Cookie Dough Truffles

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup miniature Nestle Tollhouse semi-sweet chocolate baking chips
1 1/2 pounds Baker's dark chocolate baking bar, shopped finely

Directions

1. In a large bowl cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add in the vanilla extract.
3. Add flour a little at a time, alternating with the milk and blend well.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Shape into 1" balls by hand, placing on wax-paper lined baking sheets.
5. Loosely cover and refrigerate 1 1/2 hours or until firm.
6. Melt chopped chocolate by double boiler method or in microwave.
7. Dip balls into chocolate, letting excess drip off and returning them to wax-paper lined baking sheet and refrigerate until coating is firm. Picture below shows where I used a toothpick to hold them and dip them. Then I pour more chocolate on top. Some just use a candy fork, others use a spoon. You can also let them drip out on a wire rack. Your choice!
8. Store in refrigerator, on platter or in tin lined with wax-paper between rows.

Makes approximately 5 1/2 dozen.

Popovers

Ingredients

1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted, plus softened butter for greasing pans
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoons salt
3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups whole milk at room temperature

You'll need aluminum popover pans or Pyrex custard cups to make 12 popovers.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
2. Generously grease pans/cups with the softened butter.
3. Whisk together the flour, salt, eggs, milk and melted butter until it becomes a smooth thin batter.
4. Place empty pans/cups in oven for exactly 2 minutes to preheat, remove from oven.
5. Fill heated popover pans/cups just less than 1/2 full.
6. Bake for exactly 30 min. DO NOT open oven door to peek or they will fall!

Serve
Warm with plain butter, honey butter, jam or what have you!

Copyright 2015, Favorite Recipes from Tanta's Kitchen, All Rights Reserved

Feeling My Southern Roots

It was a Beignet & Cafe au Lait kinda night with friends. A simple recipe this time. Have a sweet friend pick up the mix and coffee in New Orleans for you (or order it online) and then follow the instructions and enjoy. I was born in Louisiana. This is my favorite food from that state!

Beignets - French Donuts

Ingredients
One box Cafe Du Monde Beignet mix
1 - 3 lb. Crisco can solid shortening or similar
10-X / Powdered Sugar in shaker jar or use sifter when ready
Shallow fry pan or electric fry pan
Slotted metal spoon or tongs
Paper toweling
Rolling pin
Wooden cutting board
Flour
1 can Cafe Du Monde coffee

Directions for Beignets

1. Measure 1 1b. of solid shortening into fry pan on Medium High heat.
2. With wooden spoon, mix 2 cups of Beignet mix with 7 oz. water. (Directions on package).
3. Add a bit more mix if necessary so it is not sticky and you can gather it up into a ball.
4. Roll dough out to 1/8" thickness on cutting board dusted liberally with flour, dough will puff up a bit.
5. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into approximately 2 dozen 2 1/4" squares or thereabouts.
6. Test oil by dropping a bit of batter into it to see if it bubbles up and rises to the top. If so, oil is ready and let it heat a bit more. Watch it does not get too hot and start smoking!
7. Place paper toweling on 5-6 serving plates.
8. Gently place 6 beignets at a time in hot oil. Do not crowd fry pan or they will not fry quickly enough an they will get soggy. They should sizzle and float. Fry approximately 1-2 min. then flip to other side with tongs or slotted spoon and fry for another 1-2 min. They should be lightly golden brown and puffed up.
9. Transfer to plate lined with paper toweling. Dust with powdered sugar and serve while warm.
10. Repeat for remainder of batter.

*Dispose of oil properly. Do not reuse. If you want to make more, use fresh shortening.


Directions for Cafe Au Lait

1. Brew Cafe Du Monde coffee using 1 tablespoon of grounds per cup of coffee.
2. Heat homogenized whole milk to very hot but not scalded.
3. Fill 1/2 of coffee cup with hot milk, add hot coffee to fill it up.
4. Sweeten it if you will, but usually with the beignets being so sweet, the non-sweetened coffee balances it all out. In New Orleans they will give you a bowl of 10-X sugar with your beignet order and I see folk after dipping their beignets in the sugar dump the rest of the sugar in their coffee.

Swedish Apple Cake

Ingredients

1¼ sticks (½ cup plus 2 tablespoons) butter or margarine
1¼ cups sugar
3 eggs
1½ cups flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ cup milk
2 to 3 firm cooking apples such as Granny Smith
½ cup sugar, for apple slices
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Slivered almonds (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour pan an 8½-inch or 9-inch spring-form pan.

2. Sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside.

3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl beat butter until light. Gradually beat in sugar until fluffy. Beat in first egg, then second egg. Beat in ¼ cup of flour mixture, then third egg. Slowly mix in remaining flour mixture, alternating with the ¼ cup of milk or water. Pour into prepared pan and smooth top.

4. Peel apples; core and cut each into 6 to 8 wedges. Mix the ½ cup sugar with cinnamon. Roll apple wedges in cinnamon sugar and press wedges into cake batter all over the entire cake. Sprinkle any remaining cinnamon sugar over the top of the cake.

5. If desired sprinkle a few slivered almonds over the top of the cake.

6. Bake 1 – 1¼ hours, until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

7. Cool 10-15 minutes then remove from pan.

10-12 Slices

Gret Menzies' Raisin Bread

Pre-Heat Oven to 350 degrees F

Ingredients

3 c. flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 c. sugar

1 c. seedless raisins

2 eggs

1 ¼ c. milk

½ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. cinnamon

3 tbsp. melted butter

Directions

1.      Soak raisins in boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain.

2.      Sift flour, salt, baking powder, sugar and spices. Add raisins.

3.      Beat eggs and milk lightly and add to flour mixture, stirring constantly.

4.      Distribute batter evenly into 2 well-greased loaf pans.

5.      Let stand 10 minutes.

6.      Pour 1 ½  tbsp. melted butter over each loaf.

Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cool in pans on wire rack for 5 minutes then turn out to cool completely.

Kay's Favorite Buttermilk Bread

Ingredients

6 teaspoons active dry yeast

3/4 cup warm water (110° to 115°)

3 cups warm buttermilk (110° to 115°)

3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

1/4 cup honey

3 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup toasted wheat germ

9 to 10 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1.     In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add buttermilk, butter, honey, salt, baking soda, wheat germ and 4 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.

2.     Turn onto a heavily floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

3.     Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; divide into thirds. Divide each portion into thirds; shape each into a 12-in. rope. Braid three ropes; pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Place in a greased 9x5-in. loaf pan. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

4.     Preheat oven to 350°. Bake 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 3 loaves (12 slices each).

Note: Warmed buttermilk will appear curdled.

Nutritional Facts

One slice equals 183 calories, 4 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 11 mg cholesterol, 275 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 5 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1/2 fat. 

Pecan Parmesan Chicken for Two

Ingredients
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
2 Tbsp. milk
1 cup plain bread crumbs
3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 boneless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Directions
1. Place flour in a shallow bowl. In a separate shallow bowl, whisk egg and milk. In a third shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, salt and pepper. In a fourth shallow bowl place the chopped pecans. Dip chicken in the flour, then the egg mixture, then the bread crumb cheese salt pepper mixture, then roll in the chopped pecans.
2. Place chicken breasts in a greased 8" square baking pan.
3. Drizzle melted butter on top of chicken. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-45 minutes depending on breast thickness.