lemon bars - Paula Deen style!

I found these lemon bars here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/lemon-bars-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

Crust:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
• Pinch salt
• 2 sticks butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing

Filling:

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch pan.

Make the crust by combining the flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter to make a crumbly mixture. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. You may need to dip your fingers into a little flour or confectioners' sugar to keep the doughfrom sticking to your fingers. Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the filling, mix the eggs, granulated sugar, flour, and lemon juice. Pour this over the baked crust and bake for 25 minutes longer. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if desired, when the bars are done.

Sparkling Cranberry Gems

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/sparkling-cranberry-gems-recipe

Very easy and super yummy and somewhat healthier for you.  The only disappointing thing from this recipe is that I only got 18 cookies using my cookie dough scoop, not ~3 dozen.  :o(  Also trying a batch with dried cherries since I ran out of cranberries and didn't even get 2 dozen.

Cookies
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) King Arthur White  Whole Wheat Flour, organic preferred; or  King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups (7 ounces) dried cranberries,  packed
2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into pats
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) milk

Coating
scant 1/2 cup (about 3 1/2 ounces) coarse white sparkling sugar
Place the flour and dried cranberries in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the cranberries are coarsely shredded. Imagine a single dried cranberry cut into about 4 pieces: that’s your goal.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

Whisk together the flour/cranberry mixture, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the vanilla and butter, mixing until the butter is thoroughly distributed, but some pea-sized chunks still remain. Dribble in the milk while mixing; the dough will become cohesive.

Place the coarse sugar in a plastic bag; about 1-quart size should do.

Using a teaspoon cookie scoop (or a spoon), scoop the dough by 1 3/4-teaspoonfuls (about 1 ¼" balls) into the bag, 6 or 8 at a time. Close the top of the bag, and gently shake to coat the balls with sugar. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, and use the bottom of a glass to flatten them to about ¼" thick (about 1 ½" in diameter). Repeat with the remaining dough.

Bake the cookies for 16 to 17 minutes, until they’re set and barely, BARELY beginning to brown around the very edge; the tops shouldn’t be brown at all. Remove them from the oven, and cool right on the pan.
Yield: about 3 dozen cookies.

Breakfast Cookies

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/breakfast-cookies-recipe/index.html

*I just used reg. whole wheat flour.  Didn't have pastry flour but maybe next time I will!  I also did part applesauce part oil instead of all oil and no nuts and our house.*

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup (1 small jar) strained carrot baby food
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup bran cereal flakes
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted in a dry skillet for 2 minutes, until fragrant and chopped

Directions

Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Combine butter, oil and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed, scraping down sides if necessary, until sugars have dissolved and mixture is light in color, about 1 minute. Add egg, carrot puree and vanilla and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add flour mixture and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add oats, flakes, raisins and walnuts and mix over low speed just until incorporated. Dough will be slightly sticky and less cohesive than traditional cookie dough. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using between 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter, form a ball and place on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, leaving about 3 inches between cookies. Wet hands and use palm of hand to flatten cookies until about 1/4-inch thick. Bake for 12 minutes, until cookies are fragrant but still soft. Let cookies cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients/directions:

mix until fluffy:
1 8oz. package cream cheese (softened)
1 stick butter (softened)

Add:
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix in:
1 chocolate cake mix of choice

Let chill for 2 hours in the fridge (let's be honest, usually I just put it in the freezer for 30-40 minutes. Who has patience for two hours?)

Roll into balls. (I recommend spraying your hands with cooking spray as they are pretty gooey)

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes (until the tops are cracked)

Let cool 2 minutes on the pan before placing on a wire rack.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

Just in time for Fall! I got this recipe from my old VT and have been craving them for the last couple weeks. They are so YUMMY!

3/4 C granulated sugar
3/4 C brown sugar
3.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1.5 C canned pumpkin
3/4 C oil
7 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
4.5 C flour
1.5 C chocolate chips

Cream Cheese Frosting


Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixer bowl, mix together sugars, pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin, oil, and eggs until well blended.

In a separate bowl blend baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour. Combine with pumpkin mix. Mix together until well blended then add chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfuls on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or a well-greased pan. I found that if I put the whole cookie sheet in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes to let the dough set a bit, the cookies turn out a whole lot better. Bake for 8 minutes. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Sour Cream Cookies

1 C Sugar
1/2 C Crisco
2 Eggs
1 C Sour Cream
2 T Vanilla
3 C Flour
2 t Baking Powder
1t Baking Soda
1/2 t Salt

Cream sugar and Crisco together. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed ingredients.

Bake at 350 for about 8 mins. These cookies do not "brown" unless you burn them, so watch. They will be a creamy color and "cake like" when done.

They are extra yummy with your favorite icing on top. I ice mine with Cream Cheese Icing.

Sandies aka "Mo Cookies"

1 C Butter or Marg
1/3 Gran Sugar
2 t Water
2 t Vanilla
2 C sifted Flour
1 C chopped Pecans
Confectioners Sugar

Cream butter and sugar; add water and vanilla; mix well. Blend in flour and nuts; chill 4 hours =/-. Shape into balls. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 325 for about 20 mins. Remove from cookie sheet; cool slightly; roll in confectioners (powdered) sugar.
Makes about 3 doz.