Buttery Croissants

 

Ingredients 

1-1/2 cups butter, softened
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Dough

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
1 cup warm 2% milk (110° to 115°)
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
3-1/2 to 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1.  In a small bowl, beat butter and flour until combined; spread into a 12x6-in. rectangle on a piece of waxed paper.


2.  Cover with another piece of waxed paper; refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

3.  In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.

4.  Add the milk, sugar, egg, salt and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth.

5.  Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

6.  Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.

7.  Roll dough into a 14-in. square.

8.  Remove top sheet of waxed paper from butter; invert onto half of dough.

9.  Remove waxed paper.

10. Fold dough over butter; seal edges.

11. Roll into a 20x12-in. rectangle.

12. Fold into thirds.

13. Repeat rolling and folding twice. (If butter softens, chill after folding.)

14. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate overnight.

15. Unwrap dough.

16. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 25x20-in. rectangle.

17. Cut into 5-in. squares.

18. Cut each square diagonally in half, forming two triangles.

19. Roll up triangles from the wide end; place 2 in. apart with point down on ungreased baking sheets.

20. Curve ends down to form crescent shape.

21. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

22. Bake at 375° for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.

23. Remove to wire racks.

24. Serve warm.

Yield: about 3 dozen

Baked Blueberry Pancake

 

Ingredients

2 cups pancake mix
1-1/2 cups fat-free milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Butter and maple syrup

Directions

1.  In a large bowl, combine the pancake mix, milk, egg, oil and cinnamon just until blended (batter will be lumpy).

2.  Fold in blueberries.

3.  Spread into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan.

4.  Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

5.  Serve with butter and syrup.

Yield: 6 servings. 

Note: If using frozen blueberries, use without thawing to avoid discoloring the batter.

Moist Chocolate Cake

 

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup strong brewed coffee
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
Directions

1.  In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients.

2.  Add the eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes (batter will be thin).

3.  Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan.

4.  Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

6.  Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Yield: 12 servings

Granola Fudge Clusters

 

Ingredients 

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1-1/4 cups granola cereal without raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1.  In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips; stir until smooth.

2.  Stir in granola and walnuts.

3.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper-lined baking sheets.

4.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until firm.

Yield: About 2-1/2 dozen

Apricot and White Chip Cookies with Almonds

 

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups white chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped almonds

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.  In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients until well blended, then stir in the white chips, almonds, and apricots.

3.  Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an unprepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Cookies should be golden brown. Remove from the baking sheet to cool on wire racks.

Tea Mail (Jan 20)

 

 

Fig, Rosemary and Fennel Infused Water

Ingredients

½ cup of Mission figs, halved
5 sprigs rosemary
½ fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 quarts of filtered water

Directions

Step 1: Combine your favorite ingredients in a pitcher of water

There are countless combinations for infused water. Mix and match your favorite fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. Feeling uninspired? Start with our foolproof recipes below.

Pro tip: Be sure to use fresh ingredients, and always wash produce before use. And for best results, forget about plastic. Use glass containers instead.

Step 2: Cover the container 

Pop on the lid to your pitcher or cover with plastic wrap. This will prevent any risk of contamination and keep pesky food odors from creeping in.

Step 3: Refrigerate

It’s important to keep your water cool to prevent spoilage. Many people prefer to infuse overnight, but be sure to remove solids after 12 hours. Once ingredients have been strained out, you can keep your infused water up to three days – assuming it lasts that long, of course!

Pro tip: Not all infusions are created equally. Certain ingredients like pear and apple benefit from a longer steeping period while others, like citrus fruits, get the job done instantly.

Spiced Apricot Tea

 

Ingredients

2 cinnamon sticks (3 inches)
10 whole cloves
3 cups water
2 individual tea bags
3 cups apricot nectar
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions

Place cinnamon and cloves on a double thickness of cheesecloth; bring up corners of cloth and tie with string to form a bag. Place water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.

Add tea bags and spice bag; cover and steep for 5 minutes. Discard tea bags and spice bag. Stir in the nectar, sugar and juice; heat through. Serve warm.

Yield: 6 servings.

Berry Shortbread Dreams

Ingredients 

1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 to 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam 

GLAZE

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 to 3 teaspoons water 

Directions

1.  In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in extract; gradually add flour until dough forms a ball.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle. 

2.  Roll into 1-in. balls. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make an indentation in the center. Fill with jam.

3.  Bake at 350° for 14-18 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. 

4.  Spoon additional jam into cookies if desired. Combine confectioners' sugar, extract and enough water to achieve drizzling consistency; drizzle over cookies.

Yield: about 3-1/2 dozen

English Toffee

 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus 2 cups butter (no substitutes), softened, divided
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1.  Grease a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with 1 tablespoon butter; set aside.

2. In a heavy 3-qt. saucepan, melt the remaining butter.

3. Add sugar, corn syrup and salt; cook and stir over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 295° (hard-crack stage).

4. Quickly pour into prepared pan. Let stand at room temperature until cool, about 1 hour.

5. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips; spread over toffee.

6. Sprinkle with pecans.

7. Let stand for 1 hour Break into bite-size pieces.

8. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Yield: about 2 pounds.

Editor's Note: We recommend that you test your candy thermometer before each use by bringing water to a boil; the thermometer should read 212°. Adjust your recipe temperature up or down based on your test.

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