Nana's Spritz Cookies

These are the best tasting Spritz Cookies you will ever have.  However, using a cookie press takes a little getting used to.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together (use a mixer)
1 cup Butter or Shortening at room temperature
1  3 Ounce package of Cream cheese

Add gradually
1 cup of Sugar

Beat in
1 Egg yolk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind

Sift together
2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix dry ingredients a little at a time into wet ingredients.  Once completely mixed together,  fill your cookie press. ( you can divide dough and color it if wanted) Form cookies on ungreased cookie sheets.  They will not spread while baking.  Decorate with sugar, cinnamon-sugar, or chopped almonds.

Bake 12- 15 minutes, just until brown on bottom edges.  Remove at once from cookie sheets.

Mint Chocolate Delights

Mint Chocolate Delights is adapted from the back of a mint chip bag:

2 cups of Flour

2/3 cup  Baking Cocoa
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup (2 sticks) Butter
2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
2 large Eggs
10 ounce  Package  Dark Chocolate and Mint Morsels



Combine the sugars and butter. Then add the cocoa, followed by the baking soda and salt. Add eggs and vanilla. Then add the flour, one cup at a time.  Add the Cholate and Mint Morsels last. Chill in Fridge for at least an hour, overnight is fine. Pre-heat the oven to 350. The cookie dough should be 1 tsp per cookie on baking sheets covered with parchment paper. Bake for 10 - 11 minutes per sheet.

The result will be bite-sized chewy cookies.

World War 1 Cake

Ingredients
1 cup corn syrup
1and 1/2 cups water
2 Tbsp. fat
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. soda
1 cup molasses
1 package raisins
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder

Instructions
Boil together 5 minutes syrup, molasses, water, raisins, fat, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Cool, add sifted dry ingredients and bake i two loaves 45 minutes in moderate oven.

Notes: Even better after a few days. One cup of oatmeal may be used in place of 7/8 cup of flour.

Rum Balls

This recipe is from Aunt Nancy's cookbook. Actually she was my Great-grandmother's sister, so that means she was a great-grand aunt.  I never knew Aunt Nancy Bouffard, she died back in 1957. Born Nancy Osborn in 1897, she was one of 17 children in a blended family. She kept a little recipe book that I now have. When I can decipher her writing I'll post a few recipes here.

Rum Balls - the ones Alice Colman makes. (marked  very good)

1 cup crushed vanilla wafers
1 cup confectionary sugar
1 & 1/2 cups chopped pecans
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup brandy or sherry

Mix all ingredients together. Roll into small balls. Roll in granulated sugar.

Almond Tea Cookies

Cookie Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons almond extract

Icing:
2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoon milk (or water)
4 teaspoons almond extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 375°F. Beat together Butter and Sugar until light and fluffy. Add Egge and Almond extract, beating until light. Add Baking Powder and salt and mix well. Add half of flour, and when that is mixed in, add the other half. Using a small scoop, place batter on parchment paper lined Cookie sheet. Bake for 9 minutes or just as the bottoms have a hint of browning. Remove from oven and let cookies rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To Ice: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk and almond extract - until smooth. Then smooth icing onto the top of each cookie and let set for 10 minutes, or until hardened. store in a cool place in an airtight container until ready to serve. Makes three dozen cookies.

We had these at an 18th Century tea and they were a big hit.

Maple Glazed Scones

3 cups all purpose flour
4 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup (or more) plus 6 tablespoons whipping cream
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/3 cup (about) powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk flour, 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir 1/2 cup whipping cream and 1/2 cup maple syrup in small bowl to blend. Gradually add cream mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until dough comes together and adding more cream by tablespoonfuls if dough is dry. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead dough gently until smooth, about 5 turns. Using floured hands, pat out dough to 8-inch round; cut dough into 8 wedges. Transfer wedges to baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.

Bake scones until golden and tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to rack.

Meanwhile, whisk remaining 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, 6 tablespoons whipping cream and 2 tablespoons maple syrup in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in enough powdered sugar to form thick glaze.

Drizzle or spread glaze over warm scones. Let stand until glaze sets.

We made this recipe  at a French & Indian War encampment in the fire, with a few differences.  Instead of one round, we made two smaller ones to fit into pie pans. We heated a dutch oven in the fire, then pulled it out, set a trivet into it, set the pan of scones on top and covered them. Then we laid down a bed of coals, put the dutch oven over them and added coals to the top. After about 10 minutes we checked on them, and turned the top to prevent hot spots. Another 10 - 15 minutes and they were done. We let them cool a bit and then glazed them. Although they were dark on the bottom, they went over very well.  Many thanks to my sous chef Caroline, who did a lot of the work on these scones in primative conditions.

Lemon Coconut Bread

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut extract
1 cup sugar
2 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
1/3 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in sugar and coconut.
In a medium bowl or a large measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in egg mixture. Stir until just combined and only a few streaks of flour remain.
Add in melted butter and stir until just smooth, being careful not to overmix.

Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Turn loaf out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Makes 1 loaf.

Prairie Beer Cake

Makes one 10 inch tube cake.

3 c. sifted all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda                             

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. allspice                                   

1/2 tsp. cloves

1 c. shortening

2 c. firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 c. finely chopped nuts

2 c. beer

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Sift flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and cloves into a bowl.   Set aside.

Cream shortening, gradually add sugar.   Beat until light.   Add eggs, beating until light and fluffy.   Reserve 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture.   Gradually add remaining flour to sugar mixture.   Mix well.   Add beer and beat until blended.

Add reserved flour to nuts.   Mix well.   Fold into batter.   Spoon into a greased 10 inch tube pan.   Bake for one hour or until done.

Apple Cider Pie

Pastry for a double crust pie
3 lb. Golden Delicious apples peeled, cored, cut into 3/4-inch slices, and then halved
2/3 cup apple cider
1/2 to 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar to taste
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 Tbs. cornstarch
Make the filling In a large  pot, mix the apples, all but 2 Tbs. of the cider, the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often, until the sugar has dissolved and the apples are evenly coated. Mix the cornstarch and remaining 2 Tbs. cider into a paste; add this to the apples. Stirring constantly, boil until the liquid is thickened and clear, about 1 minute. (you're not cooking the apples, just thickening the juices). Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Remove from the heat and let cool.

eat the oven to 425°F. Prepare a double pie crust in a 9-inch pie pan and fill the shell. then cover with second crust. Cut at least three vent holes. Bake on the middle rack until the crust is golden and the apples are tender when pierced with a knife, about 55 minutes. If the top starts browning too quickly, tent the pie with foil. Placing a cookie sheet on rack below pie will help keep spills contained.

Eclair Cake

Cake:
1 stick butter
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup water

Boil water and butter
Remove from heat
Mix slowly, adding flour
Mix in eggs one at a time

Pour into a greased  13 x 9 cake pan
Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes (very lightly browned—don’t be concerned about the appearance)
Cool about 30 minutes;

Topping:
2 vanilla or French vanilla small instant pudding
8 oz. cream cheese  (soften)
8 oz. Cool Whip
3 cups Milk
Chocolate Sauce  (Chocolate Sundae Sauce froom the store works well)

Beat together the pudding, milk and cream cheese to a pudding-like consistency
Pour on top of Cake
Spread container of Cool Whip on top of mixture
Decorate with lines of Chocolate Sauce

Quick Key Lime Pie

1 14 ounce can of Sweetened Condensed milk
4 egg yolks
3-4 ounces of key lime juice
1 nine inch graham cracker pie shell.

Combine sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks at a low speed with your mixer.  Add juice mixing until well blended. Pour into the graham cracker pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees  for 15  minutes. Cool. Top with with whipped cream and enjoy.

Whiskey Cake

Ingredients for Whiskey Cake

Cake:
1 package of yellow cake mix (not the pudding kind)
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup  oil
1 cup milk
1 and 1/2 ounce whiskey
1 cup walnuts

Topping:
4 ounces of butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup whiskey

Mix all cake ingredients together.  Bake  in a greased and floured bundt cake pan for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees. Then start the topping by melting the butter  over low heat and adding sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add whiskey to the topping mix and take off heat. poke holes in warm cake in pan and pour 1/2 toppinginto holes. remove cake from pan in 10-15 minutes. Add remaining topping over cake.

Aunt Betty's Coconut Belle

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Crisco
1 cup white sugar
1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk.
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Blend Crisco with sugar. once completely creamed together, add eggs.  Sift dry ingredients together.  Add the dry ingredients and milk alternately to the Crisco mixture, stirring after each addition. Once combined thoroughly, add flavorings. spread 1/4 inch thick in a shallow greased pan.  Cover with Coconut meringue.(see below) Bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Cut into squares and cool before serving.

Coconut Meringue
1 egg white
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup shredded coconut

Beat egg white until stiff. beat in sugar, adding 1/3 a cup at a time.  add flavoring. fold in coconut.

This recipe is from Aunt Nancy's cookbook. It belonged to her sister Betty Osborn Martin according to Aunt Nancy's notes, and rated "very good". Aunt Nancy was my Great-grandmother's sister so she was a great-grand aunt. I never knew Aunt Nancy Bouffard, she died back in 1957. Born Nancy Osborn in 1897, she was one of 17 children in a blended family. I now have the little handwritten cookbook she made, along with her notes on where the recipes came from. I'll post some of her recipes now and then as I decipher the handwriting.

Pot de Chocolat

This lovely rich dessert uses the blender to pull off its magic. It makes 6 servings.

First, scald a cup of light cream. That means a cup of light cream, heated on the stove to just below boiling.

Then into the blender put  a cup of semi-sweet chocolate morsels, two egg yolks, 3 tablespoons of Rum or Brandy, and of course the scalded cream. Blend it at high speed until the racket stops. Pour it out into small serving bowls, or demitasse cups, or Japanese teacups. Its very rich, so little dish goes a ways.  Chill for about three hours before serving.

Crisco Frosting

Crisco Frosting - From Isabel Ryea (my great grandmother)

Put in double boiler
1 cup cold milk
5 tablespoons flour
a pinch of salt
Cook until blended. Cool until cold.
Add
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup crisco
Beat altogether very well.
Then add 1 tablespoon of vanilla.

To make chocolate crisco frosting use 3 tablespoons and flour and 2 tablespoons cocoa instead of the 5 tablespoons flour listed above.

This recipe is from Aunt Nancy's cookbook. Actually she was my Great-grandmother's sister, so that means she was a great-grand aunt. I never knew Aunt Nancy Bouffard, she died back in 1957. Born Nancy Osborn in 1897, she was one of 17 children in a blended family. She kept a little recipe book that I now have. When I can decipher her hand writing I'll post a few recipes here.

Poppy Seed and Maple Syrup Bread

2 tablespoons Dry Yeast
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons Salt
6 cups Flour
1/4 cup vegetable Oil
3 tablespoons poppy seed
2 cups warm water

Combine yeast with warm water. Add  the rest of the ingredients. Shape the dough into 2 9X5 loaf pans. Let rise covered with tea towels in warm place for 35 minutes or until the tops of loaves have just risen above the edge of the pans,.

Brush loaves with and egg wash made by beating 1 egg with 1/4 tsp salt. Sprinkle the tops generously with poppy seeds.

Put the risen loaves in the middle of a cold oven, set the oven to 375 degrees and bake 30 minutes.

Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 20-25 minutes more until golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Cool on rack covered w/ tea towels. after 30 minutes remove towels and cool completely.

Candace's Peanut Butter Fudge

1 & 1/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff
1 bag Reese's peanut butter chips

Combine sugar, butter and evaporated milk in large saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Rreduce heat and boil  5 minutes while stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add vanilla, fluff, and chips. Blend until smooth and creamy. Then stir in two very large spoonfuls of peanut butter. Mix well. Pour into 8 X 8 inch pan or 8 inch round pan. Chill.

Peppermint Pie

A quick recipe for a delicious dessert.

Ingredients:

1 ready-made chocolate cookie crust
1 Eight ounce package of cream cheese
1 Fourteen ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
3 tablespoons creme de menthe
1 Eight ounce container of cool-whip
Optional: food color.

Beat cream cheese until fluffy.  Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Strir in creme de menthe. If you are coloring the pie, this is the time to do so. If its green creme de menthe, add green... but  the clear creme de menthe with red food coloring does seem to give a greater contrast with the chocolate crust. Your choice. Lastly, fold in whipped topping, andpour into the pie crust. freeze until set, or 4 hours.  makes 8 servings. 

Almond Cheesecake Brownies

These Almond Cheesecake Brownies are more work than most of my recipes. They are however well worth it. From The Chocolate Lovers Cookie Cookbook, by Tupperware:

Ingredients:
4 1 ounce squares of semi-sweet chocolate
5 Tablespoons butter, divided
1 3 ounce package of cream cheese
1 cup sugar, divided
3 eggs, divided
1/2 cup  plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1&1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup slivered or chopped almonds, divided
Almond Icing

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 - inch square pan.  Melt chocolate and 3 tablespooons of butter in small heavy saucepan over low heat. Set aside. Mix Cream Cheese with remaining 2 tablespoons butter  in small bowl. Slowly add 1/4 cup of the sugar, blending well.  Add 1 egg, the 1 tablespoon of flour, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Set aside.  Beat remaining 2 eggs and 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl until light. Add the baking powder, salt and 1/2 cup flour. Blend in chocolate mixture, remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and the almond extract. Stir in 1/2 cup almonds. Spread half of the the chocolate mixture in prepared pan. Cover with cream cheese mixture, then  spoon rest of the chocolate  mixture over the top. Swirl with Knife or spatula to create a marbled effect.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until set in center. Don not overbake. Meanwhile, prepare almond Icing. Cool brownies 5 minutes, then spread icing evenly over the top. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup almonds.  Cool completely before cutting into small squares.

Almond Icing:
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Combine chocolate chips, butter, milk and almond extract in small heavy saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. add powdered sugar and beat until glossy and easy to spread.

Lemon Cake

A Recipe from the Vt Judiciary I keep meaning to make:

Ingredients
1 box Duncan Hines Lemon Cake Mix
1 box lemon jello instant pudding
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
4 eggs
½ cup lemon juice
2 cups confectioner's sugar

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first five ingredients and bake in a greased bundt pan for 1 hour. Mix lemon juice and confectioner's sugar, and pour over cake while hot. Serve with blueberries and vanilla ice cream. (Can substitute raspberries or strawberries for blueberries).