Maple Cookies (Eggless)

These are a childhood favorite of mine and I always make them at the first sign of Autumn.  They are soft and rich with maple flavoring.  

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons maple extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough about 2” apart on greased baking sheet. If you don't grease the baking sheet they will stick.  Bake about 10-12 minutes, or until almost no imprint remains when touched lightly. When cooled, spread with maple butter glaze.

Maple Butter Glaze

1/2 cup butter
2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons maple extract
2-4 tablespoons hot water

In a small sauce pot, heat butter until golden brown. Blend in sugar and maple extract. Stir in 2 to 4 tablespoons hot water until icing runs off a spoon. 

Also, I tend to dip the top of the cookies into the pot of glaze which I think is easier than trying to spread it evenly. 

Chocolate Cookies

These are my favorite soft and chewy chocolate cookies. The kind you need a tall glass of milk with.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 dollops sour cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and sour cream mix until combined.

Add dry ingredients and mix until fully combined.

Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll into 1 1/4" balls.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes.

Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Kart-Wheels

Kart-Wheels!! This recipe is from a cookbook I have had since I was little.
It's an easy recipe that would be fun to make with kids.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons milk
• approx. 1 cup of pie filling or jam (we made some raspberry jam)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Mix the flour, butter, powdered sugar, baking powder and just enough milk until dough forms. If the dough is too dry add milk by the teaspoon until the dough holds together.
Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.
Place the balls on and ungreased cookie sheet and flatten them slightly.
Make and indentation about 2 inches across and 3/4 inch deep in the center of each flattened ball.
Fill each indentation with approx. 2 tablespoons of pie filling.
Bake 20-25 minutes until the edges begin to brown.

Farina Halva

Farina Halva is by far one of my favorite desserts. You can add fruit, nuts, raisins or coconuts to this recipe. My mom particularly likes halavah with strawberries. Also, Cream of Wheat is just farina with a little wheat germ added and works great for this recipe if you don't have farina on hand or can't find it at the store. Ingredients:

• 1 cup farina
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup pineapple chunks or any other fruit of your choice

In a medium sauce pan mix the sugar and water and bring to a boil. Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the farina to the butter and stirring constantly cook over low heat for 20-25 minutes. The farina should turn a golden brown, as shown in the picture below. Add the golden farina to the boiling water by spoonfuls, whisking as you go to prevent clumping, and then add the pineapple. After all the farina is added let the mixture simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. You can serve Halva warm or cold.

Gulab Jamuns

These are by far one of the best sweets in the world!
I can only eat one or two at a time they are so fulfilling.

I thought I took photos but I can't find them.
Click here for a photo!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk powder
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons room temperature butter
• 1/4 cup room temperature milk
• Pinch of baking soda
• Oil for deep frying
  

Syrup Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

In a small pot combine the sugar, water and ground cardamom. Cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly while you are cooking the gulab jamuns.

Start heating the oil over LOW heat. The gulab jamuns will brown very quickly and if the oil is too hot they will burn before they are cooked through. If they don't cook through they will collapse when they are placed in the syrup, but this won't happen as log as your oil isn't too hot. Low heat is basically the key to making nice gulab jamuns.

In a bowl combine the milk powder, flour, and baking soda. With your hand mix in the butter. Once the butter is nicely incorporated mix in the milk. The dough will be soft and a little sticky. Let it rest for a few minutes and the dough will become a little easier to handle. Shape the dough into 1 inch balls. Make them smaller than you want the end result to be as they swell up a lot when they soak in the syrup.

Fry the gulab jamuns over low heat for approx. 5 minutes. They should brown up nicely.
Place them in the warm syrup and allow them to sit for about 10 to 15 minutes prior to serving so that they soak up the syrup.

Makes approx. 10 gulab jamuns.

Microwave Hot Fudge Cake

I forgot to take a photo! Here's a photo of Bellingham, WA instead.
It comes out looking like this if you are curious.

I stumbled upon this recipe today and had to try it. The cake was good, the sauce came out a little like pudding. My only caution is that you need someone to split this with! I split it with my dad and still had a stomach ache from all the sugar.

• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. baking cocoa
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tbsp. chopped nuts (I used Pecans... yum!)
  
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking cocoa
• 1/2 cup hot water

1. Mix flour, granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons cocoa, the baking powder and salt in 24-ounce microwavable casserole. Stir in milk, oil and vanilla until smooth. Stir in 2 tablespoons nuts. Sprinkle with brown sugar and 1 tablespoon cocoa.
2. Place water in 1-cup microwavable measure. Microwave uncovered on High 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds or until boiling. Pour over batter.
3. Microwave uncovered on High 2 minutes 30 seconds to 3 minutes, rotating casserole 1/4 turn after 1 minute, until cake is set but still glossy. Serve warm topped with ice cream. Garnish with sliced bananas, additional nuts and cherries.

Almond Cookies

One of my mom's favorite cookies. These cookies have a nice mild almond flavor, and aren't overly sweet.

• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 dollop sour cream or 1 egg replacer equivalent
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• Milk
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  

In an electric mixer cream butter and sugar for 30 seconds.
Add 3/4 cup of flour, sugar, sour cream or egg replacer, baking powder, and almond extract and mix until combined.
Mix in remaining 1 cup of flour.
Divide dough into 4 equal parts.
Shape each part into an 8 inch roll.
Place two rolls lengthwise on a cookie sheet and flatten each until they are approximately 3 inches wide.
Brush with a little milk and sprinkle with the almonds.
Bake at 325 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes, or just until the edges are lightly browned.
Cut the warm cookies diagonally into 1 inch strips.
Cool cookies on a wire rack and drizzle with icing.
Makes approx. 2 dozen cookies.

For Icing:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  
• 2 Tbsp. milk

Combine sugar, vanilla and milk in a bowl and mix until the icing runs nicely of the spoon. Add more milk a teaspoon at a time to thin if necessary.

Blueberry Glaze

We made blueberry glazed donuts this morning! The glaze is awesome, and the donuts were yummy but the recipe needs some work.

Here's the glaze recipe and I will post the donut recipe once it is perfected!

• 2 Tbsp. blueberry juice
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp. softened butter

To make the blueberry juice we just microwaved 20 blueberries for 30 seconds, smashed them with a fork and removed the pulp.

Mix all the ingredients until the glaze will run off a spoon, but isn't super runny.

Once the donuts had cooled a little, we just dipped the donuts in the glaze and let them finish cooling on a wire rack with a cookie sheet under it.

Pineapple Cake Donuts with Pineapple Icing

Donuts:

• 1 1/4 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. pineapple juice
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1 dollop sour cream (1 egg or equivalent egg replacer)
• 1/2 Tbsp. softened butter
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 c. milk
• 2 cups oil for frying

Mix sugar and sour cream (egg or egg replacer).
Add pineapple juice, butter, vanilla and milk and mix well.
Add flour, baking powder, and salt and beat until smooth. Don't over beat.
Heat oil in a deep pan to 350 degrees.
Fry the donut batter in hot vegetable oil, turning halfway through to ensure even browning.
Fry approximately one minute per side, although the time can vary depending on how hot the oil is.
For donut holes spoon the mixture into the oil.
If you want to make regular shaped donuts you will need a donut dispenser.

Icing:

• 3/4 c. powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp. pineapple juice
• 1 Tbsp. softened butter

Combine sugar, pineapple juice and butter and mix until smooth.
The icing should run off a spoon nicely.

Once the donuts have cooled a little drizzle the icing over them.