Buckeyes

This is a great treat to have around especially in the fall.

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 1/2 cups Smucker’s® Creamy Natural Peanut Butter, stirred
* OR Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter
* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
* 1 (12 oz.) package (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips
* 2 tablespoons Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening

Directions

COMBINE peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt in large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on LOW until blended. Add 2 cups powdered sugar, beating until blended. Beat in additional powdered sugar until mixture, when shaped into a ball, will stay on a toothpick. Shape into 1-inch balls. Refrigerate.

PLACE chocolate chips and shortening in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on MEDIUM for 30 seconds. Stir. Repeat until mixture is smooth. Reheat as needed while coating peanut butter balls.

INSERT toothpick in peanut butter ball. Dip 3/4 of ball into chocolate, leaving top uncovered to resemble a buckeye. Remove excess. Place on wax paper-lined tray. Remove toothpick. Smooth over holes. Refrigerate until firm.

Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread

From Two Peas and Their Pod


2 sticks of unsalted butter
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
Zest of 2 oranges (about 3 tablespoons)
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/3 cups flour
1 cup dark chocolate, chopped into tiny pieces

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease 2 9 inch cake pans.

2. Place the sugar and orange zest in a bowl. Rub the zest in with your fingers. In the bowl of a mixer, cream together butter, sugar/orange mix, salt, and vanilla.

3. Chop chocolate. You want the pieces a little smaller than chocolate chips.

4. Beat the flour and the chocolate with the butter mixture, until well combined.

5. Divide the dough in half and press in prepared cake pans. Make sure each pan is even. Smooth the surface and prick the dough with a fork.

6. Bake for 40 minutes, until golden brown on the edges. Remove and loosen the edges with a knife.

7. Wait five minutes, then carefully place the shortbread out onto a clean work surface, all in one piece.

8. Using a pizza wheel or knife, cut into wedges. Do this while it is still warm so you can cut it. Transfer wedges to a cooling rack.

Crockpot Spicy Apple Betty

Lifted from the Hillbilly Housewife website:

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com

Crockpot Spicy Apple Betty

3 pounds of crisp cooking apples
10 slices of hearty bread, crusts cut off and then bread cubed1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

Wash the apples really well. You don't need to peel them & I don't. Cut each apple into eight wedges, and cut the core out. Of course, if you have one of those nice combination apple corer and cutter, that's even better.

Put the apple slices into your crockpot. Then, in a separate bowl, combine the bread with all the other ingredients, tossing together so the spices and butter combine really well.

Spoon the mixture over the apples in the crockpot. Put the cover on. Turn crockpot to the LOW setting and let cook for 2 to 3 hours. The apples should be cooked but not turn into mush. This crockpot dessert is sort of like a combination Apple Brown Betty and Bread Pudding.

This dessert will serve about 6 people, more if you're a little careful. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to make this dessert go a little further, and for the extra sweetness! Very tasty!

Philly Dutch-Style Funnel Cakes

2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. fine salt
2 cups milk
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 stick butter, melted
4 cups vegetable oil
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and
whisk together. Gradually whisk in the milk, then the egg and
vanilla and finally the sugar and melted butter. Heat the oil in a
large, heavy pot over high heat to 350F. Pour as much batter as
fints into a funnel, holding your finger at the base of the funnel to
dam it. Bring the funnel over the top of the hot oil, release your
finger to being the stream of batter, and move the funnel in a
circular motion to create a spiral shape. Use about 1/2 cup batter
per funnel cake, or more or less to your liking. Fry 2-3 minutes
until golden brown and slightly puffed, turning over when 1 side is
golden. Remove from oil and place on a plate lined with 2 layers of
paper towels. Immediately top with a good scattering of powdered
sugar. Repeat until no batter remains.

Pecan Pie

1-1/4 Cups Pecan Pieces
2 Eggs, Slightly Beaten
1 Cup Light Karo Syrup
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Spread pecans in an unbaked 9-inch pie shell. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over pecans. Bake slowly at 375 degrees until done, approximately 1 hour. Hint: Cover the edges of the pie crust with foil about halfway through baking to prevent crust from getting too brown before the pie is done.

Blackberry Pie

(Makes one nine-inch pie)
4 cups fresh blackberries (thawed frozen is okay)
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a deep pie dish with the pie crust, or purchase a commercially-made one. Set aside. Mix all other ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. If it appears too “wet”, mix in a little more flour (about 2 tablespoons). Turn the fruit into the pie shell and dot with butter or margarine. You can bake the pie as is, or cover it with another pie crust. If you do this, pinch down the ends to hold it to the other crust. Then score the top several times with a sharp knife. Bake for 1 hour, or until the top crust is a golden brown. (Note: A sugar-free version can be made by substituting appropriate amounts of artificial sweetener.)

Buckeyes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound melted margarine
• 2 1/2 pounds smooth peanut butter
• 3 pounds powdered sugar
• 36 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate

Instructions:

Mix the margarine, peanut butter, and powdered sugar together in a large mixing bowl. It will be thick and heavy. Roll mixture into small balls about 3/4 inch to 1 inch across. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Dip balls in the chocolate mix 3/4 of the way so they look like buckeyes. Lay out on wax paper and let sit to harden, or refrigerate.

Note: This recipe in its original form suggests mixing paraffin into the chocolate. Paraffin is just wax and it is not a substance that has been dubbed appropriate for human consumption by the FDA. In the old days people used to melt wax into their chocolate to help it hold its shape, and certainly some won’t hurt you, but I prefer to just refrigerate the balls and then they hold up surprisingly well, I have never had one melt even after sitting at room temperature for a couple days. (Just don’t try it at a picnic.) My friends have dubbed these confections “death balls” because they are so good you want to keep eating them, but they are horrible for you.

Yield: 8 dozen

Lemon Pie

Filling:
3 egg yolks
1 cup sugar, divided
6 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups water
2 tbsp. butter
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
5 tbsp. lemon juice

Crust
9 inch pie shell

Meringue :
6 egg whites
Dash of salt
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325. Combine the egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl. In a double broiler, mix 1/2 cup of the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and water. Cook over boiling water until thick, stir constantly. Cover. Bring mixture to a boil. Boil 1 minute. Stir occasionally. Spoon a little of the hot mixture into the egg yolk, stir quickly. Beat the egg yolks into the hot mixture. Cook 2 minutes, stir constantly. Remove the pain from the water, stir in the butter, lemon rind, and juice. Pour into pie shell. Beat the egg whites and salt until foamy. Add the vanilla. Beat in the remaining sugar 1 tbsp. at a time, continue beating until stiff and shiny. Cover pie with meringue. Make sure there are no gaps and the edges are sealed with the meringue. Bake until browned, about 15 minutes.

Fudge

• 4 cups sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 14.5 oz evaporated milk
• 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Put the sugar, butter, and milk into a heavy saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in the chips, marshmallows, nuts, and essence. Pour into a greased 9×13 inch pan and cool. Cut into squares and store in an air-tight container