This recipe came to me from one of my mom’s friends years ago.  She once said that cookies that have milk as one of the ingredients are usually the best cookies.  This is certainly true of this one!

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Flour and butter have been hard to find in the stores lately.  I wanted to make cookies but was running low on ingredients.  So, I decided to make oatmeal cookies for two reasons.  The oatmeal serves as one of the dry ingredients so the recipe takes less flour and my husband and daughter both love oatmeal cookies anyway.  The recipe calls for a whole cup of butter. I wasn’t sure I wanted to use two sticks of my low supply of butter, so I substituted 1/2 cup of the butter with butter flavor shortening.  The texture of the cookie was the perfect combination of crispness on the outside and chewiness on the inside.  I was also low on powdered sugar, so I made half the batch without the glaze and they were just as tasty without it.

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Iced Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 c. soft butter
• 1 c. brown sugar
• ½ c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 c. oatmeal
• 2 c. flour
• 1 Tblsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. nutmeg

Instructions

• Cream butter and sugars.
• Add eggs and vanilla.
• Add dry ingredients and mix well.
• Bake at 350° 8-10 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheets, then transfer to cooling racks.
• Make a glaze of 2 c. powdered sugar and 3 Tblsp. milk and lightly spread each cookie with glaze.

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I love cookies that look extra pretty on a cookie tray, but more importantly, they should taste good.  This cookie does both!

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Pecan Pie Cookies

Ingredients

Cookie

• 2 c. brown sugar, packed
• 1 ½ c. butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 4 c. flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder

Filling

• 1 ¼ c. chopped pecans
• ½ c. brown sugar, packed
• ⅓ c. heavy whipping cream
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• For cookie dough:

  Beat butter and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Add flour and baking powder. Mix well.
• Shape into balls. Place 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Make indentation in each cookie. Press lightly, if the hole is too deep, the filling will cook through and fall out the bottom.
• Prepare filling by combining all filling ingredients in a bowl. Fill each cookie with 1 teaspoon of filling.
• Bake 8-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to cooling rack.
• This make a large batch. They freeze very well.

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All of my friends know how much I love to bake.  One friend even texted me and asked me to send her a picture every time I bake something while in quarantine.  I guess that way she knows, if I’m still baking, I must be doing ok.

We have all been given this extra time at home, with fewer distractions from the outside world to slow down and think about what is really important in our lives. It truthfully has been an eye-opener to discover what we can live without and how we can conserve and cut back when we really need to.  Feeding my family has been a priority for me during this crisis.  Comfort food can get us through many struggles, and this has been no exception.  It cannot help us from contracting the virus, but it can make our time in quarantine much more tolerable.

So, I have been doing a lot more cooking and baking than usual.  Doing something that I love brings me a high level of contentment and peace.  I have really gone back to the basics with a lot of things. Cooking more things from scratch, baking more, making my own laundry detergent, sewing, reading, just figuring out how to make due with what I have on hand.

Truthfully, I haven’t minded any of it.  And my family has not minded at all that there has been an abundance of good food and sweet treats during our quarantine.

Stay safe everyone!

The post My Thoughts On Quarantine appeared first on Kebby's Kitchen.

Putting the icing on the cake while it is hot is one of the time savers with this recipe and is also one of the secrets to it’s moistness.  When the icing is put on the hot cake, it makes the icing melt into the cake slightly before it sets up and this is the result:

Do you see that gooey layer between the cake and the icing?  That’s from pouring the icing on the cake when it is still hot. Oh, my! So moist and so yummy.

Don’t be intimidated by the steps in the recipe.  It really is quite simple and you will be so glad when you are finished and see how easy it was to accomplish such a delicious result.

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Texas Sheet Cake

Ingredients

Group 1:

• 2 c. flour
• 2 c. sugar
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. soda

Group 2 - Bring to a boil:

• 2 sticks margarine
• 1 c. water (I substitute coffee)
• 4 Tblsp. cocoa

Group 3 - Beat in small bowl:

• 2 eggs
• ½ c. sour milk or buttermilk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Icing

• ½ stick margarine
• 3 Tblsp. cocoa
• 3 Tblsp. milk
• 1 box powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions

• To make cake: Add group 2 to group 1, then add group 3. Pour into greased 10 ½ x 15 inch sheet pan. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes only. Do not overbake. After cake has baked for 15 minutes, begin icing.
• To make icing: boil margarine, milk and cocoa. Then add powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread on hot cake.

  Optional: top with chopped nuts.

The post Texas Sheet Cake appeared first on Kebby's Kitchen.

This is the only banana bread recipe I have ever used.  I like to use my mini loaf pans and it makes three loaves.  We always eat one right from the oven while it is still warm and one the next day.  The third I usually put in the freezer.  After being in the freezer, this bread is even more moist than when it is fresh.  I have never been able to freeze more than one because this bread is such a favorite that it disappears within hours after I make it.  If I make it to take somewhere, I like to toss in extras like walnuts, raisins, coconut or even a little crushed pineapple.  But my family prefers it plain, so I usually stick to the basic ingredients.  I top each loaf with a good sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar before baking for a nice added bit of flavor and sweetness.

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Banana Bread

Ingredients

• ½ cup shortening (I use margarine)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. soda
• 3 medium bananas, crushed
• pinch salt
• cinnamon and sugar

Instructions

• Cream shortening and sugar.
• Add eggs and bananas.
• Slowly add flour, soda and salt. Mix well.
• Pour batter into 3 mini loaf pans. Sprinkle tops with cinnamon and sugar.
• Bake 375° for 30 minutes if using mini loaf pans, or longer if using regular loaf pans.

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These thumbprint cookies are one of my favorites but I used to only make them for Christmas and other special occasions because they were tedious and time consuming.

This little trick that I discovered was a game changer for me.

Instead of doing an actual “thumb”print, I use this little teaspoon to make the indentation in each cookie.  Although I love to bake, I am also somewhat of a self-proclaimed efficiency expert.  I don’t see the point in using any more of my valuable time than necessary to achieve the same result. Time saved on one task is extra time to make more cookies…or clean my house……nah, I’ll just make more cookies!

The recipe originally called for strawberry jam.  I have always loved red raspberry ANYTHING, so I modified the recipe and when I tried it using my homemade red raspberry jam, it was an amazing result.  The tartness of the red raspberries and the creamy richness of the cookie dough is an incredible flavor combination.

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Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

The tartness of the red raspberries and the creamy richness of the cookie dough is an incredible flavor combination and they look so pretty on a cookie tray.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 oz. cream cheese
• 1 Tblsp vanilla
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 ½ cups flour
• red raspberry jam

Instructions

• Cream butter, sugar and cream cheese.
• Add vanilla and egg yolk. Mix well.
• Add flour and blend. Cover and refrigerate.
• Roll into balls. Place 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Make indentation in center of each ball. Fill with 1/4 teaspoon jam.
• Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until jam is set.
• Cool on wire racks.
• Optional: To make these cookies extra pretty, drizzle with melted white chocolate after cool.

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As I told you in my introductory blog, in my world FOOD=LOVE, so to me, Valentine’s day is just another reason to cook, bake and feed those that I love! Forget the crowded, expensive restaurants.  We have always celebrated Valentine’s day with a quiet evening at home, enjoying a good, home-cooked meal and each other’s company.

But first, let’s talk about dessert.  I have a friend who is famous for saying “Life’s uncertain…eat dessert first!”  And what better way to celebrate love than with a tasty, heart-shaped sugar cookie.

Today, I tried a new sugar cookie recipe and I really liked it, but I can’t say that opinion was shared by my family members. So, I will probably make another batch using the age-old recipe that my mom always used when she made sugar cookies for every occasion throughout the year.  (On that topic, I really wish I knew what happened to my mom’s cookie cutter collection.  She had a cookie cutter for every single holiday.  It was quite the collection and unfortunately it has gotten misplaced over the years.)

So, back to my cookies. These sugar cookies have a dense texture and they really hold their sharp edge when baked. (This will definitely be the recipe I use if I ever perfect the royal icing technique.)  You definitely want to add the almond extract along with the vanilla because it really gives them an added layer of flavor. And the fact that the dough does not need to be chilled, makes them pretty quick to make from start to finish.  Topped with a homemade buttercream icing and served with a cup of tea, this sugar cookie will please your taste buds and melt your heart.  Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Sugar Cookies (No Chill Dough)

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 3 cups flour

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cream butter and sugar until smooth, at least 3 minutes.
• Beat in extracts and egg.
• Combine dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture a little at a time. The dough will be very stiff. You may need to turn the dough out onto the counter, wet your hands and finish working the dough together by hand.
• Do not chill the dough. Divide into 2 or 3 batches. Roll out on a floured surface about 1/4 inch thick and cut.
• Bake for 6-8 minutes. Let sit on cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
• Ice with your favorite buttercream icing. (or royal icing if you have mastered this technique.)

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Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 cups flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Instructions

• Cream sugar and oil.
• Add eggs and vanilla.
• Add dry ingredients.
• Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Pour batter into prepared pan. Top with chopped nuts, if desired.
• Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

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Mmmm, the chocolate chip cookie. Who doesn’t love them?

They are probably the simplest, yet most common “favorite cookie” of all time.

Sometimes they are puffy and cakey.  Sometimes they are flat and chewy. Heck, sometimes we just eat the dough.  Cookie dough brownies, cookie dough ice cream, cookies and milk…the list goes on and on.

And the main character is inevitably the chocolate chip cookie.

I have tried a lot of chocolate chip cookie recipes.  My mom always used a recipe that had a box of instant vanilla pudding in the dough.  They were cakey and delicious and were the cookies that I grew up on.  But I love to experiment with different recipes.  When my sister introduced me to this cookie, I immediately knew the recipe was a keeper.  They are actually called “The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie” and I must say they are appropriately named and I wholeheartedly agree.  They are rich, chewy and oh-so irresistible!

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The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter flavor shortening
• 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tblsp milk
• 1/2 tblsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

• Cream shortening and brown sugar. Add milk, vanilla and egg.
• Add flour, salt and soda. Then add chocolate chips
• Bake in 350 degree oven for 7-8 minutes or until golden brown.

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