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Two sisters who love to bake...

Snickerdoodle Cookies without Cream of Tartar

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Snickerdoodle Cookies without Cream of Tartar.

Making Snickerdoodle cookies is near and dear to my heart because it was one of the very first recipes I ever baked on my own. This recipe makes soft thick Snickerdoodle Cookies without Cream of Tartar. This is a small batch cookie recipe that makes about 12 large soft and thick Snickerdoodle cookies.

I used a large cookie scoop that scoops about 2.5 Tablespoons of cookie dough so each ball of dough shown below is about 2″ in size or about the size of a golf ball.

When it comes to making these without cream of tartar added you have a few options. You can substitute the cream of tartar for lemon juice, vinegar or baking powder. I have tried making it all three ways with the three substitutes I have listed. So far my favorite substitute was using distilled white vinegar in the recipe but you can use any of the three options.

I have also played around with changing the baking temperature and 375 F. degrees seems to be my favorite temperature to bake these at. For me it produces a cookie that has a light crisp on the very edge but the rest of the cookie is soft. When I baked them at 350 F. degrees I ended up with a cookie that was super soft and almost too soft and it took a lot longer to bake.


Snickerdoodle Cookies without Cream of Tartar
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened (I used salted)
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1½ cups all purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice, vinegar or baking powder
  • -For Rolling-
  • 3 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. degrees.
  2. Mix soft butter & sugar together. Add egg & vanilla, stir.
  3. Add flour, baking soda and lemon juice (or vinegar or baking powder) & mix well.
  4. Prepare the cinnamon & sugar mix for coating in a small bowl.
  5. Roll dough into 2" gold ball sized balls and roll in cinnamon & sugar mix.
  6. Place on ungreased cookie sheet & bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are just starting to turn a light golden brown.

 

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Conchas (Mexican Sweet Bread) Pan Dulce

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Conchas (Mexican Sweet Bread) Pan Dulce.

Conchas are a Mexican sweet bread known as Pan Dulce in Spanish and they are served at panaderías (bakeries). Concha bread is soft and fluffy with lots of butter and sugar in the dough. The top has a sweet and crunchy streusel topping that is also sweet and buttery. The recipe below makes 12 Conchas.

My sister’s sister-in-law who is originally from Mexico was coming into town over her birthday so my sister surprised her with some sweet treats from a local Mexican bakery. One of the items she bought at the bakery was Concha’s and ever since then we’ve been wanting to try making some homemade ones. Like homemade cinnamon rolls I think these rolls taste so good when they are served warm.

   

The 3 photos above starting from top left side show some of the process of shaping the dough into balls and placing them on the cookie sheet. The middle photo shows covering the dough balls with the streusel topping and cutting lines in the topping so it looks like a seashell. The third photo shows what they look like after rising for about 40 minutes just before going into the oven to bake.

I made vanilla flavored Conchas but I’ve also seen you can make chocolate ones by adding some cocoa powder to the topping or people also make pink topping by adding red food coloring or strawberry Nesquik.

PS. If your looking for a bread machine (amazon affiliate) to help knead the dough I always use my Sunbeam bread (amazon affiliate). It’s such a time saver for kneading dough plus it helps the dough rise faster because it heats the dough up.

Conchas (Mexican Sweet Bread) Pan Dulce
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • -DOUGH-
  • 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1⁄2 cup warm milk (105 degrees F to 115 degrees F or 40 to 46 celsius)
  • 3 -3 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1⁄2 cup sugar
  • ½ cup butter, softened (1 stick)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
  • -Streusel TOPPING-
  • ⅔ cup sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
Instructions
  1. Use your favorite bread making method (bread machine, stand mixer w/ dough hook or by hand). If making by hand: Add yeast, water, then the rest of the dough ingredients to a large bowl & begin stirring with a wooden spoon. You may need to add more or less flour, I started with 3 cups and ended up adding a little more to get the right consistency (the amount of flour needed varies depending on the brand/type of flour you will be using).
  2. Once a dough ball has formed move the dough to a well floured surface.
  3. Knead dough for 10-15 minutes until it is smooth & elastic like.
  4. Move back to the bowl & cover with a clean cloth.
  5. Let rise 1 hour or until double in size
  6. After about 1 hour of rise time divide dough into 12 equal pieces.
  7. Shape each piece into a ball; place on a greased cookie sheet (I fit about 6 on each cookie sheet).
  8. Prepare the Topping by whipping the sugar and butter together with an electric mixer until light a fluffy. Add vanilla and mix in. Slowly mix in the flour until a thick paste forms (you might not need to add quite the full cup of flour, you don't want it too dry or it will crack).
  9. Divide topping into 12 equal parts (I roll it into a log shape and slice it into 12 pieces)
  10. Pat each piece into a 3-4 inch circle to match the size of the top of the rolls.
  11. Place 1 circle of streusel topping on each ball of dough, shaping it down over the ball and pat it down lightly.
  12. Make 5 or 6 line cuts across the topping, using a table knife, to form a shell pattern.
  13. Let rise about 40 minutes or until double in size.
  14. Preheat oven to 350 F. degrees.
  15. Bake at 350 F. degrees for 16-20 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown.
  16. Let cool

 

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Crockpot Cheesy Shredded Potatoes No Soup

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Crock pot Cheesy Shredded Potatoes No Soup (made without canned soup).

I am sharing a recipe for Crockpot (slow cooker) Cheesy Shredded Potatoes made without condensed soup.  I only see recipes for cheesy potatoes that call for a can of soup which I can not do due to food allergies. I made this recipe for our families Easter meal this year. My sister has made it in years pasted but she bakes it in the oven as a casserole. I was using the oven to bake something else and didn’t have room to make the potatoes too so I used the Crockpot. I believe my Crockpot is the 7 quart size for reference.

I needed to feed about 35 people so I made a large batch but you can cut the recipe in half if you want to make a small batch.  I used frozen shredded potatoes but I thawed them in the fridge the night before. The potatoes take awhile to cook and having them frozen makes it harder to ensure even cooking.

Note: If you use the cubed potatoes instead of the shredded potatoes or non thawed potatoes it will take longer to cook.

Make sure you keep an eye on the potatoes and stir them occasionally so they don’t start burning or overcooking, every slow cooker cooks a little different.

Crockpot Cheesy Shredded Potatoes No Soup
 
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Recipe type: side dish
Ingredients
  • 2 bags of shredded potatoes (about 26oz each) I bought mine frozen then thawed in the fridge the night before
  • 16 ounce container sour cream (2 cups)
  • 1½ cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • black pepper, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup chopped onion (about 1 small onion)
Instructions
  1. Lightly grease crock pot inside before adding ingredients
  2. Add the shredded potatoes, sour cream, milk, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, shredded cheese and onion to the prepared crock pot. Stir ingredients well and cover.
  3. Cook on low setting for approximately 4-5 hours or high 2-3 hours if using thawed shredded potatoes. Cook until potatoes are done. If using frozen shredded potatoes or diced potatoes it may take longer to cook. Stir occasionally to ensure even cooking.

 

 

 

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1950’s Vintage Rhubarb Custard Pie

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1950’s Vintage Rhubarb Custard Pie Recipe.

This 1950’s Vintage Rhubarb Custard Pie Recipe is an old fashioned recipe from my grandma who is obsessed with pies. This is her all time favorite pie. She is currently 92 years old and baking pies has always been her specialty in the kitchen. All my life growing up my grandma would always grow her own fresh rhubarb in her backyard garden and then use it to make homemade pies.

Rhubarb is currently in season as I write this recipe post. My mom and sister have already baked this pie recipe twice so far this month!

You can use your favorite pie crust recipe or use store bough pie crusts with this recipe.  I know a lot of the Rhubarb Pie recipes I see do not have a top crust so if you prefer to go that route you will only need one 9″ pie crust. I usually use an oil based pie crust recipe because it has been fail proof for me.

  • Pie Crust (8-9″)-Makes 2 crusts (top & bottom)
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ⅔ cup vegetable oil
  • 4-6 Tablespoons cold water (or milk)

I am not going to lie, this Rhubarb Custard Pie does not photograph super well but we think it tastes amazing!


1950's Vintage Rhubarb Custard Pie
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 Tablespoons milk
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ¼ cup all purpose flour
  • 4 cups cut chopped rhubarb
  • 2 pie crusts (9')
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F. degrees.
  2. Put the bottom pie crust in a 9" pie pan. Set aside top pie crust.
  3. Mix all the other ingredients in a large bowl, then put in prepared pie pan and cover with the top crust. Poke holes in top of crust and cover the edges of the pie with foil or pie shield. You may want to put a cookie sheet under pan in case it bubbles over.
  4. Bake at 400 F. degrees for 45-60 mins. Cool and sever.

 

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Butter Button Cookies (Mini Crunchy Shortbread Cookies)

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Butter Button Cookies (Mini Crunchy Shortbread Cookies).

This recipe makes little bite sized shortbread cookies that are nice and crisp. You want the cookies to be a little golden brown especially around the edges & the bottoms. If you don’t let them get golden brown they will be more chewy & less crunchy. I’ve made these cookies several times & one time I didn’t let them cook long enough & ended up with a chewy cookie but you want these to be crunchy & crumbly.

The *trick* to making this recipe I’m told is to whip the butter & sugar together with an electric mixer until it is light & fluffy. Then when you add the flour you will end up with a cookie dough that seems a little on the dry side but that is normal.

Recipe makes about 42 mini bite sized shortbread cookies but it depends on the exact size you make yours.  I took little teaspoon sized scoops using a regular sized spoon and only filling it about half full then I rolled them into mini balls.

Butter Button Cookies (Mini Crunchy Shortbread Cookies)
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. degrees.
  2. Using an electric mixer cream butter & sugar together until light & fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
  3. Mix in vanilla. Add in flour & mix until well combined.
  4. Roll dough into about ½" balls & place on ungreased cookie sheet. Use 2 fingers to gently press the cookies down.
  5. Bake for 8-11 minutes or until the edges & bottoms are golden brown.

 

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Classic Dinner Rolls 9×13″ Pan 28 Rolls

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Classic Dinner Roll Recipe made in a 9×13″ pan. Recipe makes 28 rolls.

This year for Easter my sister hosted a large gathering of family and friends at her house. It was my job to bring the bread so I made this recipe. We expected about 25 people to come so I wanted to make sure I made at least 25 dinner rolls. This recipe makes 28 small classic sized dinner rolls which is great if your needing a large batch for a holiday gathering.

I used a 9×13″ glass baking dish to bake the rolls. As you can see in the photo below I put 4 rolls width wise and 7 rolls lengths wise to get a total of 28 rolls. If you want larger rolls you can also do 3×7 rows or whatever works best for you.

For this recipe I usually use my bread machine to knead the dough. I use the dough setting. My go to bread machine (Amazon affiliate) is made by Sunbeam (Amazon affiliate) and has lasted me years and years. You can also use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or knead by hand to make this recipe.


Classic Dinner Rolls 9x13" Pan 28 Rolls
 
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Recipe type: Bread
Ingredients
  • 2¼ teaspoon instant dry yeast
  • ½ cup warm water
  • ½ cup warm milk
  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon melted butter
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
  1. Add ingredients to bowl or bread machine in order above. (Make sure your water and milk are not hot or it will kill the yeast, I use warm for both).
  2. Mix/knead dough using your favorite method (by hand, using a stand mixer with dough hook, or a bread machine). Knead dough for 8-10 min. or until it feels smooth & elastic but still a little tacky. You may need to add a little extra flour or water to get the right consistency.
  3. Let dough rise covered for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
  4. Divide dough into 28 small balls, place in greased 9x13" baking dish.
  5. Let rise for 1 hour or until double in size.
  6. Preheat oven to 350 F. degrees.
  7. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until rolls are golden brown.
  8. Brush with melted butter after done baking if desired.

 

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