Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Gingersnaps

These are currently Alex and Sam's favorite cookies. They are small, thin, and chewy. I'm not usually a big gingersnap fan, but I love these.

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup real butter
1 egg
1/4 cup light molasses
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp baking soda

Cream sugar, butter, egg, and molasses well. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Drop walnut sized balls on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 5-8 minutes.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Cheesecake Bars

Cheesecake Bars
INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (I omitted these)
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
8 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 c. caramel ice cream topping

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C).
To make Pastry: Cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the flour and chopped nuts and stir until mixture becomes crumbly. Press pastry mixture into 8-inch square pan and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on rack.
To make Filling: Beat together the white sugar, and cream cheese until smooth. Stir in the egg, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix well. Spread filling mixture over baked crust. Spoon on caramel and swirl through with a knife. (You could substitute jam or fudge if you'd rather try a different flavor.) Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. (Longer if you double the filling) Let cool on wire rack and refrigerate.

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt (you can substitute sour cream)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips


DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the egg, oil, yogurt and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in bananas and chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.