Molasses Cookies

Today I'm going to share with your one of my most favorite cookie recipes ever. I have memories of baking these cookies with my Grandma, rolling out the dough, choosing the cookie cutters to use. My home just doesn't feel like Christmas until the smell of these baking in the oven fills the air. These cookies have been a part of my Christmas holiday my whole life.

These cookies don't have to be reserved for Christmas, they can be enjoyed all year-round! They're just as fun to do at Halloween too!

This recipe is large enough that you will have many cookies to give to friends and family, but beware, they will come back year after year asking you to make them again!

INGREDIENTS:

7 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. cocoa powder
4 tsp. ground ginger
2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
4 tsp. ground cloves
2 c. butter, softened
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. molasses

In a medium bowl, sift together all dry ingredients, set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy, add sugar, beat until well blended. Beat in eggs and molasses. Gradually stir in flour mixture. blend well. You may add up to 1/2 cup more flour of dough is too sticky. Wrap dough in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

Preheat oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut dough into 4 portions, roll out each portion to about 1/4 inch thickness. Be sure to roll on a floured surface to avoid sticking. Use any cookie cutters of your choice. Place cookies on cookie sheets lined with parchment about 1-2 inches apart.

Bake cookies 10-12 minutes. Let stand about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Let cookies cool completely before frosting them.

ICING:

Frosting these cookies will take 3-4 pounds of powdered sugar. I usually make 4-5 colors of frosting for these cookies. This recipe is for 1 colored batch of frosting. You will need to make several batches to frost all the cookies in the recipe.

2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
food coloring
water

Mix all ingredients together. How much food coloring you use is entirely up to you, depending on the color you're going for. As for the water, just mix in about 1 Tbsp to start, and add a few drops at a time until your frosting is desired thickness. This frosting dries pretty firm no matter how tick or thin you make it.

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for about two or three weeks, but they probably won't last that long anyway!

PHOTO COMING SOON!

Easy Turkey Fritters

I am really into fritters at the moment. I love mixing ingredients, and plopping them into a frying pan of hot oil, listening to them sizzle and pop. The smell is amazing as well. So here it is, my latest addition to my fritter family. This is a great recipe to make if you have a lot of leftover turkey from those holiday meals. 








Turkey Fritters

• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp. Coconut oil (melted) - you can use butter instead if you don't have coconut oil.
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/4 c. flour
• 3/4 c. Panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt 
• 1 tsp. poultry seasoning or sage
• 1 Tbsp dried onion flakes - or half a sweet onion
• 1 carrot - shredded
• 1 1/2 c. leftover turkey or chicken
• 1/3 c. Canola oil for frying

Beat eggs, add coconut oil (or butter), milk, dry ingredients; beat until smooth. Stir in onion, carrot, and turkey or chicken. Heat Canola oil in large frying pan, drop mixture from spoon, fry until brown on both sides and cooked through. You can serve with cranberry sauce or gravy. 


Makes about 6-8 fritters.

Cinnamon Orange Rolls

Cinnamon rolls have always been one of my favorite breakfast foods. There is nothing like waking up to the smell of cinnamon rolls, warm in the oven, just waiting to be glazed and eaten.

In this recipe, I take it one step further on the yummy chart, by adding a burst of orange flavor to these little bites of Heaven.




Rolls:

1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

2 1/2 cups Bisquick Mix
3 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp orange zest
2/3 cup milk
3 Tbsp butter (softened)

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan. In a small bowl, mix the 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon together, set aside.

In a medium bowl, add the Bisquick, 3 Tbsp sugar, orange zest, and milk. Stir until a nice soft dough forms. Sprinkle with additional Bisquick if the dough is too sticky.

Dust your counter-top with Bisquick, and turn your dough out onto it, then give it an additional dusting of Bisquick, and knead 10 times. Then with a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle that is roughly 15 x 9 inches. Spread the butter over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle with your cinnamon-sugar mix.

Roll up your dough tightly at the 15-inch side, seal by pinching the edges and ends together. Cut into 1 1/2-inch slices, and place the slices in your pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until they're a nice golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the pan. Glaze and serve.

Tuna Fritters Recipe

Tuna fritters are simple to make, so if you're pressed for time, you can whip these up in 30 minutes or less. They are delish served either cold or hot and make great snacks for after school, parties, or picnics.

You can make a double batch, serve half for dinner, put the other half in the fridge for a quick anytime-snack the next day.


Ingredients:

• 12oz can chunk light tuna, drained (You can also use a can of Salmon )
• 1 small sweet onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley (You can also use dried)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 cup Panko (japanese bread crumbs)
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
• 2-3 potatoes (about 2 cups), peeled and grated
• 1/2 tsp dried dill 
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt, 
• dash of pepper
• ½ cup of canola oil 

Combine the tuna (or salmon), onion, parsley, eggs, grated carrot and flour in a medium bowl.
Peel potatoes, grate them into the mixture.
Add remaining ingredients, stir until well blended.
Heat oil in a frying pan, make patties out of about 1/4 cup of tuna mixture and fry fritters in batches of a few at a time, until golden brown on both sides and firm. Drain on a wire rack, or paper towels.
Serve the tuna fritters with tarter sauce and lemon wedges, if desired.

Tarter Sauce:

1 cup Mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip)
1/4 cup dill relish
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Mix and serve.

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut butter cookies have always been one of my favorite types of cookie. I have tried many different recipes, and this one is my favorite.

This recipe is very versatile, you can use creamy or crunchy peanut butter, you can use butter, shortening, oil, or a combination of these.

As for the sugar, you can substitute that as well. You can use Agave or maple syrup instead of sugar. It's all up to you!


  Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter (or shortening, or canola oil)
• 1 cup crunchy or creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter. Put in refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
Roll into 1 inch balls and put on baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown. Do not over-bake. Let cool 5 minutes before removing cookies from baking sheet.

NOTE: For a more crunchy cookie, flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern before baking.

Homemade Milk Bones (wheat-free)

Today I'm going to show you how to make some milk bones for your pampered pooch.

I started making homemade dog treats when I discovered that my German Shepherd "Etta Velvet" was allergic to wheat. She gets big hives all over her face and head when she eats any amount of wheat.

Wheat-free dog treats are not always easy to find, and when you do find them, they can be pretty expensive.

I have many recipes for wheat-free dog treats to share with you, but I'll start off with the easiest, most inexpensive recipe first.

If your dog doesn't have a wheat sensitivity, you don't have to use any special flour, 4 cups of whole wheat flour will do just fine. If you plan to use whole wheat flour, you do not have to add the baking powder.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup powdered milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4tsp baking powder
• 2 cups oat flour
• 2 cups rice flour
• 1/4 cup corn starch

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

In large bowl pour hot water over the butter. Stir in powdered milk, salt, and egg. Add flour, one cup at a time. Knead for a few minutes to form stiff dough. If dough is too sticky, sprinkle with corn starch while kneading. Sprinkle some corn starch on the counter top as well. Pat or roll to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into bone shapes, or whatever shape you desire. Bake for 50 minutes for wheat flour, 60-65 minutes for oat/rice flour. Let cool. They will dry out quite hard. 

You can store them in an air-tight jar or can for about two weeks, but your dog will probably gobble them up before that. 

Note: The oat/rice flour biscuits will be a bit more fragile than wheat biscuits, they tend to crumble a bit, so it's best to make smaller cookies.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

If you're like me and you love chocolate and peanut butter, then there is almost nothing better to cure your cravings than these Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies.

Let's get started! Shall we?






Brownie Ingredients:

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup butter, margarine, or shortening, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 5 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Swirl Topping:

• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, melted
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy/chunky, I prefer chunky)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with parchment paper, grease the sides of the pan with shortening, so the brownies won't stick. Be sure to leave enough parchment on the two longest sides of the pan, so your will be able to lift the brownies out with the parchment, once they're cooled.

In a small bowl, blend flour and cocoa powder, set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together until smooth, add eggs, beat until blended, then stir in vanilla and chocolate chips. Slowly stir flour mixture into butter mixture, just until blended. You don't want to over-stir, or your brownies will be more like cake.

Pour the batter into your parchment-lined 9 x 13 baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix all of your peanut butter swirl ingredients together, and spoon blobs of it on top of your brownie batter. Run a knife back and forth through the batter repeatedly, until you have a nice swirl pattern.

Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out slightly damp, but without raw batter on it. Let the brownies cool for about 20-30 minutes, then lift them out of the pan, and cut them into squares.

Makes about 16-20 brownies, depending on how you cut them. Enjoy!

Corned Beef Hash Pinwheels

Today I'm cooking something called Corned Beef Hash Pinwheels. I adapted the recipe from one that my Grandmother taught me when I was little. It's basically a can of corned beef hash rolled into some biscuit dough. These little rolls make a great snack, picnic food, or quick dinner. Kids love them, and you can pop one in their lunch box for school. They taste good hot or cold.


Ingredients:

• 3 cups Bisquick Mix
• 1 cup milk (you may need a little extra)
• 4 Tbsp butter - softened
• 1 large can (or two small cans) corned beef hash
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• garlic powder
• dried minced onions (or onion powder)
• ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine Bisquick mix and milk until a soft dough forms. If it is too dry, add a little more milk, and if you get it too wet, you can always add a little more Bisquick to dry it up.

Roll out your dough to a 1/4 inch thickness, about 26 inches long, and 6-8 inches wide.

Spread a thin layer of the softened butter over the dough, then spoon the corned beef hash on top. Be sure to spread both evenly to cover the entire surface of the biscuit dough. After that, sprinkle on the cheddar cheese in a thin, even layer.

Sprinkle a little of each of the remaining ingredients over the cheese, it's really up to you how much you use. I would say not to use more than a 1/4 teaspoon of garlic and pepper.

If you're using dried minced onions, you can probably use a good teaspoon of those, if you're using onion powder, a 1/4 teaspoon should be enough.

Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 inch slices, making about 25 pinwheels.

Place them on a greased cookie sheet about an inch apart, and bake them for 8-10 minutes, or until they are lightly browned.

Hello everyone, and welcome to my recipe blog! I'm a landscape photographer that also enjoys cooking and baking, so I'm here to share some of my favorite recipes with you.

I will be posting those recipes as soon as my new lighting arrives, so be patient, and go have a look at my online photo gallery .You can view my work at any time by clicking the links on the tabs above. You may also follow me on Pinterest, or become my fan on Facebook.