Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everybody has their favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. Goodness, there are sure plenty of recipes to try til you find what is your personal favorite. These happen to be mine. They have a package of pudding added to the dough. What I like even better is the chocolate pudding added to make them double chocolate chip. Mmmm.
Thanks Trish for giving me the recipe and letting it become one of our family traditions as well!

















Cream together:
1 c. butter/hard margarine
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1- 4 serving pkg of instant vanilla pudding (or chocolate...;-)!!
Sift together:
2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
Combine the ingredients, stir in about 1 c. chocolate chips.
Bake at 350 for about 5-8 minutes. They must just be turning a slight color and look slightly under baked if you like them to be soft and chewy.

They girls whipped up two batches, one vanilla and one chocolate, and they turned the chocolate into a cookie cake and decorated it into a volley ball.....clever girls, and it looks great!

In order to make it into a cookie cake, just put the dough into a greased pizza pan and bake it for about 20 minutes. Let it cool completely and decorate it according to the occasion. It makes a good alternative to a birthday cake for a kids party.

French Toast

Making French Toast is a simple way to add protein and calcium to bread .. and if you go easy on the syrup. .and use healthy bread. . .it could be considered a good breakfast choice. For the French Toast that I made while camping .. .I used cinnamon bread that we had picked up at a lovely little village bakery. This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled depending on how many are coming to sit at your breakfast table.

Ingredients

• 1 egg for each person
• 1/4 cup milk for each person
• a quick dash salt
• 2 slices of bread for each person

Method

1. In a medium sized flat bottomed bowl, whisk the egg and milk together.
2. Add the dash of salt and combine.
3. Heat a non stick fry pan to medium and melt a teaspoon of butter, spreading around the pan.
4. Soak each slice of bread and lay into the fry pan .. turn once when bottom has browned. Keep french toast warm in the oven until ready to serve.

Toffee Dip with Apples

I got this recipe years ago from Glenda at church.

If you are asked to bring a fruit platter to a function and the fruit is insanely expensive, this is a sweet solution and very good. It disappears very quickly.

Dip the apples in lemon juice or pineapple juice to keep them from going brown, or just keep cutting as they get eaten. I usually count on at least 1/2 an apple per person, but often it works out to 1 apple per person.

8 oz. pkg of cream cheese (light is good)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tbsp. vanilla

3 skor bars crushed

chopped peanuts are an options, I just never have tried that

Mix all of the ingredients together with a hand mixer and store in the fridge. The longer it sits the better it is.

If you have any left overs of the dip, use as a spread on toast or bagels as a little breakfast treat.

Seerney Paska for Kulich/Paska (Cheese Spread)

My Russian heritage affords me some really good Easter eats. Every year we look forward to having our Easter Bread which we call Kulich in Russian and my Mennonite Friends call Paska.

We also make this yummy cheese spread to spread on this Easter Bread!

Seerney Paska for Kulich (Russian Easter Bread) The X and the B are for Xpucmoc Bockpec (Christ Arose)

Seerney Paska
Ingredients:
18 - hard boiled eggs /3 pounds Farmers cheese /a dry curd cheese like a dry cottage cheese can be substituted.1 pint whipping cream /3 cubes unsalted butter (12 oz.) /3 cups sugar /
Press the Farmers cheese through a sieve. (This is the hardest part of the recipe) I usually use a wooden spoon and press it through a wire strainer a little at a time. Separate the egg yolks from the whites. (You will not be using the whites).

Press the egg yolks through the sieve. Cream the sugar and butter together. Beat in the egg yolks. Beat in the cheese. Add whipping cream and mix well. You will place the mixture into a strainer lined with about 3 layers of cheesecloth. You will need enough cheesecloth to wrap up and over the top of the cheese. Place the cheese mixture into the cheese cloth lined strainer. Bring the ends of the cheese cloth up and tie the ends on top of the cheese in a knot. Place the sieve into a larger bowl suspended with enough room for the cheese to drain without sitting in the drained liquid. Place a plate on top of the cheese an place a heavy rock, brick, or other weight on top of the plate. Refrigerate over night.

If I had a nifty mold like this one I would press the cheese into it and let it drain overnight. When you take the mold off you will have a great defined decoration on the Cheese with the traditional XB and a cross.

So far no one in my family has one of these so ours looks like a dome because of the sieve we use to drain it in like in the photo at the top of the post. You could use a flower pot and get more of a domed effect. I’ll have to make it this year and take some photos of the paska in a nicer shape. Here’s an older wooden version of a mold

This recipe is enough to feed an army. If you don’t have to feed an army here’s a scaled down version :0)

If you just want a normal amount, cut the recipe in thirds. (6 cooked egg yolks, 1-lb. cheese, 2/3 cup whipping cream, 1 cube butter and 1 cup sugar. Enjoy!

Farmers Cheese or Hoop Cheese can be hard to find. There are Russian delis that sell a dry curd cottage type cheese that will work. If you can find a dry cottage cheese at the grocers that will work too.This recipe is enough to feed an army.

I'm sorry to post this on a day there is already a post but I thought people would want this recipe soon if they want to try it this year with their Kulich/Paska...

Paska Gluten-free

You can't be a Mennonite and not have Paska for Easter.
Here is my gluten-free recipe that smells great baking and really tastes like the real thing.... My husband says so!

I brought a loaf over to my daughter.. leaving it with my granddaughter at the door. My daughter called our cell in a panic a few minutes later... "Are you sure its gluten-free?? It doesn't taste gluten-free!" I love it when people can't tell !!

Gluten-free Paska

1 tbsp. yeast
1 tsp sugar
3/4 cup milk heated to lukewarm
Proof the yeast in lukewarm milk and sugar until doubled in size.

In mixer...

Beat 2 large eggs, add
1/2 cup white sugar, beat until light and fluffy
then beat in 1/4 cup butter/oil (you could use either, I just use a combination)

add
1 tsp of finely grated lemon peel
juice of 1/2 lemon

When yeast is proofed, add to other liquids.

In ziplock bag mix well the following dry ingredients :
1/4 tsp salt
1 heaping tsp. xanthan gum
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup potato starch (NOT flour)
1/4 cup almond flour (make your own by grinding fresh almonds in your coffee grinder)

1/2 tsp baking powder

Add the dry ingredients to liquids and beat on high for about a minute.

Spoon into desired greased baking pans --- a mid sized loaf pan, muffin tins, or other desired shaped tins or pans.

Let rise until doubled in bulk. (takes about an hour)

Bake at 375' for about 30 minutes ( baking time will vary on size of baking pans- bake until nicely browned - do not underbake)

Let cool and ice with icing ( butter, vanilla, milk, powdered sugar) and decorate with sprinkles -- coloured or chocolate)

** because gluten-free baking is soo much better fresh, I tend to bake smaller quantities .. I have not tried doubling this recipe but see no reason why it shouldn't work.

Icicles (Zuckerhoernchen)

This is an old recipe that got circled around the Mennonites a generation ago and I’m not sure who still makes it. My mom made about 6 recipes to add to other goodies at our (large) wedding reception and so they still have a special memory attached to them for me. The only sugar in this light, flaky little twist is the sugar that you roll them in. You can make them in a vanilla or cinnamon flavor. The aroma that wafts out of the oven when you bake them is reason enough to try them!

Ingredients:
1 c butter
4 eggs
1 c whipping cream
1/2 c warm water
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp instant yeast
4 ½ - 5 cups flour, divided

Sugar Coating:
1 ½ c sugar
¼ tsp vanilla powder OR
1 tsp cinnamon

Line 3 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Melt and cool (so it’s not still hot) 1 cup butter.
Beat eggs well in large mixing bowl. Add whipping cream, salt, water, 2 c flour mixed with yeast, and butter, stirring each in well. Continue adding the rest of the flour until it is well kneaded. (forms a ball around hook of kneading machine attachment, if using machine) It makes a nice smooth dough that is not sticky at all. Cover and refrigerate 6 hours, or overnight.
Divide dough into 3 parts. Take one part at a time and shape into a log roll. Then, using sugar/vanilla mix or sugar/cinnamon mix for rolling out, roll into a 6 x 18 inch shape. Keep sprinkling sugar under and on top of dough as you roll.
Cut into 1/2 inch strips. To form “ringlets” (icicles) twirl each strip around the upper part of your right index finger, slip off and push into a tight ringlet as you place them on cookie sheets.
Bake at 350F about 20 minutes.

If you don’t use parchment paper, sprinkle flour on your sheets - but it is important that you loosen or remove icicles with lifter as soon as you’ve taken them out of the oven, or the sugar hardens, making it difficult to remove them later.
This is a large recipe. It sounds like a lot of work, but mixing is quick and then you refrigerate it for night. In the morning it only takes about one hour to twirl and bake them and you don’t need to ice or glaze anything – they are ready to go. You can freeze them in an ice cream pail, but when you thaw them you want to open the lid so they don’t get soft. I have made half the recipe and rolled out 2 - 12 inch strips. Great for when you’re hosting a large group or adding to cookie trays at Christmas. They disappear quickly.

Oatmeal Camping Crispies

I've been making these cookies for the last 30 years. My mom in law always made these and so I've been eating them since we started dating.

The recipe is from the Mennonite Treasury of Recipes and they are called Oatmeal crispies.

The original contributor was Bertha Thiessen.

The cookies are crisp and freeze wonderfully. I made a half recipe .. for the two of us. These can be made with raisins instead of chocolate chips. . and the nuts can be eliminated as well .. .use your imagination with the add ins. .

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup chopped nuts . .optional
• 1 cups chocolate chips/or raisins
• and .. 1 cup candy coated mini eggs .. optional ( I used dark chocolate .. because we all know that dark chocolate is high in antioxidants . . .small smile)

1. Cream the butter and sugars.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients in order given.
3. Bake at 350 F for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Eat one cookie every day after lunch. . .they are very good for you .. (referring to the dark chocolate part . ..the antioxidants and all .. oh. .and if you are reading this before noon on April 1st ..Happy April fools day!)