Kwachy's Cut-Out Cookies

Lori  Smith

We were trading recipes with friends and Kwachy gave us a couple of great ones.   She said  “I’ll trade you for the best cut-out cookie recipe ever. These are just as good without icing as with, which is rare for a sugar cookie. The brown sugar is the secret:”

She was right, of course!

  • 1 lb butter
  • 1 c brown sugar
  • 1 c white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 5 1/2 c flour

Cream butter and sugar, beat in eggs and water, add dry ingredients and refrigerate till ready to roll and cut

I frost with:

  • 1/3 c softened butter
  • 1 lb powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 c milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla

I hate to make these all by myself, but they are required. I have cookie cutters for every holiday, so we get these in pumpkin shapes in the fall, Christmas shapes in December and hearts in February.  By spring we can’t waddle.


Jessica's Strawberries Romanoff

Jessica Parker

This recipe comes from our niece Jessica Parker.  She sent us this recipe when she was about 10. (She’s now all grown up with two kids of her own…)

The recipe can be doubled for larger groups, or cut in half for smaller gatherings.  Any way you do it, it’s good!

Ingredients:

  • 2 pints (4 cups) strawberries
  • 1/2 cup orange juice (or sunny delight)
  • 4 teaspoons grated orange peel
  • 2 cups whipped cream *add more if desired! or 1 cup heavy cream, stiffly beaten

Utensils needed:

  • knife
  • cup
  • bowls
  • grater
  • measuring cups and spoons

Directions:

  • Remove stems from strawberries
  • Cut in fourth’s
  • In large mixing bowl, mix orange juice and grated peel together
  • Add strawberries and mix thoroughly
  • Serve topped with whipped cream


Gingerbread

Tim Dineen

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup molasses
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/3 cup chopped crystalized ginger

Preheat ovven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9×13 pan.

Sift dry ingredients together. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in molasses. Mix in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk. Mix in crystallized ginger. Bake until springy to touch, about 50 minutes.


Everything But The Kitchen Sink Cookies

Tim Dineen

These are great!  Don’t get frightened off by all the ingredients – they’re worth every one of them!

  • 2 cubes butter (8 oz)
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup chopped nuts
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
  • 1 cup coconut

Cream butter and sugars until light, then add the eggs one at a time.  Add the flour and baking soda, then the rest of the ingredients.  Mix well.

Use a 1/4 cup scoop and scoop out cookies onto ungreased cookie sheet. (I always line my sheets with parchment!)  Press down slightly with damp fingers.

Bake at 350° for about 20 – 22 minutes.


Eliza's Buttermilk Pie

Eliza was my cold food cook at Vencor Hospital, and was a wiz when it came to desserts. She had a real knack for reading a recipe and playing with it to make it her own — and the funny part is, she never ate them, she just loved making them!  Since I had never set up any sort of dessert rotation for the Cafeteria, she had free reign to create whatever she wished — and we were never disappointed! She found this recipe in the Aunt Bee Cookbook (she has almost as many off-the-wall cookbooks as I do!!)  It’s absolutely fantastic!!

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 9″ pie shell

In large bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, cornstarch, butter, and eggs.  Mix on low speed until well blended.  Add the buttermilk and mix well. Pour into pie shell and bake at 350° for 40 minutes, or until brown on top and set.


Egg Nog Pie

Phoebe Dineen

This is one I definitely remember from childhood!  We used to pretend to get drunk eating it!  Aunt Kathleen had a copy and sent it off to me.

Crust:

  • 1-1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • l/4 cup melted butter
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Pie Filling:

  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1/3 cup dark rum
  • 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar

Use mixer and beat eggs with sugar and salt until well combined. Set bowl in pan of hot water, continue beating at high speed until well thickened, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle 1 envelope unflavored gelatin over 1/3 cup dark rum or bourbon. Let stand 5 min. to soften. Beat this and liquor into egg mixture to combine well.

Remove bowl from hot water; let mixture cool, stir occasionally. In large bowl, beat 2 cups of heavy cream, add 2/3 cup confectioners sugar, beat until just stiff.

Gently fold cooled egg mix into cream until well combined. Turn into prepared pie shell, sprinkle with nutmeg.

This pie is utterly delicious!!!


Dorrie's Brownie Charlotte

Dorrie Kimkaran

 

“This is an incredibly rich dessert that I make during the holidays or special occasions.  It is important that you use this brownie crust recipe as the brownie comes out chewy and flexible enough to bend into strips, thus making a crust for filling. My friends call it my “signature” dessert! I slice thin pieces – the charlotte serves 16.  You’ll use every mixing bowl you have but it will be well worth it .

Crust:

  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 2 squares unsweetened chocolate
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs, well beaten
  • ¾ cup flour, sifted
  • ½ t. baking powder
  • ¼ t. salt
  • 1 t. vanilla

Filling:

  • 3 packages (8 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate bits
  • 1/2 cup strong, brewed coffee
  • ½ cup coffee liqueur
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • 1 cup heavy cream

Crust

1    Prepare pan: grease a 9x9x2-baking pan.  Cut a piece of wax paper to fit the bottom and up 2 of the sides of the pan.  Grease and flour the paper.

2.   Melt the butter and chocolate in a heavy saucepan over low heat.  Remove; beat in sugar and eggs.

3.   Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together onto a sheet of waxed paper.  Stir this into the chocolate mix until smooth; add the vanilla and stir.

4.   Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Cool completely on a rack, invert the pan on a cookie sheet and peel off the wax paper.  Slice this brownie sheet horizontally into 2 thin layers.

5.   Cut a 7-inch circle from one layer, and fit, cut side up, into the bottom of an 8-inch soufflé or other straight-sided dish.  Cut the remaining layer into 3 strips and arrange the strips around the edge of the dish.. This forms a brownie “crust” for the outside of the charlotte.

Filling:
1.   Melt chocolate bits with coffee in the top of a double boiler.  Remove and stir in the coffee liqueur.

2.   Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl, using and electric mixer, until very thick.  Stir this into the chocolate mixture, blending well.  Pour mixture into a large bowl and cool a bit.

3.   Beat egg whites in a small bowl until stiff but not dry.  Beat ½ cup cream until stiff.  Gently fold the cream, then the egg whites into the chocolate mix until no streaks of white remain.

4.   Spoon this mixture into the brownie-lined dish.  Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Trim the brownie crust edge level with the filling.

5.   To serve: loosen around the edges of the crust with a spatula; turn out the brownie charlotte (filling side down) onto a service dish.  Whip the remaining cream until stiff and pipe or swirl onto the top of the charlotte.  I use shaved chocolate curls (use a veggie peeler and shave slices of chocolate from a candy bar) to decorate the whipped cream.  The charlotte should be kept refrigerated.


Crème Eggs

Fondant Crème Eggs

  • 2 ½ Lbs. Fondant
  • ½ Cup Heavy Cream
  • ½ Lb. Butter
  • 1 Tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

Blend the fondant and butter together until crumbly in texture.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Bring the cream to a boil in a heavy saucepan.

Mix the cream with the fondant mixture until well blended.

Allow mixture to rest for 3 to 4 hours.

Form mixture into egg shapes and allow to air dry for 4 to 6 hours before dipping.

Coconut Crème Eggs

Add 8 Oz. of coconut to the above mixture during the addition of the cream.

Irish Potatoes

Can be made with the above coconut crème recipe by shaping like potatoes and rolling in cinnamon.


Pate Choux or... a Cream Puff by any other name...

Tim Dineen

Many (many) moons ago, when I worked at The Riviera Dinner House in San Francisco, I had to make 400 of these every Saturday night for Sunday Brunch.  I filled half of them with whipped cream, and the other half with something savory – usually a chicken salad-type filling, or chopped lox and cream cheese. They’re extremely versatile!

  • 1 cup flour
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (scant)
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350°.  Sift flour. In saucepan, bring the milk, water, salt, and butter to a boil . Immediately remove from heat and add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon, and scraping sides of pan, until a stiff paste forms and comes together in a ball. Return to medium heat, stirring quickly to eliminate extra moisture. Remove from the heat. (The paste should be smooth, thick, and glossy.) Transfer the thick paste to a large mixing bowl to cool for about 10 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Fill a pastry bag with the paste and pipe bite-size cream puffs about 1-inch in diameter onto the baking sheet. Space the cream puffs about 1 inch apart. (Or, use 2 spoons to form 1 inch balls.)

Bake about 20 minutes or until they are golden brown.  If using for cream filling, poke a small hole in the side of each puff. Return baking sheet to the oven for about 3 more minutes to allow the puffs’ interiors to dry. Remove from oven to cooling rack.  If using for a savory filling that can’t be piped, just cut off the top and pull out any soft dough.

Fill with whipped cream, Pastry Cream, Ice cream….. Chopped chicken, whatever!


Cranberry White Chocolate Nut Pie

Jenni Sowizdrzal

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup brandy or orange juice
  • 1 pie crust, ( 9-inch prepared )
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 2 ounces white baking bar, chopped

Directions:

In a small bowl combine dried cranberries and brandy. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Drain and reserve 1 tablespoons brandy.

Preheat oven to 325.

In a medium bowl wisk together butter, sugar, eggs, and salt. Stir in walnuts, flour and chopped baking bars until just combined.

Stir in drained cranberries and 1 tablespoons brandy.

Spoon into crust lined pie plate.

Bake for 65 minutes, loosely covering pie with foil the last 30 minutes of baking.

Cool on rack.


Chocolate Peanut Butter Pound Cake

Tim Dineen

This is by far, one of our most favorite desserts. It’s sinfully rich, and best made a couple of days before you wish to serve it, because of freezing time.

Peanut Butter Mousse

  • 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
  • 1 cup peanut butter (I like to use chunk-style.)
  • 8 oz cream cheese – room temperature
  • 3 large egg whites

Chocolate Mousse

  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 8 oz good quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
  • 1 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
  • 3 egg yolks

Chocolate Ganache

  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 6 tbsp butter
  • 8 oz good quality semi sweet chocolate

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache

  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 4 oz white chocolate

Peanut butter mousse: Line 6 cup loaf pan with plastic wrap. Mix together 1 1/2 cups sugar with peanut butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Beat egg whites until soft peaks form, then add remaining powdered sugar and beat till stiff and shiny. Fold whites into peanut butter mixture.

Tilt loaf pan sideways (45º angle) and spoon mousse down pan.  Smooth top and place in freezer about an hour to firm. (Prop pan to hold 45º angle.)

Chocolate mousse: Slowly melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. Add egg yolks and stir until slightly thickened.  Cool to room temperature.

Beat whipped cream, espresso powder, and sugar to soft peaks.  Fold cream into cooled chocolate mixture.  Set pan with frozen peanut butter mousse flat onto the counter and fill with chocolate mousse. Smooth top and return to freezer at least hours – best overnight.

Ganache: Heat cream and butter just until cream simmers and butter is melted. Remove from heat and add chocolate, stirring until smooth. Let cool until thickened, but still pourable.

Invert loaf onto rack, removing pan and plastic. Pour ganache over loaf and smooth all sides.

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache: Heat cream and peanut butter together until creamy. Stir in white chocolate and mix until all combined.

Pour over top, allowing a bit to run down sides.

Transfer to serving platter and decorate or not, as you see fit.

Enjoy!


Carrot Cake

Victor Martorano

This may be the best carrot cake out there! The recipe calls for a cup and a half of oil. Yes, you can use less, but it’s not going to be nearly as good.  It really is best if you use the full amount. Besides… how often do you make carrot cake, anyway?!?

  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups shredded carrots (about 4 medium)
  • 1 1/2 cups oil (neutral oil like grapeseed – not olive)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1 cup coconut (optional)

Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 2 9″ cake pans.

In a large bowl, blend all ingredients (except nuts, etc) on low speed until moistened. Beat 3 minutes on high speed. Stir in nuts, raisins, and coconutr, if using.

Pour into pans and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cook cake 10 minutes before removing from pans.

Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbsp butter, soft
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Blend until smooth.

Spread on tops of cakes. Put one on top of the other. Frosting sides is optional.