Holiday baking: Spritz Cookies

This weekend is what I deem my Holiday Baking weekend.

Each year I take out a big chunk of time to devote to a baking marathon.  One of my favorite things to due during the holiday season is to bake goodies for friends, neighbors, and co-workers.  This all started with a neighbor we had growing up that would deliver a plate of goodies to us each year.  I looked forward to that plate e v e r y  y e a r...it was a tradition and left great memories.

The numbers we have to share with are growing each year as now MGG has about 50 employees or so in addition to mine at work as well.  Plus friends and neighbors.  You get the picture.

This calls for lots and lots of goodies!  So I hunkered down and made 7 different types of goodies and could have kept going but ran out of time!  So this variety will have to do.  Seems like the trick to providing so many different varieties of goodies are to make items that make large quantities, like bars, and that are easy to put together.

Items like fudge, cookies, quick bread loaves, and bark come to mind.  So that's what I did!

First up is are a classic.  Spritz Cookies.  They were on my neighbors annual plate and they are now on mine too.  Without a doubt a tradition.

They are easy to put together, using very few ingredients.  The batter is basically a butter cookie dough that you use with a cookie press.  I actually got a new cookie press this year and I really found it easy to handle. Here is my press!  One trick to the press is to butter the sheets with melted butter so the cookie sticks to it.  This helps, trust me!  Also you need to press down firmly and pull the trigger, then lift straight up.  Practice makes perfect.

Kitchen Tip:  If your dough becomes too warm it will soften and spread, making the cookies come out irregularly shaped, flat, and the dough may ooze out of the press in unwanted spots!  Just refrigerate the dough for about 10 minutes to firm it up and it will work perfectly in your press.

This make a LOT of cookies.  The best part is that I was done from start finish in about 1 hour.  Prepped, baked and cooled!  How is that for quick baking?  Love it...and Love, Love, Love these cookies too! 

Stay tuned for more holiday baking ideas!
 

Spritz Cookies

Yield:  30 cookies

 

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 large egg yolks

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla

2 cups flour,

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter two baking sheets with melted butter.   

In a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract and beat until mixed in.   Add the flour and salt and mix until you have a well mixed dough that comes together.

Add chunks of dough into the tube of your cookie press, that is fitted with a the plate of choice.  Press cookies onto the baking sheet, spacing about 1 – 1 ½” apart.  (If the dough is too soft, because the shape of the cookies is not clearly defined, chill the dough.) If desired, decorate the cookies with sprinkles or jimmies. 

Bake cookies for about 8 minutes or just until the edges of the cookies are barely tinged with brown. Remove from oven and allow to sit on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies keep at room temperature for about 10 days.  Cookie may be frozen for several months. 

Hamburger Steaks with Mushroom Gravy

When I was growing up I used to cook lunch for my Dad.

I can hear him now calling me, "Bessie Annie come make me a hamburger steak, will you punkin?"

Boy, I remember making these so called Hamburger Steaks often.  Sometimes with onions and beef gravy.  Sometimes plain.  He loved them.  We all did.

Mom would make them ever so often because the use of ground beef was an inexpensive way to feed a family.  Plus...they taste darn good!

I never understand why they called them steaks though.  Technically they were a hamburger pattie, not steak.  But we always formed them a little thicker than your normal pattie, and they were made an oval shape.  I'm sure this was to make it appear more like a steak.  

Regardless of my fascination with the name, I love the flavor all the same.

So craving a Hamburger Steak I decided to make my own with a mushroom gravy.  I'm fond of mushrooms.

MGG is fond of mushrooms.  

Perfect combo.

Break out the ground sirloin for top flavor.  You can't get much easier than this.  Just make the "steaks" and gravy, add some sides and you are set for dinner.  A great hearty meal that's inexpensive, and perfect for a weeknight dinner. 

An ode to my Dad!

Enjoy!

Hamburger Steaks with Mushroom Gravy

serves 4

1 lb of ground sirloin
salt and pepper
8 oz of sliced mushrooms
1 cup beef broth
1 Tablespoon flour

Divide beef into 4 sections.  Form 4 oval patties about 1 inch thick.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add patties and until done.  About 8-9 minutes turning once.

Add mushrooms to the skillet and cook until tender.  Add 1/2 cup of broth to the mushrooms.  Allow to boil.  Add flour to the remaining 1/2 cup beef broth.  Stir to combine.  Add remaining broth to skillet and stir to combine.  Allowing to boil. Cook 1 minute.  Broth will thicken.

Serve hamburger steaks with mushrooms and gravy poured over top.

Holiday Parties: Pear Ginger Cake

We are having our holiday party at work tomorrow and everyone was supposed to bring some side dishes or desserts.  Potluck style, while they furnished the main course.

So I decided to do some baking and make a dessert to take.

This Pear Cake is just perfect to share.  It makes a large one layer cake that I cooked in my cast iron skillet.  Yes, in my cast iron skillet.  A 10" skillet.

This couldn't be easier.  First you saute chopped pears in the skillet with lots of butter and brown sugar until they are caramelized.  The butter helps with greasing the skillet so that the pears don't stick when baked.  You wouldn't want that!  Trust me, I was holding my breath on mine, but it came out perfect.

Next you just pour the cake batter over the fruit that is spread all over the bottom and bake.  It's that simple. Plus I'll let you in on a secret.  You can either make the cake batter using the recipe below, or...you can make a simple quick bread, or even a pound cake and use that.  I've made this before with that uhhhem...boxed pound cake mix (oops!) and some apples and it turned out fabulous.  In this version I took the recipe below and added some candied ginger to the mix.  Ginger and pears are excellent together. 

Trust me when I say this is as easy as cake!  You make it all in a skillet and it will feed a crowd.  Great for taking to holiday parties, potlucks, or serving your family at a holiday dinner.  It's good anytime.

Enjoy!

Pear Ginger Cake

Sauteed Pears:
2 cups of pears peeled and chopped (about 3 pears)
2 Tbs. (1/4 stick) unsalted butter 
2 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar 
Juice of 1/2 lemon   
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon  

Vanilla Cake:
1 1/4 cups flour  
1/2 tsp baking powder  
1/4 tsp baking soda  
1/4 tsp salt  
1 egg  
1 cup granulated sugar  
1/2 cup canola oil  
1 tsp. vanilla extract  
1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large 10" cast iron skillet, add butter and melt over medium heat.  Add pears, brown sugar, lemon and cinnamon to the skillet.  Cook, stirring constantly 3-5 minutes or until pears are softened.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the egg and granulated sugar until fluffy and lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, slowly add the oil and vanilla and beat until blended. Beat in the sour cream just until no white streaks remain, then beat in the flour mixture until incorporated. Carefully pour the batter over the fruit in the skillet, spreading it evenly with a rubber spatula.

Bake at 350 for 30 min in a 10 inch cast iron skillet.  Allow to cool in skillet for 10-15 min.  Run a knife along the edges of the skillet.  Invert onto a platter.  

Variation:  Fold in 1/3 c of finely chopped candied ginger in the batter.