I am in a time crunch and need a dessert to take!
Ingredients:
1 package Chocolate Cake Mix (any brand)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened (I always use butter)
1 tsp vanilla
2 egg
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix 1/2 of the cake mix (about, don’t measure), butter, vanilla and eggs together until smooth. Then mix in remaining cake mix, chocolate chips and nuts all at once. Then just drop by the rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto a cookie sheet (don’t bother greasing). Bake 10-12 minutes and the centers will still be soft. Cool for a couple of minutes on the sheet and then move them to a wire rack to cool.
Easy Peasy!
Best Holiday Cookie Ever! Chocolate Chip Peppermint Biscotti
These are pretty easy and delicious. You can let your kids come in a crush the candy. They also look very impressive. Put a few in a bag and pair with a mason jar of French Vanilla Cocoa Mix!
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
3 eggs
3 cups AP Flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies (I use mini candy canes)
1/2 cup mini- chocolate chips
Semisweet chips for dipping
1 tbl Crisco for dipping
Crushed peppermint for covering
Process:
First thing I do before any cooking is prep the peppermint. I use a meat tenderizer and put the peppermint in a zip bag. By the time you are done the bag will be perforated so us a cutting board to catch the dust.
This is what my NerdPie did for me in my last batch. Now onto the regular procedure.
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet or use a silpat (or generic version). Mix sugar, butter, peppermint extract an eggs until blended. Then mix in flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in 1/2 cup mini-chips and 1/2 peppermint. The dough at this point will be very stiff. Cut the dough in half and form 2 rectangles that will be about 10 by 2 inches.
2. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until it is light brown. Then allow them to cool for 15 minutes on the cookie sheet. Then cut it crosswise into 1/2 inch slices (I use a serrated knife). Then put the slices back on the cookie sheet with the cut sides down. Bake 15 minutes more until light brown and crisp. Immediately remove to cooling racks.
3.I put 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1 tbl of Crisco in a microwave safe glass. Then microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring until all melted. Then dip each piece half way and place on wax paper. Then sprinkle with peppermint and let cool.
That is it, really.
Pancake Cake: How To
I had posted this picture of the NerdBug’s 7th birthday cake a while ago and promised instructions so here they are! It is super easy with all store bought ingredients.
Ingredients:
Lemon or yellow cake mix with ingredients to make it
A Can of white icing
Strawberries, sliced
Butterscotch or Caramel Ice Cream Topping
Process:
Prepare cake as instructed on the package in 2 round cake pans. Cool thoroughly then slice the cakes in half. You will use all the cake slices cut side down so the browner part is up. Put your icing into a piping apparatus and put a small dollop in the center of the cake plate to prevent slippage. Place your first piece of cake on the plate. Intermix strawberry slices and circles of icing (like butter) around the edges of you base layer so they peek out. Place next layer of cake and repeat until your last layer of cake. Then take the lid off your ice cream topping and heat it in the microwave until it moves when you swirl the jar. Then looking at the naked top lightly pour the ice cream topping until it starts dripping off the sides like syrup. Then on the top center place a ring of strawberry slices and in the center of the strawberry slices place a generous swirling of icing just like butter. That is it!
Wordless Wednesday: Nerdling’s Birthday Cake
Here is the fort birthday cake for the Nerdling’s 3rd birthday Tuesday! I will post instructions later (but it was really easy).
Wordless Wednesday
Yesterday was the NerdBug’s 7th birthday and he requested breakfast for his birthday dinner. So I made this cake that looked like a stack of pancakes. I saw this idea in a book. My version is lemon cake with vanilla icing, strawberries and caramel sauce.
Freezer Friday: Chocolate Chip Zucchini Loaf
Welcome to Freezer Friday. The goal here is to make our lives easier. Due to the fact I have 4 little ones and homeschool, I need all the help I can find. Simply post a recipe that can be made, frozen and then later reheated(thawed, etc) and consumed. Make sure that you include freezing and reheating instructions in your post. Then come here and add you post (not your blog) into Mr. Linky.
Now for some disclaimers:
If it isn’t a recipe, I will delete it.
If it can’t be made ahead, I will delete it.
If you don’t have a family friendly site, I will delete it.
Now onto the food fun!
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
Now that spring is on its way so is all the fresh produce. Here is a good way to enjoy it and hold on to it for the future. This recipe is very easy to double, triple or more.
Ingredients:
Dry Ingredients:
1 cup AP Flour
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 cup Mini Chocolate Chips
Wet Ingredients:
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Oil
1/4 cup Applesauce
1 cup Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 cup Grated Zucchini (unpeeled; if frozen do not drain)
Process:
Mix all dry ingredients together. Then beat eggs until frothy and mix in all remaining wet ingredients. Mix in dry ingredients. Dump batter into greased loaf pan. Bake for 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry (except chocolate chips). Let stand in loaf pan for 10 minutes and then cool the rest of the way on a rack.
Make ahead directions:
You can just wrap tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum and place in the freezer. Then just sit out to thaw. If your freezer is full you can store the dry ingredients in a freezer bag on the shelf and freeze shredded zucchini.
Technorati Tags: zucchini, Freezer Friday, Make Ahead