Orange cupcakes

Orange cupcakes
1 stick butter
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup orange juice

Mix egg whites until soft peaks form.
Cream butter and sugar. Mix in egg yolks and rum extract. Add egg whites. Mix well.
Combine dry ingredients.
Combine egg mixture and orange juice. Add to flour mixture. Mix well.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Milk Dud Cookie Bars

Milk Dud Cookie Bars
1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups Milk Duds (measured before chopping)

Cream butter and sugars.
Add eggs and vanilla.
Mix until light.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt in one bowl.
Chop Milk Duds.
Combine egg mixture, flour mixture and Milk Duds.
Mix carefully so that all flour is absorbed.

Put mixture into greased 8-inch square pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes. Keep a very careful eye on the cookies; there is a narrow window between undercooked and scorched.
Remove from oven. Loosen edges, but let cool awhile in pan before inverting onto cooling rack.

Next Year's Tomato

The all-important decision has been made!
I'll be buying this variety of seed.
Catalog blurb: 
"Indeterminate. Heirloom. Look for the flush of red on the blossom end of these orange fruits. They range in size from 1"-2" and offer juicy, exceptional sweetness on a vigorous plant."

Confectioner's Sugar Cookies

Confectioner's Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

DIRECTIONS:

Cream butter. Add sugar. Beat until light. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until fluffy. Add dry ingredients. Stir just until mixed. Refrigerate. Roll, cut and bake for 6 minutes at 350 degrees F (ungreased cookie sheet). Cool, frost and decorate.

Variations: Spread unbaked shapes with egg white and decorate with sprinkles-then bake. Add 1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans here in Texas). Roll in 1" balls. Bake, cool and toss in a paper lunch sack with confectioner's sugar to coat.

Roll dough in 1" balls. Bake, cool and toss in paper bag with sugar/cinnamon mixture to coat.

Add 1 cup of candied fruits to dough. Roll in 1" balls. Bake and cool.

Divide dough in half. Color dough and use dough as basis of pinwheel cookies or checkerboard cookies.

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/32/Confectioners_Sugar_Cookies21398.shtml

Gingerbread Cake

Gingerbread Cake
2 cups applesauce
1 cup molasses
2 t baking soda
3 cups flour
1/2 t salt
2 t ginger
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t cloves
4 eggs
1 1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
 In saucepan bring the applesauce to a boil. Stir in molasses, and soda. Set aside to cool. Mix flour with salt and spices.
Beat eggs until light in color. Gradually beat in sugar and continue beating until thick, then gradually beat in oil. Fold together flour mixture, applesauce mixture and egg mixture. Pour into greased tube pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool cake in the pan for 15 minutes then remove to a rack to continue cooling.
Source: San Francisco A La Carte, San Francisco Junior League (c) 1979.
Well my applesauce did not reach boiling, I wasn't gradual about combining stuff and I used two smaller pans. The cakes are baking as I write this. Both the ginger and the cinnamon jars were brand new, so I used slightly less than the amount called for.

Bar cookies to use up Halloween candy 1.0

Bar cookies to use up Halloween candy
1 cup butter melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Reese's Peanut Butter cups I used 7 because that's all I had. Original recipe called for 8. Chill the candy in the freezer and then chop finely.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees
Brush 8-inch square baking pan with butter.
Line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on sides.
Butter the paper
Mix together butter and sugars.
Add eggs and vanilla
Add flour and salt; stir just until combined.
Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth the top.
Arrange chopped peanut butter cups evening on top of dough.
Bake until top of cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 45 minutes.
Set pan on a wire rack and let cool completely.
Using parchment overhang, life cake from pan and transfer to cutting board.
Cut into squares.