Carol’s Comfort Foods

If you love Red Velvet cake and have become a fan of the classic “Whoopie Pies” of the 1920’s, this recipe is for you!

Yield:  42 - 2-inch cookies

 

INGREDIENTS

 

Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ cup buttermilk

1-1-ounce bottle red food coloring (2 tablespoons)

1 recipe for Whoopie Pie filling

 

Filling

 

¼ cup butter, softened

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1-7ounce jar marshmallow crème

 

PREPARATION

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  In large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium to high for 30 seconds.  Beat in brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Alternate adding flour and buttermilk to the cookie batter; beating after each addition until just combined, ending with the flour.  Stir in the food coloring.

 

Spoon batter in 2 inch diameter rounds about ½ inch high on prepared baking sheets, allowing 1 inch between each round.  Bake for 9-11 minutes or until tops of cookies are set.  Cool completely on baking sheets on rack.  Remove cooled cookies from baking sheets. 

 

Filling:  In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Fold in the marshmallow cream and stir until smooth.

 

Assembly:  To fill, dollop Whoopie Pie filling on flat sides of half the cookies.  Top with remaining cookies.  To store, refrigerate in airtight container up to 4 days.  Let stand at  room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

 

 

 

 

Source:  Better Homes & Garden Magazine – December 2008 edition

 

 

Mexican Wedding Cookies (also called Pecan Butterballs)

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

 INGREDIENTS

 1 cup of butter (2 sticks)

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups finely chopped pecans

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon water

½ teaspoon salt

1-2 cups confectioner’s sugar

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

Cream the butter and add the sugar, vanilla and water.  Sift the flour and salt together and stir into the butter mixture.  Add the pecans and mix thoroughly.  Using a teaspoon, shape the cookie dough into small balls and then flatten a bit.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet or Silpat and bake for approximately 12-15 minutes until firm to the touch and just slightly browned around the edges.  Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.  While still warm, roll in confectioner’s sugar.  Set aside on wire rack to finish cooling.  After thoroughly cooling, store in an airtight container.

I’ve just scanned the Food Network program schedule and noticed that they’ve updated their website.  I’m not sure that I like it as well as the old one.  It’s chock full of information for sure, but I think it’s rather hard to navigate to find your favorite chef’s programming for the week.  For me, the old “drop down” menus worked better.  I’d be interested in hearing from those of you that use the site frequently and your reaction to the new format. 

 

However, once I found the programming for the week, I noticed that one of my favorites “Tyler’s Ultimate” is cooking up some great dishes this week!  On Tuesday (28th), he’s preparing an “ultimate” lasagna that combines ground beef and Italian sausage and lots of ricotta and mozzarella cheese.  The fact that he’s also using dried lasagna noodles is a plus, as that’s really a time saver.  Sounds yummy, so I’ll try and catch that episode.  Later in the week (30th), Tyler’s also making tacos with roast beef.  If you haven’t tried tacos made with roast beef, instead of ground beef, you really should.  Their a bit more hearty and just add a different twist to the classic ground beef tacos.  He also includes a fabulous recipe for salsa.

 

Finally, what’s a week without a sweet?  On Saturday, Ina Garten shares a great recipe for Blueberry Crumb Cake.  It’s chock full of blueberries and has a crunchy topping.  This recipe is in one of her cookbooks and I’ve tried it.  Very easy to make and a great way to use any leftover blueberries that you have in the frig or freezer.       

  

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We fully realize that the costs, space and time involved in setting up a commercial kitchen can be a daunting task, so we have taken that obstacle out of the way allowing you to utilize a commercial space for your entrepreneurial ventures. Our goal is to assist local businesses launch and grow without the overwhelming initial monetary investment and meeting state food manufacturing requirements.

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