Drop Cookies: Peannut Butter Cookies

Peanut butter cookies are a classic. They're delicious and fun. The forked pattern on the top is traditional, but it's not strictly necessary. I like the forked pattern not just because it's pretty, but because everyone can easily identify the peanut butter cookies on a tray of many cookies. But you can skip it, if you like.


Ingredients


½ cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup sugar
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup peanut butter
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1¾ cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
sugar (optional)


Preparation


Heat the oven to 375°F. Beat sugar, brown sugar, and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter, milk, vanilla, and egg and blend until smooth. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt until you have a soft dough. Using 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, roll dough into balls. Place these balls at least 2 inches apart on a prepared cookie sheet.


If desired, flatten slightly using the tines of a fork dipped in sugar. Crisscross the fork to give the cookies the traditional peanut butter cookie look. Bake for 12 minutes, then remove immediately from cookie sheet and cool on wire racks.


This recipe makes 2 dozen cookies. These cookies will keep for up to a week if stored in an airtight container.

Fried Cookies: Rosette Cookies

Deep fried dough is one of the sinful delights we all crave. Whether it's doughnuts, funnel cake, or anything else we find at a fair, our taste buds do a little dance of happiness. You can make these things at home, if you like.


Rosette cookies are tasty and easy to make, but you will need some supplies that might not be in your cupboard. While the ingredients are simple and found easily enough in your pantry, you'll also need a deep fryer and rosette molds. If you don't have a deep fryer, you can use a pot of oil on the stove. Either way, you'll need to keep track of the oil temperature, so get a good deep fry thermometer. If your deep fryer has temperature control, you won't need the thermometer.


Rosette molds are metal shapes that attach to a rod. They are plunged into hot oil to create the delicate rosettes. You can find them at some specialty shops, or you can buy them online. Try Amazon, searching for a rosette set. Sometime you'll find a rosette and timable set, which includes patty shell molds. They're not overly expensive, and they're great fun.


Ingredients


2 eggs
1 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla


Preparation


Beat eggs lightly in a shallow pan that is slightly larger than your rosette mold. Add other ingredient and beat until smooth. Don't overbeat, but don't leave lumps in the batter either. Your batter should look very much like pancake batter. Place the batter in the fridge for at least 2 hours. This will give you crisper rosettes.


Heat oil to 375°F. Place the rosette mold in the hot oil and leave it there for at least 3 minutes to heat. 5 minutes is better, at least for the first cookie. Remove batter from fridge while the mold is heating. Remove the mold from the oil, allowing excess oil to drip back into the deep fryer.


Dip mold into the batter, but only to the depth of the mold. You don't want the batter on top of the mold or the cookie will be difficult to remove. Hold the mold in the batter for 30 seconds to allow the batter to adhere to the hot oil. Place mold, with batter, into the fryer. The oil will bubble. When bubbling slows down and the rosette is a delicate brown, the cookie is done. Lift the mold out of the oil.


The cookie may fall right off the mold as you life the mold out. This is okay, and even ideal. It makes the cookie much easier to remove. Simply grab some tongs and fish it out of the oil. Allow excess oil to drip off the cookie, then allow cookie to cool on a wire rack. Place a few paper towels under the rack to catch any oil.


If the cookie doesn't come off the mold, use a fork to gently remove it. Be careful or you'll damage the cookie. When the cookie is free, place the mold back in the oil for a minute to reheat. Continue making cookies until you have no batter left.


If desired, sprinkle cookies with powdered sugar. You can even add a little cinnamon.


Cookie can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days once they're completely cool and dry. You can even freeze them for up to 2 weeks. If you want to recrisp the cookies, heat in a 300°F oven for 3 to 5 minutes.

Sliced Cookies: Sweet Molasses Rounds

These sweet and tender cookies can be made with either light or dark molasses. I prefer dark, but it really doesn't matter. The spices in this cookie mimic a hearty gingerbread, so almost everyone will like this. The dough is very tender, so it will require at least 2 hours in the freezer before slicing.


Ingredients


½ cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup molasses
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cloves
¼ tsp ginger


Preparation


Beat sugar, molasses, butter, and egg in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add all other ingredients and blend until you have a smooth and slightly wet dough. Turn dough out onto a piece of wax or parchment paper. Roll into a log that is 12 inches long. Flatten ends. Wrap in wax paper and freeze until dough is set, about 2 hours.


Heat oven to 375°F. Remove dough from freezer and unwrap. Slice into ½-inch rounds and place on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until cookies are set and browned at the edges. Immediately remove from cookie sheet and cool completely on wire racks.


This recipe makes 24 cookies. They will keep in an airtight container for up to a week.

Yeast Breads: Cormeal Batter Rolls

These cornmeal rolls are tender and moist. They're also incredibly easy to make. Batter breads don't have to be kneaded, so you can simply mix, pour, and bake in the pan they rise in. These rolls are baked in a muffin pan, making it all the easier.


For a little variety, try topping these rolls with sesame or poppy seeds just before baking. They'll come out delicious.


Ingredients


2 cups all purpose flour
1¼ tsp bread machine or quick rise yeast
½ cup cornmeal
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
4 tbsp butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
sesame or poppy seeds (optional)


Preparation


With no kneading necessary, you can whip up this bread quickly enough. Place all ingredients except sesame or poppy seeds in a large bowl. Blend with a wooden spoon until you have a wet batter. The batter should be fairly smooth. Cover batter with a tea towel and set aside to rise in a warm location. The dough may take a little while to rise, so be prepared to wait up to 90 minutes for the dough to double in size.


Stir the batter to remove any air bubbles. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Divide the batter equally between 12 muffin cups. Set muffin pan aside in a warm location, allowing batter to rise once more. This time the rise cycle will take about 60 minutes. You want the rolls to double in size, but you don't want them to overflow the muffin pan, so keep an eye on the rolls.


Heat oven to 375°F. Bake rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until rolls are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from muffin pan immediately and cool on wire racks.


This recipe makes 12 rolls. They will stay fresh for up to 4 days if stored in an airtight container.

Snacks & Appetizers: Battered Chicken Nuggets

Actual chicken nuggets are made with ground chicken that has been shaped either by hand or in a mold. If you just cut chicken into chunks, those are more appropriately called chicken chunks. In this recipe, we're making chicken nuggets.


These are easier to make than you think. You'll need a deep fryer or a pot of oil on the stove. A deep fryer is my preference. Either way, you'll need to monitor the temperature of the oil. If your deep fryer has temperature control, you won't need an external thermometer. If it doesn't, or if you're using a pot of oil, you'll need a deep fry thermometer.


You can also make turkey nuggets with this same recipe. Just substitute ground turkey for the ground chicken.


Ingredients


1 pound ground chicken
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour, divided
1 cup water


Preparation


Place the ground chicken in a bowl and add chili powder, sea salt, pepper, and egg. Mix well. With your hands (or a mold, if you have one) shape the chicken mixture into nuggets. Don't make them too large or they'll take too long to cook. You can make them round or square or any other shape you like. The shape isn't at all important, so you can have fun with this step.


Place your chicken nuggets on a cutting board and place in the freezer. Allow nuggets to freeze for 2 to 3 hours, until frozen throughout.


Heat oil to 360°F. Place 1 cup of flour in a shallow dish. Place the other cup of flour in a bowl and add the water. Mix well to create a batter. Remove the chicken from the freezer. Roll each nugget in the flour, then dip in the batter, and roll in the flour once again.


Place nuggets gently into heated oil, being careful not to splash or otherwise burn yourself. Fry for 7 to 10 minutes, depending on how large you made your nuggets. Remove from oil and drain well. Allow nuggets to cool for 2 minutes before serving.


These nuggets are excellent with a variety of dips and sauces. Try honey mustard, barbeque, plum, cheese, or any sauce you like.

Sliced Cookies: Chocolate Nut Rounds

The cinnamon in this recipe brings out the flavor in the chocolate, making for a delicious cookie that anyone will like. You can chop the nuts more finely than I did, though I like the look of the larger chunks. You can also omit the nuts entirely, or use a different nut.


When melting the chocolate and butter, you can use a pot on the stove or a chocolate melter. I prefer my little chocolate melter, but you can use whatever you prefer to melt the chocolate. A fondue pot would work as well. Allow the chocolate the cool for at least 5 minutes before you add it to the dough to avoid cooking the eggs.


Ingredients


½ cup butter
½ cup chocolate chips
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2¼ cups all purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
½ cup walnuts, chopped


Preparation


Melt the butter and chocolate together over medium heat until chocolate is smooth. Do not cook longer than necessary. Remove from heat and allow to cool 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.


Place sugar, vanilla, and egg in a large bowl. Blend well. Add chocolate and blend until smooth and fluffy. Add flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Blend until a damp dough forms. Fold in walnuts.


Turn out the dough onto a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap. Shape the dough into a log that is 12 inches long. Wrap in the wax paper and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour.


Heat oven to 400°F. Remove dough from freezer and unwrap. Use a sharp knife to cut dough into
½-inch rounds. This will give you 24 cookies. Arrange these on a prepared baking sheet, keeping the cooking at least 1 inch away from each other.


Bake for 8 minutes, until cookies are set and browned a bit around the edges. Cool on pan for 1 minute, then cool completely on wire racks.


These cookies will keep for up to 6 days if kept in an airtight container.

Yeast Breads: Southern Sweet Potato Rolls

The sweet potato in this hearty recipe makes for a sweet and exciting roll. For a little more flavor, try adding a little cinnamon to the dough. Maybe even a little nutmeg.


I bake an actual sweet potato for this recipe. You can, if you wish, use canned sweet potato.


Ingredients


1 sweet potato
1¼ tsp quick rise or bread machine yeast
4 cups all purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
¼ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 large egg


Preparation


You first need to bake the sweet potato, so heat your oven to 400°F. Prick the skin of the sweet potato several times with a fork, then wrap it in aluminum foil. Place the wrapped sweet potato in a baking dish. If you don't, you'll end up with a mess on the bottom of the oven no matter how well you wrap the sweet potato.


Bake the sweet potato for 60 to 90 minutes, until you can pierce the sweet potato easily with a fork or knife. Allow sweet potato to cool for 20 minutes, then peel off the skin. If the sweet potato is well cooked, it should come off easily. Discard skin and place your cooked sweet potato in a small bowl. Mash well and allow to cool completely.


Place sweet potato mash in a large bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix until you have a loose dough. Turn this dough out onto a floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic. This won't take long, so you'll knead for 5 minutes or less. Don't overwork this dough or it won't rise very well.


Place the kneaded dough in a bowl that has been lightly oiled and cover it with a damp tea towel. You'll need to let it rise in a warm location until doubled in size. This will take a while due to the addition of sweet potato to the dough. Allow up to 90 minutes for this dough to rise.


Punch down the dough to remove the air bubbles. Divide the dough into 18 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball. Place these balls on a prepared baking sheet. Use 2 sheets if you don't have a sheet large enough for 18 rolls. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in size. This will take about an hour.


Heat oven to 375°F. Uncover rolls and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes, until rolls are golden and sound hollow when tapped. Remove immediately from baking sheet and cool on wire racks.


These rolls will keep for up to 5 days if stored in an airtight container.