Tart Cherry Pie
INGREDIENTS
Pastry For 9 Inch Two Crust Pie (Top & Bottom)
1 1/3 Cups Sugar
4 Tablespoons Quick Cooking Tapioca
6 Cups Fresh Or Frozen Pitted Tart Cherries
¼ Teaspoon Almond Extract
3 Tablespoons Butter
Preheat oven to 400° F. Prepare pie pastry.
In a large bowl, combine sugar and tapioca. Add cherries and stir well until blended. Pour into a 9 inch pastry lined pie plate. Sprinkle with almond extract and dot with butter. Cover with remaining pastry and flute. Cut slits in the pastry so that steam can escape. Cover the edges of the crust with foil to prevent excessive browning. Place pie on baking sheet and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through the slits on the crust. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes of baking. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack before cutting and serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you wish. Serves 8
Coconut Macaroons
INGREDIENTS
14 Ounces of Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 Whipped Egg White
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 ½ Teaspoons Almond Extract
14 Ounces Flaked Coconut
Preheat oven to 325° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, egg white, vanilla, almond extract and coconut. Mix well and drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto parchment paper. Slightly flatten each mound with a spoon. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Immediately remove from the parchment paper. Macaroons may stick if allowed to cool. Cool on wire racks and store loosely covered at room temperature. Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.
Granola Bars
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Rolled Oats
¾ Cup Packed Brown Sugar
½ Cup Wheat Germ
¾ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 Cup Unbleached Flour
¾ Cup Raisins
¼ Cup Sunflower Seeds
¾ Teaspoon Salt
½ Cup Honey
1 Beaten Egg
½ Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins, sunflower seeds and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared parchment paper pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes and cut into bars while still warm. Do NOT allow the bars to cool completely before cutting or they will be way too hard to cut. When bars are cool store in an airtight container. Makes approximately 24 bars.
Whoopie Cake
INGREDIENTS
½ Cup (1 Stick) Softened Butter
1 Cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1/3 Cup Cocoa Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Buttermilk (or Sour Milk)
Whoopie Filling (Below)
Heart Shaped Pan
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour heart pan. If you don’t have a heart pan you can use whatever cake pan you like and improvise.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until well combined. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add half the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix until dry ingredients are almost incorporated. Stop mixing and add the buttermilk. Continue to mix until all ingredients are almost incorporated. Stop mixing and add the remaining dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until center springs back when gently pushed. Remove cake from oven and cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
To assemble cut cake in half and spread bottom layer with filling and sandwich with the top layer. Yummy! Serves 8
Whoopie Filling
INGREDIENTS
6 Tablespoons Softened Butter
1 ½ Cups Sifted Confectioners’ Sugar
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
1 Jar (about 7 ounces) Marshmallow Cream
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add sugar and salt to the butter and mix well. Add marshmallow cream and vanilla. Blend well. Use immediately to fill pie or refrigerate covered up to 1 week. Bring back to room temperature and lightly beat before using. Makes about 2 ½ Cup of filling.
Grandma’s Chocolate Cake
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ Cups Unbleached Flour
3 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Cup Sugar
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
¾ Cup Butter (you can use sour milk)
¾ cup Melted Butter
3 Eggs
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9 inch cake pan and set aside. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl. Melt butter and add to dry ingredients. Next add eggs and buttermilk to dry ingredients. Mix everything together until smooth with an electric mixer. Pour into pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until wooden toothpick comes out clean. When done remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. After the cake has cooled, slice cake in half to make 2 layers. It is easier to slice if the cake has been refrigerated for a couple of hours. Frost with Chocolate Butter Frosting. Use 1/3 of the frosting between the two layers, 1/3 on top and the rest around the cake. Grandma’s Chocolate Cake should be served at room temperature. Serves 12
**To Make Sour Milk: ¾ cup of milk and add either two tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice. Let sit for five to ten minutes.
Madeleines
INGREDIENTS
5 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter – Melted & Cooled
½ Cup Plus 1 Tablespoon Unbleached Flour
½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Salt
1 Beaten Egg
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon Grated Lemon Zest
Powdered Sugar for Dusting
Preheat oven to 375° F. Brush Madeleine pans with melted butter. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour in pans and tap out excess. In a medium bowl, sift ½ cup flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a second medium bowl, beat egg and sugar until thick (5 minutes). Add vanilla and lemon zest. Fold in flour mixture. Fold in remaining melted butter. Spoon heaping tablespoon of batter into each mold. Tap pan on counter to remove air bubbles and evenly distribute batter. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden (springs back when pressed). Remove to a wire baking rack to cool. Dust with powdered sugar before serving. Makes about 12
Herb Cheddar Scones
INGREDIENTS
3 Cups Unbleached Flour
2 Teaspoons Chopped Fresh Rosemary, Dill or Chives
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
¼ Teaspoon Salt
½ Cup Butter
½ Cup Shredded Sharp White Cheddar Cheese
½ Cup Heavy Cream
1 Large Egg
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
Preheat oven to 400° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine flour, herbs, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cheese and mix well. In a small bowl, whisk together cream and egg and add to flour mixture. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to ½ inch thickness. Using a 3 inch round cutter, cut scones and place on baking sheet. Brush scones with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 12 scones
Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
INGREDIENTS
2/3 Cup Softened Unsalted Butter
1 Tablespoon Pistachio Paste
¼ Cup Confectioners’ Sugar
¼ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
¾ Cup Unbleached Flour
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
¼ Cup Finely Chopped Pistachios
Combine butter, pistachio paste, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. With a mixer, that is set to medium speed, beat until light and fluffy. Sift together flour and salt in a medium bowl. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating on low speed until combined. Fold in chopped pistachios.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut with a 2 inch fluted round cutter. Place on cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 to 20 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned. Cool on the pan for 1 minute. Remove to wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 24 cookies
Butterscotch Chip Cookies
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Softened Butter
1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
½ Cup Granulated Sugar
¾ Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Salt
2 Eggs
1 ½ Teaspoon Vanilla
2 ½ Cups Unbleached Flour
2 Cups Butterscotch Chips
Preheat oven to 375° F. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium high speed for 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking soda and salt. Beat until mixture is combined scraping sides of bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour. Stir in butterscotch chips. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto on ungreased cookie sheet or use parchment paper (which is what I use). Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until edges are light brown. Transfer to a wire rack and cool. Makes approximately 60 cookies
Victoria’s Banana Bread
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Beaten Egg
1 Cup Sugar
¼ Cup Molasses
3 Ripe Bananas
¼ Cup Olive Oil
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease bottom and sides of 8x4x2 inch loaf pan and set aside. In a medium bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt baking powder and nutmeg. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and set aside.
In another medium bowl combine egg, sugar, bananas, molasses and olive oil. Add banana mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Spoon batter in prepared loaf pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.
