Category Archives: Well, Aren’t You Sweet?!

Desserts

Crisp Pastel Cookies AKA Jello Cookies

This is a recipe from my childhood. And it was my Auntie Jeanne, not my Mom, who made these. I had actually forgotten about them (and how much i love them) until my cousin, Judy, posted a party picture that included these lovelies. I immediately asked for the recipe. In the note that came with this recipe, Auntie Jeanne said this was a favorite cookie to make and take when they went camping. Whatever excuse you need for making them, just do it! I made them in both strawberry and lime jello for a cute Christmas cookie.

Crisp Pastel Cookies

Makes 3-4 dozen cookies

3/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 (3 oz.) pkg flavored gelatin
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400°.
Mix shortening, sugar, gelatin, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Blend in remaining ingredients and mix well.
Roll dough into 3/4″ balls and place 2″ apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press cookies flat with bottom of glass dipped in sugar (Auntie Jeanne used a stemware pudding dish with a fancy bottom to make designs on the cookies.)  Bake 6-8 min. Tops should not brown.

Baked Rhubarb Dessert

My Mom sent me this recipe a couple years ago and it is much loved in our family.  I usually double it (to make 8 servings) and put it in a cake pan.

Baked Rhubarb Dessert

1 c. brown sugar
1 c. sugar
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup flour 1 c. water
5-1/2 Tbs butter melted 1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 cup cut up rhubarb

whipped cream (or vanilla ice cream)

1. Mix brown sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon, and melted butter together. Put half of the mixture in a 9″ pie pan and press down. Spread rhubarb on top.

2. In a saucepan mix sugar, cornstarch, and water and cook until clear and thickened. Add vanilla. Pour over rhubarb. Cover with remaining half of the oats mixture. bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 min. Serve warm with whipped cream.

Servings: 4

 

 

Jerilyn’s Northwest Blackberry Cobbler

wpid-IMG_20130826_092059_183.jpgWe stayed at my Mom and Dad’s this summer, in the midst of moving back to the east coast.  We were there during blackberry season and Dad has a good sized patch of wild blackberries.  We picked….and we picked….and we picked.  Last count we had picked 35 quarts, much of which got frozen.  But of course plenty also got eaten straight from the bush, sprinkled over oatmeal (steel cut sundaes…yum!) and a few tasty dessert type things.  I found this recipe in one of Mom’s cookbooks.  My Mom has cookbooks….I’ve been told I have lots, but my Mom has 3 or 4 times as many as I do.  Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree….we like cookbooks.  I found this recipe in The Farmhouse Cookbook.  And a certain sibling of mine may have even said that he liked it better than Mom’s usual recipe!  I don’t know who Jerilyn is, but this is so yummy she deserves many kudos for it!!

Jerilyn’s Northwest Blackberry Cobbler

For filling:
6 C blackberries
1 1/4 c sugar
1/4 c flour

For batter:
2 c flour
1 c sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 c millk
1/2 c (1 stick) melted butter
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix filling and pour into a cake pan.  Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in food processor (or you can mix it by hand, that’s how I did it this morning, just mix it well).  Pulse/mix well.  Add milk and butter and beat until smooth.  Spoon batter over berries and spread to edge of dish to prevent juices from spilling over.  Bake until crust is brown and crisp on the outside and cooked all the way through, and berries are bubbling up a bit; about 1 hour.  Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes.  Serve with whipping cream.

Serves 8-10

Sigrid’s Carrot Cake

So, LAST Thursday was my SuperHero husband’s birthday, but I was so miserably sick we didn’t do anything!  But I made up for it today, and made him a carrot cake…his favorite! (seriously, that’s what our wedding cake was because his Mom knows how much he loves it!)  This is a yummy recipe that I’ve doubled and made for catering events. 

This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman Cooks.  Lots of yummy recipes (and tons of pictures!) there.  Go check it out!

FOR CAKE:
2 cups Sugar
1 cup Vegetable Oil
4 whole Eggs
2 cups All-purpose Flour
½ teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
2 cups Grated Carrots
For Icing
1 stick Regular Butter, Softened
1 package (8 Oz) Cream Cheese
1 pound Powdered Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1 cup Pecans, Chopped Finely

Preheat oven to 350F

Mix together the sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl. In another bowl sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add to first mixture and combine. Then add carrots and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured (Baker’s Joyed) pan (bundt, sheet cake, 9 x 13 pyrex) and bake at 350F until done, 25 (sheet cake) to 50 (Bundt pan) minutes, depending on the pan you use.

Cool completely.

Icing:

In larger bowl, cream butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and vanilla and blend, then mix in the nuts. Spread on cooled carrot cake.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Butter Sauce

I haven’t really mastered cheesecakes, but Marion, OH my sister, Marion!…she has!!!  And with the cheese cake AND the pumpkin….this recipe is “la crème de la crème”!

CRUST:

1 1/4 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 22 cookies)

2 Tbs minced crystalized ginger

3 Tbs sugar

1/2 ground cinnamon

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

FILLING:

3 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cup pureed cooked pumpkin

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

SAUCE:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup whipping cream

2 Tbs bourbon whiskey or 1 TBS vanilla extract (go with the bourbon-the alcohol cooks off and it tastes AWESOME!)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine first four crust ingredients in food processor until mixed well.  Add butter and pulse until incorporated.  Press into bottom and up sides of springform pan.  Wrap outside of pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil.  Bake 5-7 minutes or until fragrant, slightly darker and slightly firm to the touch.

2. In large bowl, beat cream cheese at medium-low speed until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients one at a time, mixing just until blended.  Do not over mix.  Pour into springform pan with gingersnap crust.

3. Place springform pan in large shallow roasting pan (or broiler pan).  Fill pan with enough hot water to come 1/2 inch up sides of springform pan.

4. Bake 65 minutes or until edges are puffed and top looks dull and is dry to the touch.  Center should be less set than edges and will move when pan is tapped.  It should not ripple as if liquid.

5. Remove from oven:  remove from water bath.  Cool completely on wire rack.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

6. To make sauce, melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in brown sugar until mixture is smooth.  Whisk in cream and bourbon, bring to a boil.  Pour into medium bowl, cool completely.  Serve with cheesecake.  Refrigerate leftovers