Are you familiar with Gooseberry Patch's 101 series cookbooks? The titles in the series include 101 Christmas Recipes, 101 Autumn Recipes, 101 Easy Entertaining Recipes, 101 Homestyle Favorite Recipes, 101 Slow-Cooker Recipes and the newest in the series, 101 Cupcakes, Cookies & Brownie Recipes. These books differ a little from the comb-bound books we all love from Gooseberry Patch. These all have full-color photos of each recipe (isn't that a GORGEOUS photo of my Double-Maple Cupcake recipe).
This book came in right when I was trying to decided what was going to make the cut for my modified Christmas baking list. I wanted to try something from each of the three catagories (Cupcakes, Cookies & Brownies). The first recipe I tried was Cream Cheese Crescent Bars from Lisa Delisi from Bristol, WI. This recipe looked to be easy peasy and since we LOVE all-things cream cheese, I was sure this recipe would be a hit.
Cream Cheese Crescent Bars
GBP 101 Cupcake, Cookies & Brownie Recipes
Lisa Delisi, Bristol, WI
(Printable Version)
2 8-oz tubes refrigerated crescent rolls, seperated
2 8-oz pkgs, cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg seperated
Line the bottom of a greased 13"x9" baking pan with one package crescent rolls, pinching seams together; set aside. Blend together cream cheese, vanilla, sugar and egg yolk; spread evenly over crust. Gently place remaining crescent roll dough on top, pinching together seams. In a bowl, whisk egg white until frothy; brush over dough. Sprinkle with Cinnamon Topping; bake at 350 degrees until golden, about 25-30 minutes. Cool; slice into bars or triangles. Makes 2 dozen.
Cinnamon Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 c chopped pecans
1 tsp cinnamon
Gently toss together all ingredients.
The recipe instructions were easy to understand and went together quickly. The baking time was accurate and MOST IMPORTANT..this is YUMM-O! I will be making this again and even thought of a variation to try. I originally thought I'd stick these in the freezer to take for a New Year's eve get together we're going to.....they will NOT be around that long.
The next recipe on my to-try list was Pistachio Thumbprints. I knew my daughter would probably really like these since she loves Pistachio Pudding (and is a HUGE fan of Watergate Salad). We also have a fondness for thumbprint style cookies.
Pistachio Thumbprints
GBP 101 Cupcake, Cookies & Brownie Recipes
Shawna Green, Dumas, TX
(Printable Version)
1 cup margarine, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 egg beaten
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3.4-oz pkg. instant pistaschio pudding mix
1 cup pecans finely chopped
1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp shortening
Blend margarine, powdered suagr, egg and extracts. Stir in flour and dry pudding mix. Form dough into 1-inch balls; roll in pecans. Placed on greased baking sheets; gently press a thumbprint into each. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes; let cool. Spoon vanilla filling into thumbprints. In a plastic zipping bag, microwave remaining ingredients until melted, one to 2 minutes, stirring every 15 seconds. Snip off tip of one corner; drizzle over cookies. Makes 3 dozen.
Vanilla Filling:
2 Tbsp margarine, softened
2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp milk
Combine all ingredients; mix well.
I have to admit to some modifications I made to this recipe. We gave up hydrogenated fats many years. I usually avoid all recipes calling for margarine and shortening but I figured that this one could easily be made with butter. I also skipped the greasing of the cookie sheet and used parchment paper instead. Modifications and cookies turned out WONDERFUL!
And recieved the Jadyn seal of approval! These are so festive looking and you could add a little red coloring to the icing to make them even more festive! I did find that I used a little more nuts than the recipe calls for BUT I do have a tendancy to be heavy-handed when it comes to nuts.
The last recipe I tried was Snickerdoodle Cupcakes.
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
GBP 101 Cupcakes, Cookies & Brownie Recipes
Diana Bulls - Reedley CA
(Printable Version)
1/8-1/4 oz. pkg. white cake mix
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 eggs beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
In a large bowl, combine dry cake mix and remaining ingredients. Beat with an eletric mixer on a low speed for 3 minutes. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool. Frost with Cinnamon Frosting. Makes one dozen.
Cinnamon Frosting:
1/2 c butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp cinnamon
3-3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 to 4 Tbsp milk
Beat butter until fluffy. Mix in vanilla, cinnamon and powdered sugar. Stir in enough milk for desired consistancy.
These cupcakes had to really live up to their name with me...I LOVE snickerdoodles. No disappointments!! Very yummy and an easy recipe for doctoring up a cake mix. I did have a concern about this recipe though. The recipe reads to fill your muffin cups 2/3rds full and that the yield would be one dozen cupcakes. I filled 18 cups and really probably over-filled them (I was concerned I wasn't putting in enough batter because I was getting more than the dozen the recipe called for). I would say that filling the cups 2/3rds full (and this would be the proper amount of batter per cup) the yield would be 2 dozen, not the ONE stated in the recipe.
Thank you Lisa, Shawna, Diana and Gooseberry Patch for new family favorites! My overall opinion of this book is that it is one I feel a NEED to add to my collection....if you bake cupcakes, cookies and/or brownies, you might want to consider adding it to your collection too.
Posting to Betty's Cupcake Sunday!
NOW for the BEST part......YOU can win 101 Cupcake, Cookies & Brownie Recipes before you can buy it and I am throwing in a handmade Faithfulness Farm Cupcake Apron! Here is what you need to do to get THREE chances to win -
1) Leave a comment!
2) Follow Faithfulness Farm (tell me if you already do)!
3) Friend Faithfulness Farm on FACEBOOK (tell me if you already have)!
Post about this giveaway on your blog or Facebook for a BONUS entry!
I'll announce the winner on January 3rd.