Blue Ribbon Winner Holiday Cutout Cookies

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup shortening, crisco preferred
• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Recipe

• 1 cream shortening and butter with powdered sugar til light and fluffy.
• 2 add eggs one at a time til incorporated; mixing well; add extracts til blended.
• 3 sift flour, baking soda and cream of tartar in separate bowl. stir with whip until well blended.
• 4 add dry mixture to batter; mixing just until incorporated and creamy. do not overbeat.
• 5 chill in bowl for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• 6 roll out on lightly floured board or between saran wrap sheets.
• 7 cut out and transfer to lightly greased cookie sheets.
• 8 bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes. do not overbrown. edges should be very light brown.
• 9 leave on cookie sheet exactly one minute before transferring to cooling rack. the cookie should have a crisp melt in your mouth texture.
• 10 souce: blue ribbon winner cookie entry minnesota state fair 1987.

Blueberries And Cream Cupcakes

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup frozen blueberries (for cupcakes)
• fresh blueberries (for decorating)

Recipe

• 1 in a small bowl, combine coconut flour, salt and baking soda.
• 2 in a large bowl, combine eggs, agave, grapeseed oil and vanilla and blend well with a hand mixer.
• 3 mix dry ingredients into wet, blending with a hand mixer.
• 4 gently fold in frozen blueberries.
• 5 scoop batter one heaping ¼ cup at a time into paper lined cupcake tin.
• 6 bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes.
• 7 cool 1-2 hours and then top with whipped cream frosting.
• 8 decorate each cupcake with 4-5 fresh blueberries (place on top of frosting).
• 9 serve.

Almost Chocolate Chip Cookies

Total Time: 27 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 12 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup cocoa (unsweeted)

Recipe

• 1 cream shortening, sugars, egg, and vanilla until light and slightly fluffy.
• 2 be sure to sift together dry ingredients, then stir into fluffed mixture, blend well.
• 3 add chocolate and nuts, if desired.
• 4 place dough balls about 2'' apart on a greased cookie sheet, and bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.
• 5 remove from cookie sheet immediately onto a cooling rack, or similar surface, as the cookies continue to bake past their desired texture pretty quickly!
• 6 enjoy!

Blue Ribbon Mile High Lemon Meringue Pie

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell (with high fluted edge)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 dash salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 6 egg yolks (slightly beaten)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon peel, grated
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 6 egg whites (at room temperature)
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 bake 9-inch fluted pie shell:.
• 2 preheat oven to 400°f (205°c).
• 3 fit the crust into a pie plate and flute the edge.
• 4 prick the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork.
• 5 bake at 400°f (205°c) for 5 minutes.
• 6 allow to cool while preparing rest of recipe.
• 7 prepare lemon filling:.
• 8 in a medium-size heavy saucepan, mix 1-1/2 cups sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt.
• 9 gradually add water, stirring until well blended.
• 10 bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly; cook 3 minutes.
• 11 remove hot mixture from heat.
• 12 slowly pour about half of mixture into slightly beaten egg yolks, stirring constantly.
• 13 slowly pour egg yolk mixture back into hot mixture, stirring constantly.
• 14 return saucepan to heat.
• 15 bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook 3 minutes more.
• 16 add lemon peel, lemon juice, and butter.
• 17 cook about 2 minutes more, stirring with a rubber spatula in a circular motion. do not let mixture stick to bottom of pan. filling will be very thick and spatula will leave a track when drawn through filling.
• 18 cover saucepan and remove from heat; keep warm.
• 19 prepare meringue:.
• 20 preheat oven to 350°f (175°c).
• 21 in a large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy.
• 22 beat in 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• 23 beat in vanilla extract with the last tablespoon of sugar.
• 24 continue beating until egg whites hold a soft peak.
• 25 set aside.
• 26 assemble pie:.
• 27 if filling has cooled, reheat, stirring constantly, before spooning into baked pie shell.
• 28 starting around the edge of pie, spoon meringue over filling, making sure meringue touches fluting on pie shell.
• 29 bake in preheated 350°f (175°c) oven 15 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.
• 30 cool 4 hours before serving:.
• 31 cool about 4 hours at room temperature before cutting.
• 32 makes one 9-inch pie.

Almond Toffee In 17 Minutes

Total Time: 20 mins Preparation Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup cold butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or 2 cups chopped chocolate bark
• 1 cup slivered almonds, toasted to a mid-golden

Recipe

• 1 line a 13x9 pan with aluminum foil, leaving about 4 inches overhang over each end for a "handle.".
• 2 toast the almonds in a skillet or the oven to a fragrant golden brown.
• 3 combine the butter and sugar in a saucepan over high heat. cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon (i used a whisk once and it worked fine) until mixture darkens to a nutty golden.
• 4 (the process starts slowly, then happens very fast, so when it begins to darken, stir like mad and snatch it off the heat once it's darkened a couple of shades.)
• 5 pour into foil-lined pan, spreading quickly. let cool about 10 minutes. top with chocolate or chocolate. let melt a few minutes, then spread evenly. press toasted almonds into the chocolate. let cool completely, then break into pieces. (striking it with the tip of a table knife works well for breaking into useful size pieces.).

Apple Spice Bundt Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter or 1/3 cup margarine, softened
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon, rind of
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 2/3 cup finely chopped peeled tart apple
• 3 tablespoons butter or 3 tablespoons margarine
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons whipping cream
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted

Recipe

• 1 in a large mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening, sugars and lemon peel until fluffy.
• 2 add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• 3 beat in vanilla.
• 4 combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice, nutmeg and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with applesauce.
• 5 stir in the pecans and apple.
• 6 pour into a greased and floured 9- or 10-in. bundt pan.
• 7 bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
• 8 cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
• 9 for glaze, in a heavy saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar over low heat.
• 10 stir in cream.
• 11 cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil; boil for 1 minute.
• 12 remove from heat; whisk in sugar and vanilla until smooth, about 1 minute.
• 13 pour over cake, immediately sprinkle with pecans.

Baba Au Rhum

Total Time: 2 hrs 40 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 package dry yeast
• 1/3 cup warm milk
• 2 1/2 cups sifted flour, divided
• 8 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 2/3 cups sugar, divided
• 6 eggs
• 5 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup dark rum
• candied fruit, for decoration
• whipped cream (to garnish)

Recipe

• 1 dissolve yeast in the milk in a large bowl.
• 2 stir in 1/2 cup flour.
• 3 cover and set aside in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.
• 4 meanwhile, beat 7 tablespoons of the butter in an electric mixer or in a food processor.
• 5 beat in 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons flour.
• 6 beat in the eggs, one at a time.
• 7 beat the remaining flour into the risen yeast mixture, then beat in the butter-egg mixture to make a thick, cake-like batter.
• 8 grease an 8-inch bundt pan with the remaining tablespoon of butter, taking care to leave no part of the pan ungreased, and spoon the batter into the mold.
• 9 it should fill it halfway.
• 10 cover with a cloth and set aside to rise until the dough reaches the top of the mold.
• 11 heat the oven to 350 degrees.
• 12 bake the baba for about 40 min.
• 13 until nicely browned on top.
• 14 while the baba is baking, combine the remaining sugar with the water in a saucepan and boil until syrupy and reduced to 3 cups.
• 15 remove from heat and stir in rum.
• 16 remove baked baba from oven and spoon rum syrup over it, saturating completely.
• 17 cool 45 minutes.
• 18 unmold.
• 19 decorate with candied fruits and whipped cream.