"To Roll or Not to Roll" Sugar Cookies

“To Roll or Not to Roll” Sugar Cookies
Recipe From: Gold Medal® Flour Bag
Makes: 4 dozen

• 1 cup sugar OR 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1 egg
• 2 1/3 cups Gold Medal® unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• granulated or colored sugar

For No-Roll Cookies – Use 1 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl beat sugar and butter on low speed until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla extract, almond extract, and egg. Stir in flour and baking soda.
3. Shape dough into teaspoonfuls into balls. On ungreased cookie sheet, place 2 inches apart. Flatten with bottom of glass dipped in sugar. NOTE: Dip bottom of glass in water, then in sugar, and press cookie.
4. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

For Rolled Cookies – Use 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl beat powdered sugar and butter on low speed until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla extract, almond extract, and egg. Stir in flour and baking soda. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
3. Divide dough in half. Roll each half 1/4-inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shaped with 2- to 2 1/2-inch cookie cutters. If cookies will not be frosted, sprinkle with sugar. On ungreased cookie sheet, place cutouts 2 inches apart.
4. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

Morning Glory Muffins

Recipe From: Southern Living Magazine
Makes: 24

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 3 large eggs
• 2 1/2 tsps. vanilla extract
• 1 can undrained crushed pineapple, 8 ounces,
• 1 cup carrots, finely grated
• 1 cup golden raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with parchment liners.
2. Bake pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Cool completely on a wire rack, about 15 minutes.
3. Combine flour, salt, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl; make a well in the center of the mixture.
4. Use a hand mixer to combine sugar, canola oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Fold in crushed pineapple and carrots. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in toasted pecans and raisins. Spoon into prepared muffin cups.
5. Bake for 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Serve.

NOTE:
− May be made ahead and frozen in a zip-top plastic freezer bag up to 1 month. Remove from bag and let thaw at room temperature.

Charm City Corn

Recipe From: Food Network Magazine
Serves: 4
Adapted By: Tammy Ammon

• 4 fresh ears of corn, shucked and cut in half
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup milk
• pinch of salt
• 4 tbsps. butter
• 2 tsps. Old Bay seasoning
• Dash of salt
• dash of Tabasco® sauce

1. In medium pot, bring water, milk, and pinch of salt to a boil.
2. Add corn and cook until tender, but still crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain and set corn aside on plate.
3. In the same pot, melt better with Old Bay seasoning, Tabasco, and dash of salt. Add the corn back to pot and toss the corn in the spicy butter mix. Serve.

Cool Whip Strawberry Pie

Recipe From: www.grouprecipes.com (an old Cool Whip recipe from my childhood)
Makes: 1 9-inch pie

• 1 package strawberry Jell-O, 3 ounces
• 2/3 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup cold water plus ice cubes
• 1 tub Cool Whip, 8 ounces
• 1 cup chopped strawberries, plus sliced strawberries for topping
• 1 9-inch graham cracker pie crust

1. In a bowl, stir 2/3 cup boiling water into Jell-O. Stir for at least 2 minutes until Jell-O is completely dissolved. Mix 1/2 cup cold water and ice cubes to make 1 1/4 cups. Add to gelatin mixture; stir until slightly thickened. Remove remaining ice cubes.
2. Add in Cool Whip and stir with a wire whisk until well blended. Stir in chopped strawberries. Refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes, until mixture is thick and will mound. Spoon into crust.
3. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight until firm. Top with sliced strawberries and serve. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.

Mountain Dew Cake

Recipe From: Cooking with Paula Deen Magazine: Best Desserts
Makes: 1 10-inch Bundt cake

Note: Having grown up with homemade cakes, I am not normally a fan of any cake that contains a mix. However, this receipe surprised me. It's a quick one to toss together for an afternoon barbecue or an impromptu potluck.

• 1 box lemon cake mix, 18.25 ounce
• 1 box instant lemon-flavored pudding mix, 3.4 ounce
• 12 ounces Mountain Dew® soda (not diet)
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 12- to 15-cup fluted pan (Bundt pan) with nonstick baking spray with flour.
2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Add soda, oil, and eggs. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack.

Honey Yeast Rolls

Recipe From: Southern Living Magazine
Makes: 28 rolls

• 1/4 cup warm water, 110 to 110 degrees
• 1 envelope active dry yeast, 1/4-ounce package
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 tsps. salt
• 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup honey

1. Combine warm water, yeast, and 1 tsp. honey in a small bowl and let stand for 5 minutes or until mixture bubbles.
2. Meanwhile, heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes or until 100 to 110 degrees.
3. Stir together warm milk, eggs, melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt in a bowl of a heavy duty electric stand mixer, blending well. Add yeast mixture, stirring to combine. Gradually add 5 cups flour, beating at medium speed, using paddle attachment. Beat 3 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, and let stand for 1 hour.
4. Uncover dough, and add remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, beating at medium speed 5 minutes. Dough will be sticky. Transfer to a lightly greased large mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place, approx. 85 degrees, free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
5. Punch down dough. Turn dough out on a well-floured surface, and roll into 28 2 1/2-inch balls, about 1/4 cup dough per ball. Place balls in 4 lightly greased 9-inch pans, 7 balls per pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place, approx. 85 degrees, free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
6. Stir together 1/2 cup softened butter and 1/4 cup honey.
7. Bake rolls at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Brush tops with honey butter. Serve with remaining honey butter.

NOTE:
− To freeze, place baked rolls in zip-top plastic freezer bags, and freeze up to two months. Let thaw at room temperature. Reheat if desired.

Gourmet Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe From: New York Times
Adapted By: Tammy Ammon
Makes: 18 5-inch cookies

• 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tbsps. all-purpose flour
• 1 2/3 cups bread flour
• 1 1/4 tsps. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsps. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsps. coarse salt
• 1 1/4 cups butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsps. granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsps. natural vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 lbs. bittersweet chocolate disks or feves, at least 60 percent cacao content
• sea salt
  

1. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Reduce to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
4. Scoop six 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough, i.e. the size of generous golf balls, onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown until soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day.