Quick Cinnamon Buns

A 1930s recipe, in this case the ‘quick’ is because this is a baking powder dough, rather than a yeast dough, so there are no rising times. Because it’s a ’30s recipe, you aren’t given 100% of the details, so the below is how I interpreted it.

Ingredients:

Dough:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup milk

Filling:

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins

Topping:

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 6 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Sift the flour once, measure, then add the baking powder and salt and sift again. Cut in the butter until only small pieces remain.

Stir in the milk to form a soft dough. (I needed to add a bit more flour one of the two times I made it, using different brands of flour, to get it not super sticky.) Roll out 1/4″ thick on a lightly floured surface.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and cinnamon of the filling.

Spread over the dough to within 1/4″ of the edges, the sprinkle the raisins evenly on top of that.

Roll up like a jelly roll and cut into 1″ thick slices.

Combine the butter and sugar of the topping in a 9×9″ dish. Place in the oven until the butter melts and stir the sugar in. Cook a few more minutes until the butter dissolves, then remove from the oven.

Place the cut slices/the cinnamon buns into the hot sugar mixture, cut-sides-down, being cautious of the hot sugar.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and cook an additional 15 minutes.

Remove the rolls from the pan at once, turning sugar-side up. (If you had a large platter you could probably flip the whole dish out at once, but with that very hot butter/sugar mixture, I didn’t want any drips getting on anything/anyone, so fished the buns out one-by-one with 2 forks.)

Quick Cinnamon Buns

From The General Foods Cookbook (1932).

 

Dough:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup milk

Filling:

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins

Topping:

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 6 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Sift the flour once, measure, then add the baking powder and salt and sift again. Cut in the butter until only small pieces remain, then stir in the milk to form a soft dough. Roll out 1/4″ thick on a lightly floured surface.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and cinnamon of the filling. Spread over the dough to within 1/4″ of the edges, the sprinkle the raisins evenly on top of that. Roll up like a jelly roll and cut into 1″ thick slices.

Combine the butter and sugar of the topping in a 9×9″ dish. Place in the oven until the butter melts and stir the sugar in. Cook a few more minutes until the butter dissolves, then remove from the oven. Place the cut slices/the cinnamon buns into the hot sugar mixture, cut-sides-down, being cautious of the hot sugar. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and cook an additional 15 minutes. Remove the rolls from the pan at once, turning sugar-side up.

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Butternut Squash Clafoutis

For the unfamiliar, a clafoutis is generally a sweet thing, sort of a Dutch Baby pancake thing full of fruit, for dessert. Today, though, we’re going savory for dinner, and making a cheesy, squash-y delight! This is slightly better day-of, but if you have leftovers you can toast them back up to best-ness in the toaster oven.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1-1/2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan and Romano cheese blend + more for sprinkling
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine the squash, oil, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper in a 12″ cast iron pan and toss to evenly coat. (I cut the squash the day before, so just mixed everything together in the ziplock I’d stored it in.)

Roast 15-20 minutes until tender (=easy to stick a fork into).

Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, slower, and cayenne, then stir in the cheese.

When the squash is cooked, turn it out into a plate/bowl, and put the butter in the still-hot pan, placing back in the oven for a minute if necessary to melt the butter. Turn the pan all around to grease the insides of the pan.

Pour the prepared egg mixture into the greased pan, then sprinkle the squash chunks across the top.

Bake until puffed and browned at the edges, 30-35 minutes.

Remove from the oven, sprinkle with some more of the Parm blend and some chives, and let stand 15 minutes before cutting and enjoying!

Butternut Squash Clafoutis

From Taste of Home.

  • 3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1-1/2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan and Romano cheese blend + more for sprinkling
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine the squash, oil, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper in a 12″ cast iron pan and toss to evenly coat. Roast 15-20 minutes until tender.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, slower, and cayenne, then stir in the cheese.

When the squash is cooked, turn it out into a plate/bowl, and put the butter in the still-hot pan, placing back in the oven for a minute if necessary to melt the butter. Turn the pan all around to grease the insides of the pan.

Pour the prepared egg mixture into the greased pan, then sprinkle the squash chunks across the top. Bake until puffed and browned at the edges, 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with some more of the Parm blend and some chives, and let stand 15 minutes before cutting and enjoying!

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Baked Mac & Cheese

Need to use up the rest of some cheese powder from King Arthur, might as well go to the source for a recipe idea! They call this Garlic-Herb Mac & Cheese, which is kind of funny because the only garlic comes from the optional garlic oil (garlic infused olive oil). I don’t have that, and you can skip it entirely, but I just replaced it with olive oil and a bit of garlic powder. Also, the recipe said to use “four 1 1/2 to 2-cup ramekins, or one 2-quart baking dish.” With 2-cup dishes, the bread crumbs barely fit in the dish and were overflowing a bit as I ate, so…don’t go any smaller, I don’t think!

Ingredients:

Mac & Cheese:

  • 8 ounces (about 2 cups) uncooked pasta, any tubular shape
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 3/4 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup King Arthur Better Cheddar Cheese Powder
  • 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder, optional
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste

Topping:

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 teaspoons garlic oil, optional (leave out, or replace with 2 teaspoons olive oil and a bit of garlic powder)
  • 2 teaspoons pizza seasoning, or 1 teaspoon each rosemary and thyme
  • 1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 4 2 cup ramekins or 1 2 quart baking dish. I might go with the bigger dish next time, because I could definitely get 5 meals out of it, but it seems goofy leaving a little bit in each dish…

Boil the pasta until al dente – check it about a minute before the shortest recommended time on the box. Drain and rinse with cool water, and set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the flour, milk, and cheese powder.

Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese, pepper, mustard powder (if desired), and salt. Stir every few minutes until the cheese is fully melted in.

Stir the pasta into the cheese sauce, then spoon into the prepared dish(es).

Melt the butter and add the garlic oil and pizza seasoning. Stir into the Panko in a small bowl, then spread a thick layer over the macaroni.

Bake 25-35 minutes, until bubbly and browned. Remove from the oven and serve still hot.

Baked Mac & Cheese

From King Arthur Baking Company.

 

Mac & Cheese:

  • 8 ounces (about 2 cups) uncooked pasta, any tubular shape
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 3/4 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup King Arthur Better Cheddar Cheese Powder
  • 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder, optional
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste

Topping:

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 teaspoons garlic oil, optional (leave out, or replace with 2 teaspoons olive oil and a bit of garlic powder)
  • 2 teaspoons pizza seasoning, or 1 teaspoon each rosemary and thyme
  • 1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 4 2 cup ramekins or 1 2 quart baking dish.

Boil the pasta until al dente – check it about a minute before the shortest recommended time on the box. Drain and rinse with cool water, and set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the flour, milk, and cheese powder. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese, pepper, mustard powder (if desired), and salt. Stir every few minutes until the cheese is fully melted in.

Stir the pasta into the cheese sauce, then spoon into the prepared dish(es).

Melt the butter and add the garlic oil and pizza seasoning. Stir into the Panko in a small bowl, then spread a thick layer over the macaroni. Bake 25-35 minutes, until bubbly and browned. Remove from the oven and serve still hot.

 

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Crockpot Hot Fudge Peanut Butter Pudding Cake

A crockpot full of chocolate brownie that makes its own chocolate puddingy topping. Delicious, and even better with some ice cream! I didn’t feel like the peanut butter added strong flavor, but it’s in there and it’s nice.

Whoops that’s cookies and cream ice cream not vanilla, I’m a fraud.

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Pudding Topping:

  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups boiling water
  • Vanilla ice cream for serving

Grease a medium-sized crockpot. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, and salt, then dig a little well in the center of the dry goods.

Add the milk, oil, and vanilla into the well, then stir together until smooth.

Stir in the peanut butter – if desired, you can microwave it for a few seconds first to make it a bit easier to stir. Stir in the chocolate chips, then transfer to the crockpot and spread evenly.

In a small bowl, combine the cocoa and sugar for the topping. Pour in the boiling water and whisk until smooth.

Gently pour over the cake batter, so it doesn’t mix in. Cover the crockpot and cook on high until the top is set, 2 – 2 1/2 hours. Turn off the heat and let stand, covered, for 30 minutes, then serve with some vanilla ice cream. The ‘pudding’ made by just the cocoa powder, sugar, and water is surprisingly delicious as a topping!

It’s not as dry in real life as it looks in this photo! The ‘pudding’ isn’t just around the edges how it kind of looks.

Crockpot Hot Fudge Peanut Butter Pudding Cake

From Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.

Cake:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Pudding Topping:

  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups boiling water
  • Vanilla ice cream for serving

Grease a medium-sized crockpot. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, and salt, then dig a little well in the center of the dry goods. Add the milk, oil, and vanilla into the well, then stir together until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter. Stir in the chocolate chips, then transfer to the crockpot and spread evenly.

In a small bowl, combine the cocoa and sugar for the topping. Pour in the boiling water and whisk until smooth. Gently pour over the cake batter, so it doesn’t mix in. Cover the crockpot and cook on high until the top is set, 2 – 2 1/2 hours. Turn off the heat and let stand, covered, for 30 minutes, then serve with some vanilla ice cream.

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Maple White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Some soft, delicious maple cookies! I got 45 cookies out of the recipe, and was doing really quite heaping scoops in my 1T dough scoops, so you could probably do slightly small cookies and have about a million.

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda 
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt 
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup real maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease several cookie sheets, or line with parchment/a silpat. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar.

Beat in the egg, syrup, and vanilla until well mixed.

Add the flour mixture and beat in until just combined.

Stir in the white chocolate chips by hand.

Put the white sugar in a small dish. Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls, then roll the balls in the white sugar. Place on your pans about 2″ apart, and press on them gently to flatten a bit.

Bake 8-10 minutes (for very heaping tablespoons, you’ll need the full 10 minutes), then let cool a few minutes on the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

For me, it took baking three pans’ worth of cookies. They stay soft once cooled, and are real nice!

Maple White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from food.com.

 

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda 
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt 
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup real maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease several cookie sheets, or line with parchment/a silpat. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Beat in the egg, syrup, and vanilla until well mixed. Add the flour mixture and beat in until just combined. Stir in the white chocolate chips by hand.

Put the white sugar in a small dish. Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls, then roll the balls in the white sugar. Place on your pans about 2″ apart, and press on them gently to flatten a bit. Bake 8-10 minutes, then let cool a few minutes on the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

 

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Sour Cream Pound Cake

Using up some sour cream, I lucked into a winner of a recipe in the process! This cake uses what feels like a ridiculous amount of sugar and eggs, but it comes together to be a really nice texture, and not overly sweet at all. This cake would be a good to pair with almost any flavor of frosting/icing – I went for an orange icing that was nice!

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 6 large eggs
  • 3 cups cake flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 12 cup bundt pan well.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each. (I actually did 2 at a time…)

Add the flour in 2 batches, beating on low speed until just incorporated. Add the salt and baking soda and again beat until just combined. Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat one final time until just combined, with no streaks left.

Pour into the prepared bundt pan and bake 75-85 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test. I ended up giving mine 80.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely before adding the frosting/icing of your choice.

Sour Cream Bundt

From Grandbaby Cakes.

  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 6 large eggs
  • 3 cups cake flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 12 cup bundt pan well.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each. Add the flour in 2 batches, beating on low speed until just incorporated. Add the salt and baking soda and again beat until just combined. Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat one final time until just combined, with no streaks left.

Pour into the prepared bundt pan and bake 75-85 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test.  Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely before adding the frosting/icing of your choice.

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Chocolate Mousse Squares

Rich chocolatey floof with an oreo crust, that makes enough for a party or leftovers for a whiiiiile. (And as long as it’s covered, it does last well in the fridge!)

Ingredients:

Crust:

  • 1 14 ounce size package of Oreos
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Chocolate Mousse:

  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter
  • 3 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
  • 4 cups mini marshmallows
  • 2/3 cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 4 cups heavy cream, well chilled, divided
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

To make the crust, first preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 18×13″ sheet pan. Combine the crust ingredients in a food processor and process until well crushed, like the texture of sand.

Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan and bake 10 minutes. I found that it was only just barely enough to cover the pan, with a few tiny gaps, but the crust expanded a bit while baking and filled in the gaps. Let the baked crust cool completely, at least 15 minutes.

To make the filling, combine the butter, chocolate chips, marshmallows, milk and salt in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until well melted and smooth. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let cool to room temperature. (It would cool faster if you transferred to another bowl, but who wants to make that extra dish to clean?)

Meanwhile, beat 3 of the cups of cream to stiff peaks.

Fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture, and spread evenly over the cooled crust.

Let chill in the refrigerator, uncovered, at least an hour, up to a day. In that time, the mousse will firm up enough that if you then cover it, the plastic wrap won’t stick.

When ready to serve, beat up the remaining cup of heavy cream with the sugar to stiff peaks, then use to decorate/top. A tip I got from my mom that works well here is, if you’re not going to serve/eat all that whipped cream right then, once it’s beaten to stiff peaks, beat in a spoonfull of vanilla or white chocolate pudding powder – this will keep the whipped cream from separating (oozing liquid), so you can top the dessert and not have to worry about the whipped cream going weird before you’ve gotten through all the leftovers. Additionally, if you’re going to be bringing this dessert with you, you can scoop the whipped cream into a ziplock, get where you’re going, and cut a corner off the ziplock to use as a piping bag, and squeeze it onto the mousse when ready to serve. (I cut off an excessively large corner, so my decorating was a ridiculous joke.)

Scoop, trying not to eff up the surface of your sheet pan, and enjoy!

Chocolate Mousse Squares

From Sheet Pan Sweets.

Crust:

  • 1 14 ounce size package of Oreos
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Chocolate Mousse:

  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter
  • 3 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
  • 4 cups mini marshmallows
  • 2/3 cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 4 cups heavy cream, well chilled, divided
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

To make the crust, first preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 18×13″ sheet pan. Combine the crust ingredients in a food processor and process until well crushed, like the texture of sand. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan and bake 10 minutes. Let the baked crust cool completely, at least 15 minutes.

To make the filling, combine the butter, chocolate chips, marshmallows, milk and salt in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until well melted and smooth. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, beat 3 of the cups of cream to stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture, and spread evenly over the cooled crust. Let chill in the refrigerator, uncovered, at least an hour, up to a day.

When ready to serve, beat up the remaining cup of heavy cream with the sugar to stiff peaks, then use to decorate/top.

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Corn Pudding

One of the cookbooks we cooked out of in my library’s cookbook potluck book club this fall had a bunch of recipes that sounded good, but ended up needing a lot of changes to actually make them work. It appears I didn’t even write down the name of the book, it was so annoying, but if you followed the directions from that book you’d have to clean your whole oven anyway because her dish side was wildly inappropriate, so…no credit to her.

The recipe calls for 1 can of creamed corn and one of sweet corn. I canned A LOT of creamed corn at work at some point, which is sort of somewhere in between the texture of what you’d get from regular/commercial creamed and canned corn, so I have just been using two cans of my own creamed corn.

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 14 ounce can creamed corn
  • 1 14 ounce can sweet corn
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 8.5 ounce box of Jiffy cornbread mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13″ dish well.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and corns and stir together.

Stir in the sour cream, eggs, sugar, and salt.

Stir in the box of Jiffy until just combined.

Pour into the greased dish.

Bake until golden on top, and nearly set in the center, about 35 minutes. It may still look jiggly, but if a knife inserted 2″ away from the center comes out clean, you’re good.

Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

I’ve made this several times lately, and I’m not sick of it yet! If you want to make it more meal-like, toss on some shredded chicken, bbq sauce, and a bit of shredded cheddar and hey presto!

Corn Pudding

 

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 14 ounce can creamed corn
  • 1 14 ounce can sweet corn
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 8.5 ounce box of Jiffy cornbread mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13″ dish well.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and corns and stir together. Stir in the sour cream, eggs, sugar, and salt. Stir in the box of Jiffy until just combined, then pour into the greased dish. Bake until golden on top, and nearly set in the center, about 35 minutes. It may still look jiggly, but if a knife inserted 2″ away from the center comes out clean, you’re good.

Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

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Economical Gold Cake with Luscious Lemon Frosting

A very nice, fluffy, yolks-only cake from a 1933 cookbook I got from a friend earlier this year. This is the second thing I’ve made from the book, and both have turned out very well! I was a bit worried that the amount of lemon juice in the frosting would be too sour, but I was underestimating the amount of powdered sugar – plenty sweet, with a nice flavor!

Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 cup butter or other shortening, room temperature (I used some vegan butter I wanted to get out of the fridge)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 egg yolks, beaten until thick and lemon-colored
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting:

  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
  • 3 cups powdered sugar, divided
  • dash of salt
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon water

In general with these old cookbooks, they have you sift the flour both before measuring, so it’s fluffy and not tightly packed in the measuring cup, and then to combine with other dry ingredients (in this case, the baking powder). Sometimes I do, this time I skipped – I kind of assume that they’ve had 90 years to figure out how to avoid clumping so it’s less important. If you don’t sift before measuring, though, just be cautious not to let your 2 cups get heaping, as you already may have a bit more flour than the recipe writer intended.

Grease an 8×8″ pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour with the baking powder and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the beaten egg yolks and beat well. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with 2 of milk, beating after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

Spread in the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until the edges are browned and start to pull away from the walls of the pan. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out to cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the frosting, first beat together the zest and butter.

Beat in 1 cup of the powdered sugar and the salt. Beat in 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and the water, then another cup of powdered sugar. Add the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice, then beat in the final cup of powdered sugar, and frost your cake.

Economical Gold Cake with Luscious Lemon Frosting

Fractionally adapted from All About Home Baking.

Cake:

  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 cup butter or other shortening, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 egg yolks, beaten until thick and lemon-colored
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting:

  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
  • 3 cups powdered sugar, divided
  • dash of salt
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon water

Grease an 8×8″ pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour with the baking powder and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the beaten egg yolks and beat well. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with 2 of milk, beating after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Spread in the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until the edges are browned and start to pull away from the walls of the pan. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out to cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the frosting, first beat together the zest and butter. Beat in 1 cup of the powdered sugar and the salt. Beat in 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and the water, then another cup of powdered sugar. Add the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice, then beat in the final cup of powdered sugar, and frost your cake.

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Japchae Hotteok

These would probably take several tries to get perfect looking, and I’m all out of the right noodles so that isn’t happening right now, but they’re VERY DELICIOUS so I’m going to share and we can all slowly perfect our japchae pancake making together over time!

Ingredients:

Dough:

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 teaspoons neutral tasting oil (=veg, canola, etc.)
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temp
  • 2 1/2 cups (300 grams) bread flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • additional oil for frying

Filling:

  • 3 ounces dangmyeon noodles (Korean sweet potato noodles – Amazon has them if you don’t have a local Asian market)
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon mirin (if you don’t have mirin, use rice vinegar and an extra pinch of sugar)
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/4 yellow onion, finely diced
  • 1 ounce carrot, finely chopped (I just bought shredded carrots, I needed most of the bag for something else anyway)
  • 1 ounce finely chopped chives
  • 2 green onions finely sliced
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

To make the dough, combine the water, yeast, milk, and sugar in a small container and stir together. Set aside ~10 minutes until foamy, then add the oil and butter. (I only almost forgot the fats!)

Meanwhile, combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and whisk together.

When the yeast mixture is ready, slowly pour it in while stirring with a rubber spatula, then keep stirring another 5 minutes until very smooth. Cover, and let rise ~45 minutes until doubled. (As usual, an oven with just the light on is a good, slightly toasty place for letting dough rise, as long as you don’t accidentally preheat the oven with your bowl still in it!)

While the dough rises, prepare the filling. First, cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Remove them from the water when cooked, put in a medium bowl, and toss with the sesame oil.

Either while the noodles cook or after, make their sauce by combining the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and mirin in a small dish and stirring together.

Place a medium skillet over medium-low heat and heat the tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the noodles and sauce and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Transfer the sauced noodles back to their bowl. Cut the noodles into short pieces using kitchen shears. Add the onion, carrot, chives, green onion, and pepper, and stir to combine. At this point, you’ve made quite tasty japchae, and you’ve got enough to spare a few bites to try.

When the dough is doubled, prepare your workspace.

You’re going to be shaping little ball/blob/pancakes, and you’ll need a greased surface (like a plate/cookie sheet sprayed with baking spray) to put them on until they’re ready to go into the pan. You’ll also need a large nonstick skillet with enough oil in it to cover the bottom, heated to medium. Additionally, you’ll need cooling racks or paper towels for the cooked pancakes to wind up on. Finally, you’ll need a spatula!

Grease your hands and grab 2 – 2 1/2 ounce portions of the dough. Flatten it out into a circle in your hand and put 1 tablespoon of filling into the center. Gently draw the sides of the dough up to seal them together into one ball. This dough seemed way too gloopy for that to be possible at first glance, but it did end up working!

Shape the filled balls of dough, then put 2-3 in the waiting skillet – you’re going to flatten them later, so even if it looks now like you have room for more, that may be risky! Cook for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown, then flip. Flatten, by pressing down with the spatula, until about 3/4″ thick, and cook an additional 2-3 minutes until golden on the other side. Remove cooked pancakes to your racks/paper towels, and repeat with the remaining balls.

While eating these hot, straight from the stove is ideal, they actually held up well for several days. Leftovers are better if either toasted back up on the stove, or in a toaster oven.

Realistically, your kitchen is going to be a bit of a mess, but it’s totally worth it!

Japchae Hotteok

From Simply Korean.

Dough:

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 teaspoons neutral tasting oil (=veg, canola, etc.)
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temp
  • 2 1/2 cups (300 grams) bread flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • additional oil for frying

Filling:

  • 3 ounces dangmyeon noodles (Korean sweet potato noodles – Amazon has them if you don’t have a local Asian market)
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon mirin (if you don’t have mirin, use rice vinegar and an extra pinch of sugar)
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/4 yellow onion, finely diced
  • 1 ounce carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 ounce finely chopped chives
  • 2 green onions finely sliced
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

To make the dough, combine the water, yeast, milk, and sugar in a small container and stir together. Set aside ~10 minutes until foamy, then add the oil and butter.

Meanwhile, combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and whisk together. When the yeast mixture is ready, slowly pour it in while stirring with a rubber spatula, then keep stirring another 5 minutes until very smooth. Cover, and let rise ~45 minutes until doubled.

While the dough rises, prepare the filling. First, cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Remove them from the water when cooked, put in a medium bowl, and toss with the sesame oil.

Either while the noodles cook or after, make their sauce by combining the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and mirin in a small dish and stirring together.

Place a medium skillet over medium-low heat and heat the tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the noodles and sauce and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Transfer the sauced noodles back to their bowl. Cut the noodles into short pieces using kitchen shears. Add the onion, carrot, chives, green onion, and pepper, and stir to combine. At this point, you’ve made quite tasty japchae, and you’ve got enough to spare a few bites to try.

When the dough is doubled, prepare your workspace. You’re going to be shaping little ball/blob/pancakes, and you’ll need a greased surface (like a plate/cookie sheet sprayed with baking spray) to put them on until they’re ready to go into the pan. You’ll also need a large nonstick skillet with enough oil in it to cover the bottom, heated to medium. Additionally, you’ll need cooling racks or paper towels for the cooked pancakes to wind up on. Finally, you’ll need a spatula!

Grease your hands and grab 2 – 2 1/2 ounce portions of the dough. Flatten it out into a circle in your hand and put 1 tablespoon of filling into the center. Gently draw the sides of the dough up to seal them together into one ball.

Shape the filled balls of dough, then put 2 in the waiting skillet – you’re going to flatten them later, so even if it looks now like you have room for more, that may be risky! Cook for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown, then flip. Flatten, by pressing down with the spatula, until about 3/4″ thick, and cook an additional 2-3 minutes until golden on the other side. Remove cooked pancakes to your racks/paper towels, and repeat with the remaining balls.

While eating these hot, straight from the stove is ideal, they actually held up well for several days. Leftovers are better if either toasted back up on the stove, or in a toaster oven.

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