The Best Snickerdoodles (all butter)

I have to admit that I am a chocolate chip cookie girl myself, so I kind of forget about making other kinds of cookies!  Which according to my family is a tragedy because they LOVE snickerdoodles !  I  try to have cookies in my freezer to pop into my 5 boys daily lunches and these are the most requested variety by far!  I think I avoided them for years because most snickerdoodle recipes have shortening as an ingredient and I try to avoid it at all costs!  So after some trying lots of different recipes,  I found the BEST snickerdoodle recipe that is all buter.  This is supposedly Mrs. Fields recipe--I am not sure about that since I have found several different recipes making that same claim!  Regardless,  I will say these snikerdoodles are FANTASTIC and shortening free (yeah)! I have been making these cookies for years and didn't realize that I hadn't posted them until I brought them to a church function and people told me they couldn't find the recipes on Sisters Cafe!  Woops! So here you go friends!  Enjoy:)

Happy Stuff post on Melandboys today:)  Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Best Snickerdoodles
submitted by Melanie~www.thesisterscafe.com

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt

For Rolling
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the butter, sugars, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 3 minutes

Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well combined, light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the add the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.  Chill dough for at least 1 hour. ( If you don't chill the dough, the cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.)  Roll approximately 2 Tablespoons of dough into balls, and flatten slightly. . Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat, parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.

For Rolling - In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and stir to combine.

Drop and roll each mound of dough through cinnamon-sugar. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 9 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don't overbake for soft, pillowy cookies. For firmer cookies, bake a minute or two longer. Cookies firm up as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving.

I like to keep unbaked cookie dough in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Recipe Source: Slightly modified from MrsFieldsathome. BlogSpot.com

 

Mardi Gras King Cake (and party ideas)

With Mardi Gras coming up next week, I thought I would share with you this delicious King Cake and some fun ideas for hosting a party.  We have hosted several Mardi Gras parties over the years and they are always SO much fun!  The first one we did was right after my Mom returned from a conference in New Orleans.  She brought us back lots of Mardi Gras beads,  beautiful ornate masks,  feather Boas and lots of Cajun spices and mixes.  We decked the table out in purple, green and gold,  invited some  friends over for some Cajun food, handed out the masks and boas for the ladies and a fun tradition was born! To give you  a little history, Mardi Gras, also called 'Fat Tuesday'  is the last day of feasting before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday each year. Medieval Christians used up their eggs, butter and milk that day to make delicious baked items and pastries like the King Cake, since all of these items were forbidden during their Lenten abstinence.  Since we do not practice Lent and Tuesday night being a school night, the actual date for Mardi Gras is never a good time for a party.  Instead we have picked a weekend fairly close to the actual date for our celebration. Last year my party was in March, no one seemed to mind:)

Menu Ideas:  When I do this party I let my friends who offer to help bring a favorite appetizer, salad, cornbread, rolls or dessert to share and then I make one or more of the following:

*Creamy Jambalaya Pasta
*Red Beans and Rice
*Shrimp and Grits (recipe coming this weekend)

Mardi Gras Party Tips:

*Send out invitations and ask your guests to wear traditional Mardi Gras colors--Green, Purple and Gold
*Go to a party store, craft store (Hobby Lobby has lots of stuff), or your local Dollar Store and get Mardi Gras beads (green, purple, and gold), masks (last year I got hilarious Mardi Gras mask/sunglasses at the Dollar Store and set them by each persons place at the table) and boas for the ladies if you can find them.  The masks and boas could be saved and used every year!  OR you could have all the stuff out and let your guests create their own masks with beads, feather and glitter:)
*Set your table and decorate with the colors Purple, Green and Gold.
*One game we did with the beads:  You pick certain words that are forbidden--such as Mardi Gras, New Orleans, whatever you want--when a guest says the forbidden word they have to give up their beads to whoever catches them.  The winner is the person with the most beads at the end of the night.
*During dinner tell your guests or play a simple trivia game about the history of Mardi Gras that you look up online.  There is TONS of information.
*Finish dinner with the King Cake: one of the wonderful traditions of Mardi Gras, and probably the most delicious:)  You could share this fun King Cake history before you serve it:

"On the Christian calendar, the 12th day after Christmas is celebrated as the
date that the gift-bearing Magi visited the baby Jesus. This day, January 6, is
known by several names, including "Epiphany", "Twelfth Night", or "Kings Day".
The celebration of this event has evolved over the centuries, with each culture
adding its own unique rituals. The New Orleans tradition, borrowing heavily from
European influences, is believed to have begun in the 1870's. As part of this
celebration, it is now traditional to bake a cake in honor of the three kings -
the King Cake. King Cakes are oval-shaped to symbolize the unity of faiths. Each
cake is decorated in the traditional Mardi Gras colors - purple representing
justice, green representing faith, and gold representing power. A small baby,
symbolizing the baby Jesus, is traditionally hidden inside each King Cake.

In New Orleans, King Cake parties are held throughout the Mardi Gras season.
In offices, classrooms, and homes throughout the city, King Cakes are sliced and
enjoyed by all. Like the Biblical story, the "search for the baby" adds
excitement, as each person waits to see in which slice of cake the baby will be
discovered. While custom holds that the person who "finds" the baby will be
rewarded with "good luck", that person is also traditionally responsible for
bringing the King Cake to the next years party."  (Source )

King Cake
submitted by Melanie~The Sisters Cafe

*Just a note: This is really more of a cinnamon roll than a cake.  If you want you could substitute a cinnamon roll recipe for the dough or I have used my Buttermilk roll recipe for the dough .  Also, if you do not like cream cheese, you could just do a cinnamon sugar mixture over butter like traditional cinnamon rolls.

This recipe makes 2 cakes

PASTRY:
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
4 1/2 tsp or 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

CREAM CHEESE FILLING:
1 (8oz) package of cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tb flour
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tsp milk

BROWN SUGAR/ CINNAMON MIX:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tb ground cinnamon
2/3 cup chopped pecans (opt)

BUTTER CREAM GLAZE:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 Tb softened butter
1 tsp vanilla, almond or rum extract
2-3 Tb milk

Purple, Green, and Gold Sprinkles

1 small plastic doll (find at party supply or craft stores)
DIRECTIONS:
Scald milk, remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of butter. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water with 1 tablespoon of the white sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

When yeast mixture is bubbling, add the cooled milk mixture. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the remaining white sugar, salt and nutmeg. Beat the flour into the milk/egg mixture 1 cup at a time. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. When risen, punch down and divide dough in half.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

To Make Cream Cheese Filling:   Combine the confectioners sugar, flour, vanilla and milk together until creamy and light.

Roll each of the dough halves out into large rectangles (approximately 10x16 inches or so).  Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the dough (half on each) and then sprinkle with the brown sugar / cinnamon mixture.  Roll the dough tightly jelly roll style, starting from the long  side. Bring the ends of each roll together to form 2 oval shaped rings.  Place each ring on a prepared cookie sheet, seam side down.  Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. If using, push the doll into the bottom of the cake. Frost while warm with the Butter cream Glaze and sprinkle on the purple, green and gold sprinkle in 1/3 sections.

Recipe source: Adapted from  Allrecipes

Very Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

Oh my goodness, this breakfast is seriously heavenly!!!  I never thought anything could rival my favorite Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, but this just might!  I made this for my family's 4th of July breakfast and it was perfect.  In fact, it would be perfect for just about any holiday breakfast in my opinion.  Of course I love fresh strawberries with pretty much anything, especially french toast, but the zesty orange cream cheese mixture in the middle was what really caught my attention.  Yum!  If you're morning looks like it's going to be a busy one, I would recommend making the strawberry syrup, cutting the fresh strawberries, and setting out the appropriate condiments the night before.  Hey if you want to make your life really easy, set the table the night before!  Enjoy.

VERY STRAWBERRY STUFFED FRENCH TOAST

Submitted by Amy ~ The Sisters Cafe
Recipe Source: adapted from Sandra Lee recipe

1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
2 T. strawberry preserves
1 T. shredded orange zest
4 eggs
1 cup half-and-half
2 T. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
8 slices Texas Toast-style bread
Strawberry Syrup (I like this one of Erin's)
Butter
Sliced fresh strawberries
Powdered sugar (optional)
1 Decorating bag or small sandwich bag

In a small mixing bowl, stir together softened cream cheese, strawberry preserves and orange zest until smooth. Set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, orange juice concentrate and vanilla extract. Pour into a shallow bowl or pie plate. Set aside.

With a paring or serrated knife, very carefully slice a pocket into the side of each bread slice (do not cut all the way through the bread). It's okay if you accidentally cut through the side of the bread a little, just do you best. Using a good quality bread and knife will make this task easier. Fill pocket with a heaping spoonful of cream cheese mixture. I have found that the easiest way to add the cream cheese mixture for me is to spoon it into a decorating bag (typically used for icing cupcakes) and insert it into the pocket that way. If you don't have any decorating bags, a small hole cut in the bottom corner of a plastic sandwich bag should do the trick as well. If you have any leftover cream cheese, save it for later as a delicious smeare on bagels, crackers, etc!

Pull out your favorite griddle or skillet. Carefully dip filled bread in egg mixture and brown for 1-2 minutes per side or until cooked. Serve hot with butter, strawberry syrup, sliced fresh strawberries and powdered sugar. Makes 4 servings.

Tres Leche Cupcakes

Oh my goodness these cupcakes were sooo good!!  Have you ever had Tres Leche at your favorite Mexican restaurant?  Well it is a  moist and sweet treat made from 3 milks, thus the name.  Anyway, I made these little cupcakes for Cinco de Mayo along with little mini chili pepper pinatas and they were a HUGE hit!  I will definitely be making these more often and not just for Cinco de Mayo.  My husband said they were the best cupcakes he ever had!  They were DELICIOUS!

And I will post the directions for the mini pinatas on Melandboys soon.  They were super easy and fun!

But if you are looking  for a fun craft to do with your kids now check out these Crayon Cars--so fun!!

And don't forget to enter the $100 Best Buy Giftcard giveaway here.

Tres Leches Cupcakes

I used this recipe for the cupcakes--it is a little more substantial.
Easy White Cupcakes

1 box white cake mix (Duncan Hines super moist is best, and yes that’s not what’s in my photo)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp salt
4 egg whites
1 1/3 cups water
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract (use clear vanilla if you want a pure white cake)
1 tsp almond extract

Mix all dry ingredients with a  whisk, then add wet ingredients. Beat for two minutes until fluffy..

Fill paper liners 3/4 full and bake according to box directions.  Makes 36 cupcakes.

Tres Leche Cupcakes

24 cupcakes

8 oz. evaporated milk

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 pint whipping cream, divided
3-4 Tbsp. Hershey’s Caramel Syrup  (I left this out)
Sliced fresh fruit (like strawberries, mangoes, and kiwis, optional)
Juice of 1 lime (optional)--I did not do this
Bake cupcakes according to recipe directions in FOIL LINERS. This is very important because it helps contain the milk mixture.
After cupcakes have cooled, use a bamboo skewer to poke several holes in each cupcake. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened  condensed milk, and 3/4 c. of whipping cream. Use a ladle to pour the  milk mixture over each cupcake. Place the cupcakes in the refrigerator  until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, beat the remaining 1 1/4 c. of whipping cream until  medium peaks form. Gently fold in the caramel syrup and pipe or dollop  the whipped cream on each of the cupcakes. If desired, toss the sliced  fruit with the lime juice and top the cupcakes with the sliced fruit.  Serve on a small plate with a dessert spoon.

Recipe Source:  Our Best Bites