Soft Sugar Cookies

My grandson wanted to bake cookies yesterday. I wasn’t up for it then, but we had a blast today! 

These are very easy to make and the flavor is great! You cannot use this recipe for rolled cookie cutter cookies. It’s a little crumbly.  

Enjoy! 

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups (358g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup (224g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp (233g) granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp (28g) light brown sugar
• 1  large egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extractOk to use almond extract if desired to change the flavor 

• 1/4 cup sugar (additional for rolling)
  

  Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
  2. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
  3. Cream the butter and sugars together in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until light in color and fluffy. You should be able to see the change in color happen and know it’s ready.
  4. Add the egg and mix until well combined.
  5. Add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
  6. Add the dry ingredients and mix until the dough is well combined. It will be thick and shouldn’t be sticky. Do not over mix. Once it’s well combined, use a rubber spatula to help it come together to form a more cohesive ball.
  7. Create 1 1/2 tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough. Gently roll into a ball, then roll each ball in the additional sugar to coat. Set the balls on the baking sheet.
     
     
     Be careful if little helpers say “eat” 
  8. Bake cookies for 7-8 minutes. The cookies will spread and the centers will look soft, but should look done. Remove just before the edges begin to turn golden. Don’t over bake. The cookies will be a little puffy when you take them out of the oven but will fall a bit as they cool.
  9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for 4-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
     
     
     
     

🍓Strawberry Pie🍓

We had lots of berries today so I made a strawberry pie. First, I made and baked a 9” pie crust. Next, I took 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch and whisked those together in a saucepan. Next, I whisked in 2 cups cold water. Then, I cooked it over medium heat until it was thick and bubbly.  I removed it from the heat and stirred in one 3 ounce package of strawberry jello.  I set it aside to cool. 

While that was cooling, I washed, hulled and sliced up about 3-4 cups strawberries.  I placed them in a strainer sitting on a layer of paper towels so they could drain and keep my crust from getting soggy (I hope). 

After everything was cool enough to handle, I placed about half the berries in the crust and poured about half the gel over them. I then arranged the rest of the berries and added the remaining gel.  It’s in the fridge to chill. Later, we will have it with whipped cream. Yum. 

Butter

I have always wanted to make butter. Today was the day! I was like a kid at Christmas when the cream separated into liquid and solid.  It was great!  It was so easy too! Heavy whipping cream and a quart jar with a lid.  A pinch of salt if you desire and shake, shake, shake!  Shake shake shake! You made butter!! You made butter! 

(I do not own the rights to the song that was playing in my head as I typed this) 

To make butter:

Pour a quart mason jar 1/2 full of heavy whipping cream

Add a pinch of salt if desired

Place lid on tightly and shake. Keep shaking. It will work. Timing depends on how fast you shake. For me, after about 10 minutes I had whipped cream. I kept shaking. In just a few more minutes, I could see it beginning to come together, then separate then viola! It separated into thin liquid (buttermilk) and solid (the butter). 

I poured it through a strainer, then gathered the solid and placed it in another bowl. I rinsed it twice with very cold water then placed the butter in a bowl.  I did the same thing again with the reminder and it went much faster. I kept the buttermilk, I’ll use it tomorrow to make my breakfast muffins and dumplings for lunch. I’m excited. I may never buy butter again. 

I used a quart of heavy whipping cream 

Poured it in a jar and covered it after adding a pinch of salt 

Shake! Shake! And keep shaking 

It’s beginning to separate 

Getting closer 

It’s getting closer 

See the butter forming? 

Butter and buttermilk 

See?! 

 

Pour through strainer or cheesecloth 

Buttermilk

Rinse a couple times with cold water. Discard that water 

Butter!! 

Buttermilk. It can be used!! 

Key Lime Pie

Key lime pie 

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust:

1/3 of a 1-pound box graham crackers

5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

1/3 cup sugar

Filling:

3 egg yolks

2 teaspoons lime zest

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2/3 cup freshly squeezed Key lime juice, or store bought key lime juice 

For the graham cracker crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Break up the graham crackers; place in a food processor and process to crumbs. If you don't have a food processor, place the crackers in a large plastic bag; seal and then crush the crackers with a rolling pin. Add the melted butter and sugar and pulse or stir until combined. Press the mixture into the bottom and side of a pie pan, forming a neat border around the edge. Bake the crust until set and golden, 8 minutes. Set aside on a wire rack; leave the oven on.

For the filling: Meanwhile, in an electric mixer with the wire whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks and lime zest at high speed until very fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Gradually add the condensed milk and continue to beat until thick, 3 or 4 minutes longer. Lower the mixer speed and slowly add the lime juice, mixing just until combined, no longer. Pour the mixture into the crust. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the filling has just set. Cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate. Freeze for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

For the topping: Whip the cream and the confectioners' sugar until nearly stiff. Cut the pie into wedges and serve very cold, topping each wedge with a large dollop of whipped cream.

For 

For this pie I didn’t have any graham crackers so I used most of a box of vanilla wafers and about 4-5 tbsp butter melted. I pulsed the cookies then pulsed in the melted butter.  I did not add sugar and I did not prebake the crust. I did spray the pie baker with cooking spray.  I also used 4 egg yolks instead of 3 and hand whisked them until a color change and frothy.  I added the sweetened condensed milk and whisked til combined. I then added the bottled lime juice, whisking it in well.  Rest as above.  

Lemon pie with a shortbread crust

• 
  
  Recipes from Allrecipes.com and Taste of Home 
  In 1991 I started work at Baptist Hospital in Nashville.  There was this lemon pie they served in the cafeteria.  It was so very good. I’ve been trying to find a recipe that was close.  This. This is the closest so far.  This shortbread crust just sets it off!! 
  
  
  Shortbread crust 
  1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

• 
  

• Prep

  15
   m

• Cook

  15
   m

• Ready In

  30
   m

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Stir together flour and baking powder; blend into butter mixture. Pat into a 9 inch pie plate.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.
   Lemon pie 🍋 
   

   Ingredients

   • 1 sheet refrigerated pie pastry or shortbread crust above 
   • 1/2 cup sugar
   • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
   • 4 large eggs
   • 1 cup light corn syrup
   • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
   • 1/3 cup lemon juice
   • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
   • WHIPPED CREAM:
   • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
   • 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
   • 
     

   • Directions

     • Preheat oven to 350°. Unroll pastry sheet into a 9-in. pie plate; flute edge. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
     • In a bowl, mix sugar and flour until blended. Whisk in eggs, corn syrup, lemon zest, lemon juice and melted butter until blended. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate.
     • Bake on a lower oven rack until filling is golden brown and thickened, 40-45 minutes; cover edge loosely with foil during the last 15 minutes if needed to prevent overbrowning. Remove foil; cool 1 hour on a wire rack. Refrigerate, covered, 2 hours or until cold.
     • For whipped cream, in a bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar; beat until soft peaks form. Serve pie with whipped cream.

KY Butter Cake

This is a great cake with a pound cake texture. It’s great served alone, with ice cream or chocolate sauce or fruit with or without whipped cream.  I hope you enjoy it! 



Ingredients:

KY Butter Cake

• 1 cup butter, cubed at room temperature 
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk

Butter Glaze

• 1/3 cup butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

---

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F 
2. Grease a 10″ bundt pan with butter or shortening very liberally. Dust the pan with flour and set aside. You may also use Bakers Joy baking spray.  

1. Place all the cake ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low for 30 seconds and then increase the speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes.
2. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 65-75 minutes until a toothpick entered into the center comes out clean.
3. When the cake is done make the glaze. Combine all ingredients into a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir continuously until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Do not boil.Poke holes all over the warm cake using a knife or wooden spoon handle. Pour the glaze evenly on the cake while still in the pan.
4. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan and then invert the cake onto a serving plate.

Peach Pie

I have made all kinds of cobblers all my life - peach, apple, strawberry, chocolate. I have made apple and peach crisps all my life. I don't remember ever making a real peach pie. Today that is what I did. I went to Jackson's Orchard today and got some peaches. They were quite good, very juicy! I couldn't believe peaches were available already. I made crust for a 2-crust pie, wrapped and refrigerated it. I then began peeling and slicing peaches. I sliced until I got 4 1/2 cups of sliced peaches in an eight cup measuring pitcher.  

I then covered the peaches with 1/2 cup cane sugar and 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar.

I stirred them together and let them sit on the butcherblock table for about an hour.

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After the peaches had been sitting close to an hour, I rolled out the bottom crust by dividing my dough approximately in half and rolling it out on floured wax paper. I use wax paper a lot because I can just wrap up the mess and toss it.

I fit it into my pie plate. This one is my only Fiesta pie plate. I won it for entering a baking contest. The post previous to this one for the Pineapple Upsidedown Cake was that winner!

I smoothed out the crust and fixed my edges a bit.

Next, I stirred my peaches, checked for juice and poured the juice into a small saucepan.

In the saucepan, I already had 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon. I cooked and stirred until this mixture thickened. I then took it off the heat, added 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon butter. I stirred this until the butter melted, poured this over the peaches and stirred them well.

I then poured the peaches into the pie plate with the crust in place and placed strips of rolled and cut dough over the top. This particular pie crust dough was so tender it broke when I tried to alternate the strips to criss cross them .So I settled for what you see. I need more practice with the lattice look.

I placed the pie into a 400 degree oven and baked it for a little over an hour, until the fruit was soft, crust was golden brown and the juice was set and bubbling.

I didn't have any sanding sugar so I sprinkled about a teaspoon of granulated sugar over the hot pie.

After it cooled about 45 minutes or so, I cut it. I couldn't take it any longer. Oh, my. It was good!  Kind of ugly, but very very good! I posted a picture on facebook. They told me it wasn't ugly. It was rustic.

Peach Pie

Oven to 400 degrees

Make crust for 2 crust pie and refrigerate until needed

4 1/2 cups sliced peaches

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

3 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon butter

In a large bowl, combine the 4 1/2 cup peaches and sugars, stir gently, cover and let sit for about an hour. In the meantime, roll your bottom crust and place in your pie plate. Set it aside until ready for use. After the hour, drain the peaches, reserve the juice. 

Place the cornstarch, spices and salt into a saucepan, pour in and stir with the reserved juice. Bring to a boil, stir and cook about 2 minutes until thickened. Stir in the lemon juice and butter. 

Pour over peaches, gently stir to combine and coat the peaches. 

Pour peach mixture into pie plate. Make your lattice top crust and cover edges with foil or an edge guard. Bake approximately 50 minutes, remove foil and bake another 10 or so minutes until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or cold. 

This recipe was found on the internet, posted in Taste of Home and was originally published in Country Woman July/August 2005 pg 42

It had a 5 star rating. I would have to agree!!

Enjoy!!

The photos are mine, taken as I prepared the pie. The emoji is from google. 

Until the next time....

To be continued.......

I love all y'all!❤️