Cream Cheese Danish Coffee Cake

From Andie Evans
Makes 24 servings

DOUGH
1/2 c. unsalted butter
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 1/2 tsp. dry yeast
1/2 c. warm water (about 90 degrees)
2 large eggs, beaten
4 c. AP flour

FILLING
16 oz. cream cheese
3/4 c. sugar
1 large egg, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Make the Dough: Place the butter, sour cream, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat until the mixture is warm and the sugar is dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.

Mix sour cream mixture with yeast and add beaten eggs and flour. The dough will be very soft.

Allow the dough to rise in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours, until doubled. You can also place the dough in refrigerator overnight to rise.

Assemble: Line 4 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead 7 or 8 times, rotating the dough on the board with each turn.

Divide dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece out to 12 x 8 inches.

Divide the filling evenly between the four dough rectangles and spread evenly within an inch of the edge of each piece.

With the 12-inch side of the rolled dough closest to you, roll each rectangle jellyroll style. Pinch seams and ends to seal. Place seam side down on lined baking sheets and cut X's in top. (About 6 X's total.) Danish should be slightly flattened to form a log approximately 4 inches wide and 12 inches long.

Cover pastries with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Let cool on wire racks before glazing

GLAZE
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. sliced almonds, toasted

Whisk together the first 3 ingredients in a mixing bowl and drizzle over the baked loaves. Garnish with toasted almonds.

Sticky Caramel Pecan Buns

From Andie Evans
Makes 12 rolls

DOUGH
1 tsp. dry yeast
1/2 c. warm water (90-100 degrees)
3 Tbsp. sugar
6 large eggs
5 c. AP flour
1-3/4 tsp. salt
12 oz. unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces and softened

CARAMEL-PECAN SAUCE
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. water

1 c. heavy whipping cream

1 c. light corn syrup

2 c. pecan halves, toasted

FILLING

8 oz. unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 c. chopped pecans

Prepare Dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the yeast and the warm water. Stir in the sugar and let stand for 10 minutes.

Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and on medium-low speed, blend in the eggs.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Add to the egg mixture and blend until the flour almost incorporated.

Remove the paddle attachment and fit the mixer with a dough hook. With the mixer running medium-low speed, add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. When all the butter has been incorporated, increase the speed to medium and kneed the dough for 5 minutes.

Place the dough in a large bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until it has doubled. This will take about 2 hours. (You can also allow the dough to rise in the refrigerated overnight.)

Prepare Caramel-Pecan Sauce: Combine the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan. Dissolve the sugar in the water over medium heat. When the sugar has completely dissolved increase the heat to high and cook until the caramel is golden amber in color.

Remove the caramel from heat and slowly whisk in the heavy cream. The mixture will bubble up so use caution.

Whisk in the corn syrup, then the pecans. Pour sauce into prepared pan. Set aside.

Prepare Filling: Place the butter, cinnamon and brown sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until creamy. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Assemble Rolls: On a lightly floured board, roll out the dough into an 18 x 11 inch rectangle.

Spread the cinnamon butter evenly over the rolled dough and sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly over the butter.

Starting with the long end of the dough, roll up the dough into a log and pinch the ends to seal.

Lightly score the log into 12 sections to ensure the rolls with be of even size, then cut the dough log into 12 even pieces.

Place the rolls, cut side up, in the caramel sauce-lined pan and cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow them to rise for several hours until doubled. At this point, the rolls can rise in the refrigerator overnight.

Bake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the rolls for about 35 minutes or until they are golden. Immediately invert the rolls onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Do not allow them to cool in the pan. Allow to cool slightly before serving as the caramel will be very hot.

Triple Chocolate Peanut Clusters

From Shirley Evans
Makes 3 pounds

6 oz. white chocolate chips
6 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
6 oz. milk chocolate chips
1 (12 oz.) jar unsalted dry roasted peanuts

Melt all chocolates together over low heat in heavy pan. Cool slightly. Stir in peanuts. Let sit to thicken slightly. Drop by tablespoon on wax paper. Let cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and keep in refrigerator or freeze til ready to serve.

Frosted Chocolate Drop Cookies

From Florence Vogel, Austin, MN
Posted by Shirley Evans

1/2 c. shortening
2 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened chocolate
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. walnuts
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Melt shortening and unsweetened chocolate together. Cool 10 minutes. Add brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Sift dry ingredients and add to chocolate mixture. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Drop on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool and frost (recipe below). Top with walnut half.

Frosting
1/4 c. hot water
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 c. powdered sugar

Beat all ingredients until fluffy.

Walnut Meltaways

From Andie Evans
Makes 4 dozen cookies

1 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. sugar
2 c. AP flour
1/2 c. ground walnuts
1 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. powdered sugar, plus more for serving

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until well blended. Beat in the flour and then the ground and chopped walnuts. Divide the dough in half, forming each half into a ball. Wrap separately in plastic and chill until cold, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Working with half of the chilled dough at a time while keeping the rest in the fridge, roll the dough by 2 teaspoonfuls between your palms into balls. Arrange the balls on a large baking sheet, spacing them 1/2-inch apart.

Bake the cookies until golden brown on the bottom and just pale golden on top, about 18 minutes. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Toss the warm cookies in the powdered sugar. Transfer the sugar coated cookies to a rack to cool completely. (The cookies can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.) Sift additional powdered sugar over the cookies, if desired, before serving.

To make Joe-safe, use dairy-free butter.

Nutty Putty

From Shirley Evans

Kids play with this and eat it.

3 1/2 c. peanut butter
4 c. powdered sugar
3 1/2 c. corn syrup
4 c. dried milk powder

Mix together. Divide into 10-15 portions.
Portions not being used can be stored in refrigerator or freezer.

Nut Goodie Bars

From Shirley Evans
 Makes 2 dozen ( 1x3" ) bars
Tastes like the Pearson's Nut Goodie Candy Bar

1-1/2 lbs milk chocolate
1 square (1 oz) unsweetened chocolate
1 cup butter
1 box (3.4 oz) regular vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1-1/4 tsp maple flavoring
2 pounds powdered sugar
1 pound Virginia salted peanuts

To prepare pan, carefully cover inside of 10 x 15" pan with aluminum foil and gently press in place, covering bottom and sides of pan. Lightly butter foil. Set aside.

To prepare bars: Melt milk chocolate and unsweetened chocolate. Spread a small amount of the chocolate to cover bottom of jellyroll pan. Put pan in freezer.

To prepare filling: In small saucepan, combine butter, pudding mix and milk. Bring to boil. Keep stirring. Don't worry if it gets a little lumpy or curdly. Keep stirring. Remove from heat.
Set aside to cool slightly. Then pour mixture into large bowl. Using electric mixer on low speed, beat in maple flavoring. Slowly add powdered sugar. Continue beating until combined and no lumps remain. Spread mixture over chocolate layer in jellyroll pan. Refrigerate till firmj.

To finish bars: Stir salted peanuts into remaining chocolate mixture. Mix well. Spread evenly over filling.

To cool bars: Refrigerate until firm. Cut into 1x3" bars or smaller for a pretty cookie tray.

Russian Tea Cakes

From Shirley Evans
Makes 60 cookies

1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. AP flour
1 c. finely chopped almonds or pecans
1/4 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine the first three ingredients; blend well. Stir in remaining ingredients until dough holds together. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until set but not brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly, roll in powdered sugar. Cool completely; roll again in powdered sugar.

To make these Joe-safe, use dairy-free butter.

Swedish Almond Rusks

From Shirley Evans

1 c. butter
2 c. sugar
pinch salt
1 c. sour cream
2 eggs
4 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. almond flavoring
1 c. sliced almonds

Combine all ingredients and form into 3 or 4 long rolls. Place on cookie sheet for 30 minutes at 325 degrees. Then take out and slice  1/2 inch thick. Place back in oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees until light brown and dry.

Italian Cream Cake

From Andie Evans

Makes 16 servings

5 eggs

1/2 c. butter

2 c. AP flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. shortening

2 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. buttermilk
1 c. flaked coconut
1/2 c. finely chopped pecans, toasted
1 batch Cream Cheese Frosting (below)
3/4 c. chopped pecans, toasted

Separate eggs. Allow egg yolks, egg whites, and butter to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease and flour three round cake pans, set pans aside. In a medium bowl combine flour and baking soda; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In an extra-large mixing bowl beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar; beat until well combined. Add the egg yolks and vanilla; beat on medium speed until combined. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Fold in coconut and finely chopped pecans.

Thoroughly wash the beaters. In a medium mixing bowl beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold about one-third of the egg whites into cake batter to lighten. Fold in remaining whites. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pans.

Bake about 25 minutes for 9-inch pans, about 35 minutes for 8-inch pans, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool cake layers in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cake layers from pans. Cool thoroughly on wire racks.

Place one cake layer, bottom side up, on serving plate. Spread with about 1/2 cup cream cheese frosting; sprinkle with 1/4 cup pecans. Top with second layer, rounded top side up. Spread with 1/2 cup frosting and sprinkle with 1/4 cup nuts. Place the remaining cake layer on top, rounded top side up; spread top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Press remaining nuts into frosting and around side of cake. Store cake in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.


Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz. unsalted butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese together with an electric mixer. On low speed, add powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract.

7 Layer Bars

From Shirley Evans

1 stick butter, melted
1 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 c. coconut
1 c. butterscotch chips
1 c. chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. chopped nuts

Layer in a 9 by 13 pan in the order listed. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Salted Nut Rolls

From Shirley Evans

2 Tbsp. butter
5 oz. marshmallows
1 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. chopped salted peanuts
7 oz. caramels
1 Tbsp. water

Melt 1 tablespoon butter; add marshmallows, stirring until melted. Beat in enough powdered sugar to make mixture workable to knead; knead until smooth. Add vanilla and 1/2 cup peanuts. Knead, using remaining sugar, until smooth. Shape into a 12-inch roll.

On a piece of plastic wrap place remaining nuts in a 12x4 inch rectangle. Melt caramels with 1 tablespoon butter and water. Pour over peanuts, spreading with knife dipped in hot water. When cool, place marshmallow roll in center. Using the plastic wrap, lift caramel around marshmallow center and seal edges. Press peanuts carefully into caramel. Refrigerate and slice when ready to serve.

Amaretti Cookies

From Andie Evans

2 egg whites
1 8-oz. can almond paste (1 c.)
1 c. sugar

Place egg whites in a small bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

In a free-standing electric mixer, break up and crumble almond paste. Add the sugar. Beat or process until combined. Add egg whites, about half at a time, beating or processing until mixture is stiff (but will not form peaks) and sugar is dissolved.

Spoon egg-white mixture into a pastry bag fitted with an 1/2-inch round tip. Pipe into 1-inch rounds 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle each cookie with additional sugar, if you like.

Bake a cookie sheet at a time in a 375 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until set and lightly browned. Remove from oven. Cool on cookie sheet. Carefully peel cookies from paper or foil. (To store, layer cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container.)

Perfect Raisin Drop Cookies

From Arlene Evans

2 c. raisins             

1 c. water                 

1 tsp. soda              

1 c. butter

2 c. sugar               

3 eggs                       

1 tsp. vanilla          

4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt            

1 tsp. cinnamon                 

1/4 tsp. nutmeg     

1 tsp. baking powder

1 c. chopped walnuts

Boil raisins and water briskly for 5 minutes. Cool and stir in baking soda.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and cream together.

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg together and add to butter mixture.

Stir in raisins and water. Add chopped walnuts. Drop by spoon and bake in 375 degree oven.

To make Joe-safe, use dairy-free butter instead of regular butter.