November 18, 2010

How To: Lattice Top on a Pie Crust


Here is an article with instructions and good pictures of how to construct the lattice top on a pie. It's the most similar method to what Taralee demonstrated last night.

November 17, 2010

Pie Crust

2 C. All-purpose or pastry flour
1/2 t. Salt
1 C. Crisco Shortening
Ice water to make a soft dough

Combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender, to the size of peas. Gradually add ice water (mixing very gently with hands) to form a soft dough. Divide into two disks, refrigerate for 15-30 minutes. Roll out on a floured surface or pastry cloth. Bake single pie shells at 400*F. Bake double crust pie according to filling instructions.

Yield: 1 double crust pie or two single crust pie shells.
-Taralee Cooper

Apple Pie Filling


3 1/2 C. blanched, fresh apples in 1/4” slices
3/4 C. Sugar
1/2 t. Cinnamon
1/8 t. Nutmeg (optional)
1/2 C. Cold Water
1/2 C. Apple Juice
2 T. Lemon Juice

Peel, core, and slice apples into a medium bowl. To blanch the apples cover bowl with plastic wrap, and microwave for 5 minutes. Shake bowl to stir apple slices, and microwave until tender. Combine dry ingredients in medium saucepan. Add water, lemon juice, and apple juice and cook on medium heat until thick and bubbly. Fold in drained apple slices. Turn into unbaked pie crust. Cover with the top crust and seal edges well. Prick and decorate as desired. Brush lightly with milk, avoiding crimped edges, and sprinkle lightly with coarse sugar.

Bake at 400*F for 20 Minutes, reducing heat to 350*F and bake for 30-40 more minutes until crust is golden brown.
-Taralee Cooper

Cherry Pie Filling

3 1/3 C. Sour cherries (fresh or canned)
1 C. Sugar
1/4 C. & 1 T. cornstarch
1 1/3 C. water or juice from cherries
1 T. & 1 t. lemon juice

Combine sugar and cornstarch on a large saucepan with water or juice from cherries. Stir mixture and cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Add lemon juice and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Fold in cherries. Cool completely and turn into unbaked pie crust. Cover with the top crust and seal edges well. Prick and decorate as desired. Brush lightly with milk, avoiding crimped edges, and sprinkle lightly with coarse sugar.

Bake at 400*F for 20 Minutes, reducing heat to 350*F and bake for 30-40 more minutes until crust is golden brown.
-Taralee Cooper

Chocolate Chip Meringues


3 egg whites
 ¼ tsp. Cream of tartar
 Pinch of sea salt
 ¾ cup sugar
 3 tbsp. Unsweetened or Dutch process cocoa
 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
 ¾ tsp. Peppermint extract
 5 very finely crushed peppermint candies (or 2 ½ candy canes)

Preheat the oven to 250*F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt with an electric mixer on high until foamy. In a separate bowl combine the sugar and cocoa. Gradually add the cocoa mixture to the egg whites, and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the chocolate chips, peppermint extract, and crushed candies. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch round tip. Pipe 30 cookies, ¼ inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the cookies for 1½ hours. Don't peek! Opening the oven door can cause a drastic temperature drop and can result in flat meringues.
Turn the oven off, and let the cookies cool in the oven for 1 hour. Store in a tightly sealed container.
-Adrianna Anderson

Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1 cup cold milk
2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

In a large bowl, whisk together cream cheese, 1 tablespoon of milk, and sugar until smooth. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spread into bottom of crust.
Pour 1 cup of milk into large bowl, and thoroughly mix in pudding mix, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. When thickened, spread over cream cheese layer.
Refrigerate 4 hours, or until set.
-Nicole Goring

Cake Mix Cookies


1 box cake mix (any flavor)
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil

Mix all ingredients together and drop in 1 TBS balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350* for 8-9 minutes.
For this recipe, you can use any flavor cake mix and add whatever extra ingredients that you want. Some our favorite combinations are cherry chip cake mix with chocolate chips added in and spice cake mix with a cup of quick oats mixed in. They are easy and don't take very long at all. 
-Beth Lee

Danish Sugar Cookies

1 c. sugar
1 c. butter, softened
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cream of tartar
Preheat oven to 325*. Cream together sugar, butter, egg and vanilla until light. Add dry ingredients and blend well. Make dough balls about the size of walnuts. Bake for about 10 minutes.

**Theses also work well as refrigerator/freezer cookies.
-Brittany Jackson

Hot Orange Drink


12 C Boiling water
1 C Sugar
1/2 C Lemon Juice (squeezed from fresh Lemons)
12 oz. Can of frozen Orange Juice
1 tsp. Almond extract
2 T Vanilla 

Sprinkle with cinnamon on top and serve!
-Lisa Mackrory

Pumpkin Pie Shortbread Bars


2 sticks softened butter (or half margarine and half ground flaxseed meal)
1 Cup granulated sugar (or all brown sugar)
1/4 Cup packed light brown sugar
1 3/4 Cup all purpose flour (or whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Cups canned pumpkin
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1/2 Cup heavy whipping cream (or milk)
2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer cream the butter and sugars until well combined. Slowly add in flour and salt until dough forms. Press into the bottom of an 9×13 inch baking dish that’s been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. To prepare pumpkin layer, mix pumpkin sugar, cream, eggs, cinnamon and nutmeg into a mixing bowl until well combined. Pour over shortbread layer.

Bake for 45 minutes or until pumpkin layer is golden brown. Let cool for 30 minutes then cut into bars. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.
-Jennifer Ricks

Soft Sugar Cookies & Butter Frosting


Soft Sugar Cookies
 3 1/4 c flour
1  tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp  salt
1/2 c butter (softened)
1 c sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 C  sour cream (8 oz)

Mix together in a bowl dry ingredients. In a separate bowl cream wet ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until fully combined. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick.  Cut with cookie cutters.  Bake at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes until BOTTOM is golden brown.  Frost and store in air tight container.


Butter Frosting
3 c powdered sugar
1/3 c butter (softened)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1-2 tbls milk

Mix powdered sugar, butter, vanilla. Slowly add 1 tbls of milk at a time cream until well blended. Use food coloring to dye and then frost cookies
-Krysta Whitmore

Sticky Buns

(This recipe is to be done at night before you go to bed and baked in the morning.)

24 frozen dinner roll dough balls
1 c brown sugar
1 small box butterscotch cook and serve pudding
1/4 c white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c melted butter

Coat a bundt pan with cooking spray. Mix brown sugar and butter scotch pudding mix in a bowl. Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Roll dough balls in both mixtures and then place in the bundt pan. After all the dough balls are done pour the sugar mixtures over the top as well as the melted butter. Set on the counter overnight (don't cover it). In the morning cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Bake over a cookie sheet (it's messy)
-Krysta Whitmore

Hot Cocoa

8 cups dry powdered milk
1 lb. instant hot chocolate mix (any brand will work - Swiss Miss, Nestle, GreatValue,
whatever)
1 cup non dairy coffee creamer (choose any flavor you want)
4 heaping Tablespoons powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients in a large food storage container. To use combine 1/2 cup mix with 1 cup water (or milk, which makes it super rich)
-Jackie Shakespaere

Raspberry Ribbons



(Scandinavian Cookies)
 1 C. butter, room temperature (no substitutes)
 1 egg yolk
 1 C. powdered sugar
 1 t. vanilla
 2 1/2 C. flour
 2 t. lemon juice
 1 t. cream or milk
 1/2 C. raspberry jam





Preheat oven to 375*F .  Cream the butter, 1/2 C. sugar, egg yolk and vanilla. Beat until light. Add the flour a little at a time, and mix until the dough is smooth.
Divide the dough into 4 parts. Use your palms to roll out each part into a snake about 3/4” thick, and the length of a cookie sheet.  Place the snakes about 2” apart on the cookie sheet. With your finger, make a little groove down the center of each snake.  Bake for 10 minutes. Fill each groove with jam. Bake for 5 more minutes, till golden brown. To decorate mix the remaining powdered sugar with the cream to make a smooth icing. Drizzle across the length of the cookies. Cut the cookies at a 45* angle 1” wide.
-Taralee Cooper

Mint Cookie Cheesecake


Mint Cookie Cheesecake

2 C. Chocolate Graham cracker crumbs (or Oreo cookie crumbs)
 1/4 C. Butter or margarine, melted
 32 oz. (4 pkgs) Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature
 1 C. Sugar
 1 t. Vanilla
 1 C. Sour cream
 4 eggs
2 1/2 C. coarsely chopped Chocolate Mint Girl Guide cookies, or Chocolate Enrobed Cookies with Mint Cream (sold at Costco)

Preheat oven to 325*F. Combine cracker crumbs with melted butter, and press into a 9x13 baking pan, or a 10” spring form pan to form crust.

 In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until well blended. Add sour cream and mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Chop up peppermint cookies into course pieces. Remove 1/2 C. of the chunks, and gently stir the remaining pieces into the cream cheese batter. Pour the batter over the crust; sprinkle the top with the 1/2 C. of cookie pieces.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the center is almost set. Cool in a warm place (to prevent cracking temperature must decrease slowly after removing from the oven). Once completely cooled cheesecake must be refrigerated for at least 4 hours before serving.
 -Taralee Cooper