Glazed lemon loaves

This recipe will make 2- 9x5" loaves or 4 smaller sized loaves. Cut the ingredient amts. in half if you just want to make one loaf.



















Heat oven to 350º - grease loaf pans and line them with parchment for easy removal.

Mix together dry ingredients:
5-2/3 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

In a mixing bowl, mix together thoroughly:
2 cups sour cream (a 16 oz. container)
2-2/3 cups white sugar
5 large eggs
2 Tblsp. freshly grated lemon zest
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

After the 'wet' ingredients are mixed well, fold in the dry ingredients.

Divide batter into prepared pans. Bake for 50 minutes (test with toothpick to make sure centers are entirely baked), being careful not to OVERbake.  The larger loaves will probably take a little longer.

WHILE the cakes are baking, about 10 minutes before they're about to come out of the oven, make a simple syrup:  In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice with 1/2 cup sugar.  Over medium heat, stir until VERY hot and sugar melts (doesn't need to boil!) . Remove from heat.      

Remove loaf pans from oven and cool on racks for a few minutes before removing the loaves to cooling racks. Place the cooling rack (w/cakes on it) onto a large cookie sheet and slowly & evenly, pour the simple syrup over the baked loaves.  Let them cool for a 15-20 minutes.

LEMON GLAZE:  In a small mixing bowl, combine 2 Tblsp. soft butter with 3 cups powdered sugar... slowly stream in several tblsp. fresh lemon juice and stir until thin enough (don't make it TOO thin!!)  to drizzle over lemon loaves.

Granola bars

This recipe made approx. 30 bars (standard size), but you can cut them in small squares or into larger sized bars.

Heat oven to 350º
Spread onto a large baking sheet:
1-1/2 C. rolled oats
1-1/2 C. rice krispies
and bake for 15 minutes to lightly toast. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Line a 9 X 13" pan w/foil & spray generously w/nonstick spray

In a small bowl, combine:
1-1/8 C. wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

In another mixing bowl, combine:
2/3 C. vegetable oil
4 Tblsp. melted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Combine the flour mixture with the oil/egg mixture and mix together well.  Stir in the cooled cereal and add your favorites:  1/2 c. chopped raisins,  1/2 c. mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries.....      (I haven't tried but would bet that adding 1/2 C. peanut butter to the egg mixture wouldn't change the results - and if you like things spicier, add some ginger, nutmeg, dash of cayenne... be creative!!)

Pat the mixture into prepared pan and bake at 300º for 25-30 minutes, or until the top looks golden.  Remove from oven, let it rest 15 minutes.  Carefully remove by lifting the foil - let it cool completely. Refrigerate for a while to make cutting easier.  When the bars are completely cooled, cut into desired size and if you'd like, drizzle melted chocolate over the bars.

Chocolate, chocolate chip cake

This recipe is from a Martha Stewart site.  I followed it to a T, but omitted the nuts & stirred in 1-1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips at the end.

I made a simple buttercream frosting (didn't use the glaze printed) by using 1/2 stick soft butter, 1 tsp. vanilla, 3 C powdered sugar & enough milk drizzled in to make a light, spreadable frosting - put it in a mixing bowl & beat on a med-high setting, then spread it over the cooled cake.

http://www.marthastewart.com/354666/chocolate-bundt-cake

Lemon Poppy Seed biscotti

Cream together:
1/2 cup soft butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 TBLSP grated lemon zest
2 TBLSP fresh lemon juice

Mix together & add to creamed mixture:
3 cups flour (may need an add'l 1/4 cup if dough seems too sticky)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 Tblsp. poppy seeds

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.   Line baking sheets with parchment. Divide the dough into 4 sections and make rectangles of dough (approx. 2" x 10" x 1/2"high) - 2 rectangles per sheet, leaving a few inches of space between them.

Bake @350 degrees for approx. 20 minutes, or until the dough isn't soft/raw in the center.  Remove from oven & let sit for 5 minutes.  Cut the rectangles of dough into 1/2" slices, then lay them back down on their sides.  Return to oven and bake another 10 minutes (or longer if you want a more well-done, crispier biscotti).  When cookies are cooled, turn them upright and brush a lemon glaze over the tops of the biscotti.

Glaze:  Mix together the grated zest of one lemon, 2-3 Tblsp. fresh lemon juice and enough powdered sugar to make a brushable glaze.

Chocolate Biscotti

Cream together:

1/2 C. soft butter
1 C. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. of instant espresso (or instant coffee) mixed w/1 tsp. HOT water

Mix dry ingredients together, then add them to the creamed mixture:
1/3 c. cocoa powder
2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
add 1 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips, if desired

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.   Line baking sheets with parchment. Divide the dough into 4 sections and make rectangles of dough (approx. 2" x 10" x 1/2"high) - 2 rectangles per sheet, leaving a few inches of space between them. Beat an egg in a small bowl - lightly brush a thin amount of egg/glaze on the dough & then sprinkle generously with coarse sugar.

 Bake @350 degrees for approx. 20 minutes, or until the dough isn't soft/raw in the center.  Remove from oven & let sit for 5 minutes.  Cut the rectangles of dough into 1/2" slices, then lay them back down on their sides.  Return to oven and bake another 10 minutes (or longer if you want a more well-done, crispier biscotti).

Cake Bombs

Bake your favorite cake in a 9 x 13" pan (or other size, makes no difference). When it's cooled completely, scoop the cake into a large mixing bowl and break it apart with a fork until it's totally crumbled. To the crumbs, add a cup (for a 9x13 cake) of frosting and mix it together until it's 'packable' ... if you need a little more frosting, add some but be careful not to add TOO much or it'll be mushy.

Take Tblsp. of mushed cake & form into 1-1/2" balls - put them side by side in a wax paper lined baking pan. When you use up all the cake, put the pan into the fridge for a couple hours to allow the cake balls to chill.

Have one or more types of toppings ready for dipping (various sprinkles, toasted coconut, crushed pretzels, crushed oreos, chopped nuts...).

Take a cup (or so) of white melting chocolate (almond bark) and heat until it's completely melted. (You'll probably need more, depending on how many you're making, but melt one cup at a time to avoid waste.)

One by one, quickly dip the cake balls into the chocolate (I use 2 forks) coating completely and let excess fall back into cup. Next, roll them into toppings, then return to wax papered pan. Continue dipping until they're all coated & then return to the fridge to chill. Be creative - use different combinations of cake/frosting/toppings!!

Biscotti!!

Chocolate biscotti w/coarse sugar topping

Lemon biscotti w/lemon glaze & peel

Oatmeal biscotti w/dried cherries & coconut

Vanilla bean biscotti w/cinnamon crunch topping