Oatmeal Vanilla Biscotti

 

½ cup unsalted butter

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 large eggs

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

2 cups flour, divided

½ cup oatmeal

Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, creaming after each addition. Add one cup of flour and baking powder. Cream. Add the oatmeal. Cream. Add last cup of flour and cream. Grease cookie sheet with butter wrapper. Drop dough by spoonful onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes. For a dryer cookie bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.

Yields: 2 dozen cookies

Notes: Rinse eggs with water. Dry. Crack each egg, individually into a separate bowl. Inspect. Remove any eggshells and then add to butter and sugar mixture.

Real biscotti are baked twice. In our arid Rocky Mountain climate, these cookies will dry out in 24 hours although they seldom last that long.

Brownies

 

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ounce (2 squares unsweetened chocolate, 100% cacao)

2 eggs

½ cup flour

Cream butter and sugar; add vanilla and cream. Melt chocolate over low heat and then add to sugar and butter. Add eggs to butter and chocolate mixture and mix. Add flour and mix again. Grease a small cake pan or a small, 6 ½ inch diameter, pie pan and then dust with flour. Pour in brownie mixture. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes.

This recipe makes 6 large brownies or 12 moderately sized brownies.

Notes:   

·       Quick, easy and very good.

·       Wash eggs; crack individually into a separate bowl; look for debris or the unlikely bad egg; remove any egg shells; add to brownie mixture and then repeat with second egg.

·       Pie pans have a smaller diameter across the bottom and then the pan widens to the rim. This pie pan is approximately 6 ½ inches across the bottom and it then widens to almost 9 inches at the outer rim.

Oatmeal Cookies

 

¾ cup unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks)

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

A scant ½ cup of granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

¼ cup water

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon cinnamon

3 cups oats, uncooked

Cream butter and sugars. Add vanilla and cream again. Add egg and mix. Add water and mix. Add 1 cup of flour, and the baking soda and cinnamon and mix, thoroughly. Add the second cup of flour. Add the oats, one cup at a time. It might be best to switch from the hand mixer to a wooden spoon for mixing the second and third cups of oats.

Grease a baking sheet. Drop dough by spoonfuls on the baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes. The subsequent batches may need less time, like 11 or 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets from the lower shelf to the upper shelf so the cookies are not too crisp or burned on the bottom.

This recipe makes 3 dozen cookies.

Peach Cobbler

 

5 fresh peaches

1 cup flour

½ cup sugar

½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

1/16 teaspoon lavender salt

To make the topping, place dry ingredients in a bowl and mix with a slotted spoon. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and cream with a mixer or cut in with a fork. Peel peaches, slice and place in greased deep dish pie pan. Distribute the topping evenly over the peaches. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes.

Serves 6-8 people.

Lavender was grown in Palisade, Colorado: https://www.nielsenvillage.com/

Raspberry, Blueberry and Blackberry Cobbler

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 (1 stick) unsalted butter, slightly softened

1/8 teaspoon ground lavender salt

4 to 5 cups frozen mixed berries

Stir together with a slotted spoon the flour, sugar and lavender salt.  Cut in the butter and then using an electric mixer, cream all ingredients together. Grease a 9.5 inch diameter, deep dish pie pan. Bake 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm.

Serves 8 people.

Notes: This is a fast and easy recipe that I make for family dinners and company.

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg may be substituted for the lavender salt. 

No Bake Cookies

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 cup cream

1/4 pound butter (1 stick)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup smooth, salted peanut butter (creamy)

3 cups oatmeal, raw

Melt butter in pan. Add sugar, cocoa and milk. Stir and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and cool for one minute. Add vanilla, peanut butter and oatmeal, stirring well after each addition. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto two dinner plates or wax paper.

Yields: 2 dozen cookies.

Notes: This is a quick and easy recipe.

Key Lime Pie, Easy

Key Lime Pie, Easy

9 inch diameter graham cracker crust, store bought

1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Key West Lime juice

Whisk or stir the condensed milk, whipping cream and lime juice together. Pour into graham cracker crust. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Cool on counter for 15 minutes. Then place on flat hot pad or folded towel, in freezer and chill for an hour before serving.

Serves 6 – 8.

Biscotti with Oatmeal and Blood Orange

Biscotti with Oatmeal and Blood Orange

1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 stick

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/16 or less teaspoon lavender salt

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup oatmeal

3 smaller, older blood oranges

Cream butter, sugar, vanilla and lavender salt. Add eggs and mix, thoroughly. Add first cup of flour with the baking powder and mix. Add second cup of flour and mix. Add oatmeal and mix. Peel, removing all pith and then chop the blood oranges, removing any seeds. Stir into mixture. Drop by spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies.

Note: Authentic biscotti are baked twice and uniform in size. This is a quick, tasty biscotti recipe.