Yeast Breads: Butternhorn Crescents

Sometimes you want something that is sort of like a croissant but doesn't take all day to make. In that case, you might want to try your hand at making butternhorn crescents. They sort of look like croissants and they do taste like butter. But be warned, because they are not as flaky and tender as croissants. They do take a fraction of the time to make, however.


Ingredients


1 cup milk
1 egg
¼ cup butter or margarine
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
1¼ tsp bread machine or quick rise yeast
¼ cup butter or margarine


Preparation


Place all ingredients into a non-metal bowl except for the last ¼-cup of butter. Mix with your hands until a loose dough forms. Turn this dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until your dough becomes smooth and elastic. This will take 5-10 minutes.


Place the dough in a oiled bowl, one that isn't made of metal, and cover with a damp cloth. Set aside in a warm location until the dough has doubled in size. This will take about an hour. Uncover and punch the dough down to remove the air bubbles. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.


Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out into a large circle. A thinner circle will give you more croissants, but don't make your dough so thin that it tears. Take your time rolling out the dough, giving it a few minutes to relax if it is too stiff. I like to roll my circle out to about 15 inches across. When you've done that, smear the final ¼-cup of butter on your circle of dough, covering the entire surface.


Cut the dough into triangles. I usually make 16 smaller butterhorns, but you can cut them into fewer if you want larger crescents. Roll up the triangles to form little crescents. Curve them a little if you like. Place your crescents on a prepared baking sheet and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm location until doubled in size. This time, it will take about 30 to 45 minutes.


Preheat oven to 375°F. Uncover crescents and bake for 20 minutes, until the crescents are lightly browned. Remove from pan immediately and cool on a wire rack.


These crescents can be stored for up to 4 days in an airtight container.

Quick Breads: Nutty Banana Bread

Banana bread is a hit in my household. So much so that I have to buy at least 24 bananas a week just to make banana bread. Luckily, I can often get them as a discount because I can use bananas that are a little past their prime. In fact, older bananas are preferred. So if you can get discounted bananas, you should definitely make this classy recipe.


Ingredients


¾ cup sugar
½ cup butter or margarine
2 eggs
2 medium bananas, ripe or overripe
⅓ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt


Preparation


Heat oven to 350°F. Spray a loaf pan liberally with cooking spray. Beat sugar and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs until just combined. Add all other ingredients and blend well, but do not overmix. Pour into prepared pan.


Bake for about an hour, until the top of the loaf is slightly cracked and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.


This loaf will keep for 5 days if kept in an airtight container.

Thanksgiving: Marshmallow Pumpkin Puffs

These cookies fluff up almost like muffin tops. The sweet icing drizzle is made simply from marshmallows and butter, making these puffs a quick and simple dessert or treat.


Ingredients


½ cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups brown sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 cups pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cloves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups marshmallows
2 tbsp butter (do not use margarine)


Directions


Heat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl cream together the butter and the brown sugar until it is light and fluffy. Add oil, pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla. Blend well. Add all other ingredients except the marshmallows and remaining butter to the bowl and mix until you have a dough that is sticky and soft.


Drop by tablespoons onto a prepared cookie sheet, keeping cookies at least 2 inches apart to keep them from baking together. Bake until they are springy to the touch, about 15 minutes. They should resemble muffin tops. Remove cookies from cookie sheet immediately and cool on wire racks.


Melt marshmallows and butter in a small bowl in the microwave (or in a saucepan) and mix well until you have a workable drizzle. Do not overheat marshmallows. You want them melted, but only just. Using a spoon, drizzle or plop the marshmallow icing over the cooled cookies. Let cookies rest until icing is set.


This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies. They'll keep for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container in a single layer.

Thanksgiving: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin is a traditional Thanksgiving food, especially pumpkin pie. But there are many other way to use pumpkin. Try these soft and delicious cookies as an alternative or addition to pie. The pumpkin in the recipe gives the cookies a soft and velvety texture. They're not too sweet and they're loaded with flavor.


Ingredients


½ cup butter or margarine, softened
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1¼ cups all purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cloves
¼ tsp salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips


Directions


Heat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl cream together sugars and butter. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. Blend well. Add all other ingredients except chocolate chips and mix until you have  a soft cookie dough. Fold in chocolate chips.


Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto a prepared cookie sheet. Make sure the cookies are about 2 inches apart because they will spread as they bake. Bake until cookies are puffy and golden brown, about 12 minutes.


Remove cookies from tray immediately and cool on wire racks. Cookies will keep for up to a week if you store them in an airtight container.


This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Yeast Breads: Caramel Crunch Bagels

These sweet bagels are flavored with a caramel syrup that you make yourself. The crunch comes from granola cereal and chopped walnuts. Caramel crunch bagels are perfect for a Sunday morning brunch, especially with a sweet cream cheese spread.


Ingredients


½ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup butter (do no substitute margarine)
3 tbsp dark corn syrup
1¼ tsp bread machine or quick rise yeast
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup water
½ cup granola cereal
½ cup walnuts, chopped
2 tbsp honey


Preparation


Before you make the bagels, you have to make the syrup that will flavor the bagels. In a small saucepan, combine powdered sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, let boil for 1 minute while stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Set aside for the moment. The syrup needs to cool at least 5 minutes.


Place yeast, flour, salt, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Add water and mix. Carefully add syrup, granola, and walnuts. Mix until you have a loose dough. Turn the loose dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until you have a dough that is soft and elastic. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Set aside to rise in a warm location until dough is doubled in size, about 1 hour.


Punch down the dough to remove the air bubbles. Shape into 12 bagels either by hand or using a bagel cutter. Place shaped bagels on a prepared baking sheet. Cover and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes.


Heat oven to 375°F. Fill a small saucepan with water and add honey. Bring to a boil. One at a time, boil bagels for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. The longer you boil them the chewier they'll be. Place boiled bagels back on the baking sheet.


Bake for 22 minutes, until bagels are browned. Remove immediately from baking sheet and cool on wire racks.


These bagels will keep for up to 4 days if stored in an airtight container.

Thanksgiving: Candy Apple Slices

Candy apples are typically for Halloween, but a smaller version can work for Thanksgiving too. These slices on a stick are a quick treat that will be loved by children and adults alike. The chocolate does take a while to set, so be prepared to let them sit overnight.


You can use any apples you like. I like granny smith, but use something sweeter if you don't like the tartness of the granny smith apple.


Ingredients


1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 tbsp butter
2 large apples
caramel sundae topping
crushed pretzels
M&Ms


Preparation


For this recipe, you'll either need a double boiler or a chocolate melter to melt your chocolate. If you don't have either of these, you can create your own double boiler at home. Bring a saucepan of water to simmer. Set a glass bowl over the saucepan, but make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. This is your double boiler.


Melt the chocolate and the butter together in the boiler or melter. Stir until smooth. While you're waiting for the chocolate to melt, slice the apples. Your goal is to remove the core and cut the apple into wedges. You can do this with a knife, but I prefer an apple slicer. It slices and removes the core all at once. But as long as the apples end up in wedges, that's all that matters.


Press a wooden skewer into the apple slices. Line a large tray with wax paper and set near the double boiler. Drizzle the apples with caramel sauce; the chocolate will stick to the apples better this way. Dip the apple slices into the melted chocolate. Use a spoon to fully cover the apple if you can't fully submerge it in the chocolate. Place the apple slices on the wax paper.


Sprinkle apple slices with crushed pretzels and M&Ms. You can add other toppings, if you like. Try sprinkles or even a drizzle of white chocolate for a little variety.


Place apple slices in the refrigerator to set. Ideally, you'll let them sit overnight, but you can serve them as soon as the chocolate is fully set. This will take about 2 hours in the refrigerator.


Store finished slices in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They'll likely not last that long, especially if you have kids around.

Specialty Cookies: Butter Tart Cookies

These cookies take a little extra effort, but they're definitely worth it. They are rich and buttery with a sweet filling that tastes just like a butter tart. Despite being more work than a regular cookie, they are infinitely easier than an actual butter tart, so try serving these at your next gathering instead.


Ingredients


For the Cookie
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup dark corn syrup
1 egg yolk
1¼ cup all purpose flour


For the Filling
¼ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
¼ cup powdered sugar
⅛ cup butter (do no substitute margarine)
1½ tbsp dark corn syrup
1 egg white, slightly beaten


Preparation


Start by making your cookie dough. Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add corn syrup and egg yolk and blend well. Stir in flour and mix until all flour has been fully incorporated. Cover dough and place in the refrigerator.


Now make the filling. Toast the pecans by heating the oven to 350°F. Spread the pecans in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, until nuts are slightly browned. Watch the nuts closely. They can burn easily You want them just slightly browned, not dark. Allow nuts to cool for 5 minutes.


In a small saucepan, combine powdered sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, then remove immediately from the heat. Stir in toasted pecans. Set aside.


Heat oven to 375°F. Remove dough from fridge and shape into 1-inch balls. Place these on a prepared cookie sheet. They should be about 2 inches apart. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and brush lightly with egg white. Using the handle of a small spoon, carefully make a deep indentation of each cookie. Fill this indentation with the filling.


When all cookies are filled, return them to the oven and bake for an additional 9 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet, then cool completely on wire racks.

This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies. They can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.