Recipe: Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

 

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars 

Ingredients:

1 c. butter

1-3/4 c. sugar

4 large eggs

1 t. pure vanilla extract

1 t. almond extract (optional)

1 t. salt

1/2 t. baking soda

5 c. all-purpose flour

 
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (350 convection). If desired, line baker’s half sheet pan with parchment paper; otherwise, grease bottom of half sheet pan with cooking spray.

2. Cream together butter and sugar using beater attachment. Add eggs one at a time and beat until well incorporated.

3. Add vanilla, almond extract, salt, and baking soda. Mix well.

4. Using paddle attachment, mix in flour 1 cup at a time until all flour is incorporated.

5. Press dough into pan until flat (avoid high spots in the center).

6. Bake for 15 minutes, or until just barely golden. Do not overbake--cookie bars should remain soft.

7. Let cool. Frost with 1 batch Cream Cheese Butter Cream Frosting or Buttery Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting. Cut into 30-48 bars.
   

      

Half-batch recipe for 9x13 pan

1/2 c. butter (1 stick)

1 c. less 1 T. sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 t. pure vanilla extract

1/2 t. almond extract (optional)

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. baking soda

2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour

Follow instructions above, except shorten baking time 2-5 minutes.

 

Recipe: Cheesy Potato Casserole

Aka Freezer-friendly Funeral Potatoes

2 lb. Bag hash browns

½ c. onions (or 2 T. dried minced onion)

1 can cream of celery

1 can cream of mushroom

8 oz cream cheese

1 c. cubed ham (optional)

1½ to 2 c. jack cheese (reserve ½ c. for topping)

¼ t. pepper

½ t. salt

1 c. corn flakes or crushed ritz crackers for topping

 

Directions:

1. Soften cream cheese and cream together with soups. 

2. Stir in onions, shredded cheese, ham (if desired), pepper, and salt. 

3. Break apart hash browns. Gently stir into cheese mixture. 

4. Place in greased baking dish. Bake covered for 40 minutes at 350 degrees (or up to 1 hour as needed). Uncover and top with remaining cheese and corn flakes (or cracker crumbs). Return to oven until cheese is melted.

 

To Freeze Mixture: Place in gallon freezer bag (or in several smaller freezer bags). Label and freeze.

 

To Serve: Thaw on counter for 2 hours. Place in greased baking dish. Bake covered for 1 hour at 350 degrees (or less than 1 hour if using smaller portions). Uncover and top with remaining cheese and corn flakes (or cracker crumbs). Return to oven until cheese is melted.

Recipe: Soft & Yummy Frosted Sugar Cutout Cookies

Most little bakeries don't give out their recipes. But I do. This is my favorite sugar cookie hands down! It's not overly sweet, but has the perfect amount of sweetness.

 

Sugar Cutout Cookies

1 c. shortening

2-1/4 c. granulated sugar

4 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. baking powder

1 c. sour cream

6 c. flour

Directions:

1. Using whip attachment, beat shortening and sugar together until well blended. Add in beaten eggs, two at a time. Add salt, vanilla, baking powder, and sour cream.  
2. Using paddle attachment, add flour one cup at a time and mix after each addition. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl and mix until consistent throughout.
3. Scrape dough into smaller metal bowl and wrap with plastic wrap. Place in fridge to chill for 2+ hours. 
4. Roll out 1/4" thick and cut with cookie cutter. Place cookies 1" apart on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
   
5. Bake for 8 minutes at 375 degrees (or 350 degrees convection--I always use convection). They will not brown. Do not overbake. These cookies should remain soft.
   
6. Allow to cool before placing in airtight container.
7. Can be frozen up to 2 weeks. To thaw, place container on counter for 2 hours.

 

Cream Cheese Butter Cream Frosting (Stabilized)

8 oz. cream cheese, cold

1/2 c. butter, room temperature (not melted)

3 c. powdered sugar

1/2 t. butter vanilla emulsion

1/4 t. almond flavoring

2-1/4 t. meringue powder (optional)

Directions

1. In a KitchenAid or using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. (You won't be able to beat the lumps out once you've added the powdered sugar.)

2. Add powdered sugar 1 c. at a time. (To stabilize to the point of crusting, add 1 T. meringue powder per 1 lb powdered sugar, or about 2-1/4 tsp for this recipe.)

3. Mix in flavoring. Add desired gel food coloring.
   

4. Whip until fluffy and smooth, about 6-10 minutes.

5. Spoon into piping bag.

For royal icing, I use this recipe from PreppyKitchen.com, which also includes a helpful YouTube video of the process.

Recipe: Spicy Sasuage Queso Dip

Party-Size Spicy Sausage Queso Dip (serves 50-75) 

6 lb can nacho cheese sauce* (Sam's club, or 5 - 6 16 oz. blocks Velveeta)

2 lbs reg. hot pork sausage, browned, crumbled, and drained

1-2 jars salsa (use hot salsa to add more heat to your dip)

4 oz can diced green chiles 

Few pinches of red pepper flakes, optional (if you want to spice it up)

Instructions: 

1. Brown sausage, crumble, and drain well. 
2. Add all ingredients to a crockpot (I use a slow cooker liner for fast and easy clean up). Cook on low until melted and warm, stirring frequently. 
3. Turn crockpot to warm. Enjoy with tortilla chips.

*Cook's Note:  Nacho cheese sauce has already been thinned and is not solid like Velveeta and is already flavored, unlike Velveeta. It is also much less than expensive than Velveeta (but contains yellow dyes, whereas Velveeta uses naturally-derived annatto coloring).

If you are only making dip for a small group of people: 

Spicy Sausage Queso Dip (serves 10-15) 

2 - 3 16 oz. blocks Velveeta cheese

1 lb spicy sausage, browned, crumbled, and drained (use hot sausage for extra spicy dip) 

1 jar salsa 

Few pinches of red pepper flakes, optional (if you want to spice it up)

Same instructions as the first.

Yummy Frostings for Hecka Good Cinnamon Rolls

 

Two yummy frostings to try on my Hecka Good Cinnamon Rolls: cream cheese frosting and maple buttercream.

The cream cheese frosting is a classic taste that you can NOT go wrong with. You can smear a thin layer on for less sweet (or less calories), or you can dollop the frosting on top for a rich flavor. (Get my cream cheese frosting recipe here.)

Or...

You can try maple buttercream. The maple tends to overpower the cinnamon flavor of the roll, so I suggest a thin smear of frosting unless you want to power up your maple flavor. (Get my maple buttercream recipe here.)

Both are yummy, but it depends on the taste you're in the mood for. 

For what it's worth, I'm totally not sad I tried both on the same cinnamon roll.

Recipe: Oatmeal Craisin Raisin Breakfast Cookies

If you like the chewy breakfast cookies at Wendy's, you will probably love these even more. My mom, Rose Wride, created this original recipe to copycat the cookies mentioned above, but in the process, she improved it. To learn more about my amazing home-economist, recipe-book author mother, click here.

Oatmeal Craisin Raisin Breakfast Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1-1/4 cups brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

1 tablespoon molasses 

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)

1/2 cup raisins

3/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and molasses until light and fluffy. 

3. Stir in all-purpose flour, soda, salt and cinnamon until just moistened. 

4. Add the rolled oats and mix well.

5. Stir in Craisins, raisins and walnut pieces. Dough will be stiff and slightly sticky. 

6. Drop by spoonfuls about 2-inches apart on a baking sheet, and bake 12-14 minutes in a 350-degree oven until golden on the edges. The centers will look slightly shiny and undercooked. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let cookies finish cooking on the pan for about five minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

Makes about 2-1/2 dozen cookies.

Cook's Note:  Molasses keeps these cookies soft and chewy. Store covered at room temperature for up to one week. These cookies freeze well and maintain their soft, chewy texture--just pop them into a ziploc, and then set the ziploc on the counter to thaw 30 minutes before you want to eat them. If the cookies look like they will spread too much, stir in a rounded tablespoon of flour before baking.

Meet My Mom: Rose

My mom, Rose Wride, is one of the most talented cooks and bakers I know. Whatever gifts in the kitchen that I possess can be directly attributed to her. She cooked and baked from scratch every single day for her six children, even though she worked full time.  

She has a bachelor's in home economics, and can sew, cook, bake, invent, clean, decorate, and cut hair. As the Director of Home Economics for Vita-Mix, she wrote The Versatile Vita-Mix cookbook published in 1993. Though she now works for the USDA, she continues to test recipes and make the most delicious meals and baked goods. I wish she could run a Bed & Breakfast, or even a bakery.

She is the real deal, and her talents and gifts have inspired me since I was a little girl wanting to learn to do the same things she did well.

So when you see a recipe with my mom's name next to it, like Rose's Rolls AKA Best Rolls Ever, you should definitely try it. Her recipes will make you famous within your circles.