Easy Apple Mousse

This easy recipe for apple mousse is a wonderful way to use cooking apples or sharp-flavored eating apples. It is a light yet delicious dessert and also useful for lunchboxes or picnics.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 medium sized cooking apples or Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered and cored
• 3 ½ fl oz/100ml water
• ½ oz/15g white sugar
• Dash of lemon juice
• 10 fl oz/300ml scrumpy (farmhouse cider) or dry cider
• 3 gelatine leaves softened in a little cold water, or 1 ½tsp powdered gelatin
• ½ pt/300 ml whipping cream

Preparation:

• Place the apples in a saucepan, add the water, sugar and lemon juice. Simmer for 10 minutes until the apples are tender and just starting to break up.tender. Liquidize and then push through a fine sieve to create a fine sauce.
• Place the cider into another saucepan, boil until reduced to about 5tbsp. Remove from the heat then add the softened gelatin leaves or sprinkle over the powdered gelatin, stir until dissolved and leave to cool.
• Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks and fold in the apple purée and cider. Divide between 4, 3 ½ "/9 cm ramekins, smooth the surface and leave to set in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Serve immediately garnished with a sprig of fresh mint.

Make Your Own Brownie Mix

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder

Before baking add:
2 eggs
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix first 5 ingredients together and store in plastic bags or in mason jars.

When you are ready to make the brownies, add eggs, oil and vanilla to the mix.

Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes in an 8X8 or 9X9 pan.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon kosher salt 
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) European-style unsalted butter, room temperature 
1 3/4 cups sugar 
2 eggs 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
2 cups dark chocolate chunks 

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt until well combined. 

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing between additions and scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract and mix. On low speed or by hand, stir in the dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, mixing until just incorporated. Do not over-mix. Scrape down the bowl as needed. 

Using a cookie scoop, ice cream scoop, or two spoons, form dough balls and place on prepared cookie sheets with a few inches of room in between. Refrigerate overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 375 F with rack in the center. Line cookie sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. 

Bake for 10-13 minutes (depending on the size of your dough balls), until they are golden brown around the edges and puffy in the center. Let cookies cool a few minutes on baking sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Chrissy's Cheesecake

3 8-oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
3/4 c. sugar
3 drops lemon oil (from do-Terra)
2 c. cream (whipping cream)
3-4 Tbps. powdered sugar
3/4 c. boiling hot water
1 lemon jello (packet)
crackers, for crust

Break crackers into pieces and layer on the bottom of a springform pan.

Beat 3 blocks of cream cheese with maybe 3/4 cups of sugar and 3 drops of lemon oil.  

Beat 2 containers of the whipped cream with 3 or 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.  Scooped out a little for the topping and place in the fridge.  

Then fold the rest of the whipped cream into the cream cheese.  

Boil water and pour into the lemon jello until dissolved.  While the beaters were running, we drizzled (key word drizzle as you cannot pour it all in at once, just bit by bit) that into the cream cheese mixture until all was well blended and put it in the pan on top of crackers.  Set in fridge overnight.

Danish Butter Cookies

DANISH BUTTER COOKIES
1 c. sweet butter 1 egg 1 c. sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 2 c. flour 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg. Mix dry ingredients, sifted once. Add a little at a time. Add vanilla. Roll into small balls about the size of a walnut. Flatten with a fork. Sprinkle with sugar.  Bake at 350 to 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie

taken from here

1 C. Butter
1 C. Sugar
1 C. Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Baking Soda
2 1/4 C. Flour
2 C. Oats
1 package Semi-Sweet Morsels

Cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Add salt, soda, powder, flour and mix just until combined.  Add oats and morsels and mix with a wooden spoon.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes (I do 10 mins.)  Enjoy with milk!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Taken from here

Dough:

1/4 c. warm water
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
1 c. canned pumpkin puree
1/3 c. margarine, melted
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp salt
5-6 c. flour

Filling:
1/2 c - 2/3 c. canned pumpkin puree (to your preference)
1/2 c. butter, room temperature
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 T cinnamon
*optional: 3/4 c. raisins, 1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3 T butter

1/2 tsp vanilla
2 - 2 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Combine warm water, yeast, and teaspoon of sugar in small bowl. Stir until yeast is dissolved. Let stand until froth doubles.
2. In mixer fitted with dough hook, combine milk, eggs, pumpkin, margarine, the 1/2 c. sugar, nutmeg, salt, and cloves. Mix until smooth (don't have a mixer? You can still make these. I first used a wooden spoon until it got to be too hard and then I started using my hands. You have to knead it for a while to get that smooth consistency, but it can be done!).

3. Add 4 cups flour to mixing bowl. Pour frothed yeast mixture on top of flour. Knead about 5 minutes, adding flour 1/2 c. at a time until dough barely begins to clean the sides of the mixing bowl. Dough should be smooth and moist, but not sticky.
4. Spray a bowl with non-stick cooking spray. Place dough in greased bowl. Cover with wet towel, or plastic wrap sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Allow to raise until doubled, about 1 hour.
5. While dough is raising, prepare filling. Place room temperature butter and pumpkin puree in small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until mixture is smooth. In another small bowl combine brown sugar and cinnamon, set both bowls aside.
6. Pour dough out on slightly floured surface. Roll into a rectangle 16x21 inches, dough should be about 1/4 inch thick. Spread the pumpkin/butter mixture over rectangle. Next, evenly spread the sugar/cinnamon mixture on top, slightly pressing it into the dough.
7. Roll up long side of dough, forming long tube. Cut tube with sharp knife about every 2 inches, making 12 rolls. Place rolls in lightly greased 9x13 baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

9. Bake rolls in oven until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to make frosting. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.