Lemon Greek Yogurt Pound Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar, plus ¼ cup for glaze
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla paste
• 1/4 cup lemon juice for cake, plus1/4 cup for syrup and 2 tablespoon for glaze
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• zest of two lemons
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.


Directions:

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.  Butter and flour a 9-inch loaf pan and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until smooth and light in color.  Add the eggs one and a time followed by the vanilla.

Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until almost combined. Fold in the lemon juice, the zest of one lemon, and the yogurt.  Finish mixing on low until combined.  The batter won't be perfectly smooth.

Pour the batter into the pan, leveling the top.  Bake for 75-90 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  The top will be dark brown and split open.

For the syrup:
Warm 1/4 cup of lemon juice.  Mix together with 1/4 cup sugar until sugar has dissolved.  Set aside whilst the pound cake is done.

For the glaze:
Measure out two tablespoons of lemon juice.  Gradually add it to the powdered sugar until your desired drizzling consistency is reached.  Add the zest of one lemon and stir thoroughly.

To finish:
Turn the warm cake onto a wire rack and brush all over with the syrup, including the bottom!  Make several passes on all sides to have a good soaking, but do not feel pressed to use all the glaze.  Do this when the cake is still warm! 

Drizzle with the glaze. Serve warm or room temperature.

Myrtle's Note:  This recipe is so good that even when you do not cook it quite long enough, it is still tasty!  Lemon.  Lemon.  LEMON!  The only change I made was to add lemon zest to the glaze, since I had to use four lemons to get all the juice needed.  Why waste lemon zest?  I cooked it for 75 minutes and made the mistake of putting my toothpick in the top of the loaf instead of in the middle.  So, that clean toothpick and the browned top made me think my first loaf was ready.  But cutting into it, I found a close texture and a bit of undercooked at the bottom of the loaf.  Even so, oh my! was this ever tasty.  It is not super sweet, just like a traditional pound cake.  But it is very, very lemony.


Yield: 1 loaf

Source:  http://www.thebakerchick.com/2015/01/lemon-greek-yogurt-pound-cake/

Williamsburg Orange Cake

Ingredients (cake):

• 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1 tablespoon orange zest

Ingredients (icing)

• 1/3 cup butter
• 3 cups confectioner's sugar 
• 3-4 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 teaspoons orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Directions:

Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans and set aside.  Sift together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.  

In a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and butter.  Add the eggs, orange zest, and vanilla paste.  Slowly add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, alternating between the two, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you do. Beat 2-3 minutes on high.

Pour into the cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Whilst the cake is cooling, make the icing.  First, cream together the butter and sugar.  Then, stir in juice and orange zest.  Beat until smooth.

Ice when the cake is completely cooled.

Source:  https://lynn-southernwithatwist.blogspot.com/2014/01/williamsburg-orange-cake.html?m=1

Honey Graham Crackers

Ingredients:

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon Redmond's® Real Salt

Directions:

DAY ONE
Sift together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

In a medium bowl, thoroughly cream together the margarine, brown sugar, and honey until light in color and very fluffy. Stir in the sifted ingredients, alternating with the milk and vanilla paste.

Place the dough on plastic wrap.  Using a spatula, shape into a log, 13 inches long and 3 inches wide.  Wrap it up, using the plastic wrap to finish your shaping.  Place into the refrigerator overnight.

DAY TWO
Take the log dough out of the refrigerator and place into the freezer for a half hour to harden the dough for ease of cutting.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Divide the chilled dough into quarters.  Put one quarter on a flexible cutting mat and wrap the rest back up and place into the freezer to keep it hard.

Using a pastry cutter or butcher's knife, slice 1/8 inch pieces off the log and place onto a baking sheet.  One quarter will fill a Pampered Chef's large baking stone, approximately 16 crackers.  Using a fork or toothpick, prick holes into the slices.  For a cinnamon flavored cracker, sprinkle with a cinnamon sugar mixture before baking.

Bake for 13-16 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.


Myrtle's Note: I am so very excited to have such a great recipe for graham crackers, since my most favorite brand (Keebler Honey Grahams) is no longer available.  I made some changes to the recipe ingredients and to the instructions.  I changed from margarine to butter, from extract to paste, and from brown sugar to dark brown sugar.  I specified whole milk.  And I added salt, primarily because some reviewers complained the recipe was bland.  I am not sure if it is the change in sugar or the butter or the salt or all three, but these are most decidedly not bland.

Many, many of the reviewers talked about how sticky the dough was and how hard it was to roll out.  So, I decided, being a refrigerated dough, to skip the rolling out altogether.  The end result was an easy recipe with wonky looking crackers.  I can live with the odd shapes for the ease of baking!

I made some soft and some a bit crispy.  They are rather tasty both ways, between the nuttiness of the whole wheat flour and the sweetness of the honey.


Servings:  64 crackers

Source:  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/38500/honey-graham-crackers/

Lemon Thins

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup lard (or shortening)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350.


Directions:

In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon extract and vanilla paste.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.   Once the dough comes together, turn it out onto the counter and shape into a 12 inch roll.  Wrap the roll in plastic and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Unwrap dough.  Cut into 1/4th inch slices, cutting only enough for your pans and then put the roll back into the refrigerator.  Place two inches apart on stoneware or an un-greased baking sheet.

Bake until the edges are just starting to lightly brown (approximately 11-13 minutes).  Half way through, rotate the pan.  Cool 1-2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Myrtle's Note: The two substitutions I did was to use lard and vanilla paste.  The one thing I found, again, with my oven these cookies took 12-13 minutes, when the original recipe says 8-9 minutes.  I was surprised the cooking time was so off.  Because they are such a thin cookie, I also learned that it is important to rotate the pan half way through.  Otherwise, the back ones become too browned.  I am not a browned cookie kind of person.  In short: these are really, really, really tasty ... thin, crispy, and lemony.  Mmmm!

Yield: 4 dozen

Source:  http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/lemon-thins

Caramelized Bananas

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Slice bananas and set aside.

Melt butter, honey, cinnamon, and salt in a frying or sauteuse pan over medium heat.  When simmering, add bananas.

Cook for approximately 4 minutes per side, watching the heat closely so that the mixture does not burn.


Myrtle's Note:  I think that these would be tasty with something, but are a bit lonesome by themselves.  Perhaps on a crepe or over ice-cream??  I would also recommend slicing the bananas a bit thinner than pictured.


Yield: 4 servings

Source:  http://www.fifteenspatulas.com/pan-fried-honey-bananas/

Zucchini Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup King Arthur® white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup craisins
• 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Directions:

Either use a stoneware baking sheet or line a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine applesauce and brown sugar, mix until smooth. Add egg and vanilla paste. Next, add the shredded zucchini. Mix until combined.

Slowly add flour mixture until just combined. Stir in oats, raisins, and chocolate chips.

Drop cookie dough by heaping tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or cookies are slightly golden around the edges and set.   [In my oven, it took 15 minutes for them to set.]  Remove cookies from pans immediately and cool completely on wire racks.


Myrtle's Note:  If you want to hide a vegetable from a child, this is the recipe for you!  Veggie and fruit and oats.  Mention the chocolate chips and I cannot see how the young could object!  I changed the chips to milk chocolate, the vanilla extract to paste, the flour from whole wheat to white whole wheat, and the raisons to craisons.  These are simply spectacular!


Yield:  36 cookies

Source:  http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/zucchini-applesauce-oatmeal-cookies/

Lemon Zucchini Cornmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1 teaspoon packed finally grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/2 cup Red Bob Mill's Blue Cornmeal, milled to fine
• 1 medium zucchini grated on a box grater (a bit over a cup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Directions:

Peel and grate zucchini and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  It will not be liked creamed sugar, but will be more of a crumb mixture.  Add vanilla, lemon zest, and salt.  Mix more.  Add flour and cornmeal and mix until mixture is crumbly.

Add zucchini and beat until a thick dough forms.  At first, it will just look like more crumbs and will not stick together at all.  However, after a while, the moisture of the zucchini will begin to form a batter and eventually it will be a sticky, thick, dough.

Drop by rounded spoons, 2 inches apart, on a baking stone or parchment paper.  Bake until the cookies are a light golden brown at the edges, 25-30 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.  Immediately transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.


Myrtle's Note:  I went Googling for a way to use up leftover zucchini and found this recipe.  I was a bit hesitant, but was also intrigued.  I only have blue cornmeal, but it worked just beautifully.  I accidentally misread the vanilla amount, but I really liked the way the cookies turned out, so I left my recipe with the mistaken amount.  These are really great cookies, with several flavors coming through as you eat them.  The course Kosher salt contrasts with the sweetness of the sugar.  The cornmeal brings a nuttiness.  Then there is the lemon and the vanilla.  Just spectacular!


Yield:  24 cookies

Source:  http://www.marthastewart.com/314971/lemon-zucchini-cornmeal-cookies

Sweet Potato Mascarpone Bourbon Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mashed sweet potato
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1/4 cup bourbon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Directions:

Grease a bundt pan and set aside.

Cook a large sweet potato, one big enough for a full cup of mashed sweet potato.  Peel, mash, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, backing soda, and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the sugars and butter until lights and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Then add the mascarpone and sweet potatoes and beat until mixed together.  Slowly add in the flour mixture until completely blended.

Fold into the bunt pan, ensuring the batter is evenly distributed.  It will be very thick.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Remove the bread from the oven and, while the bread is still hot, immediately pour 1/4 cup of bourbon (or Calvados) all over the surface of the bread and allow the bourbon to get absorbed into the bread.  Remove from the pan after about 20 minutes.

Myrtle's Note:  I had leftover mascarpone from another recipe and went looking for ways to use it.  I found several recipes that interested me before discovering this one.  To me, I am not sure why it is called a bread instead of a cake unless it is that it is not iced in the least.  I thought about trying to make a glaze for on top because I have an active sweet tooth, but decided to just follow the recipe first.  My only change was to use vanilla paste instead of extract.


Yield:  8-12 servings

Source:  http://shesimmers.com/2010/03/sweet-potato-mascarpone-bourbon-bread.html

Apple Dump Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla paste
• 1/2 pound (about 3) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4” dice
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Directions:

Lightly grease a 9x13 pan and set aside.  [I used Pam's baking spray with great results.]

In a large bowl, stir by hand the oil, melted butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in the apple and pecans. Add the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon to the bowl, and then stir until combined.

Please note that this is a very thick batter, in fact it is more like a cookie batter. And while it may seem like it is unable to contain the apples, don’t worry, it will be fine.

Spoon the batter into the baking pan, patting down the top so it is even. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is lightly browned and an inserted knife comes out clean.

Myrtle's Note:  This is a true Texas recipe in that I grew up making it for my neighbors at the behest of my mother, leaving out the cup of chopped pecans.  My recipe was entitled "Apple Dump Cake" and was lost years ago.  I have been searching for eons and when I spotted this "Apple Cake" recipe, I recognized it immediately!  It is a weird cake in that the bottom is sort of soft, like a strudel and the top is crispy and chewy like a brownie.  But more crispy and more chewy and so unlike anything you have tasted, really.  It is a dump cake because you just dump the ingredients into a bowl and then the batter into a pan.  Try not to gulp at the cup of cooking oil.  Trust me, this is a hugely popular cake.


Yield: 16 servings 

Source:  http://www.homesicktexan.com/2015/10/apple-cake.html

Salted Whiskey Caramel

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 oz. (1/4 cup) whiskey 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher (coarse) salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher (coarse) salt, for sprinkling

Directions:

Line 9-inch square pan with parchment paper, allowing the paper to drape over two sides; spray lightly with cooking spray.  Alternatively, you could use a silicone baking sheet.

In 1-quart saucepan, heat butter, heavy whipping cream, whiskey, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to boiling, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and set aside.

In 3-quart saucepan, mix sugar, corn syrup, and water.  Heat to boiling over medium-high heat. DO NOT STIR.  Boil until sugar turns a warm golden brown.  This should be approximately 340-350 degrees.

When the sugar mixture is done, turn off the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture.  Be careful...it will bubble up violently.

Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248 degrees F (firm ball) on a candy thermometer.  Pour caramel into pan.   Cool 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with salt.  Cool completely.

Lift parchment from pan and place on cutting board. Cut into squares and wrap individually in parchment paper.

Myrtle's Note:  I found this website to be most helpful in showing how sugar looks as it caramelizes.  I used a thermapen to measure the temperature and went solely by the numbers.   I used Tennessee Honey Whiskey.  Do NOT use wax paper.  The caramel turned out soft and buttery and with just a hint of vanilla and whiskey.  Very, very tasty!


Source:  http://ahealthylifeforme.com/salted-whiskey-caramels/

Apple Cider Donut Cake

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider
• 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

For the Cider Glaze:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 cup water
• 1/8 cup hard cider

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Directions:

Spray a bundt pan with Pam's baking spray and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring chopped apples and cider to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until apples are fork tender. Remove pan from heat, cool for a few minutes, then pulse in a food processor or blender until pureed. Measure out 1 cup apple mixture and stir the milk into it. Set the apple/milk mixture aside for later.  NOTE:  You will have more than a cup of the apple mixture leftover.  You can either try to halve this part of the recipe or freeze the leftovers for the next time you make the cake.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.  It will still be granular. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated. Add the oil and mix well. 

Add the flour mixture and apple/milk mixture alternatively in three additions, scraping the bowl as needed and mixing after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat once more, just to combine.

Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the cake in its pan on a cooling rack for ten minutes before removing the cake itself to a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes.

While the cake is baking, combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl and set aside for later.  NOTE:  There will be leftovers from this.  You can either try to halve this part of the recipe or use the leftovers for another cake or perhaps cinnamon toast!

While cake is cooling, prepare Cider Glaze. Melt butter, sugar and water over medium high heat. Bring mixture to a boil and let boil for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately add the cider, stirring to combine.

Place baking sheet under wire rack. Using a pastry brush or marinate brush, cover cake with glaze. Do this in several passes, letting one application of glaze sink in and then going back over the cake with another and another until the cake is soaked with glaze.

Then, sprinkle the warm, glazed cake with cinnamon sugar, using fingers to rub it onto the sides of the cake.


Myrtle's Note:  This recipe has leftover ingredients!!  I found that odd and a bit frustrating and so noted that above.  The recipe is adapted from another recipe and changed to coconut oil. I changed that right back.  ICK!  The cake is rather moist and tasty, so it is definitely worth the bake, however it leaves you with a disaster zone of a kitchen!

Yield:  12 wedges

Source:  https://leaandjay.wordpress.com/2014/11/07/apple-cider-donut-cake/

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients:

Bars

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Frosting

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º F and line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper or grease and flour it.  I used Pam with flour ... happy baking.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, oatmeal and baking soda, and set aside.

In a large bowl or mixer, cream together peanut butter, butter and sugars until fluffy and lightened in color. 3-4 minutes.

Beat in egg and vanilla extract, then gradually mix in dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Press dough/batter into baking dish and even out into a smooth layer.

Bake for 13-14 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool completely.

In a bowl or mixer, beat together butter, peanut butter and vanilla until combined, and smooth and creamy.  Alternate adding powdered sugar and milk until mixture is fluffy and desired consistency is reached.

Once bars have completely cooled, from baking dish, cut into squares, frost liberally and enjoy!

Myrtle's Note:  First, the frosting is so spectacular that it should be used in ALL instances where peanut butter frosting is needed.  Second, I think it is so incredible because I, obviously, switched one ingredient: milk to heavy cream!  Frosting aside, this is a very tasty recipe, one which I highly recommend if you are, like me, a fan of peanut butter.  And, speaking of peanut butter, I used Peanut Butter & Co.'s The Bee's Knees Honey Peanut Butter.  Anyway, the base is like a combination brownie and cookie, with a bit of oatmeal texture to it; the frosting is like fluffy ambrosia clouds atop the base.  You will, however, have enough frosting left over to almost frost a cake.  I froze the rest for later and did not bother trying to reduce down the frosting recipe.  It is perfection.  You simply do not mess with perfection!  

Yield:  12-16 bars

Source:  http://12tomatoes.com/2015/04/for-the-ultimate-pb-lovers-peanut-butterfrosted-oatmeal-peanut-butter-bars.html/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=12t&utm_campaign=for-the-ultimate-pb-lovers-peanut-butterfrosted-oatmeal-peanut-butter-bars&utm_term=20150710

Chocolate Scotcheroos

Ingredients:

• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 6 cups Rice Krispie cereal
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:

Grease a 9x13 pan with butter and set aside.

In a large pan, on low heat, melt the sugar into the corn syrup.  Once the mixture comes to a gentle boil, add peanut butter, stir vigorously, and remove from the heat.  It is important to not let it boil longer than a minute at best.

Fold in the Rice Krispie cereal and then spread into a pan and let cool until hardened.

Meanwhile, melt the milk chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a small sauce pan over low heat, stirring frequently.  Spread atop the Rice Krispie mixture.

Myrtle's Note:  The topping was very thin, so it is important to fully melt it before trying to spread it.  As noted above, it is also important to not overcook the sugar and syrup lest you end up with rock hard treats.  I changed the ingredients from regular chocolate chips to milk chocolate chips.


Yield:  24 servings

Source:  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-scotcheroos-2/

Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 box of strawberry cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/4 cup water
• powered sugar

Preheat oven to 350


Directions:

Put some powered sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Combine together all ingredients and stir until fully mixed.  Drop a spoonful into the bowl of powdered sugar.  Shake and spin the bowl in your hands so that the dough becomes a ball covered in powered sugar.  Place on a baking stone.

Cook for 10-14 minutes.  [My oven took 14 minutes.  My neighbor's 10.]

Myrtle's Note:  This recipe is from my neighbor, but you can find variants of it all over the place.  Apparently it is popular on Facebook.  Some variants include coconut or chocolate chips.  I really, really, really like them plain.

Yield:  24 cookies

Source:  Gail Huffman

Maple Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients:

• 2 heaping tablespoons of super fine maple sugar
• 3 ounces of cream cheese
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup sifted powdered sugar

Directions:

Beat together the cream cheese and cream until thoroughly mixed.  Beat in the maple sugar until thoroughly mixed.  Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, adding more for consistency preference if desired.

Myrtle's Note:  This is the first icing with powdered sugar that I made that did not taste like it was made with powdered sugar.  This was smooth and a perfect blend of flavor, to me that is.  I am curious if I could have used pure maple syrup, but I have a bottle of super find maple sugar that I have is India Tree.  I am excited to find another use for it!

Stan's Forgotten Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 egg whites
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• a pinch of salt
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Directions:

Set out the eggs and allow them to come to room temperature.  Line a cookie sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Once the eggs are at room temperature, crack the eggs and drop the egg whites into a mixing bowl.  Using a hand mixer, tilt the bowl to concentrate the egg whites and beat until peaks begin to form (first foamy then peaks).  Very, very, very slowly beat in the sugar until you have stiff peaks.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfuls on the cookie sheet.  Place into the oven.  Close the door and turn off the oven.  Leave them in the oven all night, not opening the door.  Store the cookies in an airtight container.  They freeze well.

An option to the recipe is to also fold in chopped nuts and/or coconut along with the chocolate chips.


Myrtle's Note:  My step-father introduced our family to these cookies.  I had forgotten about them until recently.   I like the sweet simplicity that melts a bit into your mouth after you break the crispy exterior.   Even the chocolate chips melt in your mouth.  Most folk would use the nut option, but I do not like mixing crunchy and smooth with these cookies.  Also, I would recommend doubling the recipe. They go fast!


Yield:  24

Source:  family recipe

White Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoon cream
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 12 oz white chocolate chips
• 10 oz dried cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Directions:

In a small bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt cinnamon, and nutmeg and set aside.

Beat together brown sugar, butter, and white sugar in large bowl until creamy.  Next, beat in the eggs, cream, and vanilla extract until a bit fluffy.

Gradually stir flour mixture into the butter mixture until well combined.  Then, add oats, white chocolate chips and dried cherries. Mix together until these are pretty evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Drop tablespoon sized portions of the cookie dough onto a stoneware baking sheet (or a greased metal one).  Bake for approximately 11-13 minutes. Keep on eye on them.  Undercooking them ever so slightly keeps them nice and chewy.  Allow to cookies to cool on a rack and enjoy!


Myrtle's Note:  All I changed was half-and-half to cream, because why would anyone use half-and-half when cream is available?  These cookies are DIVINE! My photo shows them a bit squished because I was impatient about moving them to the cooling rack.  But should photography matter when such tastiness is before you?

Yield ~60 cookies


Source:  http://www.foxnews.com/recipe/white-chocolate-cherry-oatmeal-cookies

Dr Pepper Oatmeal Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 1 1/4 cups Dr Pepper (not diet)
• 1 cup rolled oats (not instant)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground allspice
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the icing:

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup buttermilk or half and half
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


Directions:

Grease a 9x9 cake pan and set aside.  Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and kosher salt and set aside.   Pour the Dr Pepper over the oats and let it sit for 10 minutes or until the oats are hydrated.  Beat the eggs and set aside.

Cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until well blended. Add the beaten eggs and vanilla and stir until fluffy.  Add in flour mixture and then Dr Pepper and oatmeal to the creamed butter and eggs and stir until a thick batter is formed.

Pour the cake batter into the pan and bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool.  On low heat, melt the butter, and then stir in the brown sugar, buttermilk, cinnamon, and salt.  Allow to simmer until it begins to look sticky.  Then pour over cake and put the cake back into the oven under a broiler for approximately 30 seconds so that the icing will become crispy.

Allow cake to cool again before cutting.


Myrtle's Note:  I do not like nuts or coconut in desserts, so I completely left them off of the icing.  In the original recipe, there is the suggestion to use a different icing in that case, but I stuck with the other ingredients.  I went ahead and put the cake back in the oven, per the directions, and the icing turned into something that looks like cinnamon toast.  Nice a crispy.  Except for the one spot that was a bit thick.  However, there recipe calls for putting the icing on a warm cake and I think it would work much better on a cooled cake, because my icing basically soaked into the top and sides of the cake.   Since there was no instruction to let the cake cool before cutting, I tried to cut it as soon as the icing cooled a bit.  The cake was still quite warm and crumbled into a million—albeit tasty—pieces.  Basically, I've changed the recipe to fit my tastes.  If you are a nut sort of person, follow the link to the original one.


Yield: 12-16 servings

Source:  http://www.homesicktexan.com/2012/01/dr-pepper-oatmeal-cake-coconut-topping.html

Honey Soaked Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients:

• 1 package of dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons
• 1/4 cup warm water, plus 1 tablespoons of water
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup of butter
• 3 tablespoons of honey, plus more for glazing
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup craisins
• 4 cups of flour, plus more for kneading
• 1 cup confectioner sugar
• 1/2 lemon, juice and zest
• pure vanilla extract

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees (eventually)


Directions:

Grease and flour a 13x9 pan and set aside.

Combine dry yeast, 1/4 cup warm water, and a touch of honey.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  [I add sweetener to see the yeast feed a bit and ensure its viability.  I have learned that this is not necessary, but the foam created is rather comforting for a nervous bread maker.]

Warm over low the milk, butter, salt and 2 tablespoons of honey until the butter has melted. Do not let it come to a boil!  I recommend letting the butter, salt, and honey melt first, before adding the milk.  Remove front the stove when you see steam rise from the milk.

Pour the mixture into a large bowl.  Add in the yeast water.  Then whisk cinnamon, nutmeg, and eggs into the mixture. Add 2/3 cup craisins.  Finally, add the flour, one cup at a time, stirring with a four until the previous cup disappears into the dough before adding the next one.

Knead on a lightly floured surface for five minutes until the dough is smooth and resilient.  Create a smooth surface of your finished dough ball by stretching and tucking the ends beneath the ball.  For the kneading process, add additional flour until the dough is no longer wet or too sticky to handle.  The dough will become heavier and more elastic, wanting to return to its shape as you stretch, fold over, and push down your dough ball.

Place in a greased bowl, cover with a towel dampened with hot water,  and let rise until the dough ball is doubled.  Since this is a honey sweetened bread dough, this will take approximately three hours.  Then, punch down the dough and divide into 24 balls.  Place the bun balls into the baking pan and let rise until doubled again, rewarming the towel with fresh hot water.  Allow for a minimum of an hour and a half, but the second doubling make take the same amount of time as the first.

With a sharp knife, cut crosses into each bun.  Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and brush the tops with honey.  It is helpful to warm the honey before doing so.  Return to the oven and cook 5-7 minutes more.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Whilst cooling, sift a cup of powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl.  In a prep bowl, put one teaspoon honey, one teaspoon water, and fill another teaspoon approximately 3/4 lemon juice and 1/4 pure vanilla extract.  Put in a dash more water.  Zest and then mince the lemon peel.  Add to the prep bowl.  Warm in the microwave for a few seconds to help melt the honey so that you can stir everything together.  Then, slowly whisk the mixture into the powdered sugar until you have a glaze.

Once the buns are cooled, cross the tops with a thick line of glaze.

Myrtle's Note:  Rising will take forever, but the end result is worth it.  My first batch of these was with yeast fed with a pinch of sugar.  However, I put the bit of honey because I like the idea of the dough being solely created from honey.  I also used scissors to make the cuts, but they are not nearly as pretty as those made with a knife.  Because I read that hot cross buns, a Good Friday treat, are meant to be given away.  For now, I do not have a photo since the ones I kept are the poorest looking in the batch!!

Yield:  24

Source:  http://www.homesicktexan.com/2009/04/honey-soaked-hot-cross-buns.html

Lemony Lemon Brownies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons lemon zest
• 4-6 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Directions:

Butter an 8x8 pan and set aside.  Zest approximately three large lemons, mince the zest, and set aside.  Juice all the lemons and set aside.

Beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, 2 tablespoons of lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice until combined.  Pour it into the flour mixture and beat for 2 minutes at medium speed until smooth and creamy.

Pour into baking dish and bake for 23-25 minutes.  The top will look very un-cooked, but the edges will be golden brown and pulled away from the pan.  Do not over bake or the bars will be dry.  Allow to cool completely before glazing. 

Filter the powdered sugar and whisk with up to 4 table spoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon lemon zest.  Spread the glaze over the brownies with a rubber spatula and let glaze set.

Cut into bars and serve.

Myrtle's Note:  Once I tackle the glaze, I am going to revise this, but I wanted to capture the recipe now, before I forget that I made them.  Below, the photo has a glaze in which I added about 1.5 extra cups of powdered sugar.  I made it with a mixer, but I forgot to sift the powdered sugar.  A friend suggested that perhaps it would be better to start adding the lemon juice one tablespoon at a time.  As you can see, mine turned out opaque and tasted a bit like powdered sugar.  The photo on the original recipe shows a clear glaze.  SIGH.  Even with a less than tasty glaze, the brownies were rather tasty.  They give the impression of a lemon bar without the shortbread factor.

Yield: 12 bars


Source:  http://www.bestyummyrecipes.com/lemony-lemon-brownies/