Banana Cream Pie with Pretzel Crust

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Ingredients

Crust
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup crushed pretzels, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon butter or margarine, room temperature
• 3 Tablespoons cold water
Filling
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip
• 4 large ripe (but not overripe) bananas
• 1 (3 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding
• 1¼ cups milk (I used 1%, because it's what I had in the house)

Instructions

For the Crust
1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, crushed pretzels, salt and butter until mixture is crumbly.
3. Add water and mix well.
4. Place the dough into a 9-inch pie plate and use your fingers to spread the dough to cover the bottom and sides (it’s ok if it doesn’t make it all the way up the sides).
5. Poke the dough several times with a fork.
6. Bake for 12 minutes. Note the crust won't look much different when baked than when raw, so touch it lightly to see if it is done. If it feels dry, it's done.
7. Cool completely.
For the Filling
8. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on low/medium for 1 minute or until smooth.
9. Add powdered sugar and continue beating on low/medium until smooth.
10. Fold in 1 cup of Cool Whip.
11. Spread the cream cheese mixture into the cooled pretzel crust.
12. Slice bananas on top of the cream cheese mixture, being sure to cover the cream cheese mixture completely.
13. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the pudding mix and milk for 45 seconds.
14. Immediately pour the pudding evenly over the bananas (you want to pour the pudding before it thickens, so it spreads into all the crevices between banana slices. It will thicken and set a few minutes after you pour it).
15. Top with remaining Cool Whip (leaving a border around the edge so you can see the pudding - it just looks nice this way) and garnish with crushed pretzels. (Note – don’t garnish with banana slices unless you are eating it immediately – they don’t look too pretty after a little while.)
16. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
17. Store in the refrigerator.

Notes

Banana Bread with Crumb Topping

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup margarine (1/2 stick), softened
• 4 oz Philadelphia original cream cheese, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 overripe bananas, mashed (approximately 1¼ cups mashed)
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
For the crumb topping:
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon margarine (softened)
• 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease and flour one 9x5 inch loaf pan.
3. In a large bowl combine sugar, brown sugar, margarine and cream cheese with an electric mixer. Mix until well blended.
4. Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix well.
5. Stir in mashed bananas with a rubber spatula or large spoon.
6. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and baking powder. Stir with large spoon or wire whisk until blended.
7. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing with the electric mixer just until moistened.
8. Pour into prepared loaf pan.
9. Prepare the crumb topping by combining 2 Tablespoons flour, 1 Tablespoon margarine, 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a mug or small bowl. Mix with a fork until thoroughly combined and crumbly.
10. Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over the batter in the loaf pan.
11. Lightly run a butter knife through the crumb topping in both directions (not necessary, but I do it so the crumb topping seeps into the batter a little bit).
12. Bake 50-60 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (Mine took 54 minutes.)
13. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

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Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon molasses
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2¼ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
• 1 cup raisins

Instructions

1. Place the raisins in a cereal bowl, cover with warm water and set aside. This makes the raisins nice and plump!
2. Using a food processor, finely chop the pecans. This can also be done by placing the pecans in a large Ziploc bag and crushing them with a rolling pin until they are finely chopped.
3. Combine the chopped pecans with the oats and set aside.
4. In a large bowl beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs and beat until combined, about 1 minute.
6. Add the vanilla extract and molasses and beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
7. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt using a wire whisk or large spoon.
8. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix with the electric mixer just until combined.
9. Drain the raisins and thoroughly pat them dry with paper towels.
10. Add the oats, pecans and raisins to the dough and stir to combine.
11. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough for 30 – 60 minutes. If you chill the dough for longer than 60 minutes, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
12. Preheat oven to 350°F.
13. Shape dough into balls, using around 1½ tablespoons of dough for each cookie. (I use a medium cookie scoop to portion the dough.)
14. Place dough balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
15. Bake for 10 – 11 minutes, until very lightly browned on the sides. The centers will still look gooey—that’s okay (they will firm up as they cool on the cookie sheet).
16. Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Notes

Cream Cheese Spritzes

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Ingredients

• 1 (8oz.) package Philadelphia cream cheese, room temperature (I always use “original”. I am not sure if this recipe would work with a reduced-fat variety.)
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 18-20 maraschino cherries, drained and sliced in half
• Assorted sprinkles
Special Equipment Needed:
• Large pastry bag
• Wilton 1M open star decorating tip

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Slice cherries in half and place them in a strainer placed over a bowl, so the juice strains while you make your dough.
3. In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until fluffy.
4. Gradually mix in flour until well blended.
5. Scoop dough into the pastry bag fitted with the decorating tip.
6. Gently press dough in 2” swirl shapes, 2” apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Sprinkle each cookie generously with desired sprinkles.
8. Press half of a cherry into the center of each cookie.
9. Bake 12-15 minutes until edges and bottoms are light brown.
10. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Rainbow Cookies

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Ingredients

• 8 oz almond paste (Sometimes almond paste comes in an 8 oz can. Unfortunately the only almond paste the stores by me carry is in a 7 oz tube, so I have to buy two and use just 1 oz from the second tube. I made the recipe with just one 7 oz tube once, and my husband said it wasn’t “almondy” enough.)
• 1¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• Red food coloring (I use Wilton Icing Colors)
• Green food coloring (I use Wilton Icing Colors)
• 1/3 cup seedless red raspberry jam
• 1/3 cup apricot preserves
• 1¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon shortening

Instructions

1. Read all directions before beginning, and make sure you have plenty of time (It usually takes around 3 hours, plus refrigeration time).
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. Grease the bottoms and sides of three matching 13 x 9 inch baking pans with shortening (or reuse one pan). Line the pans with wax paper; grease the wax paper with shortening.
4. Place almond paste in a large bowl and break it up with a fork. Add butter, all but 2 tablespoons of the sugar (set those 2 tablespoons of sugar aside), almond extract and egg yolks only (set the egg whites aside in another large mixing bowl) and mix with an electric mixer until light, fluffy and smooth (it rarely comes out totally smooth. If you still have almond paste chunks, mash them against the side of the bowl with a fork or spoon, then mix again with the electric mixer. It still may not be totally smooth—that’s ok.)
5. Add salt and mix with electric mixer to combine.
6. Add flour, stirring just until combined.
7. Beat egg whites and 2 tablespoons of sugar until soft peaks form (with my electric hand mixer this takes around 5-8 minutes and I always worry the metal attachments from the mixer will leave the egg whites tasting "tinny"; with my Cuisinart Quick Prep immersion blender it takes 2-3 minutes and comes out better than with the hand mixer. Either way works though.).
8. Fold the egg whites into the almond paste dough, mixing with a spoon or rubber spatula until thoroughly combined.
9. Divide dough into 3 equal portions (about 1½ cups each—actually measure the dough as you divide it to be sure your portions are equal).
10. Color one portion with red food coloring and one with green food coloring. Leave the remaining portion uncolored.
11. Spread each portion of dough into a prepared 13 x 9 inch pan in a thin layer. (If you are reusing one pan, make sure to re-grease and re-wax paper it after baking each layer.)
12. Bake each layer for 10 – 12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.
13. Invert onto wire rack; remove wax paper. Place another wire rack on top and turn over so the layer is right-side-up on a wire rack. Cool all three layers completely.
14. Place green layer on a large piece of plastic wrap on top of a large cookie sheet or cutting board (The plastic wrap needs to be more than double the size of the layer lengthwise. Make sure your cookie sheet/cutting board fits in your refrigerator before you put the layers on it). Spread raspberry jam on the green layer (I leave a ¼” border around the edge so the jam doesn’t ooze out once the layers are compressed). Top with the uncolored layer and spread with apricot preserves, leaving a ¼” border around the edge. Top with red layer.
15. Wrap the plastic wrap around the layers so they are completely covered. Set a cutting board or cookie sheet on top to compress the layers then put something heavy on the cutting board/cookie sheet to compress the layers further (old law school books work well!).
16. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours (I usually refrigerate 1-3 hours).
17. After refrigerating, remove the plastic wrap completely from the layers, leaving the layers on the cutting board/cookie sheet.
18. Melt the chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon shortening in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth.
19. Spread melted chocolate in a thin layer over the top layer of cookie. The chocolate will harden quickly since the cookie layer is cold from being refrigerated.
20. With a sharp knife (I use a long serrated bread knife) gently cut into ½ to 1 inch strips both lengthwise and crosswise, making 48 even cookies. I mark off where I’m going to cut before cutting to be sure my cookies will be evenly sized. Be careful not to crack the chocolate (sometimes it’s unavoidable, but do your best). Wipe your knife with a clean paper towel between each cut--this helps to keep the chocolate from cracking and keeps crumbs off the chocolate.
21. Store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Notes

Peanut Butter Cup Blossoms

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Ingredients

• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar + 1/4 cup sugar for coating
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (use “regular” peanut butter—e.g., JIF, Skippy, etc.)
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 48 Miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (or 48 Hershey’s kisses or Hershey’s bells)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Place mini muffin liners into the cups of a mini muffin tin.
3. Mix brown sugar and sugar using a spoon, until brown sugar is incorporated into the sugar.
4. Add shortening and peanut butter and mix with a spoon or rubber spatula to combine.
5. Mix in the baking soda, salt, egg and vanilla extract.
6. Add flour and milk, mixing until combined.
7. Shape 1 tablespoonful of dough into a ball (I use a small cookie scoop to portion the dough).
8. Roll balls in 1/4 cup sugar.
9. Place 1 ball in each mini muffin cup.
10. Bake 10-12 minutes until tops just begin to crack.
11. While the cookies are baking, unwrap 48 miniature Reese’s peanut butter cups.
12. Immediately press a miniature Reese’s peanut butter cup into each cookie, pushing down until the top of the peanut butter cup is even with the top of the cookie.
13. Remove cookies from muffin tin to a wire rack to cool.

Notes

Bonbons

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Ingredients

For the cookies:
• 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (use clear vanilla extract if you have it)
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Maraschino cherries, Hershey’s bells, nuts or chocolate chips
For the glaze:
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1½ tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (use clear vanilla extract if you have it)
• Food coloring (optional—I use these Wilton icing colors)
• Assorted sprinkles, candies, nuts, coconut , etc. for decorating

Instructions

For the cookies:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. I always use cherries in the center of my bonbons. If using cherries, it’s easiest to pour them into a strainer placed over a bowl, so the juice strains while you make your dough.
3. Mix confectioners sugar, butter and vanilla using an electric mixer.
4. Add flour and salt, mixing until the dough holds together. If the dough starts to resemble Dippin’ Dots at this point, use your hands to mix until the dough holds together. If the dough is still very dry add milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until dough holds together but is not sticky.
5. Shape 1 tablespoonful of dough into a ball (I use a small cookie scoop to portion the dough), then flatten it in your hand. Place 1 cherry in the center of the circle, then bring the edges of the dough around the cherry and use your fingers to work the dough to seal any seams or cracks. Gently roll into a ball in your hands, being careful not to crack the dough.
6. Place cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake 12-15 minutes until cookies are set and bottoms are light golden brown.
8. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
For the glaze:
9. Using a fork, mix confectioners sugar, 1 tablespoon of milk and vanilla extract until smooth.
10. Add more milk if necessary to reach the desired consistency.
11. Separate into smaller bowls and add food coloring as desired.
12. Dip tops of cooled cookies into glaze. Place glazed cookies on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet (to catch any glaze drippings).
13. Immediately decorate as desired with sprinkles, candies, nuts, coconut, etc.

Notes

Cutout Sugar Cookies and Frosting

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Ingredients

For the cookies:
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the frosting:
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter or margarine, room temperature
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (use clear vanilla extract if you have it)
• 4 cups confectioners sugar
• 3 to 4 tablespoons milk
• Food coloring (optional; I use these Wilton icing colors)
• Assorted candies and sprinkles for decorating

Instructions

For the cookies:
1. In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, butter, egg, whipping cream, vanilla and almond extract. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until light and fluffy.
2. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Beat at low speed until soft dough forms. It may turn into the consistency of Dippin’ Dots at this point—if so, use your hands to mix just until a soft dough forms.
3. Cover with plastic wrap.
4. Chill 1 to 2 hours, or until firm.
5. Heat oven to 400°F.
6. Grab a large handful of dough. On a floured surface (I use my Wilton Roll-n-Cut Mat), roll dough to ¼ inch thickness. Don't forget to flour your hands and your rolling pin. I usually keep a paper plate of flour nearby, and use it to flour my surface, hands, rolling pin and cookie cutters as needed.
7. Using cookie cutters brushed with flour, cut desired shapes into dough.
8. Place shapes 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
9. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes, or until bottoms are light golden brown.
10. Repeat steps 6 through 9 until all dough is used. Note—I roll out the scraps from the same handful of dough just twice—any more and the cookies will be too dry. After using that handful of dough twice, I add whatever scraps I have to a new handful of dough and incorporate it. Repeat until all the dough is used.
11. Prepare frosting as directed.
12. Decorate cookies as desired.
13. Let dry completely before storing. Store in a single layer if possible. If you must stack cookies, put a sheet of wax paper between each layer.
For the frosting:
14. In a large mixing bowl combine butter, shortening and vanilla. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until creamy.
15. Add confectioners sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating at low speed until well blended.
16. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency. You may not use all the milk, depending how thick or thin you want your frosting.
17. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
18. Separate into smaller bowls and add food coloring as desired.
19. Decorate cookies with frosting and sprinkles/candies as desired.

Notes

Mexican Wedding Cookies... Polvorones

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pecans, ground or finely chopped
• 3/4 cups confectioners sugar, plus more for dusting
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Using a food processor, finely chop the pecans. This can also be done by hand by placing the pecans in a large ziploc bag and crushing them with a rolling pin.
3. Add the confectioners sugar to the pecans in the food processor, and grind or chop until combined (or combine with the pecans in the ziploc bag).
4. Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.
5. Add the chunks of butter to the flour and salt, and drop in the shortening by teaspoonful. Begin to mix with your hands until the butter and shortening are mixed in with the flour and salt. The mixture will turn into a coarse dough with chunks of butter and shortening throughout.
6. Add the pecan/confectioners sugar mixture to the bowl, and mix with your hands to combine.
7. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix with your hands to combine. In less than 1 minute, the dough should be soft and malleable enough to form a ball. Do not mix beyond this point or your dough may become too greasy. If your dough becomes too greasy, cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before continuing.
8. Butter a large cookie sheet.
9. Using your hands, form small balls of dough (1 to 1½ inches in size—you can use a cookie scoop to measure the dough before rolling it into balls with your hands) and place 1 inch apart on the buttered cookie sheet.
10. Bake for 14-16 minutes, just until the bottoms are golden brown.
11. Remove from oven and generously dust confectioners sugar over the tops of the cookies. I used a sifter for the dusting, but you could also probably use a small mesh strainer or put the confectioners sugar in a clean empty spice container and shake it over the cookies.
12. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
13. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Notes

Cinnamon Snaps

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup shortening
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar + 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream shortening and brown sugar in a large bowl.
3. Add egg and molasses, and mix to combine.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, and salt using a whisk or spoon.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing with the electric mixer until combined. Continue mixing with your hands or a rubber spatula until a dough forms (around 1 minute).
6. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
7. Using your hands, form dough into 1 inch balls then roll the balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat. I use a cookie scoop to measure the dough before rolling it into balls with my hands. This gives you uniformly sized cookies that bake evenly.
8. Place dough balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. (I line my cookie sheets with parchment paper. If you do not have parchment paper, just bake on ungreased cookie sheets and wipe the cookie sheets with a paper towel between each batch to remove any grease.)
9. Bake 8 – 10 minutes, until tops are cracked but cookies are still slightly gooey in the center. Keep an eye on the cookies while they bake--they may reach the "cracked but gooey" stage sooner, depending on the size of the cookies.
10. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet then remove to wire racks to cool completely.