desserts Archives - Spindles Designs by Mary and Mags

Peanut Butter Squares

August 20, 2020 by Margaret 2 Comments

I call Peanut Butter Squares energy bars – yes it is a cookie there are no “energy” ingredients just good old peanut butter and oats. I like them for snacks on camp outs and road trips. They give you quick energy and tide you over until dinner, but really anytime you want them is good – yum!

Peanut Butter Squares

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups flour, sifted
2 cups oatmeal

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, vanilla and peanut butter. Mix well. Sift together soda, salt and flour and add to mixer. Blend well. Mix in oatmeal until just blended. Press into greased 12″x18″x1″ pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 min. or until golden brown.
Be careful not to over bake. Cool and frost with chocolate frosting.

Be careful not to over eat. They are habit forming! Yum!

Molasses Cookies

July 22, 2020 by Mary Ellen Stringham Leave a Comment

Last week we bought some Molasses Cookies that tasted really good but there were only 1 dozen in the package. They lasted about 20 minutes, well really a couple of days. So we bought another package and well…out came the recipe books combining an old with a new recipe, I came up with this “Molasses Cookies” recipe.

When my children were little ours was the cookie house. The cookie jar almost always had cookies in it and all the kids in the neighborhood new it. Most of the time they were chocolate chip cookies but I was always trying new kinds. Another favorite was Molasses Bars. I just didn’t want a bar cookie this time.

Molasses Cookies

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup butter, softened (not quit room temp)

3/4 cup unsulfured molasses

1 large egg

Shimmer Sugar

In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until it forms a grainy paste. Scrape sides of bowl, add molasses and egg. Beat until fluffy. Sift together dry ingredients and blend into sugar mixture until just combined. Do not over mix. The dough is very sticky. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half in waxed paper forming 2 inch diameter rolls. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Unwrap chilled dough, slice about 1/2 in thick and place on un-greased cookie sheet. I use silicone baking sheets. Sprinkle with shimmer sugar. Bake at 325 degrees for 16-18 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen yummy soft Molasses Cookies.

Enjoy!

Fresh Apple Betty

May 2, 2020 by Mary Ellen Stringham Leave a Comment

My husband loves fruity desserts. Fresh Apple Betty is easy and quick to make. Other than fresh apples, the ingredients are probably in your pantry.

Recipe

6-8 cups sliced apples, Granny Smith work well

1/4 cup orange juice

1 cup sugar

3/4 flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

I am a little spoiled. We have an apple slicer that peels and slices at the same time. John likes to operate it.

Directions:
1. Spread apples slices in a 9″ glass pie dish sprinkle with orange juice.

2. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, flour, spices and salt. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. I find it is easier to use my hands at this point. Then sprinkle over the apples.

3. Bake at 375 for about 40-45 minutes until apples are tender and topping is crisp. Don’t over bake, the apples get mushy. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Option: with just two of us at home now a full recipe is too much for us, mainly because we eat too much. I started making individual servings. Individual serving; spread slices from 1-1 1/2 apples in a 5 1/2″ ramekin. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp orange juice and use about 1/4 of the topping. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Yummy Nanaimo Bars

November 7, 2019 by Mary Ellen Stringham Leave a Comment

Nanaimo Bars are one of those desserts easy to have a love hate relationships with. They are so richly wonderful you love to eat them and after you have eaten too many you hate them. Make them for any occasion.

I don’t make Nanaimo Bars very often. For family members celebrating a birthday I try to make their favorite dessert. Nanaimo Bars are easily one of Patrick’s favorite. He was our October birthday. My husband and I took trip to Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada a few years ago where I found this recipe. I am reminded of that trip each time they are made.

Bottom Layer

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

5 tbsp cocoa (dry)

1 egg beaten

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 24 squares)

1/2 cup finely chopped almonds (I start with slivered almonds)

1 cup coconut

Melt first three ingredients in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, coconut and nuts. Press firmly into a unreleased 8′ X 8″ pan.

Middle Layer

1/2 cup butter

2 tbsp + 2 tsp cream

2 tbsp vanilla custard powder

2 cups powdered sugar

Cream butter, cream, custard powder and sugar together well. Beat until light. Spread over bottom layer.

Top Layer

4 squares semi-sweet chocolate ( 1 oz each )

2 tbsp butter

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Cool. When cool, but still liquid, pour over second layer and chill in refrigerator.

Make some today. You’ll become a lover too!

Dutch Oven Blackberry Huckleberry Cobbler

July 25, 2018 by Mary Ellen Stringham Leave a Comment

Every Summer for many years now, our family has had a camp out at Ponderosa State Park. We hike, ride bikes and swim in Payette Lake. This year on one of the hikes Margaret’s family found and picked wild Huckleberries. Our planned Blackberry Cobbler was reinvented. Here is our new recipe for

“Dutch Oven Blackberry Huckleberry Cobbler”.

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