Chocolate Peppermint Cookies ~ By Caroline

The cookie part and ingredients for these cookies are pretty much the same as our white chip chocolate cookies (http://foursistersff.blogspot.com/2015/12/chocolate-white-choc-chip-cookies-by.html) only with mint extract, mint icing and candy for topping.  They're very delicious and a super cute, festive dessert for Christmas time! :-) 

  

Ingredients For Cookies:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon mint extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cups cocoa powder

1tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups white chocolate chips

Icing and Candy Topping:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp mint extract
Crushed peppermint candies for dusting

 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until creamy.  Add eggs and flavors; beat until light and fluffy.  Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into butter mixture. Stir in white chips.  Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a greased or parchment lined baking sheet.
3. Bake 8-9 minutes.  (Do not overbake; cookies will be soft and puffy and will flatten slightly during cooling) Cool on a wire rack.
4. Mix together icing ingredients in a medium bowl, and adjust milk/sugar if needed to reach the right consistency. (It should be pretty thick so that it doesn't run off the cookies at all)
5. Sprinkle crushed mint candies on freshly iced cookies

Yields: About 4 dozen cookies



White Chip Chocolate Cookies ~ by Caroline

These are amazing! Very rich and chocolaty, chewy in the middle with some crunch on the edges.  They're a favorite around here! :-)

 

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cups cocoa powder

1tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until creamy.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy.  Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into butter mixture. Stir in white chips.  Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a greased or parchment lined baking sheet.
3. Bake 8-9 minutes.  (Do not overbake; cookies will be soft and puffy and will flatten slightly during cooling) Cool on a wire rack. 

Yields: About 4 dozen cookies

 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls ~ By Caroline

Super soft Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls filled with a gooey cinnamon swirl and topped with maple cream cheese icing. Need I say more?! :-)

 

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Dough

• 1/3 cup (80 ml) milk
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup 100% pure pumpkin
• 2 Tablespoons packed dark brown sugar (or light brown)
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (1 standard package) instant active dry yeast
• 2 and 1/2 cups bread flour OR all-purpose flour

Filling

• 1/2 cup packed dark or light brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon EACH ground nutmeg and ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

• 3 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted 

Directions:

1. Make the dough: warm the milk and butter together over the stove or in the microwave. Warm the two together until the butter is *just* melted.  A few butter specks is OK.  You want the mixture lukewarm (105-115F degrees), not scorching hot.  Set aside. Using your electric mixer with paddle attachment, beat pumpkin puree, brown sugar, a dash of nutmeg, and salt together on medium speed. Add your warmed milk/butter to this mixture and beat until combined. Then add 1 beaten egg and the yeast. Beat all of this together for 30 seconds, then turn your mixer to low speed and add 1 cup of flour. Mix for 5 full minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently.  Add 1 and 1/4 cups more flour and beat for 1 more minute. The dough will be VERY, very, very soft. Place dough into a bowl coated with nonstick spray.  Turn the dough around in the bowl so all sides of the dough are coated.  Cover tightly with plastic saran wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size. This will take about 60-75 minutes. I place my dough into an oven that I pre-heated to 200F degrees and then turned off.
2. The dough will be very puffy after this time. See above for how the dough should look.  Punch the dough down to deflate it and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Kneed the dough a few times to form a smooth dough.  You will need to add 1/4 cup more flour to make it easy to handle. The dough will stick to your hands, so flour your hands as well. You want the dough as soft as possible, so don't go adding too much flour. Anywhere from 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup would be OK.
3. Make the filling: Roll the dough out into a 16x10 inch rectangle. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and spices into a small bowl.  Spread the top with melted butter and then sprinkle evenly with brown sugar mixture. See above for a photo. Roll it up tightly. Using a very sharp knife, cut into 10-13 pieces, about 1.5 inches each. (I cut the ends off of my dough log, so I have 11 rolls). Arrange rolls into a 9-inch or 11x7 inch pan that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick spray. Allow the rolls to rise again in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size. This takes about 1 hour (or use my overnight option, detailed below).
4. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Bake the rolls for 22-27 minutes, covering with aluminum foil at the 15 minute mark to prevent heavy browning.
5. Make the glaze: Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the softened cream cheese in a medium bowl on medium speed until smooth. Add the maple syrup and milk and beat on high until smooth. Add the sifted confectioners' sugar and beat on medium speed until creamy. Pour over warm cinnamon rolls. Rolls taste best served on the same day, though they remain fresh for one day covered tightly at room temperature. Unglazed rolls freeze well up to 2 months.

Overnight instructions

Prepare the rolls through step 4. Instead of allowing the cut rolls to rise in a warm environment, place the pan into the fridge and allow the rolls to rest for up to 14 hours before baking. When it’s time to bake the next day, allow the rolls to come up to room temperature and rise for 1 hour on the counter, or until almost doubled in size. Then, bake as directed.

Beefy Mac' n Cheese Bake ~ By Caroline

This is an easy dinner that the kids love! It's very flavorful, and even incorporates some carrots in there....so yeah, It's practically health food!  :-) (I wish)

 

 

 



Ingredients:

1 (8 oz.) package elbow macaroni noodles

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup grated carrot

2 tsps. minced garlic

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup tomato sauce

1 tsp. salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup fat-free milk

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions
3. In a large frying pan, add onion and carrot and sauté for 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. add ground beef; cook until browned, stirring to crumble.  Add tomato sauce, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper. Cook for two minutes, or until most of the liquid evaporates.
4. Add pasta to beef mixture in pan, stirring to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11x7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
5. Place milk, flour, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt in a medium sauce-pan; stir with a wisk until blended. Cook over medium heat two minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly with a wisk. Add 1 cup cheese, stirring until smooth. Pour cheese mixture over pasta mixture; stir. Top evenly with remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 for 2o minutes or until lightly browned.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

Pumpkin Pie Spectacular ~ by Caroline

This has become our family's new favorite way to make pumpkin pie! :-) It's amazing, and the cookie layer on the crust with the crumb topping on top really adds a lot!  I've never been a huge fan of pumpkin pie, but I LOVE this! :-) 

 

1 pre-made pie crust
2 cups crushed ginger-snaps or cinnamon snaps (Here are recipes for those.  I've used both for this pie, and they are both turn out amazing: Cinnamon snaps: http://foursistersff.blogspot.com/2014/03/cinnamon-snap-cookies-by-caroline.html Ginger Cookies: http://foursistersff.blogspot.com/2015/11/soft-gingrbread-cookies-by-caroline.html
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (15 oz) can Pumpkin
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
7 Ginger/Cinnamon Snap Cookies, halved

Preheat oven to 350. 

1. Stir together crushed cookies, powdered sugar and butter.  Press mixture on bottom of pie crust, and up the sides.
2. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack (about 30 minutes).
3. Stir together pumpkin, and next 6 ingredients until well blended. pour into prepared crust. Place pie on aluminum foil lined baking sheet.
4. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Sprinkle Pecan Streusel around edges and continue baking for 25-30 minutes or until center is set. (If needed, shield edges of pie crust with foil during the last 25-30 minutes) Remove from oven, and let cool slightly for 5-10 minutes.  Insert cookies around edge of pie crust.  Let cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 hour)

Makes 1 pie ~ 8 servings

Pecan Streusel Topping
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
Dash of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1. Stir together all ingredients, until well mixed and very crumbly.  Mixture will not be dry at all. 

 

Soft Gingrbread Cookies ~ By Caroline

This recipe was discovered by Victoria last week, and since they were SO GOOD I decided to make them again and post the recipe on here! They are definitely the best gingerbread cookies I've ever had! :-)  Christmas is just around the corner now, and these are perfect for an adorable, decorative dessert!

 

 

Cookie Ingredients: 

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 molasses (not blackstrap)
1 egg yolk
2 cups all-purpose flour (even a little extra won't hurt)
1/2 tsp.salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Stir in molasses and egg yolk. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg; blend into the molasses mixture until smooth. Cover, and chill for at least one hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness (I made mine thicker and they turned out great) Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 2 inches apart on cookie sheets, lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake for 8 minutes in the preheated oven, until slightly cracked on the top. (This produces a very soft cookie, but if you like the crispier texture, bake for 10 minutes) Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks. Frost or decorate when cool.

Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

 

Wisk ingredients together in a small bowl. Icing should be very thick. Pour into a small Ziploc bag, snip off a corner, and pipe icing onto cookies.  Enjoy!



Farmers Breakfast Casserole ~ By Caroline

This easy recipe has been a favorite in our family for those busy mornings (or makes a delicious dinner too!), and it's perfect for guests! What's really nice is you can assemble it the night before, put it in the fridge, and then just throw it in the oven in the morning! It's so delicious with all the cheese, ham and spices, and the whole family LOVES it!

 

Ingredients:

Nonstick Cooking Spray
3 cups frozen shredded hash browns
3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese, or shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup diced cooked ham or Canadian- style bacon
1/4 cup sliced green onions
4 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups milk or 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Optional Ingredients
1 yellow or red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 4oz can green chilies (or more if you love spicy foods)
garlic salt to taste

Coat a 2-Quart square baking dish with cooking spray. (Note: for large families or for guests double everything and assemble in a 13x9 pan) Arrange potatoes evenly in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with cheese, ham, green onions. (And if your looking for more flavor this is the time to add in those optional ingredients! It's quite amazing with those extra things, but you may want to stick to the original if you have picky eaters) :-)

In a bowl combine eggs, milk, salt, and black pepper. Pour over potato mixture.

Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F. oven for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. (if you are making a 13x9, bake for 50-55 minutes) Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. (It comes out of the oven quite juicy, so that extra standing time allows for the juices to soak up and settle, to allow easier cutting/serving.)

Enjoy!!

Moist Cranberry Pumpkin Bread ~ By Caroline

This pumpkin bread recipe has been a favorite in our family ever since we first discovered it, for it's amazing moist consistency and delicious flavor!  Usually we make this with apples in it, but this time I decided to switch the apples with dried cranberries, and top it with some pecan streusel... the result was amazing! :-) 

 

 

12 ServingsPrep: 15 min. Bake: 1-1/2 hours + cooling

Ingredients

• 1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (we usually omit these)

Pecan Streusel Topping

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt 

Directions for Streusel

In a medium bowl wisk together the flour, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon and salt. met butter, and pour into dry ingredients; mix until well combined and when the mixtures is very crumbly.

 

Directions for Bread

 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and cloves. In another large bowl, whisk the pumpkin, water, eggs and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in cranberries and walnuts. Pour into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan. Bake at 325° for 1 hour, then add the streusel topping pressing it down slightly into the bread to keep it from falling off, and continue baking for another 30-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool.

 

Yield: 1 loaf (12 slices).

Pumpkin Roll ~ By Victoria

This is definitely a favorite fall dessert! I like to make two and freeze one for another occasion.  If you want to frost the whole cake as shown in the picture, double the cream cheese filling and use half for the top and half for the middle.

Cake:

1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup pure pumpkin

1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

 

Cream Cheese Filling:

8oz  cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

 

FOR CAKE:

Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts. 

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

Cream Cheese Filling:
Beat cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel when rolling up the cake so it will not stick.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Danish ~ By Caroline



 
I've recently been making this delicious recipe for breakfast the last couple weekends!  They are so good and everyone LOVES them!! :-)  It takes some planning ahead, and some extra time and effort to make the dough, but it's DEFINITELY worth it!  If you love Danishes, then these will be right up your alley. ;-)

 

This recipe makes two braids: enough for a medium size family and/or company. I doubled the recipe for my family and it was the perfect amount!

 

So without further ado...Here's the recipe!

Ingredients:

Pastry

• 1/4 cup (60ml) warm water, 105F-115F degrees
• 2 and 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 standard package)
• 1/2 cup (120ml) milk, at room temperature*
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 and 1/2 cups (315g) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 14 Tablespoons (210g) unsalted butter, cold

Egg Wash

• 1 large egg
• 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk

Cream Cheese Filling 

• 8oz (224g) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup fresh or frozen (unthawed) blueberries
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds (optional) 

Blueberry Sauce

• 1 c. Frozen or fresh blueberries
• 2 TB. Sugar
• 1 Tb Corn Starch
• 1 TB. Lemon juice
• 2 TB Water 

Vanilla Glaze 

• 1/2 cup (60g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon (15ml) heavy cream (or milk)

Directions for the Dough:

1. Whisk the yeast and warm water together in a large bowl. Allow to sit for 3 minutes until foamy. Add milk, egg, granulated sugar, and salt. Once these wet ingredients are mixed together, set the bowl aside and make your butter/flour mixture.
2. Cut butter into 1/4 inch slices and add to a food processor or blender. Top with flour. Pulse the mixture 10-12 times, until butter is fairly crumbled.
3. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Very gently fold the two mixtures together. Do not be angry with the dough! You want to be very, very, very gentle when you are folding the two together. Fold *just until* the dry ingredients are moistened. The butter must remain in pieces, which creates a flaky pastry. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap the dough up tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
4. After 4-12 hours, take the dough out of the refrigerator to begin the "rolling and folding" process. Flour a work surface. The dough will be sticky, so make sure you have flour nearby as you roll and fold. Using the palm of your hands, gently flatten the dough into a small square.  From there, roll out into a 15 inch long rectangle using your rolling pin. You may have to continue to lightly flour the counter as you are rolling. Fold the dough together as if it were a business letter. And roll it out into a 15 inch long rectangle again. Then, fold again into a business letter. You'll repeat rolling and folding 1 more time for a total of 3 times.
5. Fold the dough up tightly, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.
6. After at least 30 minutes, take the dough from the refrigerator and cut it in half. Wrap 1 half up and keep chilled as you work with the first half. Roll out your dough to make a 12x6 inch rectangle. I rolled this dough out onto a floured work surface, but I suggest you roll it out onto a lined baking sheet. (Lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.) It is tough to transfer the braided dough from the counter to the baking sheet, unless you are very careful!
7. Cut off two corners of the dough and then two small triangles at the other end.
8. Cut slanting strips (3/4 inch - 1 inch each) along both sides. I used a very sharp knife, but a pastry wheel or pizza cutter will work just fine. I find this video VERY helpful. 

Directions for Filling, Baking, and Icing

1. Make the cream cheese filling: in a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and egg yolk together on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. 
2. Meanwhile add all the blueberry sauce ingredients together in a saucepan, and cook until thick and bubbly. Blueberry sauce should be very thick.
3. Spread 1/2 of the cream cheese filling down the length of the center of the strip. Spread 1/2 of the blueberry sauce on top of that by dropping small spoonful's over the cream cheese filling. 
4. Fold the strips one by one over each other until you reach the bottom, then fold the bottom end up to "seal" the filling in and allow the braid to rest for 15-20 minutes as you preheat your oven. Repeat with the second half of the dough and the rest of the filling.
5. Preheat oven to 400F. Beat the egg wash ingredients together. Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash. There will be enough egg wash for both braids. The egg wash gives your pastry that beautiful sheen.
6. Bake each braid for 15-16 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure to rotate the pan at least two times to ensure the braid is browning evenly.
7. Meanwhile, wisk the glaze ingredients together until smooth.
8. Remove the braids from the oven. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Drizzle with glaze, slice, and enjoy!

 

For more information as well as step by step pictures, I would highly recommend you visit the source of this recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/02/16/blueberries-n-cream-danish-braid/

Strawberry Rhubarb Danish ~ By Victoria

 

 

 

 These are SOOOO good!!  I've made them a couple times this summer and had to guard them in order to get just one picture for the blog!  The directions are pretty sketchy when it comes to how you shape them, so I took some pictures to show what I do. The directions say to let the dough chill overnight, but I was in a hurry one day so decided the night would last about 4 hours. :) It worked fine.

 

 

 

 

 

Danish Pastry Dough:

 

1/4 cup warm water, 105*F. to 115*F.
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
1 egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks cold unsalted butter

 

 

 

Pour water into bowl; add yeast and let stand for 2-3 minutes until yeast foams. Add milk, egg, sugar and salt and whisk to mix; set aside.

Measure flour into food processor with metal blade in place. Cut butter into 1/4 inch thick slices and drop into flour. Pulse 8 to 10 times, until butter is cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

Empty flour mixture into bowl with yeast and with rubber spatula, gently fold the two mixtures together just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Don’t be too energetic! The butter must remain in pieces so that you will produce a flaky pastry, not a bread dough or cookie. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (or up to 4 days to suit your schedule).

Lightly flour a work surface; turn dough out onto it, and dust dough with flour. Using the palms of your hands, pat dough into a rough square. Roll out to 16 inches on a side. Fold dough into thirds, like a business letter and turn it so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Roll out again, into a long narrow rectangle, about 10 inches wide by 24 inches long. Fold into thirds again. Roll out to make a 20-inch square. Fold square into thirds again to make a long, narrow rectangle. Then again, fold into thirds to make a square. (If at any point in this procedure the dough gets very soft, cover and chill it for 30 minutes or so.) Cover and chill the dough before final shaping. You can store the dough in the refrigerator for 4 days or wrap it air tight and keep it frozen for 1 month; thaw overnight, still wrapped, in the refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Filling:
8oz cream cheese (softened)
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup of sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbs flour

 Mix the ingredients together and chill for at least 30 minutes.

 Preheat oven to 400f.
 Roll out the dough,  cut into desired shapes, top with cheese and then fruit. Brush edges with egg. sprinkle with sugar. and bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden.
Source: Good Morning Grace

 

Thick, Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles ~ by Caroline

I am excited to share with you the best recipe for the ultimate Snickerdoodle! I've always been a fan of Snickerdoodles, but could never seem to come up with the perfect recipe that made them nice and chewy. After trying several recipes with them all ending up crispier than I like, I finally found this one.  And believe me, it is THE BEST!!  These cookies are light and buttery, soft and chewy, and so thick and delicious you won’t be able to eat just one.  ;-)  

 

The directions are for regular sized cookies. If you want to make them mini sized, roll into 1″ balls and bake 6 minutes. You want them slightly underdone so they stay soft and chewy!

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Butter
• 3oz Cream Cheese
• 1 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla 
• 1/e tsp. Salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 2 tsps. Cream of Tartar
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda
• 3 1/4 cups Flour

Topping

• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 1 heaping tsp. Cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. 

In a mixing bowl beat together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg, vanilla, salt and cinnamon and mix well.  Add in the cream of tartar, baking soda, and half of the flour mixture and mix on low until combined.  Add in remaining flour and mix again just until combined. 

In a small bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Roll the dough into 1 1/2" balls and coat them with the cinnamon sugar topping.  Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet 2" apart.  Bake for 8 minutes.  Let cool for a couple minutes on the cookies sheet before cooling completely on a wire rack.  Store in an air tight container. Enjoy!

Source: backforseconds.com

Rich Chocolate Pecan Pie ~ by Caroline

 

I have always loved pecan pie, but chocolate pecan pie is even better!  After trying out several different recipes, we have decided that this one is definitely the BEST!  Enjoy! 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups pecans
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

 

Spread the pecan pieces and the chocolate chips evenly on the bottom of the pie shell.

 

In a mixing bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients together.  Pour the filling over the pecans.  Bake until the filling sets, 50 to 60 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes before slicing.

-------------------------------------------------------------

I actually tried doubling the filling last time I made this, and it turned out great!  But either way is awesome.  :)

 

Source: food.com