Caramel Filled Chocolate Cookies

2 1/2 c. all purpose flour

3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

1 c. sugar

1 c. firmly packed brown sugar

1 c. softened butter

2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 c. chopped almonds, or pecans

48 Rolo (caramels in milk chocolate), unwrapped 9 oz. pkg.

1 tbsp. sugar

4 oz. vanilla flavored candy coating (opt.)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup and level off. In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa and baking soda; blend well.
In a large bowl, beat 1 cup sugar, brown sugar and butter until light. Add vanilla and eggs; beat well. Add flour mixture, blend well. Stir in 1/2 cup of the pecans.
For each cookie with floured hands, shape about 1 tablespoonful dough around 1 Rolo, covering completely.
In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup pecans and 1 tablespoon sugar. Press one side of each ball into pecan mixture. Place nut side up, 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes or until set and slightly cracked. Cool 2 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet to cool on wire rack. Melt the vanilla flavored candy coating in a saucepan or in a baggie in the microwave. Drizzle over cookies.

Recipe from Sister Cafe

Buttermilk Refigerator Rolls

3 cups Buttermilk (room temperature)

3 cups flour
1 T. yeast dissolved in ¼ cup warm water (first let rise a few minutes)
½ cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten with a fork
2 tsp salt
5 cups flour (sometimes you need a cup more--it should not be too sticky)
½ cup oil
1 tsp baking soda

Dissolve yeast in ¼ c. warm water and let proof a few minutes. Mix the buttermilk, flour and yeast together thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Cover and let this stand at room temperature until double in size, about 2 hours.
Add sugar, eggs, salt, flour, oil, and baking soda. Mix well and knead for 7-10 minutes. Roll out what you want and place the rest in the refrigerator, lightly covered so air can still circulate. The next time you want some fresh baked rolls, take from the bowl what you want and again put the rest back in the refrigerator. It will keep for 7 days. (This is perfect for Sunday meals because you don’t have a lot of mess to clean up and it’s quick.)
Let rolls rise on baking sheets until double in size. Time depends on the room temperature, usually 1½ - 2 hours. Dough from the refrigerator will take longer because the dough is cold.
Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes. Brush with melted butter if you like.

Recipe from Sisters Cafe

Orange Rolls

1 recipe dinner rolls (Lion House Dinner Rolls)
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 T. freshly squeezed orange juice
Grated orange rind from two large oranges

Orange Glaze:
Mix together 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 3 T. freshly squeezed orange juice and ½ tsp. grated orange rind.

Follow directions below for dinner rolls. Combine butter, sugar, orange juice and orange rind in a small bowl and mix well.
When dough is ready to shape into rolls, punch down and divide in thirds. Roll each portion into large rectangle about 9x13 inches, ¼ inch thick. Spread each rectangle with one-third of the butter/orange/sugar mixture. Starting with the long side, roll up jelly roll style. Seal edges well, then cut with dental floss into 1-inch slices.
Place on a greased baking sheet (I fit 15 on a sheet - three rows of five). Let rise away from draft until dough doubles. (Today that took about 1 hour.) Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes. (Mine were done at about 16 minutes, so check early.) Remove rolls from pans and cool on wire rack. When rolls are cool, drizzle with orange glaze.

Lion House Dinner Rolls

2 T. dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
2 1/2 tsp. Salt
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
5-6 cups flour
1 egg

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine yeast and water. Let stand 5 minutes. Add sugar, shortening, salt, dry milk, 2 cups flour and egg. Beat together until very smooth. Add 2 more cups flour, one at a time, and beat until smooth. Add about 1 to 1 1/2 more cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time until well mixed. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until it is smooth and satiny (I knead it in my Bosch mixer). Return dough to an oiled bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap; let rise until about triple in size. (Today this took 1 1/2 hours, in a warm place.) Use last of the flour as needed on the board for rolling and shaping the dough. Let dough rest on board for 10 minutes so it will be easier to manage if you roll it. Separate dough into three portions. To make plain rolls, roll out each portion into a circle and cut into 8 pie-shaped pieces. Roll up crescent-style and place on baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes. Makes between 3-4 dozen rolls.

Cinnamon Rolls

2 c. milk
2 cubes butter (1 cup)
2 pkg yeast (4 ½ tsp)
1/3 c. warm water
1 1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp salt
4 beaten eggs
8 c. flour
Filling: 1 square softened butter & cinnamon(lots) & sugar

Heat milk and 2 squares of butter together until butter is melted. Cool and set aside. Mix yeast and warm water; let stand 5 minutes. Add cooled milk, 1 1/3 c. sugar, 1 tsp salt, 4 beaten eggs. Add 4 c. flour and mix and gradually add 4 additional cups flour. Dough should be firm but sticky. Cover with cloth and put in a warm place, and raise 1 ½ to 2 hours. Dough should nearly be doubled in size. Divide dough in half and empty onto floured surface and knead a little. Roll dough into rectangle, about ½ inch thick. To this half of dough, spread on ½ square of softened butter, completely covering dough. Then sprinkle a coating of sugar over entire piece of dough. Then a layer of cinnamon. Be generous with the cinnamon; this is what makes it tasty. Roll into long roll, pinch edges together and slice with dental floss. Place on a cookie sheet covered with a silpt or parchment paper. Do same thing to second half of dough. Cover with a clean dishtowel (or saran wrap sprayed with cooking spray) and put in warm place, free of drafts, for 2 to 5 hours to raise--just depends-but the should be double in size. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until barely browned. Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes. Drizzle with glaze while still warm. Makes 3-4 dozen.

Butter Cream Glaze:

1 cube softened butter (1/2 cup)

1 tsp vanilla

dash of salt

dash of cream of tarter

1 1/2 lbs powdered sugar

scalded milk or cream

Add all together...adding milk a little at a time, alternately with the powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. For cinnamon rolls, it needs to be a little thinner than regular icing.

Dinner Rolls

2 rounded Tb yeast
1 ½ cups warm water
1 cup warm milk
½ cup sugar (2/3 c for sweet rolls)
6 Tb shortening
2 tsp salt
4 eggs
7-8 cups flour

Beat first 7 ingredients until smooth. In an electric mixer with a dough hook, add flour one cup at a time until dough forms a ball, cleaning off edge of bowl. Knead 5 minutes (or 10 minutes by hand). Let rise until double. Punch down dough and let rise until double again. (To make this easier, I leave the dough in the mixing bowl with dough hook, covered with a damp towel. When it has risen double, I turn on the machine briefly to gently punch down the dough. Then I cover again with the towel and allow to rise again.) Punch down again and divide into 3 parts. Roll out each part and form into rolls. *I prefer butterhorn rolls: roll each segment of dough into a circle. With a pizza cutter, cut into fourths then each fourth into thirds - making 12 pie shapes. Roll each one up starting at the wide end. Place on cookie sheet and let rise briefly. Watch carefully as rolls will rise very quickly now after 2 risings. Bake at 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes, until lightly browned.

Original Peanut Butter Cookie

1 cup + 2 TBS peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 TBS milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Peanut Butter chips (I recommend the Reese’s brand, the generic are not the same)
1/2 cup Chocolate Chips
3/4 cup Sugar (for rolling dough balls, may need more or less)

Preheat oven to 350.
Line baking sheets with parchement paper.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the peanut butter, butter. Once combined beat in the white sugar, and brown sugar until well blended. Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla.
In a large bowl wisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gently add to creamed mixture and mix until almost combined. Fold in chocolate and peanut butter chips. Chill dough for at least 15 minutes.
Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls. Genlty roll the dough balls into sugar and place dough balls on parchment lined baking sheets. Carefully press each ball with fork tines to create a criss-cross pattern.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for 5-10 minutes until sturdy enough to be transfered to a wire rack to cool completely.

Buttery Cinnamon Cake

INGREDIENTS :

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
1 1/3 cups white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup white sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and lightly flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat shortening, 1 1/3 cups white sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating for at least 1 minute after each egg. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Remove cake from pan while it is still warm, and poke holes around the top of the cake with a fork. Pour the warm cinnamon syrup into the holes and onto the top and sides of the cake.

To Make Cinnamon Syrup: In a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup white sugar, butter, water, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Heat and stir until butter melts.

Basic Bread

2 cups lukewarm water

1-2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp yeast

5-6 cups flour

2 tsp salt

1-2 Tbsp softened butter

Pour warm water into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add sugar. Sprinkle in yeast. Do not stir. Let sit about 10 min until yeast is dissolved and bubbly. Add 5 cups of flour, salt and butter. Mix until combined. Knead, adding 1/2 -1 cup more flour if necessary. Shape dough into a ball, cover and let rise until double in size (1-3 hours depending on warmth of location). Punch dough down and divide into two equal pieces and place into greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise again until double. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 min. Remove from oven, let sit in pans for a few minutes. Take yummy warm bread out of pans and smother with butter and honey or jam or cinnamon sugar, etc.

Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies

2 Cups sugar
1 Cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Cup sour cream
6 Cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons softened butter, (slice 2 Tablespoons 6 times totaling 12 tablespoons)
1 1/2 Cups packed light brown sugar, divided into 1/4 Cups
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon, divided

Frosting
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 Cup powdered sugar
2-4 Tablespoons milk, to thin icing

1. In an electric or stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter. Add eggs, vanilla and sour cream until well combined. Slowly add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined.

2. In 2 batches, place in plastic wrap in a disc shape and chill for at least 2 hours for best results.

3. Once chilled, cut each disc into thirds and roll into a 1/8 inch thick oval, about 12 inches X 5 inches. Spread each rolled pieces of dough with 2 Tablespoons softened butter, 1/4 Cup packed brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Start rolling from the long end closest to you, rolling into a log shape. Using a sharp knife, cut 1/2 inch pieces of dough then placing onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before removing from baking sheet.

4. To prepare frosting, beat the cream cheese until softened and smooth, slowly add powdered sugar and milk until desired consistency. Frost cookies then place in refrigerator until ready to serve. These are 100 times better chilled, trust me!!

Asian Chicken Barbecue

Serves 4 to 6

2 pounds Tyson boneless, skinless chicken thighs tenders (don't use chicken breasts)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced

Place thighs into the bottom of a slow cooker. Lay as flat as possible. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl. Pour sauce over the chicken. Cover and cook on Low for 2 hours. Turn chicken over and cook 1 hour longer. Serve.

Jalapeno Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
• 1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian dressing
• 3 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 6 slices bacon
• toothpicks

DIRECTIONS

1. Place chicken breasts in a dish with the Italian dressing. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours.
2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
3. Stuff each jalapeno half with cream cheese. Roll chicken breasts around jalapeno peppers. Wrap each chicken breast with a slice of bacon. Secure with toothpicks.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Arrange wrapped chicken breasts on the prepared grill. Cook for 20 minutes, turning frequently, or until bacon is browned and the chicken juices run clear.