Crash Hot Potatoes

From Pioneer Woman
Ingredients
12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Kosher Salt To Taste
Black Pepper To Taste
Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste
Preparation Instructions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Cookie Dough Truffles

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup semisweet mini chocolate morsels
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 1/2 pounds chocolate bark candy coating, melted
Directions
In a large bowl cream butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Add vanilla. Gradually beat in flour and add milk. Add chocolate morsels and pecans, mixing well. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place on waxed paper; chill 2 hours.


*Cook's Note: Since the dough is sticky, roll your fingers into flour. This will make it easier to roll.


Melt chocolate bark candy coating in a double boiler. Using 2 forks, dip cookie balls into candy coating to cover. Place on waxed paper and chill to set. Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

French Breakfast Puffs

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg
1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons margarine, melted

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups or line cups with paper muffin liners.
2.In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, cream together 1/2 cup sugar and shortening. Beat in egg. Stir flour mixture into shortening mixture alternately with milk. Beat well. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3.Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. While muffins are baking, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
4.Remove muffins from oven and muffin pan. Immediately, dip the tops of the muffins into the melted margarine, then into the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Repeat with each muffin, until all muffin tops are covered. Serve warm.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

1 cup warm water
1 Tbl. yeast
1/4 c. honey
2 Tbl. oil
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c. white flour

Dissolve yeast in water. Add salt, oil, whole wheat flour. Add white flour (more or less). Mix with KitchenAid until pulls away from bowl and then a little more. Let rise about an hour or until double. Punch down and shape into loaf and put in greased loaf pan. Let rise again until double. Bake 350º for 30-35 min.

Soft Ginger Cookies w/Ginger-Orange Frosting

Makes about 3 dozen cookies, or 18 sandwiches
Ingredients
FOR THE COOKIES
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Additional sugar for rolling cookies
FOR THE FILLING
1/4 cup (4 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon ginger
pinch of salt
2 to 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
To make the cookies: In a large bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves; set aside.
In another large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and shortening together until light and fluffy. Beat in both sugars until combined and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then stir in the molasses and vanilla until combined. Sprinkle half of the flour mixture over the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Sprinkle the remaining flour mixture into the mixing bowl and beat until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl, as needed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpat mats or parchment paper.
Roll a 1 tablespoon portion of dough into a ball and coat it in the extra sugar. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheets, about 2-inches apart, and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges are turning golden brown and tops are cracking. Allow to cool on sheets before transferring to wire cooling racks. Cool completely before frosting or serving.
To make the filling: In a medium bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese together until well combined. Stir in the vanilla, orange zest, and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups of the sugar and beat until just combined. Add more sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, until the filling reaches a soft, but slightly firm consistency. If it gets too dry, add small amounts of orange juice to soften it up.

This came from mybakingdom.com . So Good!

See's Butterscotch Squares without the Chocolate

2 cups brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
6 tbsp. butter (not margarine)
1/4 tsp vanilla (or maple) flavoring
1 1/2 cups confectioner's or XXX sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans (use nuts only if you want to destroy the flavor)

Combine brown sugar, whipping cream and butter in large heavy saucepan. Heat and stir until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Remove from heat. Add flavoring, confectioner's sugar (and pecans if you must). Mix well.

Spread into an UNgreased 8x8-inch pan. Cool to room temperature.

Cuts into about 36 pieces.

Cranberry Relish

3 pkg. Whole, Fresh Cranberries

3 Granny Smith Apples; peeled, cored, divided into 8 sections and sliced into ¼ inch slices

6 Oranges; juiced plus enough water to make 4 cups of liquid (or you can simply use 4 C of orange juice)

1 C Raisins

3 Tsp. Cinnamon

1 Tsp. Cloves

¼ Tsp. Nutmeg

1 Box MCP Pectin

4 C Sugar

In large pot fold all ingredients EXCEPT sugar.  Cook over medium heat until fruit comes to a gentle rolling boil.  Slowly add sugar and bring to rolling boil and let boil for 1 minute.  Ladle into prepared canning jars, place flat lids, screw on rings and invert for 1 hour.  Jars will self seal.  You may do a water bath to seal if you wish.  Yields 12 ½ pint jars or 7 pint jars.  This will keep in the pantry for 5 years (in my experience) but refrigerate once opened.