Snickerdoodles!

I love snickerdoodles -- they are my favorite cookie, and I've been having a massive craving for them. I like them soft, with a bit of chewiness to them. This recipe produces perfect cookies. I found it on Food.com, where it also receives rave reviews.

Snickerdoodles
1 cup butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2-3/4 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
3 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix butter, 1-1/2 cups sugar and eggs thoroughly in a large bowl. Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture. Chill dough and chill an ungreased cookie sheet for about 10-15 minutes in the fridge. Meanwhile, mix 3 tablespoons sugar and 3 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl. Scoop 1 inch globs of dough into the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Coat by gently rolling balls of dough in the sugar mixture. Place on chilled ungreased cookie sheet, and bake 10 minutes. Remove from pan immediately.

Crockpot Apple Butter

Somehow, we ended up with a ton of apples to use up, so I brought out the crockpot to save the apples from wasting away. Apple butter is so incredibly easy (only 3 steps!), and I ended up with 5 jars worth for the pantry. Apple butter, of course, means fresh biscuits, which made my sons happy, so we have been merrily snacking for days. 

Crockpot Apple Butter

1. Peel and chop a bunch of apples.
2. Put them in the crockpot with 1/2 c to 1 c. water, a healthy sprinkle of cinnamon and a mix of half white sugar, half brown sugar to taste (usually 1 c. total is enough for sweet sauce).
3. Cook all day until brown and thick. Use a whisk to smooth, stirring every hour or so.

Lemon Cream Scones

Yummy. This will be a new favorite in my house, I can tell already. Even my 1-year-old is wandering the kitchen saying, "skont? skont?" It's so cute to watch him wandering around, scone in hand, nibbling happily. Special thanks to my friend Yvonne for sharing this recipe with me at our recent visit!

Lemon Cream Scones

2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1-1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 425F and have a large ungreased baking sheet standing by. Whisk together all ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and roll dough flat about 3/4" thick (make thinner if you fold each scone in half). Cut 10-12 circles with round biscuit cutter or the top of a glass and place at least 1/2" apart on baking sheet. Brush tops with some cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 425F for 12-15 minutes.

These are awesome alone or with a little blackberry or strawberry preserves!

Fried Squash

A delicious way to use up excess squash and zucchini! The kids loved these, and so did I. These are addictive and can easily take the place of french fries or chips. They would also make a great appetizer.

Forgive me for not having actual amounts in this recipe -- I freehanded it! I used some oil in a saucepan, but if you have a deep fryer, even better.

Fried Squash
squash or zucchini
flour
Lawry's Seasoning Salt
canola oil

In a medium saucepan, heat about 2-3 inches of canola oil over medium-high heat. Slice squash into 1/4-inch pieces or so. In a bowl, combine flour and Lawry's until the mixture is a pale orange color. Dip slices into flour mixture until well coated, then drop pieces into hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crispy. Serve plain or with ranch dressing or other dressing of your choosing!

Mix-In Muffins

You can mix in your favorite flavors to customize this recipe. My favorites are bananas and chocolate chip or blueberry and lemon zest.

Mix-In Muffins
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400F and prepare a 12-spot muffin pan with nonstick spray or paper liners.

Into a bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Melt butter and in a small bowl whisk together with sour cream, egg, and vanilla. Stir butter mixture (and additional ingredients; *see note, below) into flour mixture until just combined. Divide the batter among muffin cups (this batter is thick and will not run easily like other muffin batters) and bake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Becoming a muffin master is easy. *Flavor the basic muffin batter by adding, for example:

• 1 chopped banana and 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup toasted almonds, 3/4 cup dried cranberries, and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup chopped drained canned pineapple and 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped dried apricots and 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• make your own muffin with your own add-ins!

Makes 12 medium-size muffins or 6 large-size muffins.