Categories
New Bakes Sweet Treats

Lillian’s Date Drop Cookies

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I found this recipe today just as I was about to begin my holiday cookie baking. It was hand written on a small piece of notebook paper tucked in the Betty Crocker Cooky Book Ken’s Great Aunt Dee had given me a couple of years ago. The book had belonged to her mother, Lillian.

Categories
New Bakes Sweet Treats

Ada’s Apricot Pie

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Ada was Ken’s great great grandmother, and she is fondly remembered for her love of pies. This pie recipe of Ada’s was given to me by Ken’s mom, in a family recipe book she created for me several Christmases ago. I was still learning to cook and bake at the time, and remember vividly how intimidated I felt when I first read one of the pie recipes in this book. The first step was simply, “Make pie crust,” with no instructions as to how. I had no clue where to start.

Categories
Basics

Connie’s Pie Crust

2 cups flour
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:
Mix together flour and salt. Cut in shortening. Stir in milk. Separate into two piles, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill before rolling.

Makes two crusts.

Categories
Basics

Roddie’s Pie Crust

1 cup lard
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
ice water (about 1/2 cup)

Instructions:
Mix together flour and salt. Cut in lard. Stir in water. Separate into two piles, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill before rolling.

Makes two crusts.

Categories
Basics

Ada’s Pie Crust

1# lard (or 2 cups)
1/4# Imperial (or 1/2 cup unsalted butter)
5 cups flour
salt (about 1 teaspoon)
ice water (about 1/2 cup)

Instructions:
Mix together flour and salt. Cut in lard and butter. Stir in water. Separate into two piles, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill before rolling.

Makes four crusts.

Categories
New Bakes Sweet Treats

Cinnamon Apple Galette with Caramel Topping

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What do you when you have a bag of apples, a craving for apple pie, and no pie pan? You make a galette! This simple, rustic dessert is the perfect treat in the fall when apples are in season. It also comes in handy when you are on vacation, and you don’t have access to a pie pan.

Categories
New Bakes Sweet Treats

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake With Cinnamon Pudding Filling

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Nothing says happy birthday better than a cake baked from scratch. For my dad’s birthday a couple of weeks ago, I decided to make him this two-layer chocolate cake with a cinnamon pudding filling.

Categories
New Bakes Sweet Treats

Cherry Orange Mini Cheesecakes

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Now you can eat an entire cheesecake and not feel guilty. Make these mini cherry orange cheesecakes baked in muffin tins for portion control! There is just one problem with this recipe though. The creamy cheesecake and sweet/tart cherry orange topping are so delicious, it is hard to stop with just one.

Categories
Sweet Treats

Maple Syrup Cookies

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The other weekend, I had the option of raking or baking. I chose baking maple cookies instead of raking maple leaves.

Categories
Sweet Treats

White House Cookbook Apple Dumplings

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These apple dumplings are like an apple pie and a cinnamon roll rolled into one, and are perfect for breakfast or dessert. Plus the recipe is from the White House Cookbook, so it’s fit for serving to distinguished dinner guests – from presidents to your friends and family.