Paw Paw Sorbet
About 12 ounces of paw paw, peeled and de-seeded
1 1/2 cups simple syrup (take equal parts sugar and water, heat until the sugar is just dissolved)
2 tsp. lemon juice
pinch salt
Puree in a blender and pour into an ice cream maker and process.
Lemon Balm Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. lemon extract
1/4 cup lemon balm leaves, finely chopped
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 375. Beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in sugars, egg and lemon extract. Add lemon balm, salt, baking soda, baking powder and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until mixed well. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour in small amounts until the dough is stiff enough to hold a shape.
Roll into one inch balls. Place on a lightly greased or parchment covered cookie sheet and press lightly with a fork.
Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until light brown around the edges (the cookie will remain light on top). Allow to cool. Makes about 6 dozen.
Lemon Ginger Cookies with Mint
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
3 tbsp. fresh mint leaves (about 20 large leaves), finely chopped
2 tbsp. finely chopped crystallized ginger (about 1 ounce)
1 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg yolk, room temperature
1/4 cup coarse sugar, for rolling
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, mint, ginger, lemon zest, and baking soda. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, granulated and brown sugar, vanilla, and egg yolk on medium until fluffy, about 8 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat just until combined.
Place course sugar in a small bowl. Roll rounded teaspoons of dough into balls and gently roll in sugar to coat. Place, 2 inches apart, on two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets. Bake until edges are slightly brown, 14 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool. (Store in airtight containers, up to 5 days).
Makes 36 cookies, 110 calories in 2 cookies.
Grandma's Gingersnap Cookies
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/3 cup cinnamon sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Sift the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a mixing bowl. Stir the mixture to blend evenly and sift a second time into another bowl. Place the shortening into a mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Gradually beat in the white sugar. Beat in the egg and dark molasses. Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture into the shortening mixture; stir to thoroughly blend. Sift in the remaining flour mixture and mix together until a soft dough forms. Pinch off small amounts of dough and roll into 1 inch diameter balls between your hands. Roll each ball in cinnamon sugar and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until the tops are rounded and slightly cracked, about 10 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack and store in an air-tight container.
Tawana's Fresh Apple Cake
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3 cups apple
1 1/2 cups cooking oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Peel, slice and then cut apple into chunks. Set aside. Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together and add to beaten ingredients.in small amounts until all is blended. Add apples and nuts. Mix gently. Pour into a non-greased baking dish. Bake 50-60 minutes until golden brown.
Cut into slices and top with whipped cream or cream fraiche.
Bek's Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
1 – box carrot cake mix
½ of a 20oz can of crushed pineapple (a half can of crushed pineapple may be enough)
¾ c flaked coconut
¾ cup chopped pecans
½ cup grated carrots if desired
Mix boxed cake mix as directed (w/ oil, eggs, and water). Add to batter pineapple, coconut and
pecans. Bake as directed on box. (I made cupcakes) Cool.
1- 8oz cream cheese
2- ½ cup softened butter
3- 16oz pkg. powder sugar
4- 1 to 2 tsp. vanilla
Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add
powder sugar, beating at low speed until blended; stir in vanilla. Using a teaspoon put a
dollop on top of each cupcake and pat with spoon into a patty shape (not all the way to
the edges of the cupcakes). Place one or two pecan halves on top
Italian Lemon Pound Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup of sour cream
4 tablespoons lemon juice
Zest of 2 lemons ( about 2 tbsp.)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees
1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in the sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla, and lemon zest.
2. Mix half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Mix in the buttermilk and then add in the remaining flour mixture. Mix just until the flour disappears. Do not over mix. Pour the cake batter into a bundt pan that has been generously sprayed with baking spray.
3. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Turn the cake over on a cake platter. Spread half of the lemon glaze over the warm cake so that the glaze can soak into the cake. Let the cake cool completely and drizzle the remaining glaze over the cake.
Lemon Glaze
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoon lemon juice, at room temperature
Cream the butter and slowly add powdered sugar and lemon juice. Beat well until the glaze is a creamy smooth consistency.
Easy Lemon Balm Cookies
1 box lemon cake mix
1 egg
1/3 cup fresh lemon balm, finely minced
1 8-oz. container of whipped topping
1/2 cup powdered sugar for coating
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place powdered sugar in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, combine half of the lemon cake mix and finely minced lemon balm leaves. Mix to coat leaves and prevent them from clumping. Add remaining cake mix, egg, and whipped topping. Mix thoroughly until dough is sticky and stiff.
Drop dough by teaspoonful into a small bowl of powdered sugar. Completely coat each cookie and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake about 12 minutes, allowing the cookies to brown just a little. The cookies will be soft and crinkled on top when done. Immediately remove cookies from baking sheet and place on a wire rack to cool. Makes about 3 dozen.
Variation: Substitute mint leaves for the lemon balm leaves.
Easy Strawberry-Basil Ice Cream
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (5-oz.) can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. table salt
In large bowl whisk together ingredients above; cover and chill 2 hours. Meanwhile, pulse together the following ingredients in a food processor, 5 or 6 times or until finely chopped.
1 (16-oz.) container fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Stir strawberry mixture into chilling milk mixture. Pour combined strawberry milk mixture into freezer container of a 1 quart electric ice-cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Next remove container with ice cream from ice-cream maker. Transfer mixture to an airtight container or a loaf pan covered tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for 3-4 hours or until firm.
Pineapple Sage Pound Cake
1 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
5 eggs
2 tbsp. pineapple leaves, chopped
3 tbsp. pineapple sage flowers coarsely chopped
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
4 tbsp. crushed pineapple drained
1 tsp. baking powder
2 cups flour
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour pan. Cream butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Beat in the honey. Add eggs one at a time, beating one minute after each addition. Beat in sage leaves, flowers and lemon peel and crushed pineapple. Stir the dry ingredients together and add to butter mixture. Fold these together gently until just blended. Pour into pan. Bake approximately 45 minutes until golden.
Mint Lemonaide Sorbet
2 1/2 cups water
2 cups Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
10-15 fresh mint leaves plus one tbsp. finely diced fresh mint
Zest of two lemons
Juice of 4 lemons
Pinch of salt
In medium saucepan, combine water, sugar, 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves and zest from lemons. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and salt. Cover and refrigerate until very cold.
Add diced mint to sorbet base and freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Refrigerate 4 hours.
Serves 8
Lime-Mint Shortbread
1/3 cup powdered sugar
5 tbsp. butter, softened
1 tsp. grated lime rind
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 5 1/2 oz.)
1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh mint
Cooking spray
2 tsp. powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Lighly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flour and mint to butter mixture; stir just until combined. Turn dough out onto a floured surface; knead lightly 5 times. Pat dough into an 8-inch cirdle on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cut dough into 12 wedges, cutting into but not through dough. Crimp edges of dough with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with two tsp. powdered sugar.