Vintage Cookie Baking for the Holidays

Posted on December 29, 2016 by Rebecca Baugh

Cherry Winks

Sugar Glazed Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Crescent Cookies

Whew! Have you survived Christmas, are you still celebrating with family?

I am not sure that I have survived and recovered yet. LOL

Don’t get me wrong…I love, adore and dream of Christmas, all year long. When it is over, I am like,” what happened, it is over already?”

Gee… I must have blinked. Only a second ago, I had packages wrapped under the tree, cookies out for Santa, goodie trays nearly finished, and then I blinked and I have wrapping paper, boxes, and bows, cookie crumbs and little pieces of wrapping paper stuck with scotch tape all over the floor.

It was like Christmas exploded in my living room and kitchen.

I will be pulling little pieces of wrapping paper from under my couch till summer along with a few candy canes.

It just makes Christmas last that much longer.

Anywho…enough of my silly chit chat…LOL….lets talk Christmas baking and cookies. This year, I wanted to make new cookies. As in new to me, but old cookies to my Mom and family. I did make a delicious chocolate chip cookie for Christmas I will share with you later, but for my gifts to my teacher friends, I wanted to make some vintage cookies.

I settled on Cherry Winks, Glazed Raisin-Oatmeal Cookie and Crescent Cookies.

I have never posted 3 recipes in one post before and it would make this post really long with all the pictures.

So, let me start with the Cherry Winks.

I promise to add the other two later tonight or tomorrow morning.

My family loves maraschino cherries. I usually have a jar or two tucked away in the cabinet for some random cherry emergency….like….mmm these little sugar syrup little jewels look good enough to eat for a snack. I really am not saying that I do that…. when you have grand children you can always blame the grand kids for opening your mini marshmallow bags, chocolate chip bags and getting into your cherries when you are not looking. haha!

So, when I was looking through a old cookie cookbook and I saw these cookies, remembering that I have tasted them at church fellowship dinners or Christmas parties way back in my youth, I just knew I have to give them a try.

These cookies have little “winks” of cherries put on the top of each cookie, which gives these cookies their name. They also have chopped cherries added into the cookie dough to add flavor and a little pop of color. I loved the dates and the pecans in the cookies and the crunch of the crushed corn flakes that surround the edges and bottom of the cookies.

These Cherry Winks have all those vintage ingredients in them that you don’t see in a lot of recipes…..I mean dates…and rolled in corn flakes…..

But this adds to the charm of this cookie.

So if you are looking for a little nostalgia and a really good cookie all in a crunchy (but tender on the inside) cookie, give this cookie a try.

Here is what you will need! : )

For this delicious cookie you will need flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, shortening, sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, chopped nuts, chopped dates, chopped maraschino cherries, and crushed corn flakes.

I took the ingredients to school and some of my wonderful students make this cookie dough when they were all caught up on their work, so I do not have the usual step by step pictures and directions for this recipe and I am sorry!!! The directions are listed below in the recipe though : ).

Look at that beautiful cookie dough. It is full of chopped pecans, dates, and maraschino cherries. I am using my kitchen shears to cut my cherries into small pieces to set down into the cookie dough to form the “wink.”

I used a cookie scoop to scoop out the dough and then I rolled the cookie dough into the crushed corn flakes. Then I pressed the cherry in the top. I ran out of maraschino cherries so I had to get into my candied cherries I bought for a cake…oh well.

Place them on parchment paper and bake. They spread out just a bit and get light tan around the edges.

Then I cooled them on a cookie sheet until I put them in a cookie tin to stay moist.

Here’s to, “Winking at You.”

Here is the recipe:

Cherry Winks

From Vintage 1958 Cookie Cookbook

Ingredients:

21/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons milk

1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

1 cup chopped dates

1/3 cup chopped maraschino cherries (more for cutting pieces for wink)

21/2 cup crushed corn flakes

Directions:

In a medium bowl lightly stir together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and milk. Mix well. Blend in the dry ingredients (the flour mixture).

Mix well. Add in the nuts, dates and cherries. Shape the dough into balls. I used a cookie scoop. Roll each ball into the crushed corn flakes and top with one fourth of a cherry. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on a cookie sheet. Yield about 4 dozen cookies. I made mine a tad bigger and I did not get that many.

Hope you enjoy this cookie recipe!

Becky

Old Fashion Gingerbread

Posted on December 4, 2016 by Rebecca Baugh

Happy Holidays Everyone!

It seems life and commitments to family and work have kept me from posting my recipes.

It has made me sad.

Just want you to know that I think about you and appreciate your patience while I try to juggle all things while messing up most of the time.

But, it is the holidays.

Time to be thankful!

And, I am thankful for you for taking time out of your busy day to read my little blog that has grown a few cobwebs as of late.

So, here’s to taking my kitchen broom to those cobwebs and start posting some recipes.

Shall we? : )

Here is my first one!

Good Old Fashion Gingerbread.

Gingerbread is just a classic dessert or gift to make during the holidays. The fragrance of spices baking together in the oven with the brown sugar and molasses just make your kitchen smell like the holidays. Add a touch of whipped cream, or in my case cool whip and a sprinkling of powdered sugar and you are good to go. You can change up the spices a bit to your liking, and I have cut down on the nutmeg and added a touch of salt to this recipe. Other than that, this recipe is family approved.

So lets get going!

This is what you will need to make this recipe.

You will need some flour, brown sugar, molasses or sorghum, eggs, oil, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves and salt and nutmeg which I forgot to put in the picture. Oh and water : )

First thing you will do is add the two eggs to the mixing bowl and beat up a little bit.

Now add in your brown sugar and mix until combined with the eggs.

Now add in your oil and slowly mix with the brown sugar mixture or you will have a big mess….how would I know that LOL

Now, add in your molasses or sorghum and mix in.

In a medium bowl add in your flour.

Add in all your seasoning, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and baking soda and mix together.

Add in the flour mixture into the brown sugar mixture and combine. This will be thick.

Lastly add in one cup of boil water. Can you see the steam. Add this in slowly also, and mix until it is all incorporated.

Now, pour into your baking containers. This recipe is enough to fill a 9 by 13 pan. I have opted to bake a 8 by 8 and a round paper pan because I was testing out the paper pans to bake the gingerbread in as gifts to give away. It would great by the way!

Here is a picture of the 8 by 8 pan and the round paper baking pan. Now pop the gingerbread in a preheated 350 degree oven for the 9 by 13 size pan. I baked mine at 325 for the paper pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the gingerbread springs back slightly in the middle. Do not over bake.

Here is what it should look like coming out of the oven. Just starting to crack a bit on top and the middle is cooked.

Doesn’t it look delicious?

It smells good too…. : )

Here is the recipe!

Old Fashion Gingerbread

Ingredients

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup molasses

3/4 cup oil

2 1/2 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup boiling water

Optional: cool whip or sweeten whipped cream and/or powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 by 13 pan

Put the eggs in a mixing bowl and beat the eggs with the electric mixer.

Add the brown sugar to the beaten and eggs and combine.

Add in the molasses to the brown sugar mixture and combine thoroughly.

Slowly mix in the oil to the brown sugar mixture.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

Add the flour mixture to the brown sugar mixture. Combine.

Pour in the hot water a little at time and mix together with the electric mixer.

Pour the batter into the greased and flour baking pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top barely cracks and the center is cooked.

Dust with powdered sugar if you want. Now, just wait a couple of minutes and watch it start to disappear.

Enjoy!

Becky

Old Fashion Red Velvet Cake

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Rebecca Baugh

I love to bake layer cakes.

The taller the better.

Lots of layers of cake.

Not sure exactly why, but I am pretty sure it has to do with all the icing in between each layer.

It has to be the icing!

Icing makes me happy!

But cake makes me happy too.

Ok…so maybe it is cake and icing that makes me happy.

One thing I know for sure is that this cake makes my happy. : )

When my baby girl, who will be getting married in a few short months, was trying to pick out flavors of cake to taste test for her wedding cake, Red Velvet Cake was on the list. It is a classic flavor and the red color looks so delish with the white icing. When we got to taste of the cake and the flavor was somewhat lacking( and even the cake decorated said she was not a fan of her red velvet cake) All of her other cakes were great and we did choose this decorator for the her wedding cake, but it got me thinking about the Red Velvet Cakes I was used to eating years ago.

Moist, slightly chocolate flavored, icing not too sweet, four layers, deep red color…..these are some of the mandatory things I was looking for in a recipe.

I looked around in several of my cookbooks, my cut out newspaper recipes and finally found a couple of recipes that seems to most resemble the one I was looking for.

I ended up using two different recipes. One for the cake and another for the icing.

The icing has flour in it but not cooked in a paste like other cooked flour icings. I loved it! My son, liked the icing and loved the cake but would like a traditional cream cheese icing.

I love cream cheese icing too!

Anywho, pick your favorite type of icing, but make this cake.

It will make you (and me) happy!

Here is what you will need to make this perfect Red Velvet Cake.

You will need cake flour, sugar, buttermilk, salt, baking powder, eggs, cocoa powder, baking soda, vinegar, vanilla, red food coloring (I used some red velvet cake food coloring I found at a Amish store and vegetable shortening.

First thing you need to do is dissolve the baking soda in the vinegar.

It will look like a little volcano of bubbles for a bit.

Now on to the stand mixer. In a mixer cream together the sugar.

Here is a picture of me adding the sugar. Cream the shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Now, add in the eggs, one at a time, beating after each one.

In a small bowl add in the cocoa powder.

Add in half the amount of red food coloring.

Mix the two together to remove all the lumps.

Add the cocoa mixture to the creamed sugar mixture.

Now add in the rest of the red food color and mix all together.

Alternately add in the flour, salt and baking powder with the buttermilk.

Here is a picture of me adding the buttermilk.

Now it is time to add in the vanilla.

Lastly, add in the baking soda and vinegar mixture and mix in.

Look at the beautiful red batter.

Pour the batter, in equals amount into prepared 8 inch cake pans. I ALWAYS line my cake pans with parchment paper before pouring in the batter. Place the cake pans in the oven and bake for around 30 minutes at 350 degrees. When done take the cakes out and cool for 10 minutes then put on a cooling rack. When cool, cut the cakes in half horizontally to make four layers.

Now, onto the icing!

For the icing you will need vegetable shortening, butter, flour, sugar and vanilla.

Measure out the butter, vegetable shortening and the sugar.

With a mixer, cream together the sugar, butter and vegetable shortening.

Cream until light and fluffy. Add in the flour, one tablespoon at a time.

Add in the milk. Keep mixing to incorporate the milk in. The icing will start to get real creamy.

Add in the vanilla.

There you go! Look how pretty the icing is!

Here is a picture of the cakes cut in half horizontally. I saved all the crumbs from cutting the cake to decorate the top of the cake.

Spread 1/4 of the icing on top of the bottom layer. Continue to add another layer of cake and ice the top of the layer until you get to the top.

Here is the finished cake topped with all the extra crumbs.

Are you ready to make cake???

Alrighty!

Here is the recipe:

Adapted from Iowa State Fair Prize Winning Cook Book

Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 ounces red food coloring (I used red velvet food coloring I bought at the Amish store, it worked great)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons cocoa

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 1/2 cup cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vinegar

Directions:

Mix the vinegar and soda together in a small bowl. Let stand. Cream the shortening and sugar together till light and fluffy. Add in the eggs. Make a paste of the cocoa and a small amount of the red food coloring. Add the cocoa paste to the cramed mixture. Add the remainder of the food coloring. Alternately, add in the buttermilk, salt, baking powder and flour. Add in the vanilla and the vinegar/soda mixture.. Mix all ingredients together and pour into 2 – 8 inch pan. (I lined mine with parchment paper).

Bake for around 30 minutes at 350 degree.

Cool. Split layers in half, making 4 layers. Spread the frosting between layers and top of cake only.

Keep in the refrigerator.

Frosting Recipe:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup margarine (I used butter)

3/4 cup shortening

1 1/2 cup sugar

4 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk plus 3 tablespoons (room temperature)

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (I have also used vanilla paste)

Directions:

Cream margarine, shortening and sugar together till light and fluffy. Add in the flour, one tablespoon at a time. Add in the milk and vanilla. Beat the frosting well. On my stand mixer I let it mix for several minutes until the frosting got real creamy.

Here is just a little close up picture of all the yummy layers!

Enjoy!

Becky

Here is a few other post you may enjoy!

Strawberry Cake

Oven BBQ Brisket

Creamy Butterscotch Pie

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Rebecca Baugh

How is everyone out there?

So sorry it has taken me a month to get back to my web page to post another recipe!

It has not been because I have not been cooking. I have about 10 new recipes to get together to post. Really good recipes too!!! You know, like the perfect Red Velvet Cake, Lemon Meringue Pie with a perfect Meringue that did not weep and last be not least, another soup recipe…haha…you know how I love soup and it is the perfect freezer left over I can take to eat for lunch at work. The soup I made was Tuscan Veggie Soup that had kale it in….yummmmy.

Anywho, I am sorry about not posting. I did think about you everyday and worry that you will forget about me!! ; ) Spring break got in the way, end of year activities at school, grand daughter activities and of course all this wedding planning for my Baby College Girl who is getting married in August.

Needless to say, I am back with my computer files full of yummy food pictures all for you. I even have some back yard chicken pictures and some random flower power pictures of flowers blooming in my yard. So, hang in there, I am never gone too long!!!

OK, lets get back to “The Best Butterscotch Pie.” This whole pie search started cause I made that fabulous Coconut Cream Pie a couple of months ago. WELLLLL Oldest Daughter does not like coconut and neither does Company….so I made a so-so butterscotch pie for them. It was good, but I was still not satisfied with it. Not because it did not get scarfed down in a couple of days, I just did not think the butterscotch flavor was as rich as I would have like it.

So….I did what crazy bakers do and found another recipe.

This is the ONE.

It has a rich butterscotch flavor, it cut like a dream and was not hard to make at long. It just took a little longer, but it was well worth it.

Oldest Daughter wants me to make another one.

After you make this recipe, you will want to make another.

This is what you will need:

For the filling you will need, butter, milk, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla (I used vanilla paste) salt, corn syrup, flour and corn starch. For the whipped topping you will need powdered sugar and whipping cream. (I think I forgot to put the brown sugar in the picture….my bad)

In a medium sauce pan put in the measured out the brown sugar and butter.

Add the water.

Add in the corn syrup.

Start cooking the syrup.

Cook the syrup until it reaches 245 to 250 on the candy thermometer or until it comes to a soft ball stage.

You will get this nice thick, caramel like syrup. Set the syrup aside to cool.

In a medium sauce pan, place the sugar, flour and the corn starch. Whisk together.

Add in the salt.

Add in the milk, and whisk together to remove all the lumps. Now, start cooking the custard until it bubbles and thickens.

In a bowl, place all the egg yolks and whisk until combines. Add a small amount of the hot custard to the eggs to temper them (bring up the temperature). When done add the eggs to the hot custard and whisking in as you pour the beaten eggs in and cook for two more minutes.

Add in the vanilla. (this in the one I made with clear vanilla, the second one I made I used vanilla paste)

Whisk the custard until bubbly, now pour in the cooled syrup you made earlier. Whisk all the syrup in until it is all combined.

Pour the pie filling into a pre-bake pie shell. This time I am using a graham cracker crust.

This recipe makes just enough filling for a small pre-made graham cracker crust. Place the pie in the refrigerator and chill for 4 hours.

For the topping, whip together the whipping cream and the powdered sugar. I used my little Wolf Gang Puck blender.

You can used a mixer too. This was just easier for me to make it in this.

Now, slice off a big piece of the pie! See, how nice it cuts into a slice?

Now, you can put a big dollop of whipped cream on top. If you like you can decorate the plate with a little powdered sugar.

Don’t forget your fork!!

Hope you give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!

Becky

Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler

Posted on February 15, 2015 by Rebecca Baugh

Do you like to go and pick berries?

You do??

I do too!!

I love to pick berries. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries and of course blackberries.

One of my favorite memories of picking berries was way back when Oldest Daughter was about 2 years old. My older sis Niener Wiener and I, went to my Aunt Pat and Uncle Larry’s house way out in the country to pick wild blackberries. Aunt Pat gave us careful directions of where to park the car and the best place to climb over the barb wire fence. Bet you all did not think I could climb over a barb wire fence. Well, actually you don’t climb over a barb wire fence, not unless you are like 7 feet tall…..if you think about it, you will understand why. To get over the fence, you actually pick a place in the barb wire fence that is kinda loose and stretched out and you put your foot on the one string of barb wire fence, while you hold the other string way above your head and you climb through. It helps to have someone hold the top string so you can concentrate on not getting your bottom caught on a barb. Worse comes to worse. I have even shimmied under a barb wire fence if you can find a good place were the ground sinks down.

Anywho…I was talking about picking berries not climbing fences. I get off track so easily… : )

Niener Wiener and I made it through the barb wire fence and walked across a long field until we spied our beloved wild blackberries. We have already crossed a one lane bridge over a creek, parked the car on a gravel road, climbed a barb wire fence…now we just have to watch out for thorns. Wild blackberries are full of thorns. It helps to wear long sleeves and to take your time. Niener and I picked until we pretty much picked all the branches clean and headed back to Aunt Pat’s with our haul of juicy berries. We were hungry, bleeding and hot. Aunt Pat had bowls of Campbell’s tomato soup waiting for us for lunch. We had picked so long, she about gave up on us stopping for lunch. We had so much fun. I remember making my first batch of blackberry jelly from those berries.

It was a great day.

So many precious memories.

I want more of those days!

So, because I love blackberries, and Company loves blackberries, and it is one berry that Oldest Daughter does not particularly like of because of the seeds….please…..really……I am always looking for new recipes for blackberries. I seen this Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler recipes and I could NOT pass up giving it a try.

Well not just one try….I made it three times to get it just right.

Just for you!

Here is what you need to make this simple cobbler.

You will need about 4 cup of blackberries, sugar, butter, almond flavoring (sorry I forgot to put it in the picture) salt, buttermilk, baking powder, flour, cornstarch and lemon juice.

First thing you do is put the blackberries in a medium size sauce pan.

Pour in your sugar.

Add in your lemon juice.

A small amount of almond flavoring.

A dash of salt.

Time for the cornstarch for thickening.

Some yummy butter.

Last but not least, pour in the water.

Over medium heat, cook the blackberry filling mixture until it bubbles and becomes thick.

Pour the filling into a 9 by 9 baking dish.

Now it is time to make the dumplings. I used my little pulse blender to make my dumplings, but you can you your pastry cutter to add in the butter.

First thing I did was measure out the flour and add it into my little blender. You can do this in a bowl.

I added in the sugar next.

Added in some salt.

Next, I added in my baking soda.

I mixed the dry ingredients together for a couple of pulses to mix the dry ingredients together. You can do this in your bowl with a spoon. Then I started adding in my butter.

I pulsed the cold butter a few times to get the dumpling mixture to look grainy. You can cut in your butter with a pastry blender if you are not using a little blender.

Add in your buttermilk. Only add in enough buttermilk to make a soft dough that you can spoon out.

Dollop your dumplings on top of the blackberry filling.

I sprinkled sanding sugar on top of the dumplings to give them a sweet top and to add a little crunch. Put the cobbler in the oven, preheated to 350 and bake for 25 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the dumplings are cooked through.

Don’t you want to take a bite?

You have to pick some blackberries first.

Or….buy some at the store. : )

Enjoy!

Becky

Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler

Recipe Adapted from Old Church Cookbook

Ingredients:

Blackberry Filling:

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1/3 cup water

4 cups blackberries

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon almond flavoring

Dumplings:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk or buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter cut into squares

Sanding Sugar optional

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, cook all of the blackberry filling ingredients, on medium heat, until the filling becomes thick. Pour the filling in a 9 by 9 baking dish.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until they are small pea size pieces. Stir in the milk or buttermilk until the mixture comes together. If you feel that dumplings are a little dry, add in some milk a tablespoon at a time.

Spoon the dumpling on top of the filling. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is light brown. (make sure the center dumplings are cooked all the way through).

Serve warm with some ice cream or by itself.

Enjoy!

Becky

Here are a few other blackberries recipes you may want to try.

Oatcake with Blackberries and Blueberries

Blackberry Jam

Regular Blackberry Cobbler

Coconut Cream Pie

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Rebecca Baugh

What is your favorite pie?

Pumpkin, Pecan, Apple, Peach……..?

If you asked me that question I think it would have to be Coconut Cream Pie.

I am just NUTS over CocoNUT Cream Pie.

While I was attending college, there was this truck stop down by the interstate that made the most fabulous pies. My college friends and I would get a car load of girls together and drive, whose ever car had gas in it, to the truck stop just to get a slice of pie. Their pies were homemade by some pie angel in the kitchen who knew just how to make a meringue stand up, sweet and perfect on top of all those glorious pies. The selection of pies would tempt you to try every one. I think during the four years I was at college I finally managed to try each one, at least once, or twice…or three or more times. : )

Over the years, I have made several different recipes of a Coconut Cream Pie. I am always looking for “THE ONE” recipe that taste like the pies me and my college friends, sampled, drooled and laughed over. I am not sure how we ate that much pie and still fit in our jeans. But, we did! Those were good times!

In a cookbook, I just happen to buy at a flea market, (one of my favorite places to buy cookbooks) I found a recipe for Coconut Cream Pie. It was pretty basic, had all the ingredients that you would have in your kitchen and the recipe was mentioned as being delicious in the forward of the cookbook. The cookbook was a fundraiser that moms at a church submitted as their favorite recipe. Who can pass up a recipe that said it was a delicious pie….and a coconut one at that.

NOT ME!

So………….I have made it 4 or 5 times now in the last couple of weeks.

Don’t fall in a faint….I did not eat that many pies. I made them for my family, friends and for super bowl.

My dad, who knows his pie, (he should as he is 96 and has eaten millions of pies, well close to a million hehe) said it was the best Coconut Cream Pie he has eaten.

Well, let’s just say , I am no longer looking for a Coconut Cream Pie recipe.

I have found “THE ONE” that taste like the pies that I remember eating and loving so much!

I hope you love it as much!

Here is what you need.

You will need half and half or whole milk, corn starch, flour, sugar, salt, vanilla, (I used real vanilla paste) eggs, graham cracker crust or a regular pie crust pre-baked and of course coconut.

In a medium sauce pan add in the sugar.

Now, add in the flour.

Next the corn starch.

Now, the salt.

Whisk the dry ingredients together.

Now pour in the half and half.

Whisk until smooth. Now turn on the heat to medium and continue stirring until the filling gets thick.

Separate your eggs. Save your egg whites for your meringue.

In a bowl put the egg yolks. Mix with a smooth to make smooth.

When the custard gets thick, add a couple of tablespoons of the custard to the eggs yolks and mix in. This is tempering the eggs which brings the temperature up so when you add the eggs they do not cook immediately into scrambled eggs in your custard.

After tempering your egg yolks, add them to the custard. Whisk the egg yolks in as you add them.

Continue cooking for 4 to 5 minutes or until the custard becomes very thick and bubbles. Be sure and still the whole time.

Take the custard off the heat and add in the coconut.

Now add in the vanilla. I used real vanilla paste, because I love the flavor and the specks of vanilla bean in the custard.

Pour the filling into a 9 inch graham cracker crust or a pre-baked regular crust.

Using the left over egg whites, make a meringue. I will post the one I made that did not weep later this week.

Bake the pie in a 325 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the meringue gets all toasty and pretty.

Now, all you have to do is wait for the pie to cool before you can cut you a big slice.

If you like pie, as much as I do, I hope you give this pie a try!

Becky

Coconut Cream Pie

Adapted from Old Church Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups half and half or whole milk

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 cup shredded coconut

Graham Cracker Crust or a Baked Pie Crust

Meringue or Cool Whip for the top of the pie.

Directions:

In a medium sauce pan, whisk together the sugar, flour, salt and cornstarch. Add in the half and half and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until the custard is very thick. In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks. Add a couple of tablespoons of the cook custard to the egg yolk and stir. This will temper the egg yolks and bring the temperature up before you add the yolks to the hot custard. Quickly add the tempered yolks to the custard and whisk in. Continue to cook the custard until bubbles and the custard is very thick. Remove from heat and add in the vanilla and coconut. Stir in. Pour the custard into a graham cracker crust or a cooled pie crust and top with a meringue or cool whip.

Does this make you want a piece? It makes me want to go back into the kitchen and make some now.

Yes, I am a little NUTS over CocoNUT Cream Pie!

Here are some other recipes you might like:

White Chicken Chili Farmers Favorite Oatmeal Cake Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

Holiday Baking…whew…..

Posted on December 23, 2014 by Rebecca Baugh

Can you see the grand girls behind the creative mess on my dining room table?

I have had a fun two days in the kitchen making a grand mess with my granddaughters and my baby college girl.

Never thought making a mess would be so fun and tasty!

Every years for as far back as I care to remember, I have been making goodie trays for my family at Christmas.

Normally every year, I spend my time alone in the kitchen cooking away. I think I kinda drive the kids out of the kitchen cause I am in the “zone” and on a mission to get everything made and wrapped up on a limited amount of time.

WELL….this year I had help. Baby College Girl took off of work and came up to hang out with me in the kitchen along with two of my granddaughter. I was a little nervous about turning over my baking and candy making to my little chefs, but I was so glad I did. They did a great job. We hung out and dipped candy, made cookie dough, melted chocolate for fudge, wrapped goodies up and had a totally perfect holiday fun in the kitchen.

Here is a few things that we made:

White Chocolate Fudge with chopped Oreos.

Peanut Butter Fudge with Nutella and Reece’scup filling.

Milk Chocolate Fudge with colored chocolate chips and sprinkle.

Baby College Girl Making PIC Grandpa’s Peanut Clusters.

Grand girls dipping the Cherry Cookies in white chocolate.

Cherry Cookies with White Chocolate.

Grand girls filling the pan with fudge puddle dough.

Fudge Puddle Cookies.

Dipped Pretzels.

This is what I still need to make!

Caramel Toffee Pretzels

Poppy Seed Bread or maybe some Pumpkin Bread….I need to decide soon…haha…

Cracker Toffee (love this stuff!)

I also have a couple of cookies I would love to make but Christmas Eve is tomorrow…and I hardly have any presents wrapped. But, I am craving some Ranger cookies.

Don’t you love Christmas Baking????

How is your baking going?? Are you running as late as I am?

I better get back into the kitchen. If I do not show up with Caramel Toffee Pretzels, I doubt anyone would let me into the house when I arrive at Mom’s for Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

Becky

Chocolate Pie

Posted on December 14, 2014 by Rebecca Baugh

I love chocolate pie!

Every year around Easter, my whole family heads out, and we all meet at a church in a neighboring town and go to their annual fish fry. Besides having the best fried fish (and it is all you can eat) the little ladies of the church make all kinds of pies, (my favorite part…besides the fish).

Usually, we get about 8 different slices of various pies and pass them around and we all take a little bite. This way we get to try all the pies and then decide which pie we want to eat a whole slice of. We are so bad! Our strategy has worked well for a number of years until last year. Last year we were all running late and by the time we got there, all the delicious cream pies where gobbled up already.

WHAT?

I even asked the servers if they were hiding some pies in kitchen. Nope, all they had left was what was out already.

We had to make do with a piece of cake….boo! There was not even a small scrap of cobbler.

Anywho, I have been craving a nice creamy homemade piece of chocolate cream pie, for almost 6 months. So, this past Thanksgiving, Baby College Girl helped me make 3 chocolate pies. One for me, Two for me, Three for me….. Ok. Ok, I did share, but we make enough pies that there was one pie left that Company and I was able to eat a piece (or two) after Thanksgiving.

This pie is so easy to make and taste so delicious, it is so dangerous, that you will be tempted to make it all the time!

Here is what you will need to make it.

Bittersweet chocolate, butter, 4 eggs (I used my back yard chicken eggs whoohoo) vanilla, sugar, cornstarch, salt and half and half. (or you can use whole milk)

First thing that College Girl did was chop up the chocolate.

I got out a sauce pan and measured in the sugar.

Then I added the corn starch and salt.

I whisked the dry ingredients together.

College girl measured the milk and poured it in cause she told me I was not measuring correctly…ha!

Add in the egg yolks. I suggest you take a fork and beat the egg yolks up first before adding them in to make it easier to combine completely.

Cook the filling over medium heat, stirring constantly until the filling started to boil. When it starts to boil and thicken up take it off the heat.

Add in the chopped chocolate into the hot the filling.

Add in the butter.

Pour in the vanilla.

Whisk the filling until the chocolate melts completely and turns a rich chocolate color.

Perfect!

Pour the pudding into whatever crust you like. I used a graham cracker crust. I made two batches of filling and it made enough for 3 pies.

Chill at least 4 hours or overnight. I am amazed at how great this pie slices up.

Chocolate Pie

Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients for the filling:

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups half and half or whole milk (all I had was skim or half and half so I went with the half and half)

4 egg yolks

6 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped. I used part Gharardelle and Bakers Secret and it worked out fine.

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons butter

Additional:

Some kind of pie crust for a 9 inch pie. I used a graham cracker crust, but homemade crust or a oreo crust would work great.

Whipped Cream. I like plain ole Cool Whip…not that I don’t like real whipped cream. ; )

Directions:

Chop up the chocolate into small slivers. This makes the chocolate melt easier and faster.

In a sauce pan, combiner the sugar, cornstarch and the salt. Whisk together.

Whisk in the half and half (or milk if you are using whole milk) and egg yolks. Make sure that you whisk the yolks into the mixture completely. You do not want to see little pieces of yolk. HINT: you can use a blender and blend the milk and the yolks together first, then add.

Over medium heat, continue stirring until the mixture comes to a boil. Once it started boiling the mixture will thicken up. You want it to thicken until it looks like pudding. Take the filling off of the heat and add in the chopped chocolate, vanilla and butter. Stir everything together until the chocolate melts and fully combined.

Pour putting into a pie crust. (I used a graham cracker crust). Smooth the top. You might have extra…I sure did. Just put the extra into little cups to share….or to hid in the fridge till later : ).

Chill the pie for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Serve plain or with a big dollop of whipped topping.

Enjoy!

Becky

Additional Post you may enjoy:

Sugared Pecans Cinnamon French Toast Bake Creamy Cherry Salad

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Rebecca Baugh

Whew, I am so sorry it has taken me a couple of weeks to finally post a new recipe!

These last two weeks have been packed with all kinds of teaching summer school fun, that finally, just ended last week.

So, now I can officially say that I am on summer school break.

I can finally sing the song, “Schools Out for Summer!”

I am SO behind in posting so many amazing recipes that I have made over the last couple of months, that it will take me several days to get them posted.

Anywho, I wanted to start off with this super easy Fresh Strawberry Pie.

At the end of the regular school year, I wanted to make treats for all the secretaries, guidance department, media center, custodians and the principals. This school year has been great, but a bit of a challenge opening up a brand new school. The end of the school year was a great time to send treats and to celebrate that we survived ; ). There were just too many staff that I wanted to make treats for individually, that I just did not have enough time in the day to make it happen. So, I decided to make a pie or two for each department.

Am I a genius or what?

Even though Company and I did not have any strawberries to speak of this year because of the un-cooperating weather, a local store had strawberries on sale at a great price. I found a simple but delicious fresh strawberry pie recipe out of a old cookbook that I bought at a flea market and I went to work (at school) making strawberry pies.

Seven pies altogether.

I know it is a tad past strawberry seasons, but I still see great prices at the stores on strawberries. If you are looking for a easy, fresh, delicious summer pie, try a go at this recipe.

Here is the step by step directions with photos:

You will just need a few ingredients to make this simple but scrumptious pie.

In a sauce pan measure in the water and the corn starch.

Add the sugar and stir. Cook over medium, stirring to prevent lumps.

Bring the sugar and cornstarch mixture to a boil. Turn off the heat and the add the jello.

Add the lemon juice. Stir the jello and lemon juice in.

To speed up cooling the jello filling, I poured it into a bowl to cool. Find a volunteer to slice the strawberries. (this was Company’s job haha)

Stir the jello mixture (just in case a film formed on top while cooling). Fill the pie plates with strawberries. (I have also used a BIG bowl and mixed the filling and strawberries together first and then put in the crust. Either way works.)

Pour equal amounts of the filling over the strawberries. Place the pies in the fridge for a least 4 hours to set up.

When it sets up, it slices up beautifully. Garnish with cool whip and sliced strawberries.

Before I give you the recipe, I just want to tell you a couple of details about the recipe changes I made to suit me. I used store bought graham cracker crust. The recipe will make enough filling for two small pies. I will be giving you the original recipe that will make one large 9 inch pie using a store bought pie crust. There you go! You can decide which size better fits your needs : ) or pie cravings.

Here is the recipe:

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Adapted from Old Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 quart (4 cups) washed, stemmed and sliced strawberries

1 and 1/2 cup sugar

1 (3 ounce) pkg. strawberry gelatin

1 and 1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 baked 9 in pie shell (or 2 small store bought graham cracker crust)

Cool Whip for topping

Directions:

In a medium sauce pan, combine the water, sugar and cornstarch. Heat and stir until thick and clear. Remove from the heat and stir in the gelatin and the lemon juice. Let the gelatin cool.

In a large bowl, place the sliced strawberries. When the gelatin cools, pour the gelatin over the strawberries and combine. Make sure the gelatin is evenly combined with the strawberries.

Pour the strawberry filling into the prebaked pie shell, or into the graham cracker crust.

Put the pie/pies into the refrigerator to firm. This will take about 4 hours.

Decorate the top of the pie with cool whip and sliced strawberries if you want.

Enjoy the flavors of summer!

Becky

Brown Butter Cherry Bars

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Rebecca Baugh

It is cherry picking time!

A couple of Sundays ago, after having lunch with my Dad and the gang (Niener Wiener and Hubby, Jeanie Beanie, Baby Brother, Company and of course The Princess) for Father’s Day, Company and I went to Niener’s to pick a few cherries off of her cherry trees. Niener had already picked all she wanted the day before, on Saturday. Niener picked about 32 cups of cherries and it took her until the wee hours in the morning till she was finally done pitting her cherries. One thing about older sis is that when she starts something, she does not quit!

It was Company’s job to get on the ladder and pick the cherries on top of the trees, that niener could not reach and she left for us to pick. Niener is a wonderful sister, don’t you agree? She also forgot to mention that we had to fight off the neighbor’s chickens (that were eating every cherry we dropped on the ground.) Plus, we were also assaulted by air from a couple of wood peckers who wanted to make the juicy cherries their dessert.

You gotta know that the men LOVED spending Father’s Day, picking cherries. hehe

Here is one of the pesky cherry snatching chicken. Here is some of the cherries I (cough cough) picked.

Here is what we ended up picking. It was about 7 cups of cherries. I bought this handy dandy cherry pitter at Bed Bath and Beyond a couple of years ago. It pits four cherries at a time. I really saved us a bunch of time a couple of night ago, when I decided to make this new recipe I found that called for fresh cherries, at about 8 o’clock at night.

I never said I was very smart : )

Anywho, Company got to work on the cherries, taking the pits out, while I got to work making the crust for the Brown Butter Cherry Bars.

Here is everything you need to make this delicious Brown Butter Cherry Bars. (the cherries are in a bowl behind the vanilla).

You HAVE to line your 9 by 13 pan with parchment paper. I wish that I had brought it up higher on the sides so I could have actually lifted mine out using the parchment paper.

First thing you do is start the crust. Measure out the flour and then add the salt.

Put in the cinnamon and the nutmeg.

In a microwaveable bowl, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar to the butter.

Add in the sugar and the vanilla. Mix the butter and sugars mixture together.

Pour the butter mixture over the flour. Make into a ball of dough.

Take the crust and press it evenly onto the bottom of a 9 by 13 pan. Bake the crust in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 18 minutes.

Now it is time to brown the butter. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan oven medium heat, stirring constantly.

Cook until it foams up and starts to brown. I poured the browned butter into a measuring cup so you could see the butter. Set the butter aside to cool

Now, lets start the filling. In a medium bowl add the eggs and the sugar.

Add the vanilla. Add in the almond flavoring.

Mix together. Now, add in the flour.

Add in the salt. Pour in the browned butter.

Mix the egg mixture and the browned butter together. Pour the filling over the baked crust.

Spread the filling evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the cherries over the filling. Pressing the cherries into the filling.

Bale the bars for about 35 to 38 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Let the bars cool completely.

Carefully lift out the bars. The bars cut easier if you freeze the bars for 15 minutes first. (I skipped this step cause I was late for work and the mine cut into bars just fine.)

These bars are wonderful. I love the creamy filling with the tart cherries and the crunch of the sweetened crust. I took some to school and they are all gobbled up. Plus they are so pretty! Perfect to take to a friend.

Here is the recipe:

Brown Butter Cherry Bars

Adapted From Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from Bon A petit Magazine

Crust:

2 cups flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

3/4 cup melted unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Filling;

3/4 cup unsalted butter

2 large eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract

6 tablespoons flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 cups pitted fresh cherries

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 9 by 13 pan with parchment paper. Have the parchment paper come up over the edge of the pan so you can use it to help you lift the bars out of the pan.

To make the crust:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a microwavable bowl, melt the butter and then combine it with the sugars and vanilla. Add the melted butter mixture to the flour mixture and combine to form a dough. Press the dough evenly onto the bottom of the 9 by 13 pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes.

Browned butter:

To brown the butter, melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly. It will begin to foam and the then turn clear and then it will turn a deep brown. This process will take about 5 to 7 minutes. Pour the butter into a container to cool. (I had some dark sediments that floated to the bottom on my container. I did not add those sediments to my filling)

To make the filling:

To prepare the filling, whisk the eggs, sugar and extracts together in a medium bowl until smooth. Add in the flour and slat and whisk into the egg mixture. Slowly pour the browned butter into the egg mixture, whisking in until smooth.

Pour the filling evenly over the crust. Arrange the cherries in a single layer across the top. Bake for 35 to 38 minutes o until the filling puffed up and is golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.

To help with removing the bars, chill the bars in the freezer for 15 minutes. Carefully lift the extra parchment paper to remove the bars. Place on a cutting board and cut into bars. Refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

I am sure that you will enjoy these bars!

Enjoy~

Becky

A Small Town Kitchen

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Category Archives: Desserts

Vintage Cookie Baking for the Holidays

Old Fashion Gingerbread

Old Fashion Red Velvet Cake

Creamy Butterscotch Pie

Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler

Coconut Cream Pie

Holiday Baking…whew…..

Chocolate Pie

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Brown Butter Cherry Bars