Biscotti

3 ¾ cups flour

2 ½ cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 zest of orange or essence

1 zest of lemon or essence

1 T. Baking Powder

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups crushed almonds

1 egg beaten for egg wash

Directions: Toast almonds until lightly browned in 300 degree oven. Mix flour, sugar, eggs, essences, baking powder and vanilla together. Knead slowly until the mixture becomes a firm ball. Do not over knead! Slowly knead the toasted, crushed almonds into the firm dough, until evenly dispersed in the dough. Roll small pieces of dough in fat log shape. Place logs of dough onto greased baking sheet. Brush lightly with egg wash. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned. Slice with diagonal cut.

Comment: Can play with flavors. Add orange or lemon or chocolate chips and different types of nuts.

Grandmother’s Cake

Pastry Base (make two)

1 egg

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup butter

1 ¼ cup flour

½ packet of baking powder

Cream

4¼ cups whole milk

4 eggs

8 T. sugar

4 T. flour

1 tsp. vanilla

Pine Nuts

Powdered Sugar

Directions for base: Combine pastry ingredients. Back at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden and toothpick comes out clean.

For cream: Bring milk to boil. Beat four eggs with sugar and flour. Temper egg mixture with hot milk. Add egg mixture to milk and stir until it thickens. Chill. To complete layer base with cream and add second pastry base to top. Or, layer cream on base pastry, then another base and cream. Dust with powdered sugar and pine nuts.

Comment: Unless rolling out crust like a torte, we’ve discovered you need to make the equivalent of three pastries and divide into two 8” cake pans. Can flavor the cream with lemon/orange/strawberry etc. extract or a bit of zest. Could add mini-chocolate chips to cream and then dust with a combination of powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Can also add cocoa powder to base to make a chocolate pastry. Also, good to drizzle with fruit or a caramel or chocolate sauce.

Aunt Arlene's Sugar Cookies

2 cups granulated sugar

½ cup margarine + ½ cup butter

2 eggs

3 tsp. vanilla

5 cups sifted flour

3 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 cup buttermilk

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter

4 tsp. vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar, or so

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup milk

Directions: Mix sugar and butter until smooth. Add eggs. Sift dry ingredients together; add alternately with milk to which vanilla has been added. Drop onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

Frosting: Combine butter, salt, and vanilla and 1/3 of the powdered sugar. Beat. Add milk and remaining sugar.

Comment: A favorite of the children and grandchildren of Arlene Bendele. Add a slpash of almond flavoring for a different twist.

Mashed Potato Doughnuts

Doughnuts

2 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

3/4 cup mashed potato

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 quarts (3 pounds) lard, shortening, or vegetable oil, for frying

Coating

granulated sugar or cinnamon sugar, for coating

Directions:

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar. Add the eggs and mashed potatoes to the shortening mix.

Measure out the milk. Add the flour mixture and milk alternately to the creamed mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

The resulting dough will be quite soft, more like a drop-biscuit dough instead of a "rollable" dough. The dough can be covered and refrigerated overnight, if desired.

Turn the dough out onto a very well floured surface and knead a few times to make it stiff enough to roll with a rolling pin. Roll the dough using a well-floured rolling pin until it's about 1/2" thick. Dip a doughnut cutter in flour (each time you cut), and cut out the doughnuts. Save the holes; or re-roll them with leftover dough. Try to handle the dough as little as possible; the less you work the dough, the more tender the doughnuts will be.

Heat the fat to 365°F. Test the temperature with a thermometer; or with a slice of bread, as follows: lower half a slice of bread into the hot fat. If it takes 1 minute for the bottom side to brown nicely, the fat is at the best temperature for frying doughnuts.

Fry doughnuts about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on brown paper bags or paper towels. Check one of the fried donuts after it is cooled to be sure the center is cooked through.

While still warm, shake doughnuts in cinnamon-sugar or plain granulated sugar.

Yield: About 2 dozen doughnuts (plus holes), depending on the size of the cutter.

Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake

1 cup butter 1¾ cups sugar

1 tsp. strawberry extract 5 large eggs

3 cups flour 2 tsps. Baking powder

¼ tsp. salt ¾ cup milk

1 3oz. package strawberry gelatin

1 cup pureed, thawed frozen strawberries

Frosting

½ cup butter, softened

1 8oz. cream cheese, softened

¼ cup pureed, thawed frozen strawberries

1 tsp. vanilla

4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions: For cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13” x 9” baking pan with nonstick baking spray with flour.

In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and extract at medium speed with a mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, gelatin, baking powder, and salt.

In a small bowl, combine strawberry puree and milk.

Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with strawberry mixture, beginning and ending with flour and beating just until combined after each addition. Pour butter in prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cake cool completely on wire rack. Spread frosting. Garnish with strawberries, if desired.

For icing, in a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with a mixer until creamy. Add strawberry puree, beating until combined. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until smooth and right consistency.

Comment: Very dense and moist. Really good flavor! A Paula Deen recipe. Have made it without strawberry extract when I couldn’t find it, and it was still excellent.