Stir-n-Drop Sugar Cookies

The Date: 16 December 2011

The Occasion: Christmas is coming up!

The Recipe: From this little gem of a cookbook I got at Ollie's years ago.

How it Went:
These are extremely easy, delightful little sugar cookies. Definitely will be my go-to cookie when I'm in a rush, or when I'm cooking with little daughters someday. Requires only things you most certainly have on hand already. They're not super-sweet, but they puff up nicely and would look pretty for any occasion dressed up with appropriately colored sprinkles or sugar. I made them Wednesday night for Pete's prayer group which met at our house, but only a half-batch. They turned out well so I made a double batch on Friday night. The recipe given below is the regular, single batch. I recommend doubling it, though, no matter the occasion. You can never have too many sugar cookies, and these are so easy, it's worth doing a lot at once.

What You Need:
sugar
vegetable oil
baking powder
vanilla
salt
eggs
flour

Your Turn:
Mix together with a spoon

• 3/4 C sugar
• 2/3 C vegetable oil
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs

Add 2 C flour, a little at a time, and stir until a soft dough forms.

Drop rounded teaspoons-ful on an ungreased cookie sheet about two inches apart. Press down to about 1/4 inch thickness, and decorate as desired. Giant was all out of red and green sprinkles, so I had to use these multicolored ones. I found an excellent way to distribute sprinkles on a cookie with my olive spoon! The little spoon is designed with slots in the bottom to collect olives out of the jar and drain the liquid on the way out. But I found if you scoop up a small bit of sprinkles in the edge of the spoon, then slowly tilt it and gently shake it over the cookie, they will sprinkle out nicely. Then just tilt it back and move to the next cookie.

Challenge: Hold an olive spoon full of sprinkles in one hand and shake it slowly over a cookie without making a mess. In the other hand, hold a camera and take a decent picture without trembling the camera and causing blurriness.

Put in a 400 degree oven for 8 minutes. I baked two trays at once, and switched their position in the oven after 4 minutes. That way each tray got 4 minutes closer to the heat, and nothing got burnt. Take them out when the edges just start to look golden.

Merry Christmas!

Cranberry Chess Pie

The Date: 26 November 2011

The Occasion: Thanksgiving with Pete's family. I am pie-mistress on both sides of the family.

The Recipe: Again, from Williams-Sonoma Pies and Tarts.

How it Went:
I thought it was a little too tangy, but others loved it. I might cut down on the orange zest next time. I was a bit too generous there. Otherwise, it was fairly easy, unique, and tasty. Good texture and flavors. I used a store-bought pie crust for this one too, but I think the handmade crust would be superior if you have the time and inclination.

What You Need:
cranberries
sugar
butter
salt
eggs
flour
buttermilk
cider vinegar
orange zest

Your Turn:
Prepare your pie crust in the pie plate. The recipe asks you to pre-bake the pie crust for about 25 minutes. This matters more, I think, if you're using a homemade crust which is more likely to be a bit wet. The purpose of this pre-baking is to prevent the somewhat juicy filling of the pie from making the crust soggy. I pre-baked my store-bought crust for about 10 minutes, and that worked fine. You just press the crust into the pie plate, and put it in a 375 oven. Ideally, put some pie weights or heavy rice or something down inside the crust to prevent bubbling, but I didn't do that. It's alright. Just keep an eye on the crust. You don't want it to get dark, or overly bubbly, or dry or anything.

Chop 2 C of cranberries, fresh or frozen, coarsely.

Now, start the filling by blending

• 1 & 1/3 C sugar
• 1/2 C butter, melted
• 1/8 tsp salt

Whisk this well.

Now add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth after each one.

Stir in 1/4 C flour followed by 1/3 C buttermilk and 1 tsp cider vinegar.

Now -- it's time to zest the orange. I don't have a zester, and I'm not entirely sure how zesting is supposed to be done. I have an inkling I did it wrong. But here's how it went.

First, wash off your orange. Then grate it against the fine side of a cheese grater. You'll need 2 tsp orange zest. I think I used a bit too much. Feel free to start light on the orange and add more next time if you think it's bland.

Stir this into the batter well. Now add your cranberries.

Pour the mixture into your partially-baked pie crust.

Oops. Sunset mode.

Bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes, until the top is lightly golden brown and the filing is firm. Transfer to a wire rack and cool before serving.

The cranberries will rise to the top as it bakes, and the orangey custard will firm up underneath them.

Short Version
CRANBERRY CHESS PIE

1 pie crust, partially baked (10 min in 375 oven for store-bought crust)
1 & 1/3 C sugar
1/2 C unsalted butter, melted
1/8 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1/4 C flour
1/3 C buttermilk
1 tsp cider vinegar
2 tsp finely grated orange zest
2 C fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

Whisk together sugar, melted butter, and salt.
Add eggs one at a time, beating after each.
Add flour, buttermilk, cider vinegar, and orange zest.
Stir well.
Add cranberries and stir.
Transfer to partially-baked pie crust.
Bake at 375, 50-60 minutes, until top is lightly golden and filling is firm.

Apple Cinnamon Crumb Pie

The Date: 24 November 2011 and 26 November 2011

The Occasion: Two Thanksgiving celebrations!

The Recipe: From this excellent book.

How it Went: Loved by all! An apple pie is pretty standard fare at a holiday gathering, and this one was traditional without being boring. Flavorful, juicy, spicy... Even Husband loved it. And he doesn't like any sweets. When I had such success with it on Thursday, I made it again for the gathering on Saturday. Excellent both times. I'm sure it would be really good with the homemade crust recipe that the cookbook suggests, but I cheated with a store-bought pie crust both times this week. Somebody be bold and make your own; let me know how it is.

What You Need:
apples (I used Empire. The book says Braeburn, Jonathan, and Newtown Pippin are also acceptable. I wouldn't use Granny Smiths in this. It's not quite that tart. A rustic slightly sweet apple is what you want.)
lemon juice (fresh squeezed is ideal, but I used it from the plastic lemon in my fridge)
sugar
cornstartch
cinnamon
nutmeg
cloves
salt
flour
brown sugar
butter

Your Turn:
If you're making the crust, do that first. Or just unroll your store-bought crust and press it into your pie plate. Set this aside.

Now, the recipe calls for "7 large, tart, firm apples." I used a 5-lb bag of apples. It was perfect. You don't want to skimp at all on this. The appleier, the better. 

Peel the apples. Then cut the cores out and dice them up.

Place the apples in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 T lemon juice and toss.

Mix up

• 1/3 C sugar
• 2 T cornstartch
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• pinch of salt

Sprinkle over the apples and toss to coat evenly.

Transfer to the dough-lined pie plate.

Now, time to mix up the crumb topping.

Blend

• 1/2 C flour
• 1/3 C firmly packed dark or light brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt

After stirring this together, add 5 T cold butter, diced into cubes.

Blend with a pastry cutter (or a whisk or potato masher if you don't have one of those).

Sprinkle over the top of the pie.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden.

Let cool before serving.

This is Saturday's pie. The prep pictures were from Thursday.

Thursday's pie

Short Version
APPLE CINNAMON CRUMB PIE

Preheat oven to 350

5 lb apples (Empire, Braeburn, or Jonathan are good choices)
1 T lemon juice
1/3 C sugar
2 T cornstartch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
pinch of salt

Peel, core, and dice apples.
Toss with lemon juice.
Mix up remaining ingredients and toss with apples.
Pour mixture into prepared pie crust in pie plate.

1/2 C flour
1/3 C firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
5 T cold butter, diced into tiny cubes

Mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a small bowl.
Blend in the butter with a pastry cutter.

Sprinkle crumb topping over the pie.
Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, until filling is thick and bubbling, and crust is golden.

Pecan Pie

The Date: 24 November 2011

The Occasion: Thanksgiving! I've made this pie every year for... probably more than 10 years. It's become a family favorite and something I love contributing to Troxell Thanksgiving each November.

The Recipe: I think it came from a magazine years ago. The crust portion is a family recipe.

How it Went: Excellent as always. My Grammy said it was the best one I've ever made. Making the crust is important for this pie. Don't use a store-bought crust. The crust is part of the goodness of this pie.

What You Need:
flour
salt
sugar
vegetable oil
milk
light corn syrup
dark brown sugar
eggs
butter
vanilla
pecans

Your Turn:
You'll start with the crust. Sift

• 1 and 1/2 C flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 T sugar

into the pie dish.

Pour 1/2 C vegetable oil into a 2 C measuring cup.

Add 2 T cold milk.

Whip with a fork.

Now pour this on top of the sifted dry ingredients in your pie plate. Mix with the fork until blended.

Press the pie dough into the pan. It's easiest if you put a layer of plastic wrap down first so your finger don't get all stuck in the dough. If you're using a glass plate, it's easy to see when the dough is evenly pressed. Just hold it up to the light.

Set this aside. Time to make the pie filling.

In a large bowl, pour 1 C light corn syrup.

Add 1 C dark brown sugar, firmly packed. You can use part dark brown and part light brown sugars if you don't want the pie too rich.

Sugar on sugar

Melt 1/3 C butter in the microwave.

In the meantime, add to bowl

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla

Whip well. Then add the melted butter, but not while it's still steaming hot or it might cook the eggs. At least that's what Mom always warned me of. Whip with a whisk again.

Then add 1 heaping C coarsely chopped pecans.

Pour into prepared pie crust.

Embellish as desired. [TIP: I used to put a little flowerette of pecan halves in the center of the pie, but that becomes difficult to cut through when you're slicing it into thin pieces, which is all anyone can handle after a huge Thanksgiving meal. So putting the pecan halves around the edge is much easier in terms of serving.]

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

Serve with real whipped cream for best "Mmmm's."

The gooey filling blends with the crumbly crust for a delicious texture.

Short Version
PECAN PIE

Preheat oven to 350.

1&1/2 C flour
1 tsp salt
2 T sugar
1/2 oil
2 T cold milk

Sift flour, salt, and sugar into pie plate.
Whip oil and milk together.
Add to pie plate and blend into flour mixture with fork.
Using a sheet of plastic wrap between your hands and the dough, press the dough into the pie plate until even.
Set aside.

1 C light corn syrup
1 C dark brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 C melted butter
1 heaping C coarsely chopped pecans

Whip all ingredients together except pecans.
Stir in pecans.
Pour into prepared pie crust.
Bake at 350, 45-50 minutes.