Our Family Secrets

This is a new recipe that I adapted from the Jif Peanut Butter recipe – it is my new favorite!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Peanut Butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tbs Milk
1 Tbs Vanilla
1 Large Egg
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla in an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.

2.  Add egg, beat until blended.

3.  Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in separate bowl.  Add to creamed mixture in three batches, mixing well between batches.

4.  Drop by rounded tablespoon onto greased cookie sheet (or just use a Silpat if you have one).  Flatten lightly by pressing a crisscross pattern into dough with the tines of a fork.

5.  Bake 8 minutes or until just starting to brown.  Cool.  Eat! 

I got these yummy cookies from Heidi Swapp’s Blog.  Tried them out this week.  Though they are more “cakey” than your average chocolate chip cookies – they are DELICIOUS!  A great way to celebrate Fall.

Ingredients:

1 c. pumpkin
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
1 egg
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. milk
1 c. chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
Nuts (optional)

Directions:

Dissolve baking soda in milk; set aside.

In large bowl add pumpkin, sugar,
oil, and egg; stir. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon,
salt and baking soda mixture. Mix well.

Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla. Spoon onto cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees 10 to 12 minutes or until done.

This is one of my FAVORITE desserts ever.  This is my beautiful friend Christi’s recipe – she used to bring it to work during potlucks and if you blinked, it was GONE.  Whether or not it is better than sex really depends on the person I guess!  LOL

Ingredients:

Yellow cake mix

Can of crushed pineapple (in heavy syrup if you can find it)

1 cup sugar

lg box vanilla instant pudding

big tub cool whip

coconut (if desired)

roasting pan (spray with Pam…it helps)

Directions:

Bake cake as normal, in a disposable roasting pan.  The pan gives more room for the toppings. Cook pineapple and sugar together in a saucepan till boiling.  Boil for 1 minute.  Poke holes in cake with a fork and pour pineapple mixture over cake.  Let cool.  Mix pudding as directed and spread over cake.  Let it sit over night in the fridge (covered) and the ad the cool whip right  before you serve it.  Sprinkle with coconut if desired.

As Christi would say:  NUM NUM NUM! 

Made this last night for company – I love this fruit combo – yum!

Filling

1 can cherry pie filling
3 apples, sliced thin
3 Tbs Sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

Topping

1 cup quick-cooking oats
2/3 cup flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 Tbs butter or margarine

Ice cream or whipped cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Combine filling ingredients and put in a 8×8 square pan that has been lightly buttered.

3. Mix together the oats, flour and brown sugar.

4. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or two forks until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

5. Sprinkle topping mixture over the filling in the dish.

6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

7. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Hey, it’s oatmeal and fruit, so I can have it for breakfast right??? LOL

You can alter this recipe to no end… For example, I almost always make a little more “crumb” by doubling that part of the recipe. Or if you like more fruit you can double that part. Or double the whole dang thing for a party.

This cute link was sent to me in an email (thanks again Jen!) and it is too cute!  There are lots of great recipes for cookies, pies, desserts and breads.  I am definitely going to try lots of these when I am baking my Christmas Cookies…

http://www.northpole.com/Kitchen/Cookbook/

A very fun site…