Snowballs

Last week it snowed here.  For those who live where it normally snows, our little 1 inch dusting wouldn’t be a big deal.  For those who live in the deep south and are accustomed to snow being a rarity, understand just how excited we were! 

The bad thing (or good thing, depending on how you look at the situation!) is that snow around here rarely lasts more than a day.  Such was the case Thursday.  By the time we played in it, came in, got warm and dry, and went back out, it was starting to melt and turning into a muddy mess!  My children were pretty distraught.  So I decided since I had to make cookies for a funeral at church the next day, I would include the kids and we would make snowballs!  Of course until we dipped the first tray of them into the powdered sugar, my kids kept saying “These don’t look like snowballs!”  But then after the first dipping, they nodded their heads and said (quite emphatically!), “Snowballs!”  And so we ended our snow day with getting “snow” (powdered sugar) all over our kitchen while making snowballs.  Of course, these tasted a bit better than the real ones. 

Here’s the recipe.  It’s from Land O’ Lakes and I later discovered my mom’s recipe is the
same except hers calls for ¼ cup powdered sugar in the cookies instead of granulated

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 325°F. Beat the butter and sugar, add the flour and mix until combined.  Mix in the pecans.  Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 18-25 minutes or until very lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes; roll in powdered sugar while still warm and again when cool.



J's hands helping!



A's hands helping!

Beignets (Cook's Country)



finished product



Cutting them out



I have never tried making beignets. I admit that I've been afraid of them. I don't have a problem making yeast breads but beignets seem so...well, difficult! Also, I figured I couldn't possibly do them for breakfast...yeast stuff takes so long! 

Then I received my Cook's Country magazine the other day with beignets on the cover.  I immediately turned to the recipe and looked at the ingredients and realized I had everything in the house to make them.  I even had a reason to make them (a friend came over for supper and I know I can always try new stuff on her)!  I just couldn't do it. 

So this morning I was up at 4:30 and while I was working in the kitchen, I realized I would have time to make them to go with Austin's breakfast!  Then I discovered I only had ingredients for half a batch which turned out to be perfect for us!  Especially since I burned a few at first.

I’m a tea drinker but I admit to making myself a cup of café au late this morning to go with these!  It just felt right.

I'm sorry I don't have a picture to prove I made them.  I can promise you they were ugly but they were so light and airy—simply perfect!  They were gone pretty quickly since my girls woke up early this morning.  So, no time to snap a picture.  I'll try to next time I make them.

The dough is pretty sticky so be sure to flour your rolling surface well.  Also, don’t drain on paper towels, simply put a cake wire rack over a cookie sheet!

1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon instant or rapid rise yeast (you'll need two packets--one is almost enough but not quite)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons oil (more for frying in)

3 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

Powdered sugar

Combine 1 tablespoon sugar, yeast, and water in bowl.  Stir and let sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy (it'll look like the yeast has risen to the top).  Whisk the eggs and oil into the yeast mixture.  Combine the flour, rest of the sugar, and salt in a separate bowl.  Add to the yeast and egg mixture and stir vigorously to combine.   Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or a lid if the bowl has one).  Refrigerate 1 hour.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator.  Divide dough into two parts.  Pat into a rough rectangle on floured rolling surface.  Roll with a rolling pin to about ¼ inch thick.  Cut into 3 inch squares (I did them smaller and they lost their shape due to not having enough flour!) and fry in oil at 350 degrees (I just had my burner on medium) until golden, turn to cook other side. 

Remove to a wire rack that’s been placed over a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar immediately.  Serve.

NOTE:  Admittedly we've discovered we prefer them with a simple cocoa, powdered sugar, milk icing.

Buttercream Icing

Why use canned frosting when homemade is sooooooooo easy and yummy?!

Two sticks of margarine or butter (you can use half butter, half shortening for a whiter icing)

2 pounds of powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

Milk (enough to make it the right consistency)

Beat margarine or butter until fluffy.  Add 2 cups powdered sugar and mix.  Add vanilla and mix well.  Add more sugar and some milk, alternating the two and mixing together until all the sugar has been used and the frosting is the right consistency.

Cut Out Cookies

This is an old Wilton recipe. It's easy to make, the dough is friendly to handle, there's no refrigeration required, and they are yummy iced or not! You can just put sugar sprinkles on them before baking or you can decorate them with icing. Very good recipe! 


Sorry the picture isn't the best--I had a hard time finding one.  The magic wand in the picture was made using two stars with a cookie dowel sandwiched between.  Bake them and ice as desired.  Cute idea for a tea or birthday party!


1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (I use Imperial margarine)
1 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extract. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder; add to butter mixture 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Do not chill dough.

On floured surface, roll some dough about 1/4 to 1/8 in. thick. Dip cookie cutter in flour if necessary. Bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheet 6-7 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.

I use buttercream to ice them.

Blueberry Delight

This is a recipe from my mom.  It's easy, light and flavorful!  You can use canned pie filling (any flavor, really) but making your own really does taste better (and it's not all that hard to do!).

 

Crust:

2 cups flour

2 sticks melted bullter

3/4 C. chopped pecans

Mix and press into a 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

 

Filling:

8 oz. & 3 oz. cream cheese (Mama said she used 2 8 oz. cartons), softened

1 lb. box powdered sugar

12 oz. cool whip

Mix together and spread on top of the cooled crust

 

Homemade Blueberry Pie Filling:

2 cups blueberries

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup of water

3 T. cornstarch

Pour sugar over the berries.  Stir water and cornstarch together and add to berry mixture & heat slowly until thick.  When cool pour on top of cream cheese filling. 

 

Add some cool whip to the top if desired but it honestly doesn't need it. 

 

NOTE:  For a patriotic flare, put blueberry pie filling in the left corner, cherry everywhere else.  Pipe cool whip stars over the blueberry corner; stripes over the cherry part.

Zucchini Bread

This is a super-easy recipe that has things I generally keep on hand. When I used to take this to work, everyone raved. It freezes well—wrap in plastic wrap tightly and then wrap with foil.

1 cup oil (or ½ cup oil, ½ cup applesauce)
2 cups grated zucchini (unpeeled)
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts (I use 1 1/3 cups walnut pieces)

Stir everything together. Do not beat (I just use a whisk). Spoon into 2 prepared loaf pans. Bake at 325 for 1 hour or until done. My recipe says 1 ½ hours but I don’t usually bake it much longer than an hour. I start checking it after 45 minutes and then check every 10 minutes. Let cool 10-20 minutes and turn loaves out of pans. Allow to cool on cooling racks.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I've tried. It's great with M&Ms as well. Cheryl Doggett (my mom worked with her in CA) gave me the recipe when she saw me post on FaceBook that I was hunting a good one. So, thanks to Cheryl, I stopped looking for the "perfect" chocolate chip cookie recipe because she had sent it to me!

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, melted (I use Imperial margarine, which makes them softer)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups chocolate chips

Mix together dry ingredients; set aside.

Cream together, melted butter, brown and white sugar, until well blended.

Beat in the vanilla, egg and egg yolk until light and creamy.

Mix in dry ingredients until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon.

Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour (I do not usually do this). When it's time preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Drop cookie dough using a tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before placing on wire racks to cool completely.

Lady Brownies (plus Cream Cheese Brownie Recipe)

These are adapted from a Paula Deen recipe. It's my favorite brownie recipe! It's super easy and makes a 9x13 pan FULL! It uses cocoa (which I have on hand) and not chocolate (which I never seem to have). Also, it uses oil instead of butter. Now I realize they're not "healthy" but it makes me feel a teeny tiny bit better that I'm using canola oil instead of butter. LOL Also, you don't have to pull your mixer out--just stir and go!

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cocoa

Stir together in a mixing bowl.

4 eggs
1 cup oil (I use canola)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir into dry mixture. You can mix the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl but you don't have to. Just be sure to mix the ingredients really well.

Optional:

Add 1 cup chopped nuts

Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven. Bake for 25-35 minutes. 25 minutes for very fudgy brownies; 35 for more cake-like brownies. The center will be a little "jiggly" when done.

Note: Use self-rising flour instead of the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Cream Cheese Brownies:

1 stick butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon flour

Beat together the butter and cream cheese. Add sugar, eggs and flour. Beat until well blended. Pour over brownie mixture in pan. Use a butte knife to swirl into the brownie mixture. Bake as described above.

I admit I haven't made the cream cheese part but I have a friend that has and she said they're really yummy.

Swedish Almond Puff

My mom has had this recipe for years. It's great for brunch, breakfast, or dessert. It's something that's pretty easy but has huge payoff! Folks think you've really slaved away! I love taking it to Bible study and MOPS.

Crust:
1 cup flour
1 stick melted butter or margarine (I use Imperial margarine)
1 tablespoon water

Stir together until mixed. Pat into two strips on ungreased cookie sheet.

Puff:
1 stick butter or margarine
1 cup water
1 cup flour
3 eggs
¼- ½ cup sliced almonds (you can use chopped pecans)

Place water and butter in a medium saucepan over high heat; bring to a boil and melt butter. Remove from heat. Add flour and stir well. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Spread evenly over crust. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake at 375 for 35 to 45 minutes; until puffed and golden.

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond flavoring
A few teaspoons milk or water

Stir together, adding enough milk or water to drizzle.

Drizzle over warm puff. Cut into pieces.

NOTE: If you plan to take this somewhere, be sure to cover loosely (or not at all) or ice when you get to your destination. It tends to sweat if you cover it tightly (even if it’s room temperature when you cover it).