Sliced Cookies: Date Pinwheel Cookies

Dates are chewy and sweet, so it makes sense that a date cookie would be as well. These soft pinwheels are great with ice cream in the evening or coffee in the morning. Versatile and delicious, you can serve these to the young and old alike.


Ingredients


For the Filling
¾ cup dates, finely chopped
¼ sugar
⅓ cup water
2 tbsp nuts, finely chopped (optional)


For the Cookies
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1½ cups all purpose flour
1½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt


Preparation


First you must make the filling for the cookies. Place dates, sugar, and water in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover and cook until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in nuts. Allow to cool uncovered until the filling cools to room temperature.


When the filling has cooled, it's time to make the cookie dough. Place sugar, butter, and egg in a large bowl and beat until fluffy. Add in the rest of the cookie ingredients and blend gently until a soft dough forms. Dough will be sticky, so handle carefully.


On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a 8x16-inch rectangle. Use as much flour as you need to keep the dough from sticking. Carefully spread the date filling on the dough, staying about an inch away from one long side; this gap is important. Roll up the dough to create a log, but start with the other long side, the one away from the gap you left with the filling. The gap allows the filling to expand as you roll up the dough.


Wrap the entire 16-inch log you've created in wax paper and freeze. The roll needs to stay in the freezer for at least 2 hours, so ignore it for a while. Don't try to cut it too early or you'll end up with a mess.


Heat oven to 375°F. Remove dough from freezer and unwrap. Cut into ½-inch slices and arranged on a prepared cookie sheet. Keep cookies at least 1 inch apart. Bake for 9 minutes, until cookies are browned at the edges. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then cool completely on wire racks.


Cookies can be stored for up to 5 days in an airtight container. This recipe makes 32 cookies.

Yeast Breads: English Muffin Bread

This bread has a coarse texture and a light flavor, very much like English muffins. It can be toasted, eaten warm, used as a sandwich bread, or just enjoyed for what it is. I find jam compliments the texture of this bread very well.


Ingredients


2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1¼ tsp bread machine or quick rise yeast
¾ cup warm water
3 tbsp oil
1 egg
Cornmeal


Preparation


This bread is easy enough to make. Place all ingredients in a large, nonmetal bowl and blend until all ingredients are incorporated and a stiff batter has formed. Cover this batter loosely and set aside to rise. It needs to double in size, so give this batter bread at least one hour to do so.


Spray a small, round casserole dish with baking spray to prevent sticking. Sprinkle the dish with cornmeal as well. This batter can really stick to the dish, but the addition of cornmeal on top of the baking spray should help.


Stir batter well to remove all air bubbles, then spoon into the casserole dish. Cover and let rise until doubled in size again, about 45 minutes.


Heat oven to 375°F. Uncover dough and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until bread is browned and loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Cool in casserole dish for 10 minutes, then cool completely on wire racks.


This bread will keep for up to a week when stored in an airtight container.

Yeast Breads: European Almond Loaf

This loaf makes an excellent sandwich bread or morning toast. It goes well with coffee or tea and can be made into buns or rolls if you're serving a larger crowd.


Ingredients


⅓ cup butter
1 cup almonds, sliced or slivered
3¼ cups all purpose flour
½ cup sugar
½ cup mashed potato flakes
1 tsp anise seed
1 tsp salt
1¼ tsp quick rise or bread machine yeast
1 cup sour cream
½ cup water
2 eggs


Preparation


Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add butter and almonds, cooking until almonds are light brown. Stir constantly to avoid burning the butter. When complete, set aside.


In a large bowl that is not metal, combine flour, sugar, potato flakes, anise seed, salt, and yeast. In a small saucepan, combine water and sour cream and heat over medium heat until warm, about 5 minutes. Stir constantly. Remove from heat and whisk in eggs.


Add sour cream mixture to flour mixture. Combine until a soft dough forms. It will be more like a batter and does not need to be completely smooth. Cover loosely and place in a warm location to rise. Allow dough to double in size, which will take about 1 hour.


Spray a bread pan with baking spray to prevent sticking. Stir dough to remove air bubbles and spoon gently into prepared pan. Cover and let rise until once again your dough has doubled in size. Again, this will take about an hour.


Heat oven to 350°F. Uncover dough. Brush top with egg wash if desired, though this is not strictly necessary. Bake loaf for about 40 minutes, until loaf is brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Allow to cool 10 minutes in pan, then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Slice bread when cooled.


This bread will keep 4 to 5 days if kept in an airtight container.

Sandwiches & Burgers: Twice Baked Sandwiches

This is a delicious way to enjoy sandwiches. It takes a little effort, but it's worth it. You can change and adapt this recipe as you see fit. I've used turkey bacon, but you can use pork bacon. Or you can use ham, turkey slices, sausage, or anything else you choose. Just make sure you're using a cooked meat. Raw meats will not cook inside these sandwiches.


You can also use any cheese you like. I used mozzarella because that's what I had already grated, but these are excellent with cheddar, gouda, or any other cheese that melts well.


You don't have to make your own buns for this recipe. You can buy a set of 12 bakery buns and use those instead. I just prefer to bake my own beforehand.


Ingredients


1 recipe for Basic White Bread
12 slices turkey bacon
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
½ cup butter, melted
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp poppy seeds


Preparation


Prepare the white bread dough as directed in the recipe until after the first rise. At this point, you want to grease a 9x13-inch cake pan to prevent sticking. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Shape each portion into a smooth-topped bun and place in cake pan. When all 12 are arranged in the pan, cover and let rise in a warm location until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. As they rise, they will touch each other. This is a good thing.


Heat oven to 350°F. Bake buns for 25 minutes, until golden brown on top. They should sound hollow when tapped. Remove buns from the pan, but try not to separate them as you do so. This recipe works best when the buns are still attached to each other. If they do separate, however, you can still use them. You just might get some cheese melting onto the bottom of the pan.


Allow buns to cool completely. When they are cooled, slice them to remove the tops. Again, try to keep them together, but it's not the end of the world if the buns separate. I often divide them into 2 groups of 6 to allow for easier slicing.


Place the bottom of the buns back into the cake pan. Top with bacon and cheese. Replace tops of buns. Combine all remaining ingredients and pour over the tops of the buns. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.


Allow to cool 5 minutes, then use a spatula to remove sandwiches from pan 1 at a time. These can be eaten immediately or refrigerated until the next day.

Yeast Breads: Cheese Surprise Bread

When you slice open this bread, you'll find a delightfully cheesy center.


Ingredients


For the Bread
1¼ tsp bread machine or quick rise yeast.
3 cups all purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
½ cup milk
½ cup water
3 tbsp butter or margarine
1 egg


For the Filling
½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
½ tsp Italian seasoning
½ tsp garlic powder
4 tbsp butter or margarine, melted


For the Topping
1 tbsp sesame seeds


Preparation


Combine all bread ingredients in a large bowl and stir until a loose dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl and cover. Allow to rise in a warm location until doubled in size, about 1 hour.


Meanwhile, combine all filling ingredients in a small bowl and toss gently. Set aside.


Punch down dough and divide into 2 equal portions. Spray a bread pan with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Place one portion of the dough into the pan and press it down until it fills the bottom of the pan. Arrange the filling on top of the dough, placing it in a line down the center. Keep is away from the edges of the pan, if you can.


Top with the other potion of dough. Press it into place to, hopefully, keep the filling where it's supposed to be. Set the entire loaf aside to rise. It should double in size, which will probably take 45 minutes.


Heat oven to 375°F. Top loaf with sesame seeds. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until loaf is golden brown on top. Allow bread to cool 20 minutes before slicing or the cheese will run out.


When you do slice the loaf, the cheese will be revealed. this loaf makes a wonderful toast, or is great simply on its own fresh from the oven.

Sliced Cookies: Coconut Oatmeal Rounds

These are tasty cookies that take very little time to actually prepare. Though you do have to chill them before you can slice and bake them, with a little planning you can always have cookie dough in the freezer ready to slice. This dough will keep up to 2 week in the fridge, or 6 weeks in the freezer.


Ingredients


½ cup sugar
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup coconut, shredded


Preparation


In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add egg and blend until smooth. Stir in all other ingredients and mix until dough is soft and pliable.


Turn out the dough onto a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap. Shape it into a log about 12 inches long. The dough is obviously too pliable to cut immediately, so wrap the log in the wax paper and freeze for 1 hour, or refrigerate for 2 hours. You can leave it longer, but don't try to cut it early.


Heat the oven to 375°F. Remove dough log from the fridge or freeze and unwrap. Cut the dough into ½-inch rounds. You should have 24 rounds when you're done slicing. Place these rounds on a prepared cookie sheet. Make sure the rounds are at least 1 inch away from each other and the sides of the pan. They will spread a bit.


Bake cookies for 10 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Cool cookies 1 minute on cookie sheet, then cool completely on a wire rack. These cookies will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container.


This recipe makes 24 cookies.

Sliced Cookies: Spiced Walnut Cookies

These are sliced after they've been chilled. Use a sharp knife and cut straight down to avoid crushing the cookies as you cut. If you do accidentally flatten the cookies, just fix them up a little by hand. They don't have to be perfect. You're just going to eat them.


The unbaked dough can be frozen in its log form for up to 6 weeks, so you can easily make the dough ahead of time, baking just a few cookies as necessary.


Ingredients


½ cup sugar
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1½ cups all purpose flour
¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup walnuts, chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cloves


Preparation


In a large bowl, cream together sugars and butter. Add vanilla and egg and blend until smooth. Mix in remaining ingredients, making sure they are well incorporated. Blend with your hands if necessary until you have a soft, if slightly sticky, dough.


Turn the dough out onto a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap. Shape the dough into a log that is about 12 inches long. Roll it gently and pat the ends flat. Wrap the log in the wax paper and place in the fridge for 2 hours or the freezer for 1 hour.


Heat oven to 425°F. Take the log out of the fridge and unwrap it. Cut the dough into ½-inch slices. You will end up with 24 slices. Place the slices on a prepared cookie sheet and bake for 7 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then cool completely on wire racks.


These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen.