Apple or Pear Crisp

Original recipe from the Anthony Kitchen.

Ingredients, Filling:

• 1 3/4 lbs sliced pear, apple, or peach
• 2 t lemon juice
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/4 c sugar
• 2 T brown sugar
• 2 T flour
• 3/4 t cinnamon
• 1/4 salt
• 1/4 allspice
• 1/8 t cloves

Ingredients, Topping:

• 1 c oats
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c soft butter
• 1/3 c flour
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t salt 

Crisp Directions:

1. For crisp, preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x9 baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, add chopped pear/apple, lemon juice, and vanilla. Stir to coat.
3. Sprinkle sugar, flour, and spices over all. Toss to coat, and transfer to baking dish.
4. In a medium bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, butter, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Scatter small pieces of topping over the fruit.
5. Bake 45-60 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream.
6. Also try apple cobbler or pie.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp or Pie

Pictured: strawberry rhubarb pie by my daughter

Original recipe from Plated Cravings. 

Filling Ingredients:

• 1/4 c cornstarch
• 1/2 c sugar
• 6 c sliced fresh rhubarb, strawberries, or mix (if frozen, measure out 9 c, then thaw)
• 1 T lemon juice, vanilla, or a mix
• 1 recipe crisp topping (below), or 1 recipe pie crust

Crisp Topping Ingredients:

• 1 c oats
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c soft butter
• 1/3 c flour
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t salt 

Pie Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 425. Roll out 1/2 pie dough on a floured surface using a floured rolling pin (here's my favorite).
2. Place in pie pan, trimming sides 1" from pan edge. Trimming can be baked into cinnamon toast scraps.
3. In a large bowl, add rhubarb, strawberries, and lemon and/or vanilla. Sprinkle corn starch & sugar over all. Toss to coat, and transfer into pie crust. 
4. Roll out remaining pie dough to cover the top. This can be placed whole or cut and laid carefully into a lattice. Fold edges in and press decoratively.
5. Bake 15 min, reduce heat to 350 and bake 35-45 min more. Let rest 10 minutes before serving with ice cream.

Crisp Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x9 baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, add rhubarb, strawberries, and lemon and/or vanilla. Sprinkle corn starch & sugar over all. Toss to coat, and transfer to baking dish.
3. In a medium bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, butter, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Scatter small pieces of topping over the fruit.
4. Bake 45-60 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving with ice cream.

Snickerdoodles

Origional recipe from Two Peas and their Pod.

Yield: about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients, dough:

• 1 c butter, creamed
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 t vanilla
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 t soda
• 2 t cream of tartar
• 3 c flour

Ingredients, topping:

• 1 T sugar
• 1 T cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. In a large bowl or kitchenaid, beat butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and cream together until smooth.
3. Add dry ingredients until just combined (dough will be crumbly). Roll into balls, about 2 T per cookie.
4. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Roll each dough ball into the mixture and place 12 to a cookie sheet.
5. Bake 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheet 2-5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool.

Snowball Cookies

Original  recipe from family.

Ingredients:

• 1 c butter
• 1/4 c powder sugar, plus more for powdering
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/8 t salt
• 1 c walnuts or pecans, chopped fine
• 2 c flour

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla, salt, and nuts and combine well. Add flour and combine.
• Roll marble-size balls and place 24 on a cookie sheet. Flatten with fork if desired.
• Bake 15 min. While hot, roll in a dish of ~1/2 cup powder sugar. 

Apple Pie Cookies

Perfect for a light friendsgiving! 

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe pie dough
• apple butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. Roll dough and cut into shapes as in the picture. We like round flower shapes to look a little more like a "pie," but anything is fine. Cut two of the exact same shapes for each cookie, then cute a "window" into the top piece.
3. Sprinkle the window-cut pieces with cinnamon sugar, as you would for cinnamon toast scraps. These will be your tops.
4. Bake 10 minutes, or until just turning golden. Let cool.
5. Once cool, spread bottom cookie generously with apple butter. Place the cinnamon-sugar half on top. Enjoy!

Oreo Mint Ice Cream

Pictured: mint ice cream topped with crushed chocolate teddy grahams.

Original recipe from the ice cream salt box. Our favorite plain vanilla ice cream recipe is here. We love this recipe because it is our firm belief that mint chip is NOT the way to go (those chocolate bits can feel so waxy!), and Oreo mint ice cream cannot always be found! As an alternative to mixing the chocolate in, this recipe is great served over hot brownies, chocolate cake, or cookies.

Ingredients:

• 3 c sugar
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/4 t salt
• 7 c whipping cream
• 2 c milk
• 1/4 t vanilla
• 1 1/4 t mint extract (1 dram peppermint oil)
• 4 drops green food coloring, optional
• 5-15 pounds ice, depending on ambient temperature and size of recipe
• ~1 c rock salt (like Morton's)
• opt: 3 c chocolate cookie crumbles, cake, or brownies

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients but the rock salt & cookies.
2. Pour mixture into ice cream maker and freeze according to instructions. Ours takes about 5 lbs (1 gallon bag) of ice for this recipe, or 20 lbs (4 1/2 gallon bags of ice cubes) if quadrupled on a 75° day, which we pour around the ice cream canister. Pour 1 c salt over the ice to keep its temp low even as ice is melting. As ice melts down, add more so that the ice reaches the top of the ice cream line. Add a sprinkle of salt to the ice with every new ice addition.
3. Use the hand crank or motor for 1-2 hours until desired thickness is reached. Just before serving, add optional chocolate cookie crumbles into canister and mix until just swirled. 

*For a Christmassy alternative, try mixing in crushed candy canes instead of green food coloring.

Lemonade!

This quick and easy recipe is fun for the kids to put together themselves on a hot summer afternoon.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c sugar
• 3/4 c lemon or lime juice (3-4 juiced fruits)
• water & ice to fill to 2 quart line

Directions:

1. In a 2 quart pitcher, dish sugar. Juice lemons (or limes) into pitcher (or pour from a bottle). If using a mixer lid, put the mixer into the pitcher but leave the lid cracked open. Scoop 1-2 cups ice on top of mixer. Finally, add water to 2-quart fill line.
2. Mix well. Enjoy!

Thumbprint Cookies

 Original recipe from Heart's Content.

Ingredients:

• 1 c butter
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 1/4 c flour
• 1/2 t salt
• Christmas jam or apple butter (save till after baking)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Blend wet, whisk dry, mix together. Roll into the size of a large marble, place 4 x 6 on a cookie sheet (totalling 24 cookies per sheet).
3. Press a chop stick into the top (only halfway down--don't puncture through the bottom), moving around to create a "donut hole" shape.
4. Bake 12-14 minutes. Using a 1/4 teaspoon, scoop a dollop of jam into each cookie.

*This small size makes sharing easier at Christmastime! Bigger cookies can be made to fit 12 per pan following the same baking instructions--just create the print with your thumb instead of a chopstick.

Berry Pretzel Pan

Pictures: Berry Pretzel Pan with strawberry Jell-O & frozen garden strawberries!

Original recipe from My Baking Addiction. 

*Note that while prep work is minimal, a few hours of "setting" time is needed before this recipe is finished!

Crust Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c pretzels, blended fine (4-5 c whole)
• 1/2 c butter, melted
• 3 T sugar

Filling Ingredients:

• 2 blocks cream cheese (16 total oz)
• 1 c sugar
• 1 t vanilla
• 8 oz whipped cream

Topping Ingredients:

• 6 oz berry Jell-O of choice
• 2 c boiling water
• 16 oz (3-4 c diced) frozen berries or fruit of choice 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Crush pretzels in a gallon bag using a marble rolling pin or tin can of food, or using a food processor. Pour into a 9x13 pan a mix with melted butter and 3 T sugar. Press into a flat layer across bottom of pan. Bake 10 min. Cool completely (~30 minutes). 
2. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until creamy. Fold in whipped cream. Spread evenly over crust, refrigerate until set (~1 hour).
3. Hand whisk Jell-O powder with boiling water until well dissolved (~2 min). *Using a machine whisker here will result in a frothy top, as pictured above. 😉 Mix in frozen berries until thawed. Pour over cream cheese mixture and refrigerate until set (at least 1 hour). 

Apple Dumplings

Baked appelbollen from our homeschool visit to the "Netherlands."

This yummy dessert is known in Dutch as "Appelbollen." Original recipe from Norine's Nest.

Ingredients:

• 3 T softened butter
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/4 c finely chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1/2 recipe pie dough
• 6 small apples, peeled and cored 
• optional ice cream for serving

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425* F.
2. In a small bowl: mix butter, sugar, cinnamon, and chopped nuts together.
3. Cut pie dough into 6 equal portions. Lightly flour a surface and roll dough into a circle. Place peeled & cored apple in center. 
4. Spoon sugar mixture into the core of each apple, stuffing it in until all used up.
5. Fold dough around apple, decorating the top with stamps of leaves, letters, etc. 
6. Bake on a cookie sheet at 425* for 15 min, turn heat down to 350* and bake 15 min more. 
7. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Joshua's Chocolate Birthday Cake

 Chocolate cake through the years

It seems this boy is always requesting a chocolate cake, so we have a recipe saved just for him! Original recipe from Half Baked Harvest.

Yeild: 2 or 3 stackable layers.

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 3/4 c oil
• 2 1/4 c sugar
• 1 T vanilla
• 1 1/2 c plain yogurt
• 2 1/4 c flour
• 1 1/2 c cocoa powder
• 2 t soda
• 2 t baking powder
• 1 1/2 t salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 8" pans or 3 stackable pans: 4", 6", 8." 
2. Combine wet ingredients with sugar and beat until well mixed. Sift & add remaining ingredients, mix well.
3. Pour into prepared pans, baking 20-25 minutes (or 25-30 min for silicone muffin cups), or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Bigger pans may need more time than small.
4. Cool completely (or freeze) before frosting. Goes well with whipped chocolate, cream cheese and maple frostings. Serve with a favorite ice cream like Oreo mint!

Rice Crispy Treats!

 

Pictured: Easter krispies dotted with rainbow marshies

Original recipe from Kellogg's.

Ingredients:

• 4 T butter
• 10 oz marshmallows
• 1 t vanilla
• 6 c cereal like Rice Krispie's, Cocoa Krispies, or even popcorn
• optional mix-ins of choice like marshmallows (colorful ones for Easter!), red hots, sprinkles, choc chips, etc.
• optional food coloring (green makes a great monster dessert at Halloween)

Directions:

1. Generously butter a 9x13 pan. Set aside.
2. In a large pan over low heat, melt butter. Add marshmallows, stirring occasionally until completely melted.
3. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Add cereal and mix quickly. Fold in optional mix-ins, or reserve and place them on top.
4. Spread into a 9x13 pan and let cool 1 hour. Cut into bit-sized, bars, or other fun shapes and enjoy!
5. Also try Peanut Butter Scotcheroos.

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

Original recipe from All Recipes.

Ingredients:

• 1 c white sugar
• 1 c butter
• 2 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t extract of choice, optional 
• 1/2 t vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2 1/2 c flour
• opt: food color

Ingredients, double:

• 2 c white sugar
• 2 c butter
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t extract of choice, optional 
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 5 c flour
• opt: food color

Ingredients, chocolate:

• 1 c white sugar
• 1 c butter
• 2 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2 3/4 c flour
• 3/4 c cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Cream wet ingredients, sift dry. Blend together and chill 1 hour for best results. 
2. Preheat oven to 350. Roll and cut. Bake 10 min.
3. Let cool, then frost with optional favorite glaze.

Divinity (AKA bunny tails)

Pictured: maple nut divinity with pecans.

Original recipe from Mom and House of Nash Eats.

Yield: 25 large or 50 small puffs

Ingredients:

• 4 cups sugar
• 1 c corn syrup
• 1 c water
• 4 egg whites
• ⅛ t salt
• 2 t vanilla
• optional: ~5 drops food coloring to taste
• opt: ~5 drops additional flavoring to taste
• opt: 2 cups chopped walnuts and/or pecans

Directions:

1. In a 2 quart pan over medium heat, bring sugar, syrup, and water to a boil. Insert candy thermometer.
2. Line 2 trays with wax paper.
3. When syrup reaches 225* whip eggs whites and salt until stiff peaks form.
4. When syrup reaches 260* remove from heat and slowly pour it into beaten eggs, whipping at top speed. It will take 1-2 minutes to pour it all in.
5. Add vanilla and optional flavor and coloring, and continue whipping on high until mixture loses its sheen and begins to hold shape, about 6-8 minutes AFTER everything is combined. Fold in optional nuts.
6. Drop by dollop on the wax paper. Let cool about 30 minutes, then store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Favorite Variations:

• watermelon flavor + pink or green coloring
• strawberry or raspberry flavor + pink or purple coloring
• ½ t maple flavor + chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, or peanuts are great)

Carrot Cake

Original recipe from Creme de la Crumb.

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 c coconut, butter, or other oil
• 1 1/4 c sugar
• 1 3/4 c brown sugar
• 1 T vanilla
• 2/3 c applesauce
• 6 eggs
• 3 c flour
• 1 T baking soda
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1 1/2 t salt
• 3 c shredded carrot

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 c butter
• 2 blocks (16 oz) cream cheese
• 1 T vanilla and/or maple extract
• 1/4 t salt
• 8 c powder sugar
• chopped pecans for topping, optional

Cake Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour (three 9-inch) cake pans.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together oil and sugars. Mix in applesauce. Beat in 2 eggs at a time. Whisk dry ingredients and mix to combine with all. Fold in shredded carrots. 
3. Divide between pans. Bake ~ 35 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean.
4. Turn cakes onto cooling rack. May freeze the cakes at this point for ease in frosting.

Frosting Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and cream cheese. Slowly add 2 c powder sugar, then add salt and vanilla/maple extract. Slowly add remaining powered sugar and beat until fluffy.
2. Assemble cake, frosting between all layers and around the side. Sprinkle with optional chopped pecans. 

Pumpkin Chippers

Original recipe from the Baker Mama. Yield: 45-48 cookies.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c butter, softened
• 3/4 c sugar
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 c pumpkin puree (1/2 of 15 oz can)
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 1/4 c flour
• 1 T pumpkin pie spice
• 1 t soda
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 1/2 c dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Beat butter with sugar, then add remaining wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. 
2. Sift dry ingredient and mix into went ingredients until just combined. Mix in chocolate chips.
3. Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet, about 12-15 cookies per sheet.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 11-12 minutes. Let cool 2-5 minutes on pan before transferring to a wire rack. Cookies will be a bit floppy, in a yummy way. Enjoy!

Honey Oat Cream Cookies

Pictured: honey oat cream cookies topped with orange cream cheese frosting and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Ingredients:

• 1 c butter
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1 c honey
• 2 eggs
• 2 t vanilla
• 1 T molasses
• 1/4 t maple extract
• 3 c oats, blended fine
• 2 c flour
• 1 t soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
• opt: toffee bits for topping

Directions:

1. Beat butter and sugar. Add remaining wet ingredients and beat. Add dry ingredients.
2. To make dough workable, refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 325.
4. Drop dough by spoonful into 12 balls on cookies sheet. Press down and shape into circles. Press a few optional toffee bits into top.
5. Bake 9-11 minutes. Let cool.
6. Whip up cream cheese frosting with 1/4 t cinnamon and optional orange food coloring. Spread over cookies.

No-Bake Cookies

Pictured: no-bake cookie bars in a 9x9 pan

 Original recipe from family.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c butter
• 2 c sugar
• 3 T cocoa powder
• 1/2 c milk
• 1/2 c peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)
• 1 t vanilla
• 5 c quick oatmeal

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan over med low heat, melt first four ingredients. Bring to a boil, and simmer 1-2 minutes until well incorporated.
2. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Mix well.
3. On a cookie sheet (line with wax paper if desired), drop by spoonfuls to make cookies and let cool. Alternatively, press mixture into a 9x13 (thinner bars) or a 9x9 (thicker bars) pan, cover, and let cool. Cut into bars. Enjoy!

Homemade Ice Cream

Fresh-churned ice cream topped with huckleberry puree. 

Original recipe from 5 Boys Baker. Also try our Oreo mint ice cream recipe!

Nothing says summer's here like a fresh batch of ice cream churned yourself! We use a Red Shed 6-quart ice cream maker (similar to this one) with both the hand-crank and motor stirring option, as the mixing time takes a good hour or two on a hot day. Set aside about three hours to prep this recipe before you want to serve it, just to be sure. This recipe makes about 10 servings, but we can quadruple it in our 6-quart maker to extend the fun. :)

Ingredients:

• 3 c heavy cream
• 1 1/2 c whole milk
• 1 1/4 c sugar
• 1 1/2 T vanilla
• opt: 1/2 recipe broken berries, pureed and chilled
• opt: other toppings of choice
• 5-15 pound ice, depending on ambient temperature and size of recipe
• ~1 c rock salt (like Morton's)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl or pitcher, stir all ingredients except the optionals, ice, and salt. 
2. Pour mixture into ice cream maker and freeze according to instructions. Ours (similar to this one) takes about 5 lbs (1 gallon bag) of ice for this recipe, or 20 lbs (4 1/2 gallon bags of ice cubes) if quadrupled on a 75° day, which we pour around the ice cream canister. Pour 1 c salt over the ice to keep its temp low even when melted. As ice melts down, add more so that the ice reaches the top of the ice cream line. Add a sprinkle of salt with every new ice addition.
3. Use the hand crank or motor for 1-2 hours until desired thickness is reached. Just before serving, pour optional broken berries into canister and mix until just swirled. 
4. Top each serving with fresh berries if desired. Enjoy!

Dry Ice Root Beer!

Original recipe from Hires Big H (check out their website for a video tutorial and the recipe calculated to double or half).

This is our July 4th party-pleaser.  Round up a 4-gallon spigot cooler and mix this yummy treat up before the fireworks begin. Combine with vanilla ice cream for delicious root beer floats!

Makes 2 gallons to serve 30.

Ingredients:

• 5 c sugar
• 1/4 c Hires Big H root beer extract
• 6 qt water
• 2 lbs broken dry ice*

Directions:

1. In a 2-quart pitcher, mix sugar, concentrate, and water to fill until dissolved.  Keep cool until ready to serve.
2. In spigot cooler, combine mixture with remaining ~6 quarts water.  
3. Gather everyone around--this is the fun part!  Wearing clean leather gloves, carefully slide dry ice into the cooler.  Watch it bubble and fizz!  
4. Stir the dry ice every 10 minutes to prevent it from clumping at the bottom. Tilt the lid of the cooler to keep the dry ice bubbling longer. Enjoy!

*Buying dry ice: Remember in most states you need to be 18 or older to buy dry ice. Call your local grocery store to find out if they sell it. Usually if they don't, they can lead you to the nearest place who will. Check to be sure it will be in stock on the day you want to buy it, as carriers commonly run out of dry ice before their next shipment arrives. You can buy dry ice the day before it is needed as long as you store it in an air-tight container, like a cooler, in your freezer. Keep in mind it is always slowly evaporating, so buy a little extra if you want to be on the safe side.