I am the Baking Queen...

…Young and sweet only Thirty-three…or rather Thirty-Four. Anyways, over the past few weeks I have indeed been the baking queen. Here’s what we’ve been enjoying:

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins:

1 ½ cups white sugar

½ cup shortening (I did use Crisco this time, because I happened to have some, but I usually use butter/baking margarine)

2 eggs

3 bananas

½ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp baking soda IN 2/3 cup sour milk (just under ¼ cup vinegar, plus enough milk to total 2/3 cup)

3 cups flour

Chocolate chips

Cream shortening and sugar. Add beaten eggs and mashed bananas. Add sour milk and soda. Mix in flour, salt and vanilla.  Toss in chocolate chips.

Bake at 325 in muffin tin or bread pan. Time varies according to your oven : )

Mom’s Favorite Apple Bread (from Gram Willie):

4 cups apple, peeled and diced small

2 cups sugar **

2 sticks butter

3 cups flour

2 tsps each baking soda and cinnamon

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

**mix apples and 2 cups sugar in a large bowl. Leave at room temperature for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Melt butter and let cool. Mix flour, soda, and cinnamon into apples. Stir by hand. Stir in butter, eggs, vanilla.

Bake at 325 in muffin tin or bread pan (makes 2 loaves). Sprinkle a little sugar on top before baking if desired. Large loaves need to bake about 1 ¼-1 ½ hours.

Nice Grandma’s Cinnamon Bread (from our Elm Ave neighbor, Mrs. Johnson aka Nice Grandma):

¼ cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

2 cups flour

1 egg

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup buttermilk or sour milk

Streusel: ½ cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon

Mix batter together. Layer ½ of batter, then ½ of streusel, ½ batter, ½ streusel.

Bake 50 minutes at 350 (my oven took quite a bit longer). Do NOT overfill pan! I did and it made a mess.

Lemon Cookies:

1 stick (125 g) butter, chilled

1cup PLUS ¼ cup sugar

Grated peel of 2 lemons plus 1 TBSP lemon juice

1 large egg

1 ½ cups flour

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Combine butter, 1 cup sugar, lemon juice and peel til fluffy. Mix in egg. Add flour, soda and salt.

Option 1-place remaining ¼ cup sugar in a bowl. Roll heaping tsps of dough into balls, roll in sugar, smoosh down a bit on cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes or until edges are golden.

Option 2-Roll dough into balls, smoosh down a bit on cookie sheet. Bake. When cooled, coat with glaze made from powdered sugar and lemon juice (more juice=thinner glaze).

Lemon Cake Custard (from the Sunnyslope CRC cookbook):

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp butter

½ tsp salt

6 Tbsp flour

1 lemon, grated peel and juice

2 eggs, separated

1 ½ cups milk

Combine sugar and butter, add salt, egg yolks and flour, then add lemon (juice and peel) and milk. Fold in beaten egg whites, stiff but not dry. Pour in baking dish, which has been placed in a larger dish of warm water. Make sure the water only comes up about ½ way up the side of the baking dish. Bake 1 hour at 350. It will look golden when done. The top halg will be like a sponge cake, and the bottom like a lemony pudding. (This dish is good the day it is made and the next day, but then it does start to separate a bit)

Chocolate Chip Cookies (from my friend, Athena):

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter (softened)

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

12 oz. Chocolate chips

Mix first 5 ingredients with beaters.  Add dry ingredients.  Stir together.  Spoon onto cookie sheets.  Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. 

Enjoy!