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250 Dollar Neiman-Marcus Cookie

Recipe Source: Down Home Soul Food Cooking Blog

Ingredients:

2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder)
1 tso salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp soda
24 oz chocolate chips
1-8 oz Hershey bar, grated
3 cups chopped nuts

Directions:

Cream butter & both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder & soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar, and nuts.

Roll into balls & place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 min at 375 deg F. Makes 112 cookies. (recipe can be halved)

Alabama Coca Cola Cake

Recipe Source: Lisa M. Brown / Albertville, AL

Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup margarine
1 cup cola
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten

Icing:

4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup margarine
6 tablespoons cola
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour a 16 x 11-inch pan. Combine the flour, granulated sugar, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. In a saucepan, combine the margarine, cola, and cocoa powder, and stir until boiling. Remove from the heat, and stir into the flour mixture. Add the marshmallows, buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs, and mix well. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the center is set.

While the cake is baking, prepare the icing. Measure the confectioners’ sugar into a mixing bowl. Melt the margarine in a saucepan. Add the cola and cocoa, and stir until boiling. Remove from heat, and pour over the confectioners’ sugar. Add the vanilla, and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Stir in the pecans, and pour over the hot cake.

Apple Empanadas

Recipe Source: cooks.com

Filling:

8 c. sliced apples
2 c. sugar
2 c. water
1 1/2 tsp. apples spice
3 tsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. butter

Dough:

6 c. flour
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. apple pie spice
1 c. shortening
Warm water

Directions:

Filling: Bring all ingredients to boil for 45 minutes until apples are soft. Add cornstarch in 1/2 cup water to thicken. Add butter, cool before making empanadas.

Dough: Make dough like you would for flour tortillas. Let it stand for 10 minutes. Make balls, smaller than for tortillas, (smaller than a golf ball). Roll out to 4 inch diameter. Put filling in center, fold one side over. Press sides with fork to seal. Place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until done.

Banana bake

Recipe Source: recipes.box.sk

Ingredients:

6 medium ripe bananas
1 tsp grated orange rind
50 g butter (about 3.5 Tbsp)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp rum
salt

Directions:

Peel bananas, halve lengthwise and arrange in buttered shallow dish. In a small saucepan combine and heat butter, sugar, citrus juice, rum, cinnamon and salt. Pour sauce over bananas and bake 10-15 minutes at 180 C (350 F) degrees.

Benne Cookies/Wafers

Recipe Source: www.co.beaufort.sc.us / Harriott Simons Marshall’s recipe in Charleston Receipts, collected by the Junior League of Charleston (1950), as adjusted by Paul W. Murphey of Richland Center, Wisconsin (September 1999) and web administrator Dennis Adams.

About:

Benne cakes are a food from West Africa introduced to this area by slaves. “Benne” means sesame seeds. The sesame seeds are eaten for good luck. Wafers and cookies made from benne are now a part of Kwanzaa (”first fruit” in Swahili), the African-American family festival that lasts from December 26 through January 1.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter
1 ½ cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups flour
½ cup sesame seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
(OPTIONAL: Add just a “jot” of sesame oil to the butter and sugar while creaming the mixture.)

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar together and mix with other ingredients in the order given. Drop with a teaspoon onto a well-greased cookie pan, far enough apart to allow spreading while baking. Bake in a 325 degree F oven for 7-10 minutes. (Yield: 7 dozen.)

Boo Cups

Recipe Source: Kraft Foods website (Halloween section)

Prep/Cooking Time: prep: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

3-1/4 cups cold fat free milk
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) JELL-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
1 pkg. (6-1/2 oz.) Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, crushed, divided
30 miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Pour milk into large bowl. Add pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. Gently stir in 1/2 of the whipped topping and 1/2 of the crushed cookies.

Spoon 1 Tbsp. of the remaining crushed cookies into each of 15 individual cups. Spoon pudding mixture evenly into cups; top with remaining crushed cookies.

Drop remaining whipped topping by spoonfuls onto desserts to create “ghosts.” Decorate with chocolate chips to create “eyes.” Refrigerate until ready to serve. Watch the ghosts disappear! Store leftover desserts in refrigerator.

Shortcut: Instead of dropping spoonfuls of whipped topping, fill sealable plastic bag with remaining whipped topping; seal bag. Using scissors, diagonally snip off one corner from bottom of bag. Squeeze out topping to create “ghosts.”

Makes 15 servings, 1/2 cup each.

Bran Muffins

Recipe Source: Betty Meyer / Delaware, OH

Ingredients:

2 cups boiling water
2 cups raisins
5 teaspoons baking soda

Combine above ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

1 cup margarine or butter (2 sticks or 16 tablespoons)
2 cups sugar
1 quart buttermilk
5 and 1/2 cups flour, sifted
1 cup chopped nuts
4 cups all-bran cereal
2 cups 40-percent bran flakes
4 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream sugar and margarine. Combine beaten eggs with buttermilk in a separate container. Mix together flour, cereals, salt and nuts in another bowl. Alternately add dry and wet ingredients to creamed mixture until just moistened. Stir in raisin mixture last. When ready to bake, fill greased muffin tins three-quarters full and bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Yields four dozen muffins.

Tip: For a smaller batch, reduce recipe by half.

Butter Cookies

This is probably my brother’s and my husband’s favorite holiday treat! My grandmother used to be a lunchroom worker (aka “lunchroom lady”) at Dixie Junior High (Alabama). This is one of the recipes that she used for years, then my mother used for years, and now I am continuing the tradition.

This is a photo of the sheet of paper that my mother has bearing this recipe:

As you can see, there are some conversions out to the right-hand side, those are what my mother uses for a “home-sized batch”. (I believe the larger measurements were for when they were making them at the school)

Little by little, I’m trying to get digital copies of the recipes that my mother has that I love …

Recipe Source: Dixie Junior High School lunchroom, by way of my grandmother

Ingredients:

1 cup butter/margarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1-1/3 teaspoons vanilla (I use 1-1/2 teaspoons of REAL vanilla, but use your best judgment for your taste!)
2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour

Sprinkles, nonpareils, and any other desired cookie decorations (optional)

Directions:

Mix sugar and butter until well-blended. Add egg and vanilla. Add flour slowly, a little at a time. Roll out onto a greased or non-stick cookie sheet. Decorate if desired, then bake 10-12 minutes at 375-400 degrees F until done — color will be a golden or light brown around the edges.

Hint: Check the bottom of a cookie to make sure they don’t burn!

Nicki’s Note:

It’s best to form about a 1″ ball and flatten a bit with your palm. My grandmother would use a fork to create ridges in the center of the cookie (for holding cookie decorations). Use your best judgment according to how or if you’ll be decorating.

Buttermilk Biscuit Strawberry Shortcake

Recipe Source: Popeye’s website

Prep/Cooking Time: Total prep and cooking time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

12 Popeye’s biscuits
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 pints fresh strawberries
1 quart heavy cream
1/2 cup 10x confectioner’s sugar
12 ounce tub whipped topping (optional)

Directions:

Strawberry Topping:
Rinse, hull and thinly slice 2 pints of strawberries. Wash and hull the third pint and add only 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. Mash or pulse a few times in a mixer or blender. Cover and hold mashed product in refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.

Biscuits:
Go to your local Popeye’s restaurant and pick up a dozen biscuits. Take a baking pan and sprinkle with 1 cup of granulated sugar. Place your biscuits top side down on the pan. Then place the biscuits in a 200 degree oven on the bottom rack. Bake until sugar caramelizes to the biscuit tops - approximately 20 minutes.

Whipped Topping:
To make topping from scratch: Add the heavy cream and half a cup of powdered sugar. Whip the cream and sugar to stiff peaks.

(If you prefer, you can use a 12 oz. tub of whipped topping instead of making it from scratch.)

Presentation:
Present on a dessert or Bread and Butter plate. Cut the biscuit in half and place bottom on plate. Place 3 heaping spoons of strawberries on top of the biscuit bottom, then 2 heaping spoons of whipped cream. Place the biscuit top over the whipped cream, then another 2 heaping spoons of strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream.

Serve and eat!

Candy corn cookies

Recipe Source: Mystery of the Haunted Vampire (ala Betty Crocker)

Ingredients:

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 egg
Orange paste food color
2 oz semisweet chocolate, melted, cooled

Directions:

Line 8×4-inch loaf pan with waxed paper, extending paper over sides of pan. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, butter and egg until soft dough forms.

On work surface, place 3/4 cup dough. Knead desired amount of food color into dough until color is uniform. Press dough evenly in bottom of pan.

Divide remaining dough in half. Gently press one half of remaining dough into pan on top of orange dough. On work surface, knead chocolate into remaining dough until color is uniform. Press over plain dough in pan, pressing gently to edge of pan. Refrigerate 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until firm.

Heat oven to 375°F. Remove dough from pan. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut each slice into 5 wedges. On ungreased cookie sheet, place wedges 1 inch apart.

Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are set and edges are very light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely. Store in tightly covered container.

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