Regency Ginger Crisps

Do not preheat oven yet, dough must chill before baking.

3/4 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 large beaten egg
4 T. molasses (1/4 c.)
2 tea. baking soda
1/2 teas. salt
2 teas. ground ginger
2 1/4 c. flour

1/2 cup white sugar in a small bowl for later

Melt butter and mix in sugar. Cool, then add egg. Add soda, molasses, salt, and ginger. Stir. Add flour and mix in. Chill the dough for an hour or more.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll dough into balls and then roll in the bowl of sugar. Put them on greased cookie sheets and flatten. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

From Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

My grandma had a similar recipe made with melted shortening instead of butter. We let the balls flatten during baking and they had a nice crinkly top.

Brown Sugar Angel Food Cake

1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1 1/2 cups egg whites (10-12 eggs)
1 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
2 teaspoon vanilla
powdered sugar for dusting

Combine cake flour and 1 cup of the brown sugar.

Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until foamy. Gradually add the other cup of brown sugar, beating well until stiff, glossy peaks form. Add vanilla and blend well.

Add flour/sugar mixture in four parts, folding after each addition.

Spoon into ungreased 10 inch tube pan. Bake at 350 degree over for 45 minutes or until done.

Invert cake to cool. Remove from the pan and dust with the powdered sugar.

This is SO delicious! We would make noodles with the egg yolks and use the egg whites for Angel Food cakes to sell at our church bazaar/bake sale.

Raspberry Fudge

from:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Raspberry-Truffle-Fudge/Detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• salt to taste
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup raspberry flavored liqueur
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Spray a 9x9 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray, and line with wax paper.
2. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine 3 cups chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Heat in microwave until chocolate melts, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to let it scorch. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Spread into pan, and cool to room temperature.
3. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine cream, liqueur, and 2 cups chocolate chips. Heat in microwave until the chocolate melts; stir until smooth. Cool to lukewarm, then pour over the fudge layer. Refrigerate until both layers are completely set, about 1 hour. Cut into 1 inch pieces.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 149 | Total Fat: 7.5g | Cholesterol: 5mg

From a review: My first time of following the recipe, the top layer came out softer than the bottom layer and I had a hard time cutting the fudge due to this. The second time around, rather than layering, I mixed in all ingredients together, which resulted in even raspberry taste all over the fudge (rather than just on top), and even consistency which made it easier to cut.

Cinnamon Almonds

Cinnamon Almonds have an irresistible crunchy shell of vanilla-scented cinnamon and sugar.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups whole toasted almonds

Preparation:

1. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the water, cinnamon, sugar, and cream of tartar over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves.

3. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 246 degrees on a candy thermometer.

4. Once the candy is at the proper temperature, remove immediately from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Add the nuts all at once, and stir with a wooden spoon until they are completely coated with the sugar syrup. Continue to stir until the it becomes difficult to stir and the syrup turns opaque.

5. Quickly turn out onto the prepared baking sheet. Separate the nuts and allow them to cool and harden at room temperature. Nuts can be stored in an airtight Ziploc bag at room temperature for several weeks.

from:

http://candy.about.com/od/nutcandy/r/cinnamonalmonds.htm

Meyer Lemon Fresh Cranberry Scones

From Bernideen's blog and Smitten Kitchen
Adapted from Gourmet

One of my favorite things about scones is how well they work when you need to plan in advance. Simply roll them out and cut them before flash-freezing them separately on a tray, and sealing them in a freezer bag until you’re ready to bake them. You can bake them right from the freezer, only needing to add 3 to 5 extra minutes baking time. Scones are always best when they’re freshly baked.

1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons; preferably Meyer)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar plus 3 tablespoons additional if using fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 1/4 cups fresh cranberries, chopped coarse, or 1 1/4 cups dried cranberries, if you insist
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup heavy cream

Accompaniment: creme fraiche or whipped cream

Preheat oven to 400°F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

With a vegetable peeler remove the zest from lemons and chop fine, reserving lemons for another use.

In a food processor pulse flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, butter and zest until mixture resembles coarse meal and transfer to a large bowl.

In a small bowl toss together fresh cranberries and 3 tablespoons sugar and stir into flour mixture. If using dried fruit, add to flour mixture.

In another small bowl lightly beat egg and yolk and stir in cream. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until just combined.

On a well-floured surface with floured hands pat dough into a 1-inch-thick round (about 8 inches in diameter) and with a 2-inch round cutter or rim of a glass dipped in flour cut out as many rounds as possible, rerolling scraps as necessary. Arrange rounds about 1 inch apart on baking sheet and bake in middle of oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until pale golden.

[I decided to rebel and pat them into a square and cut them into smaller ones. The square shapes didn't keep very well, so I don't recommend this! Learn from me, people.]

Serve scones warm with creme fraiche or whipped cream. Scones keep, individually wrapped in plastic wrap and foil, chilled, 1 day or frozen 1 week.

My mouth was watering the whole time I was reading Bernideen's blog. I can't wait to try these!

Crab Puffs

1 cup crab meat
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 T. chopped chives
1 teas. Worcestershire sauce
1 teas. lemon juice
1 teas. dry mustard
1 T. dill weed
1/2 cup butter
1 cup beer (can also substitute chicken broth or clam juice)
1/2 teas. salt
1/2 lemon pepper
1 cup flour
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, combine crab meat, cheese, chives, W. sauce, lemon juice, mustard, and dill. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter, add beer, salt, and lemon pepper. Bring to a boil. Add flour, remove from heat, and stir briskly with a wooden spoon. Return to heat. Continue to beat until a dough ball forms. Remove from heat.

Add eggs to dough, one at a time, beating vigorously after each addition until well combined.

Fold crab mixture into dough.
Drop a spoonful onto baking sheet. Repeat.

Bake crab puffs 25 to 30 min. until crispy and golden.

Makes 35 to 40 crab puffs.

From "Murder is Binding" by Lorna Barrett

Spritz Cookies

Spritz Butter Cookies

Recipe found at Vino Luci

• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons pure almond extract
• 1 large egg
• 3 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and the sugar. Beat with mixer until light and creamy.
3. Add the vanilla and egg; mix until combined.
4. Add the and salt and mix on low, until just combined.
5. Load the cookie dough into your press according to directions.
6. Press cookies out onto a baking pan, about 2 inches apart.
7. Decorate with candy sprinkles or colored sugar if desired.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges.
9. Enjoy!