PEANUT BRITTLE RECIPE

I got this peanut brittle recipe off Martha Stewart show many years ago. I made some for my mom, who loves peanut brittle, and gave some to friends. Everyone loved this recipe!

Ingredients:
large stock pot with heavy/tight lid
candy thermometer
large mixing spoon with long, metal handle and bowl
2 large cookie sheets already sprayed with a cooking spray like PAM
3 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
4.5 cups roasted, salted peanuts (or any other nut)
4 TBSP unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking soda

Let's cook!

1. Into pot, place sugar, corn syrup and water. Stir until well mixed.
2. Put lid onto pot, keeping in the condensation, and put on high heat
3. Occasionally swirl the pot to mix the contents, not taking off the lid
4. Heat for about 5 minutes - until it comes to a boil
5. Place candy thermometer on side of pot, with bottom of sensor at bottom of pot.
6. When it comes up to 230F (about 2 minutes), add in the peanuts. Stir them in using metal spoon.
7. Keep stirring until mixture reaches 300F (about 20 minutes). Yes, your arm will get tired!
8. Once mixture reaches 300F, remove from heat
9. Stir in butter, vanilla and baking soda. Mixture will then foam up
10. Pour onto pans and spread as thin as possible. The thinner, the better.
11. Wait about 1 hour before cracking brittle into pieces

Advice - fill your cooking pot with water and let it sit overnight to dissolve the mixture off the sides of the pot.

HOMEMADE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Ingredients-

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1.25 cups flour

Directions-

In a large bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter on high for 30 seconds.
Add sugar, brown sugar, baking soda and baking powder.
Mix, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Gradually add the flour, mixing by hand each addition thoroughly
Cover and chill dough about 1 hour.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls and set 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Flatten the balls with fork to make criss cross pattern on the cookies.
Bake in a 375 degree oven about 8 minutes or until bottoms are very light brown. Bake shorter for chewy cookies, longer for harder cookies.
Option - sprinkle a little extra sugar on tops as soon as you pull them out of the oven
Cool cookies on waxed paper.

MILE HIGH COCONUT CAKE - KWANZAA

INGREDIENTS

For the cake:

1 cup coconut milk

3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup softened butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs

2 cups grated coconut

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the icing:
2 cups grated coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup water
2 egg whites
2/3 cup softened butter

2 cups grated coconut

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans.

3. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl, cream shortening and butter until light and fluffy

5. Gradually mix in sugar

6. Gradually add 4 eggs, one at a time

7. Mix in coconut milk and vanilla

8. Add half of flour mixture, mix well

9. Add coconut milk, mix well

10. Add rest of flour mixture, mix well

11. Fold in coconut.

12. Pour into three 9 inch cake pans.

13. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

To Make Frosting:

14. In a saucepan, combine sugar, cream of tartar and water to make a syrup.

15. Bring to a boil and cook until candy thermometer reads 240 degrees F. Remove from heat.
16. In a medium bowl, whip egg whites on high until stiff

17. Slowly add syrup mixture and continue to beat with mixer.

18. Add vanilla
19. In a large bowl, cream butter well.

20. Add egg white mixture a few tablespoons at a time, beating well each time

21. After icing each cake layer, sprinkle some coconut on top before placing next layer on top. Be generous with the top layer.

APRICOT RASPBERRY RUGELACH - HANUKKAH

(Good Housekeeping)


INGREDIENTS-

1 cup softened butter
8 oz package softened cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1.5 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup seedless raspberry preserves
1 tablespoon milk

DIRECTIONS-

1. Using a mixer on low speed, blend butter with cream cheese smooth.
2. Mix in vanilla extract, salt, 1 cup of the flour, and 1/4 cup of the sugar
3. With spoon, stir in remaining flour.
4. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Wrap each with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight
5. Make the filling the next day...
6. Stir walnuts, apricots, brown sugar, 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon until well mixed.
7. Line 2 large cookie sheets with foil; grease foil. Set aside.
8. On lightly floured surface, using floured rolling pin, roll 1 piece of chilled dough into a 9-inch round, keeping remaining dough refrigerated.
9. Spread flattened dough with 2 tablespoons raspberry preserves.
10. Sprinkle with about 1/2 cup apricot filling; gently press filling onto dough.
11. With pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut dough into 12 equal wedges.
12. Starting at curved edge, roll up each wedge, jelly-roll fashion.
13. Place cookies on foil-lined cookie sheet, point-side down, about 1/2 inch apart. Repeat with remaining dough, one portion at a time.
14. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
15. In cup, mix remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
16. Brush rugelach with milk.
17. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.
18. Place rugelach on 2 oven racks about 30 to 35 minutes until golden, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through baking time.
19. Immediately remove rugelach to wire racks to cool. Store in tightly covered container.

CRANBERRY SALAD

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh cranberries, rinsed

1/2 lb small marshmallows, red & green ones if you can find them

2 cups sugar

20 oz can crushed pineapple

1 ripe, sliced banana

1 cup whipped cream

1. Coarsly grind cranberries in blender or food processor

2. In bowl, combine cranberries, marshmallows and pineapple and it's juice

3. Cover and put in refrigerator overnight

4. Next day - stir in sliced bananas

5. Top individual servings with whipped cream

.

JACKIE'S LEMON YOGURT CAKE

1.5 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

7 or 8 oz lemon yogurt

1.3 cups sugar

3 room temperature eggs

3 tsp lemon zest

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup canola oil

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Glaze-

1 cup powdered sugar

2 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice

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1. preheat oven to 350F

2. grease and flour loaf pan

3. sift together flour, baking powder and salt

4. in another bowl, mix eggs, yogurt, 1 cup sugar, vanilla and lemon zest

5. whisk dry ingredients into moist ones - don't over mix!

6. fold in oil

7. pour into loaf pan and bake 50 minutes. Use toothpick test to see if done

8. make topping-

9. mix remaning 1/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup lemon juice in small pan

10. heat over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and mix is clear. Remove from heat.

11. Once cake is done, cool 10 minutes.

12. remove cake from pan and place on plate

13. using knife, make slits all over top of cake, being careful to not cut all the way through

14. drizzle sugar/lemon topping over top

15. scoop up any overflow and put back on top of cake

16. once cake is completely cool, make the glaze and slowly pour over top of cake.

HONEY GLAZED DONUTS WITH RAISINS AND PINE NUTS

(epicurious.com)

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1.5 cups warm water

1/2 tsp sugar

1 envelope dry active yeast

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 large egg, beaten

1 TBSP vegetable oil + more for cooking

1.5 cups honey

3/4 cup water

1 TBSP cinnamon

__________________

1. combine 1/4 warm water and sugar in small bowl, until dissolved

2. sprinkle yeast over water/sugar mixture and stir until blended

3. let sit about 5 minutes - until yeast dissolves and mixture is foamy

4. whisk flour and salt together in large bowl

5. make well in center - fill with raisins, pine nuts, beaten egg and oil

6. pour remaing warm water on top

7. pour yeast mixture on top

8. stir everything until it becomes a smooth dough, scraping sides of bowl

9. cover bowl with plastic wrap, then a towel on top

10. let dough rise in warm, draft-free area until doubled in volume- about 1.5 hours

11. line a large baking sheet with 2 or 3 layers of paper towels

12. pour enough oil into a large pot to be 2 inches deep

13. using a deep-fry thermometer, bring oil to 365 F

14. now work in batches of 5 or 6 donuts-

15. dip a metal tablespoon into the hot oil to coat it

16. now dip oil-coated spoon gently into dough and scoop up a spoonful

17. drop dough into oil

18. wipe spoon off, dip it into hot oil again and get another donut going

19. fry each batch of donuts, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes until they are golden.

20. when the batch is done, retrieve them with a slotted spoon

21. set donuts on baking pan, lined with towels to absorb excess oil

22. let donuts sit at room temperature.

23. once you are done with all your batches, make honey glaze-

24. whisk honey, 3/4 cup water and cinnamon in saucepan over medium heat

25. as soon as it boils, remove from heat

26. dip warm donuts into honey glaze and pile onto a platter

27. set out remaining syrup for your guests