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Mom's Surefire Pie Crust

2c flour
1 t salt
1/8 c sugar
2/3 c shortening or lard
5-7 T cold water

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in shortening using a pastry cutter until pieces are pea-sized. Add water until dough holds together.  Roll out in silicon pie round to 1/8”. 

Napoleons

2 sheets frozen puff pastry

Filling
½ c sugar
3 T cornstarch
1-1/2 c milk
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
¾ c chocolate mini chips
½ t vanilla

Frosting
1-1/2 c powdered sugar
1 T corn syrup
¼ t vanilla
1-2 T hot water

Glaze
¼ c butter
1/3 c cocoa

Thaw folded pastry as directed, gently unfold. Roll each on floured surface to 15x12 rectangle. Place on ungreased cookie sheets; prick each sheet thoroughly with fork. Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned. Cool completely on cookie sheets.

Prepare Filling: Combine sugar, cornstarch, and milk in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture just begins to boil. Remove from heat. Gradually stir small amount of mixture into egg yolks, blend well. Return egg mixture to mixture in pan. Cook over medium heat; stirring constantly on1 minute. Remove from heat, add mini chips and vanilla, stirring until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Press plastic wrap directly on surface. Cool, chill thoroughly.

Cut one rectangle lengthwise into 3 pieces. Place one piece on serving plate, spread with ¼ of the cream filing. Top with second piece of pastry; spread with ¼ of the filling. Place remaining piece on top; set aside. Repeat process with remaining pastry and filling.

Prepare vanilla frosting: Combine ingredients in small bowl; beat to spreading consistency.

Spread half of the frosting in each rectangle.

Prepare chocolate glaze: Melt butter; remove from heat; stir in coca until smooth; cool.

Drizzle half of the glaze in decorative design over frosting on each rectangle. Cover chill at least one hour.

Cut each rectangle into six pieces.

 

 

Chocolate-Filled Cream Puffs

1 c water
½ c butter
¼ t salt
1 c flour
4 eggs

Chocolate cream filling
Powdered sugar

Heat water, butter, and salt to rolling boil. Add flour all at once, stir vigorously over low heat about 1 minute or until mixture leaves side of pan and forms a ball. Remove from heat; add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until smooth and velvety. Drop by scant ¼ cupfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.* Bake at 400 for 35-40 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. While puff is warm, horizontally slice off small portion of top; reserve. Remove any soft filaments of dough, cool puffs. Prepare filling; fill puffs. Replace tops, dust with powdered sugar; chill.

Cream Filling
1-1/4 c sugar
1/3 c cocoa
1/3 c cornstarch
¼ t salt
3 c milk
3 egg yolks
2 T butter
1-1/2 vanilla

Combine sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in saucepan, stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils. Boil and stir 1 minute Remove from heat. Gradually stir small amount of chocolate mixture into egg yolks; blend well. Return egg mixture to chocolate mixture in pan, stir and heat until just boiling. Remove from heat; blend in butter and vanilla. Pour into bowl; press plastic wrap directly on to surface; cool.

For miniatures, drop puff dough by level teaspoonfuls; bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

1-1/2 c flour
½ c sugar
2 t baking powder
½ t salt
1/2 c milk
1/4 c oil
1 egg, beaten
½ c mini chocolate chips

 

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Add milk, oil, and egg. Stir until blended. Stir in chips. 

 

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full and bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes. Remove from pan, cool completely. Makes 12. 

Chocolate Tea Bread

¼ c butter, softened
2/3 c sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 c flour
1/3 c. cocoa
1 t baking soda
¼ t salt
1 c buttermilk or sour milk (1 T vinegar plus milk equal to 1 cup)

 

Cream butter, sugar, and egg in large bowl. Combine flour, cocoa, soda and salt; add alternately with buttermilk to creamed mixture. Beat on low until blended. Pour into ungreased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes. Remove from pan cool completely on wire rack. 

Chocolate Filled Braid

Chocolate Filling
¾ c chocolate chips
2 t sugar
¼ c evaporated milk
1 t vanilla
¼ t cinnamon

Combine chips, sugar and milk in small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until c mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla and cinnamon. Set aside to cool.

Pastry
2-1/2 c flour
2 T sugar
½ t salt
1 package yeast
½ c milk
¼ c water
½ c butter
1 egg

Combine 1 c flour, sugar, salt and yeast in large bowl, set aside.

Combine milk, water, and butter in small saucepan; cook over low heat until 130 degrees; butter does not need to melt. Add gradually to dry ingredients, beat 2 minutes on medium. Add egg and ½ c flour; bet 2 minutes on high speed. Stir in enough additional flour to make a stiff dough. Cover and rest 20 minutes.

Turn dough out on to well-floured board and roll to 18x10 inch rectangle. Spread filling lengthwise down center third of dough. Cut 1-inch-wide strips diagonally along both sides of dough to within ¾ inch of filling. Alternately fold opposite strips at an angle across filling. Transfer to greased cookie sheet. Shape into ring, stretching slightly; pinch ends together. Cover loosely with wax paper brushed with oil; top with plastic wrap. Chill 2 hours to overnight.

Let dough stand, uncovered, and room temperature 10 minutes. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack. Brush with melted butter and drizzle with powdered sugar glaze.

Glaze
1 c powdered sugar
1 T butter
½ t vanilla
1-2 T milk

Beat sugar, butter, vanilla, and milk until glaze is smooth and of desired consistency.

Basic Sweet Dough

¾ c milk
½ c sugar
1-1/4 t salt
½ c butter
2 pkgs active dry yeast
1/3 c warm water (105-115 degrees)
3 eggs, room temperature
5-1/2 -6-1/2 c flour

Combine milk sugar, salt and butter in small saucepan. Heat on low until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool to lukewarm

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed bowl. Add lukewarm milk mixture, egg, and 5 c flour. Beat with dough hook on speed 2 for 3 minutes.  Add remaining flour, ½ c at a time, until dough clinks to hook and cleans sides of bowl, about 5 minutes. Knead on speed 2 for 3-5 minutes longer.

Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover, let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down and shape as desired for rolls or coffee cakes.

Cinnamon Swirl Rounds

1 c brown sugar
1 c sugar
½ c butter
¼ c flour
1-1/2 t cinnamon

1 recipe sweet dough

Mix all ingredients on speed 2 with paddle for 1 minute.

Roll dough to 10x30x1/4 inch rectangle; Spread cinnamon mixture evenly on dough. Roll tightly from long side to form 30-inch roll, pinching seam together. Cut into 21 1-1/2 inch slices.

Place. Rolls in 3 greased 8-inch cake pans. Cover, let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and spread caramel glaze over warm rolls.

Glaze
1/3 c evaporated milk
2 T brown sugar
1-1/2 c powdered sugar
1 t vanilla

Combine milk and brown sugar in pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture beings to boil.

Beat milk mixture, powdered sugar, and vanilla with paddle on speed 4 until creamy, about 2 minutes.

Piecrust

2-1/4 c flour
¾ t salt
½ c shortening, well chilled
2 T butter, well chilled
5-6 T cold water

Sift flour and salt into bowl; add shortening and butter cut into 4-5 pieces and cut together on stir speed using paddle until particles are pea-sized; about 30 seconds. Add water 1 T at a time, until all particles are moistened. Use only enough water to make pastry from a ball. Watch closely; overmixing will result in a tough crust.

Chill in refrigerator 15 minutes.

Roll to 1/8 inch thickness using piemaker bag or do so between sheets of waxed paper and fold into quarters.  Ease into plate and unfold, pressing firmly against bottom and sides. Trim and crimp edges; fill and bake as desired. 

Makes 2 8-or 9-inch crusts or one 8 or 9-inch double crust. 

For baked pastry shell: Prick sides and bottom with fork; bake at 450 for 9-10 minutes until light brown. Cool completely before filling.  

Spiced Doughnuts

¼ c shortening
2/3 c sugar
2 eggs
3-1/2 c flour
3 t baking powder
1 t salt
½ t nutmeg
½ t cinnamon
2/3 c milk
Oil for deep frying

Beat shortening, sugar, and eggs with paddle on speed 4 for 1 minute.

Sift flour, powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add half of flour mixture and half of milk to original mixture on stir speed, mixing 15 seconds after each addition. Repeat with remaining flour and milk; scrap bowl; beat on speed 4 until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Roll dough on lightly floured board to 3/8 inch thickness. Chill dough for 10 minutes if difficult to handle. Cut with well-floured 2-1/2 inch doughnut cutter.

Fry a few at a time in hot oil (350 degrees) turning until medium brown on both sides, 3-5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with powdered sugar.