Flan Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups full-fat milk
2 vanilla beans (or 2 tsp vanilla extract or 2 tsp vanilla paste)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place six 1-cup sized ramekins in a 9x13 baking dish.  Fill up with warm water (directly from the tap is fine) until the ramekins stand about 1/4 - 1/2 in water.  Set aside.

2.  In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, cook 1 cup sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved and liquefied with a golden brown color. Stir constantly and be careful not to cook it too long.  The sugar burns very quickly.  Immediately spoon into warmed ramekins equally.  If the sugar gets to firm while spooning into the ramekins, place back on the heat in-between for a few seconds to liquefy again.  Let stand until you are done with the filling.

3.  Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl with a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk eggs and the remaining 1/2 cup sugar on medium-high speed until creamy for about 2-3 minutes.  Add milk and vanilla and stir to combine.  Pour through a fine mesh strainer to remove most of the air bubbles.  Divide into the ramekins equally.  Cover each ramekin with aluminum foil separately and seal tightly.  Bake for 60-70 minutes.  The Flan should wobble like a pudding or jelly when moved.  Remove from water bath and let cool to room temperature.  Chill for 4 hours in the fridge.

4.  Before serving, run knife around the sides where the flan is touching the ramekins.  Flip over the ramekins onto plates.  The sugar syrup will run over the flan like a sauce.  Don't scrape out the remaining hard sugar from the ramekins.  For easier cleaning, fill the ramekins with hot water from the tap and let stand until the hard sugar crust dissolved.  Store leftovers in the ramekins in the fridge up to one day.

Hershey's Syrup Brownies

Ingredients:

Brownie:

1/2 cup butter (no substitutes, melt in microwave)
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 (16 ounce) can Hershey Syrup
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Icing:

3 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted (no substitutes)
4 TBS cocoa powder
4 TBS milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Brownies:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the bottom of a 10 x 15 inch pan.  After melting butter in microwave, cream sugar and butter together.  Add eggs, one at a time and beating well after each addition.  Add vanilla extract.  Add flour, mix well.  Add Hershey's syrup, mix well.  Add chopped nuts if using.  Pour batter into pan.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until brownies test done with a toothpick.  When brownies are almost done baking prepare icing.

Icing:

Bring to boil in the microwave, the butter, cocoa and 1 TBS milk.  In a mixing bowl, add confectioner's sugar, add cocoa mixture and mix well.  Add vanilla extract, and milk until desire consistency is met.  Let brownies cool about 5 minutes, QUICKLY spread with icing and sprinkle with more nuts if desired.  The icing will harden to a fudge like consistency.  Let brownies cool completely before cutting into squares.

Gingerbread Cake with Molasses Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:


For the cake:

3 cups of all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter, (2 sticks), room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 cup water

For the frosting:

2 8 ounce packages of cream cheese (room temperature)
1 stick of butter (room temperature)
1/4 cup molasses
2 tsp vanilla
8 cups of powdered sugar
2 tsp milk

Instructions:

Cake:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 2 9 inch round cake pans.  Set aside.
2.  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda together.  Set aside.
3.  In large mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar together until creamy.
4.  Add molasses and eggs.  Beat until well combined.
5.  Alternate flour mixture and water into the wet ingredients making sure to mix well, between each addition.
6.  Divide evenly into prepared cake pans.
7.  Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
8.  Cool on a wire rack.

Frosting:

1.  In medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with butter until combined.
2.  Add molasses and vanilla.  Beat on low until well combined.
3.  Add a little powdered sugar at a time.  Mix until each addition is well combined.
4.  Add 1 teaspoon of milk after 4 cups of powdered sugar has been added.
5.  Finish mixing in the powdered sugar and the remaining teaspoon of milk.
6.  Frost the cake once it has cooled completely.

Pistachio Fudge

Ingredients

3/4 cup white chocolate chips
6 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup water
1 package (4 serving size) instant Pistachio pudding
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped shelled pistachios

Instructions

1. Line 8 x 11 baking pan with foil.  Set aside.
2. In microwave safe large bowl, melt chocolate chips, butter and water, in microwave and stir chocolate chips until they are fully melted.  If needed heat for an additional 30 seconds.
3. Stir dry pudding mix into chocolate mixture.  Once completely combined, stir in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, Fold in chopped pistachios.
4. Press fudge into prepared pan, refrigerate for 2 hours to set.
5. Remove fudge from pan and remove foil.  Use sharp knife to cut cleanly into squares.  Store in airtight container.

The best ever Cherry Pie Filling!

Ingredients:

3 cans tart cherries in water
4 T cornstarch
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/8 t salt
scant 1/4 t almond extract
1 T vanilla

Make the pie filling by mixing the 3 cans of cherries plus the juice with the sugar, cornstarch, salt and almond extract in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan, Bring to a simmer and cook over medium - low heat for about 10  minutes, stirring regularly, or until the liquid is thick and bubbly.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Place filling into prepared pie shell, and bake in a 425 degree preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Remove to wire rack and cool.  (Or eat hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.)

Molasses Crinkles

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup full flavor molasses
1 egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar

1.  Mix shortening, brown sugar, molasses & egg thoroughly in a large bowl.  Stir in remaining ingredients except granulated sugar.  Cover & refrigerate at least 2 hours.

2.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease cookie sheets.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls.  Dip tops of balls into granulated sugar.   Place balls, sugar side up, 3 inches apart on cookie sheet.   Sprinkle each cookie with 2 or 3 drops of water.

3.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or just until set but not hard.  Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Pumpkin Cookies

These cookies are a big hit at my house. I have included the brown butter frosting recipe, because that is what the original recipe called for, however I think it's too sweet. I like these much better with a cream cheese frosting. I also sprinkle mine with pecans. They are super yummy. I hope you all enjoy them as much as my family does.

Cookies:
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 t vanilla
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
2 eggs
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t ginger
1/8 t ground cloves
1/2 t salt

Browned Butter Frosting:
3 cups powdered sugar
1 t vanilla
3 to 4 T milk
1/3 cup butter (do NOT use margarine or spread; it will burn not brown)

1. Heat oven to 375 degree. Sift together flour & seasonings, set aside. In large bowl, beat sugars, butter, & vanilla on medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally, until well blended. Beat in eggs one at a time until well blended, add pumpkin. On low speed, beat in flour mixture until well blended.

2. On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls.

3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched in center. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 45 minutes. (note: holler at the kids' as they swipe them before they are cooled and frosted)

4. In 1 quart saucepan, heat 1/3 cup butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until light brown.

5. In medium bowl, place powdered sugar, vanilla & 3 tablespoons of milk.

6. Pour browned butter over powdered sugar mixture. Beat on low speed about 1 minute or until smooth. Gradually add just enough milk to make frosting creamy and spreadable. Generouly frost cooled cookies.

1 Cookie is 190 calories

Good Old Fashioned Peach Butter

5 lbs peaches
2 cups sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger

Pit peaches, run them through a food processor, and put them in a stock pot.  Add sugar, cinnamon, and ginger.  Cook until thickened, put in hot, sterilized jars, add lids and rings.