York Cookies

This is a Parenting Magazine Cookie Contest Winner




Ingredients:

1/2 cup salted butter
1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg-brown shelled, farm fresh if possible
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
2-1/4 cups flour
14-16 York Peppermint patties- small wrapped ones, not the big ones
8 ounces dark chocolate

Directions:

1. In a mixer beat the butter, shortening, and sugars together until light and fluffed. Beat in the egg and extract. Add the flour and baking soda and stir until fully combined. Chill for 1 hour.
2. Unwrap all candies. Grease cookie sheet and preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3. Spoon about 1-1/2 tablespoons of dough on to a floured surface and press dough into a circle about 1/4-inch thick and 3 inches in diameter. Place one mint candy in the center. Bring the sides of the circle of dough together to cover and encase the candy. Roll it in your hands to seal edges. Reapeat with remaining dough and candies. Place all cookies at least 2 inches apart on cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden. Allow to cool on pan.
4. In a microwave-safe bowl break chocolate into small pieces. Microwave for 30 second intervals, stir, then repeat until melted. If necessary, add 2 tablespoons of shortening. Drizzle on cookies.
5. Serve with milk or coffee for adults.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Bites (Bakerella)

2 refrigerated ready-to roll pie crusts

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter

Optional
1/2 cup chocolate morsels
vegetable oil
re-sealable plastic bags

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Use cookie cutter to cut 12 pumpkin shapes from each pie crust. You will need to roll the dough thinner than it comes out of the box.
Press dough shapes into a 24 cup mini muffin tray. (Make 12 at a time, alternating cups to make sure pie crusts don’t overlap each other.)
Apply egg whites from one egg to the top edges of each pie.
Mix cream cheese, sugar, canned pumpkin, remaining 2 eggs, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice together until thoroughly combined.
Spoon mixture into each pumpkin-shaped pie crust.
Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Remove pies to cool and repeat with second pie crust. Place the muffin tray in the freezer to cool it quickly for re-use.

Drizzle melted white chocolate on top

Makes 24 pies. Refrigerate

Poppy seed cookies (cindy mcarthers recipe)

my very favorite cookie right now!! and this picture does not do them justice, they really are not yellow.


this is doubled, i also double the double for ocpm test week

1 cup butter, softened
4 cups flour (do 3 1/2 and slowly add other 1/2 if needed)
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 teaspoons poppy seeds

beat butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until fluffy
add flour and poppy seeds, mix until soft dough and not sticky!
roll out dough thin
cut out circles 3 in?
add a tiny bit of jam to one side and fold over, press down edges with a fork to seal
bake at 375 for 7-10 minutes
cool cookies
glaze


glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons half and half (or milk)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

drizzle over cookies

Punpkin Cake 2 (Spring Lake 5th ward)

Cake:
1/2 cup oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
16 oz pumpkin, or two cups
2 cups bisquick
1 teaspoon cinnamon


Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 Tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar


1. mix together all ingredients for 2 minutes, no lumps
2. bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes
3. cool and frost

Pumpkin Cake 1

cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 cup oil
1 (16 oz) can or two cups pumpkin
4 eggs

optional: 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup nuts

frosting:

2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1 Tablespoon milk (add more if needed)
1 teaspoon vanilla


1. heat oven to 350. grease jelly roll pan. combine all ingredients in large bowl, beat until moist. stir in raisins and nuts at this time if using them. pour into greased pan.
2.bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. cool 1 hour or until completely cooled.
3. in small bowl combine all frosting ingredients, beat until smooth. spread over cooled cake. cut into bars. refrigerate

Brownies (Karlene's)

1 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt


On stove melt butter, add cocoa. Take off stove and add sugar, stir well. Add eggs 1 at a time. Add vanilla, flour, and salt.
Pour in greased/floured 9x13 in. pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350

Mini Caramel-Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites (picky -palate.com)

8 whole Oreos, finely ground in food processor
1 1/2 Tablespoons melted butter
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1/2 Cup pumpkin puree (I used Libby’s)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
3 Litehouse Lowfat caramel dip (comes in a package of 6 20z little cups)
12 Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses, unwrapped
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine ground Oreos and melted butter into a bowl until well combined. Spoon into 12 mini cheesecake cups that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Press into the bottom of each cup so the crust is flat. Partially bake for 10 minutes then remove from oven.
2. In a stand or electric mixer beat the cream cheese, sugar and pumpkin until smooth. Beat in egg, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg until combined. Pour evenly into the 12 cups filling about 3/4 way full. Spoon about a teaspoon of caramel into the tops of each filled cup and swirl with a toothpick gently. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until cheesecake is cooked through. Let cool completely.
3. Remove cheesecakes from pan and top each with a spoonful of remaining caramel and a Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kiss. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
12 mini cheesecakes

Grasshopper Tarts (By Peabody)

Chocolate Tart Shell:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I like Green and Black’s)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
½ cup unsalted butter, chilled, diced into small pieces
2 large egg yolks
1 TBSP Crème de Mente (or 1 tsp peppermint extract)
1 TBSP whole milk

Using a food processor, add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and sugar. Pulse for about 10 seconds until all ingredients are combined.
Add the butter. Make sure to spread the pieces evenly through out the bowl. Pulse until the dough forms into pieces (about the size of couscous).
Add egg yolks, Crème de Mente, and milk. Pulse until completely combined and it has formed into dough.
Divide in half. Form into disc shape. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to overnight).
Remove from fridge and lightly flour a work surface. Roll out and form into tart pan/tart rings. Prick the dough with a fork. Cover with parchment paper and use beans or pie weights to hold dough down.
Bake for 8 minutes on 350F. Remove from oven. Carefully remove parchment paper and weights. Place back into oven and bake for another 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Filling:
8 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
5 TBSP unsalted butter
1 large egg yolk
¼ cup water
handful of mint leaves

In a small saucepan bring 1 cup (but you will only be using ¼ cup of it) water and mint leaves to a boil. Remove from heat. Let sit for 1 hour. Strain out the mint leaves and set aside.
Using a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter together, just until smooth. Set aside.
Bring ¼ cup of the mint water to a boil.
Whisk egg yolk in small heatproof bowl.
Gradually whisk in ¼ cup boiling mint water to temper the egg yolk. Place bowl over a small saucepan that has shallow simmering water (or you can use another double boiler) until instant-read thermometer inserted into egg mixture registers 160°F, about 3 minutes.
Whisk egg mixture into chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth.
Pour chocolate filling into crust. Cover and chill overnight or up to 2 days.
Garnish with marshmallow topping in whatever patterns you would like.
Before serving, let tart soften slightly at room temperature.

Marshmallow Topping:
1 ½ cups marshmallows
1 TBSP Crème de Mente
1 TBSP whole milk
couple drops of green food coloring
In a small saucepan combine all ingredients and melt marshmallows down over low heat. When marshmallows have melted and it looks sauce-like, remove from pan. Decorate tart.Grasshopper Tatrs

Pretzel Salad

2 1/2 cups pretzels (crushed)
1 1/2 cups butter (melted)
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 containers cool whip (or one large perhaps?)
1 large box raspberry Jello
2 cups pineapple juice
1 bag frozen raspberries

Mix pretzels and butter; Bake 10 minutes on 400, cool.
Mix cream cheese, sugar, and 1 container cool whip, spread on cooled crust.
Mix Jello and pineapple juice making jello following recipe.
When partial set add raspberries, and layer on cream cheese. Refrigerate to set and top with cool whip.