PERFECT SNICKERDOODLES

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix butter, sugar, and eggs with mixer in a large bowl.  Add cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and vanilla and continue mixing.  Add flour and mix well. Put flour in refrigerator for about 20 minutes. In a smaller bowl mix the 3 tablespoons of sugar and the 3 teaspoons of cinnamon.   Remove flour and roll into balls with your hands about the size of a walnut.  Roll balls in cinnamon and sugar and place on an ungreased baking sheet.  Cook in preheated 350 degree oven 10 – 12 minutes.  Remove the cookies from the pan as soon as you take them from the oven.  Makes about 3 dozen cookies.  Enjoy!

SOFT GINGER COOKIES

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. molasses
2 Tbsp. sugar


Here's How...


1. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Combine flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt.  Set aside.  In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter for 30 seconds.  Add 1 c. sugar.  Beat until fluffy.


2.  Add egg and molasses - beat well.  Add half the flour mixture at a time and beat until just combined.  


3.  Shape into 1" balls.  Roll in 2 Tbsp. sugar.  Place on un-greased cookie sheets or baking stone 2" apart.  Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until light brown and puffed.  Let cool for 2 minutes before transferring to wire racks or plate to finish cooling.


Makes about 36 cookies.

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten plus 2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups flour (Add a bit more if dough seems too wet after first few minutes of kneading in the bread machine.)
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Filling (I doubled this since we like our filling, oh yes we do!):
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Icing:
1 teaspoon milk
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
4 tablespoons (or less) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

Put the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and run on the dough cycle. After the dough cycle is finished, roll the dough into a large rectangle and spread it with 2 Tablespoons melted butter and 2/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 Tablespoon cinnamon.

Roll up and cut into 10-15 rolls and place in two greased round cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned. Spread the icing on as soon as they come out of the oven.

You can also cover the unbaked rolls with plastic wrap, stick them in the refrigerator overnight, and then bake in the morning. I do it all the time

Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1t vanilla
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1t baking soda
1t baking powder
2t cinnamon
¼ t salt

Frosting
3T butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup milk
1 ½ to 2 cups powder sugar


Cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar  together mixing well.  Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla.  Mix until well combined.  Add the remaining ingredients. Add remaining ingredients.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees.  Let cool completely and frost.

To Make Frosting:

In a saucepan on medium heat combine butter and brown sugar. Let it cook until it is smooth and bubbly, be very careful not to let this burn and stir constantly.  After it starts to bubble let it cook for one minute.  Remove from heat and mix in milk.  Add powdered sugar until it is a spreadable frosting consistency.  Frost cookies.  This frosting will harden rather quickly, so work fast or have a helper to get them all frosted. 

Pennsylvania Dutch Coffee Crumb Cake

Ingredients:

• 
  4 cups unsifted flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 eggs , prebeaten
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup coconu
  t

Directions:

1. 1
   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. 2
   Blend first five ingredients together, and set aside one cup of this mixture as a topping base for use later.
3. 3
   In separate bowl, mix the eggs, buttermilk and baking soda together.
4. 4
   Then blend the remaining portion of the original crumb mixture, stirring thoroughly.
5. 5
   There will be some small lumps in the batter.
6. 6
   Add 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup coconut and 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the cup of original crumb topping mixture, set aside earlier.
7. 7
   Pour coffee cake batter mixture into 3 greased and floured 8" cake pans.
8. 8
   Sprinkle topping equally on top of batter in all 3 pans.
9. 9
   Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.
10. 10
    Makes 3-8" coffee cakes.

Cinnamon Nut Bread

1 package (18-1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix
 3 eggs 1-1/3 cups water
 1/4 cup canola oil
1-1/4 cups finely chopped walnuts
7-1/2 teaspoons sugar
 4-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, water and oil. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Combine walnuts, sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle a third of the nut mixture into a greased 10-in. fluted tube pan. Top with half of the batter and another third of the nut mixture. Repeat layers. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 12-14 servings. (less info)

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread

• 
  
• 
  
• 10 ounces cream cheese , softened
• 7 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 5/8 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 5/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 5/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. 1
   In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and syrup til creamy.
2. 2
   Add pumpkin, spices and vanilla and beat til smooth.
3. 3
   Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Strawberry Cinnamon Muffins

Makes 18-24 muffins

Ingredients:

1 lb. fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in half
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 sticks butter, melted
1 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.Prep your strawberries by taking the tops off and cutting them in half.  Some of our berries were pretty tiny so I just left those whole.

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, except for the sugar.  In a separate bowl, combine all wet ingredients.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine.  Toss your strawberries with the sugar.

 Add strawberry/sugar mixture to the muffin mixture and fold in gently to combine.Spray two muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray (you could also use muffin liners, if you prefer).  Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup and fill each muffin tin just about to the top.

Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the muffins comes out clean.

Allow muffins to cool and then remove from pan.  If you do not plan to eat your muffins that day, I suggest freezing them.  Strawberries tend to make baked goods kind of soggy if they sit too long.

Place them in a freezer bag and lay them flat in your freezer for the initial freeze.  You can pull the muffins out one at a time when you are ready to eat them, microwave for about 45 seconds and they literally taste like you just pulled them out of the oven.  This is also a great technique if you have guests coming for a visit and you want to bake prior to their arrival or for a quick breakfast before work or school.

A-B-C Muffin Master Mix

18 cups all-purpose flour
5 cups granulated sugar*
2 1/4 cups buttermilk blend or nonfat dry milk
6 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons baking soda
2 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3 teaspoons ground nutmeg
Store in a large airtight container labeled with the date and contents in a cool, dry place.
Shelf life: 6 to 8 months. Makes enough for about 5 batches of 24 muffins each.
If desired, sugar can be omitted then stir in 1 cup honey for every 24 muffins as you make them.
To make 24 regular size muffins:
Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Coat muffin tins with an oil/lecithin mixture, grease with shortening or butter, or spray with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, beat:
4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups water
1 cup vegetable oil
Stir in 5 1/2 cups muffin mix and any additional ingredients just until moistened. The batter should be lumpy.
Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown.
Muffins freeze well. To reheat frozen muffins, microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds per muffin.
These two toppings would go well with almost any of the ABC muffins. Sprinkle mixture atop uncooked muffins before popping them into preheated oven:
Streusel Topping for 24 Muffins:
Mix together:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
Cut in 1/2 cup cold butter until mixture is crumbly.
Crunchy Topping for 24 muffins:
Mix together:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Cut in 1/2 cup softened butter with fork or pastry cutter until crumbly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ingredients to add to mix before baking:
Apple Muffins:
3 cups raw grated apples
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup nuts or raisins
Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture before baking.
Applesauce Muffins:
1 cup applesauce - omit oil
Apricot Muffins:
1 cup chopped dried apricots
Banana Muffins:
2 mashed bananas
1 cup walnuts (optional)
Blueberry Muffins:
2 cups fresh or frozen rinsed blueberries
Bran Molasses Muffins:
Use only 3 cups of muffin mix.
Stir in:
4 cups bran cereal
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup raisins

Butterscotch Muffins:
2 (12 ounce) bags butterscotch chips
1 cup chopped nuts

Carrot Muffins:
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup raisins
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice

Cashew Muffins:
2 cups unsalted coarsely chopped cashews

Cherry Muffins
2 cups fresh or dried pitted cherries

Chocolate Chip Fudge Muffins:
1 1/2 cups cocoa
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 cups miniature chocolate chips

Coconut Muffins:
3 cups toasted flaked coconut (reserve some to sprinkle on the top)

Cranberry Orange Muffins:
2 cups chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup nuts
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons orange peel

Currant Muffins:
1 1/2 cups currants
1 cup chopped nuts

Date Muffins:
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup chopped nuts

Eggnog Muffins:
4 teaspoons rum extract
2 cups eggnog (omit water from recipe)
Before baking, top with mixture of:
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Fig Muffins:
2 cups dried chopped figs
1 cup chopped walnuts

Fruit Muffins:
2 cups dried diced fruit

Garden Fresh Muffins:
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup grated zucchini
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Gingerbread Muffins:
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1/2 cup molasses
2 cups raisins

Granola Muffins:
Reduce muffin mix to 4 cups and add:
1 1/2 cups granola
Top with additional granola before baking.

Grapenuts Muffins:
Reduce muffin mix to 4 cups and add:
2 1/2 cups Grapenuts
1 teaspoon allspice

Hazelnut Muffins:
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
2 cups chopped hazelnuts

Incredible Cream Cheese Muffins:
Combine:
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
Drop this mixture by tablespoon onto top of muffins before baking.

Jam Muffins:
1 1/2 cups jam or preserves (strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, cherry)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Kisses and Hugs Muffins:
1 1/2 cups cocoa
1/2 cup granulated sugar
After filling muffin tins 3/4 full, drop one Hershey's kiss into the center of each muffin, pushing down slightly until kiss is covered. Ice cooled muffins with confectioners' sugar and water glaze.

Lemon Muffins:
Omit 1 cup water and replace with 1 cup lemon juice.
Use 4 eggs.
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins:
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant lemon pudding mix
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Use 4 eggs.
Omit 1 cup water and replace with 1 cup lemon juice.

Mandarin Muffins:
1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, chopped and undrained
1 1/2 cups shredded carrot
Reduce water to 1 cup

Maple Muffins:
6 tablespoon maple syrup
Reduce water to 1 1/2 cups.

Marmalade Muffins:
1 1/2 cups orange marmalade
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup orange juice (omit 1 cup of the water)

Mincemeat Muffins:
1 1/2 cups mincemeat

Oatmeal Muffins:
Reduce muffin mix to 4 cups and add:
1 cup oats
Use 4 eggs and up to 2 cups raisins or grated apples

Orange Muffins:
2 cups sour cream
1 cup nuts or coconut (optional)
2 (11 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained
Use 4 eggs.

Peach Muffins:
2 cups fresh or 1 large can (drained) chopped peaches

Peanutty Muffins:
3 cups peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins:
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
3 mashed bananas

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins:
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
Drop 1 tablespoon jam into each muffin before baking.

Pear Muffins:
2 cups fresh or one large can (drained) chopped pears

Pecan Muffins:
2 cups chopped toasted pecans
1 teaspoon maple extract

Pineapple Carrot Raisin Muffins:
1 cup grated carrots,
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Pineapple Macadamia Muffins:
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 large can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (7 ounce) jar macadamia nuts, chopped

Plum Muffins:
2 cups fresh or canned plums, chopped

Prune Muffins:
1 to 2 cups chopped prunes
1/3 cup poppy seeds

Pumpkin Muffins:
2 cups or 1 can solid pack pumpkin
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup raisins

Raspberry Muffins:
2 cups fresh or frozen whole, unsweetened raspberries

Rum Raisin Muffins:
3 teaspoons rum extract or 3 tablespoons rum
Before baking, top with mixture of:
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Sesame Seed Muffins:
1 cup toasted sesame seeds
Before baking, top with mixture of:
1/2 cup nuts
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Sour Cream Muffins:
Omit one cup of the water and add:
1 cup sour cream
2 cups nuts
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel (optional)

Squash Muffins:
2 cups mashed squash
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup raisins

Strawberry Muffins:
2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, chopped

Sweet Potato Muffins:
1 tablespoon allspice
4 tablespoons dry orange peel
2 (10 ounce) cans sweet potatoes, mashed, well drained (about 2 1/2 cups)

Tropical Treat Muffins:
1 cup dried mango or papaya, chopped
1 cup chopped banana chips or 2 fresh mashed
1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons lemon peel, grated

Vanilla Muffins:
2 packages vanilla chips

Walnut Muffins:
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Wheat Germ Muffins:
2 2/3 cups wheat germ
Use 4 eggs and 1/2 cup extra water
Before baking, top muffins with mixture of:
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Yogurt Muffins:
Reduce water to 1 1/2 cups and add:
2 (8 ounce) cartons yogurt, plain or flavored

Zucchini Muffins:
2 cups grated zucchini
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Banana Nut Granola

6 cups rolled oats (not quick cook variety)

1 1/2 - 2 cups chopped walnuts (or any nut you like!)

1 - 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (or you can use coconut oil)

1/2 - 3/4 cup raw honey (adjust to your own taste preferences)

1-2 bananas, slightly soft

*Note: the more honey you add the stickier the cereal will be and the more 'clumps' you'll have.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, mixing well. Next combine the olive or coconut oil and honey in a small pot and heat gently until bubbles begin to form on sides. Mash bananas and add to the warm liquid mixture and then pour over the dry ingredients. Keep mixing until well incorporated. There may be small chunks of banana and granola, which is fine, however, try to break up any large portions. 

Spread evenly on two or three jelly roll pans and bake at 300 degrees for approximately 40 minutes. Be sure to stir granola every 10 minutes so that it browns evenly. When it is toasted to your liking, remove and cool. Since this has banana in it, I recommend storing it in glass jars in the refrigerator.

Homemade Granola

Simple 
Homemade Granola

6 cups rolled oats (not quick cook variety)
1 1/2 - 2 cups chopped walnuts (or any nut you like!)
1 cup shredded coconut (I don't like fresh, but toasted it's great)
1 - 2 tsp. ground cinnamon


Combine in a large bowl...


1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (or you can use coconut oil)
1/2 - 3/4 cup raw honey (adjust to your own taste preferences)
*Note: the more honey you add the stickier the cereal will be and the more 'clumps' you'll have.


Combine in a small pot and heat gently until bubbles begin to form on sides... Pour warm olive oil and honey over dry ingredients, tossing until well combined.. Spread evenly on two jelly roll pans...aka baking sheets .. Bake at 300 degrees for about 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Remove and cool. At this point you can add raisins, dried cranberries, or ground flax seed (although I find that flax seed settles to the bottom and is best added to each bowl individually)... Store extras in a half gallon mason jar (it won't all fit, so you'll just have to eat some right away!) or 2-3 quart size jars...