Butterscotch Cowboy Cookies

Chewy, moist, sweet, crunchy. I have a new favorite cookie recipe!
I've used the same chocolate chip/oatmeal cookie recipe for years. Thinking it couldn't be beat. The addition of a pudding mix made a good flavor that can be changed with the seasons and kept the cookies soft. Then I tried a new recipe from Chef Alli. I've made this twice in the last two weeks and the family loves them. The original recipe calls for crushed corn flakes but I used Rice Krispies. Left from plans to make lots of Rice Krispy bars I guess. They add just the right crunch. My fresh pecans from southeast Kansas add a good flavor also.

BUTTERSCOTCH COWBOY COOKIES        

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbs. water

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 cups oatmeal

2 cups butterscotch morsels

2 cups sort-of-crushed corn flakes

   or rice krispies

1 cup toasted chopped pecans

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with sugars until well blended; add eggs, beating in one at a time. Add vanilla and water. In a separate bowl, combine flour with soda, baking powder and salt; add dry ingredients to butter mixture and combine well. Add oatmeal, morsels, corn flakes and pecans and mix again until well combined.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place heaping spoonsful of cookie dough approx. 2” apart, into a greased parchment-lined baking sheet. Gently flatten each mound of cookie dough slightly, using a fork, than bake, uncovered, for 10-11 minutes or until golden brown and slightly set at center when lightly touched. Let cookies set in baking sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Makes approx. 30 large cookies.

Crescent Potato Puffs

   

Pillsbury photo

Whenever good cooks gather there are recipes to share. After the National Festival of Breads I collected several to try, both the entries considered for grand winner but also from the finalists previous endeavors in other contests. Then,  a recent gathering of quilters at quilt retreat brought a variety of tastings to share. How fun it is to change up our regular menu offerings with new ideas.
     So, here is my newest, from Patrice Hurd my contestant to assist at the NFOB. Patrice had entered this recipe in the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest in 2000. It was a winner there and well liked at Quilt Retreat. The basic dough is a crescent roll refrigerator roll but I think it could also be made with your own dough recipe for rolls. Makes me wonder what else could be adapted to this 'cinnamon roll effect'.
     Many bread recipes use mashed potatoes or potato water. This addition gives bread a soft moist texture. This recipe uses the potato mixture as a filling, like the filling for cinnamon rolls. Potato flakes (sometimes called instant mashed potatoes) have many uses. I keep a box in the cabinet and use it for a thickener in soups. Other uses, besides mashed potatoes, are to use instead of bread crumbs in meatloaf, thicken pancakes, or add to other baked goods, even cookies. Try mixing potato flakes with panko (bread crumbs) for coating fish or onion rings to fry.

CRESCENT POTATO PUFFS

Prep: 15 minutes

Total: 50 minutes

8 servings

Ingredients:

2 eggs

½ cup finely shredded carrot

1 teaspoon chicken-flavor instant bouillon

1 teaspoon freeze-dried chopped chives

½ teaspoon salt, if desired

1 cup water

½ cup milk

2 cups plain mashed potato mix (dry)

1 can (8oz) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated Crescent Dough Sheet

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)

Directions:

1.     Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large microwaveable bowl, beat eggs. Reserve about 2 tablespoons beaten egg; set aside.

2.     Ad carrot, bouillon, chives, salt, water and milk to eggs in bowl; mix well. Microwave uncovered on high about 2½ minutes or just until hot. Add potato flakes; mix well.

3.     If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough into 2 long rectangles. Overlap long sides to form large rectangle. Firmly press perforations and edges to seal. Press to form 14x10-inch rectangle. If using dough sheet: unroll dough. Press to form 14x10-inch rectangle.

4.     Spread potato mixture over dough. Sprinkle with cheese. Starting with long side, roll up dough; seal long edge. Cut crosswise into 8 slices. Place cut side down in pan; press each to flatten slightly. Brush each with reserved beaten egg.

5.     Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan 3 minutes. Remove from pan. Serve warm.

be sure to seal the perforations of the dough

spread with potato mixture and cheese

cut and read to bake

French Vanilla Donuts

   

  Do you like donuts? But not the calories or the mess of frying them? Baked donuts are a easy option. Donut pans for use in the oven are available as well as small electric donut bakers. I recently picked up a small mini-donut appliance at the thrift shop for $2. It worked so well I'll be on the lookout for a larger model!
      As we look forward to fall, donuts make a tasty snack or breakfast. This recipe is from the National Festival of Breads, this time the youth winner. For the youth division, yeast breads aren't required and many recipes submitted are quick breads, like biscuits or muffins or banana bread. This year I was pleased that that honor was won by a student from our home county, of Madison High School. The Food Sciences teacher there had taken a class to the previous contest a couple of years earlier and then encouraged her classes to develop recipes to enter. This recipe won both the top youth award and the top award for using soy ingredient.
   
      When I made these last night, I used my 'blended' flour, half whole wheat and half all purpose white, and I substituted skim milk for soy milk. I love the French Vanilla flavor of these donuts! The mini-donuts in the counter-top baker were much easier to fill and faster to bake. They also browned more evenly as they were browned from both sides by the top and bottom sections of the baker. Notice the photo of the donuts baked in the oven, lovely brown on bottom, not so on the top!

FRENCH VANILLA DONUTS

Ingredients:

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 ½ cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose flour

1 ½ cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour

4 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon instant cappuccino powder, French vanilla

1 cup soymilk

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

Topping:

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon instant cappuccino powder, French vanilla

6 tablespoons unsalted butter.

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 350°. In bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Blend in eggs, scrape bowl.

2.     Sift together all-purpose flour, white whole-wheat flour, baking powder, salt, and cappuccino powder.

3.     Combine in the mixer bowl the flour mixture, soymilk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix well, about 1 minute.

4.     Fill greased donut pans ⅔ full of batter, 3 ½ - 4 tablespoons batter per donut.

5.     Bake 13-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove to wire rack.

6.     For topping, in shallow dish combine sugar and cappuccino powder. Melt butter in a shallow bowl. While donuts are still warm, dip donut in melted butter and roll in sugar to lightly coat. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 14-16 3 ½ “ donuts

This makes a thicker batter than many donut
recipes I've used. I think it held up better.