whats Baking!!

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Crisp topping for fruit
This topping goes with any fruit that can be made into a pie. I for one think making piecrust is a lot more work than it is worth. The store-bought piecrust is near cardboard in texture and taste. So what is a mother to do?
In my case I obtain a can of pie filling and go from there. The topping is very simple.
The regular recipe calls for:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 stick of butter (half cup), melted butter
• A sprinkle of salt

Put the butter on to melt. Don't scorch it; take your time. [If you start the butter before you start measuring the rest of the ingredients, it will be melted about the right time.]
Mix the first three ingredients well, and add the sprinkle of salt. Work in the melted butter until everything is coated. [If there are any lumps in the brown sugar, break them up or they will scorch in the cooking process.]
Put your fruit in a baking dish or pan. [If using fresh fruit do it just like you were making a pie. Canned filling, just dump it in.] Sprinkle on the topping evenly. You want just enough to cover all the topping.
Bake in preheated 375°F oven until topping is brown and filling bubbling. It will probably take 15 or 20 minutes.

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State Fair Cream Puffs

'The Wisconsin Bakers Association has served these treats at our state fair
since 1924,' says Ruth Jungbluth of Dodgeville.

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Additonal confectioners' sugar

In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil over medium
heat. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the
heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each
addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth an shiny.

Drop by 1/4 cupfuls 3 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Combine milk and egg
yolk; brush over puffs. Bake at 400 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until golden
brown. Remove to wire racks. Immediately cut a slit in each for steam to escape;
cool.

In a chilled large mixing bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar
and vanilla; beat until almost stiff. Split cream puffs; discard soft dough from
inside. Fill the cream puffs just before serving. Dust with confectioners'
sugar. Refrigerate leftovers.

Yield: 10 servings

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Peach Pudding Cake


6 peaches (halved and peeled)
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
8 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup self-rising flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
confectioners' sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F Grease and lightly flour a 9-inch round cake pan or springform pan.
2. Place peaches cut side down in a large skillet with brown sugar, vanilla bean seeds and water. Simmer 5 minutes. Cool.
3. Combine butter and sugar and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Add flour, salt and syrup from cooked peaches; beat until blended.
4. Place peaches cut side down in prepared pan; top with batter. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. When cool, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, if using. Serve with vanilla ice cream or crème fraîche, if desired.

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Pineapple Delight

1 (4-serving) pkg JELL-O sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 cups no-fat sour cream
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1 (6 ounce) sugar-free graham cracker piecrust
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple , packed in fruit juice, undrained
3/4 cup sugar-free Cool Whip , or enough to cover pie
2 teaspoons Splenda

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, combine milk, undrained crushed pineapple, and dry pudding mix. Mix well using a wire whisk. Add Splenda and sour cream. Mix gently to combine. Spread mixture evenly into piecrust. Evenly spread Cool Whip over filling. Refrigerate for a least 1 hour. Cut into 8 servings.

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Creamy Lemonade Pie

1 (5 oz) can evaporated milk
1 (3.4 oz) pkg. instant lemon pudding mix
2 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese softened
3/4 C. lemonade concentrate
1 graham cracker crust

In a mixing bowl combine milk and pudding mix; beat on low speed for 2 minutes. In another mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in lemonade concentrate. Gradually beat in pudding mixture. Pour into crust. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

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Reese Cup Chocolate Cake

1 (18 ounce) box chocolate cake mix (I used Devil's Food)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups chopped Reese's Peanut Butter cups

frosting


1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces dark chocolate (I used dark chocolate kisses)

1/2 cup peanut butter

1. Mix together first four ingredients. Then stir in the coppped Reese's cups. Pour into 2 greased 9" cake pans and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool completely.
2. Frosting: Heat cream just to boiling and pour over the 8 oz. drk chocolate and whisk until melted. Stir in 1/2 cup peanut butter and whisk until smooth and pour on cake. This frosting will be fairly loose but it soaks into the cake a little. I also top it with a few more chopped up Reese's cups.

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Ultimate Double Chocolate Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa
2 teaspoons instant coffee powder granules
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions:

DIRECTIONS:
1. Melt chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring occasionally until smooth. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream butter with white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in coffee crystals and vanilla until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the dry ingredients just until everything comes together. Cover, and let stand for 45 minutes so the chocolate can set up.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into walnut sized balls, or drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Cookies will be set, but the centers will still be very soft because of the chocolate. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

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Orange Poppy Seed Cookies

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of butter, room temperature
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon of orange zest
• 1 1/4 cup of flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds

Method

1 Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2 Add the egg and the orange zest, beat for thirty seconds, scraping down the bowl part way through to ensure even mixing.
3 In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly sift it into the butter mixture until just combined. Fold in the poppy seeds.
4 Place heaping teaspoonfuls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or Silpat, allowing them space as they will spread as they bake.
5 Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes or until just turning golden around the edges. Remove from oven. Let sit on the baking sheet for a minute or two to let the cookies solidify a bit, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

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Nebraska Sour-Cream Coffee Cake

1 cup butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 8-oz carton sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
sifted powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat till fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla.
Stir together the dry ingredients. Beat in the sour cream mixture till just combined.
Butter and lightly flour a 9-in springform pan with tube center or a 10-in fluted tube pan. Spoon half the cake batter into the prepared pan.
Combine walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle half the mixture over the batter in springform pan or all the mixture over batter in the tube pan.
Spoon the remaining batter into the pan, spreading evenly. Sprinkle batter in springform pan with remaining nut mixture.
Bake in 350 oven for 45-50 minutes (about 40 minutes in fluted tube pan) or till done. Cool 10-15 minutes in pan on wire rack. Remove from pan.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm.

makes 12-16 servings.

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Parmesan Pullaparts


1/4 cup butter
2 pinches garlic powder (optional)
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
1 (10 count) can refrigerator biscuits


2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Melt the butter (in the microwave is fine) and stir in the garlic powder.
3. Pour butter mixture into the bottom of a 8 to 9-inch round baking pan, tilting it around so that the entire surface is covered.
4. Sprinkle the dried onion and dried parsley evenly over the butter.
5. Remove the refrigerator biscuits from the can and cut them into quarters.
6. Place the cut biscuit pieces evenly over the herb and butter covered pan bottom, trying to not overlap the pieces too much.
7. Sprinkle the grated Parmesan over the cut biscuits.
8. Bake in 350 degree F oven until biscuits and Parmesan are golden brown on top, about 20-25 minutes. Move to bottom rack of your oven and cook for an additional 5 minutes to ensure that the bottom of the pullaparts are cooked well.
9. Source: from Colleen Jo in the LJ Cooking Community. Note from Colleen Jo: “Sometimes, when I'm short on time, I don't cut the biscuits, I just put them in the pan whole. Then they’re called Parmesan Biscuits.”.

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Easy Cinnamon Nut Cake

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1 1/3 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
7 1/2 teaspoons sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon



Directions:
Combine cake mix, eggs, water and oil. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Combine walnuts, sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle a third of nut mixture into greased 10-inch fluted tube pan. Top with half of the batter and another third of the nut mixture. Repeat layers.

Bake at 350F for 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack to cool completely.

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Black Russian Cake

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1 package Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 package Chocolate Instant Pudding
4 Eggs
3/4 cup Coffee
1/4 cup Coffee Liqueur
2 tablespoons Vodka



Directions:
Mix devil's food cake mix with instant chocolate pudding mix.

Beat eggs and add to the mixture. Add coffee, liqueur and vodka. Mix well.

Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake in 350F oven for 45-50 minutes. Cool cake and remove from pan.

Cook's Notes: Use either a devil's food or chocolate cake mix. You can also sprinkle cooled cake with powdered sugar.

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Coconut Mousse

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 package (8-ounce size) cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 pint whipping cream
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract or vanilla
Toasted sweetened flaked coconut, if desired



Directions:
Place butter and cream cheese in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add sugar; continue beating until well mixed.

Increase speed to high. Beat, gradually adding whipping cream, until stiff peaks form. Gently stir in 1/2 cup coconut and coconut extract by hand.

To serve, divide mixture evenly among individual serving dishes. Cover; refrigerate until serving time. Sprinkle with toasted coconut, if desired.

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Peaches & Cream Cake

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 package (3.4 oz size) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 can (16 oz size) peach slices
1 package (8 oz size) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar

***Topping
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Directions:
In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, pudding mix and baking powder.

In separate bowl combine the egg, milk and melted butter; add to dry ingredients. Mix well; spread in a greased 8" x 8" x 2" baking pan.

Drain peaches, reserving 1/3 cup juice.

Chop peaches; sprinkle over the top of the batter. Beat together cream cheese, sugar and reserved peach juice; pour over the peaches in the pan.

Topping: Combine the sugar and the cinnamon; sprinkle over all.

Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes. Cool and serve.

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Honey Bun Cake

1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix
2/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 container (8 oz) sour cream (1 cup)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped pecans
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease and lightly flour
13x9-inch pan, or spray with baking spray with flour.

In large bowl, beat dry cake mix, oil, eggs and sour cream with electric mixer
on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl
occasionally. Spread half of the batter in pan. Stir together brown sugar,
pecans and cinnamon; sprinkle over batter in pan. Carefully spread remaining
batter evenly over pecan mixture.

Bake 44 to 48 minutes or until deep golden brown. Stir powdered sugar, milk and
vanilla until thin enough to spread. Prick surface of warm cake several times
with fork. Spread powdered sugar mixture over cake. Cool completely, about 1
hour. Store covered.

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Creamy Chocolate Layered Pie

4 oz. cream cheese softened
1 T. milk
1 T. sugar
1 tub Cool Whip
1 Keebler Ready Crust Chocolate Pie Crust
1 1/2 C. cold milk
2 (4 serving size) pkg. Jello Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
Mix cream cheese, 1 T. milk and sugar in large bowl with wire whisk until smooth. Gently stir in 1 1/2 C. of the whipped topping. Spread on bottom of crust.
Pour 1 1/2 C. milk into bowl. Add pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups of the whipped topping. Spread over cream cheese layer.
Refrigerate 4 hours or until set. Garnish with remaining whipped topping.

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Cherry Swirl Cake for July 4th

1 box French vanilla or white cake mix
1 can cherry pie filling
Frozen whipped topping, thawed

Mix the cake as directed on the box, pour into a 9x13
pan that has been buttered or sprayed well. Open the cherry pie filling
and dot on tablespoons full of the glaze/liquid part of the
filling in 6 or so spots on top of the batter.
Using a butter knife run it through the batter and the filling to swirl it together.
Bake according to the box directions. When cake is done and cooled add the
cherry pie filling over the top of the cake evenly.
Cut and spoon out pieces of the cake onto plates and top with a spoonful of whipped topping.

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Pineapple / Coconut Coolers

Ingredients:
2 cups ice
1 cup light coconut milk
2 cups pineapple sherbet

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.

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Creamy Filled Brownies


Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
• 1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup finely chopped nuts
• CREAMY FILLING(recipe follows)
• MINI CHIP GLAZE(recipe follows)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds or chopped nuts(optional)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 15-1/2x10-1/2x1-inch jelly roll pan with foil; grease foil.

2. Melt butter in small saucepan; remove from heat. Stir in cocoa until smooth. Beat eggs in medium bowl; gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; add to egg mixture. Add cocoa mixture and vanilla; beat well. Stir in nuts. Spread batter in prepared pan.

3. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or u