Cranberry Hootycreeks

What a great cookie! Even better, here are the intructions for making them a layered jar gift for Christmas of Valentines day, but just mix them up and follow the instructions, they are the bomb baby!

Cranberry Hootycreeks

5/8 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

 Directions

Layer the ingredients in a 1 quart or 1 liter jar, in the order listed.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:
 Cranberry Hootycreeks 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. 2. In a medium bowl, beat together 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until fluffy. Add the entire jar of ingredients, and mix together by hand until well blended. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. 3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges start to brown. Cool on baking sheets, or remove to cool on wire racks.

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Lemon Pie Bars

Almost everyone loves lemon bars, and I have tried recipe after recipe looking for that perfect lemon bar. A few years ago, while dabbling in the kitchen, I combined a couple of different recipes and Voila! Lemon Pie and Lemon Bars had a baby and here it is. Just yummy!! Now, if you personally think there is to much crust, double the filling , which is what I do. However, some folks prefer more crust, and if that's the case leave the recipe as is. It's a functional recipe, give it a try and adapt it to your taste according to which you like best more filling/less crust ..... plenty of crust and just enough filling. Enjoy! - Miss Rachel




 Lemon Pie Bars

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F . Mix 2 cups of flour and confectioner's sugar together. Cut in the butter or margarine. Mix well until the dough resembles pie dough consistency. Press the dough into a 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Beat together eggs, sugar, 4 tablespoons flour, lemon juice and lemon rind for at least 1 minute. Pour the mixture over the baked crust. Bake the bars another 20 minutes, or until the lemon topping has set. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar when cooled.

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Rainbow Cake in a Jar

My kiddos and I love taking the same 'ol same 'ol goodies and making something fun and neat. Each year we make gifts in a jar for our family and friends, so when we have made so many wonderful goodies for everyone else, we need a little treat for us. We love the bright layered rainbow cake visible through the jar, and topping it with clouds of white frosting and sprinkled with pure bliss makes this delightful cake treat pure joy!

Rainbow Cake in Jar 

1 box white cake mix made according to package instructions Neon food coloring in pink, yellow, green, turquoise, and purple 3 one-pint canning jars
1 can vanilla frosting
Rainbow sprinkles

Directions

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly wash and dry the inside of each canning jar. Spray the inside of each jar thoroughly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Scoop about 1/2 cups of cake batter into five small bowls. It doesn’t have to be perfect, don’t panic if you get a little more of less of one color than another. Tint each bowl of cake batter with the food coloring until very vibrant. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the purple batter into the bottom of each jar. Spoon equal amounts of turquoise batter, then green, yellow, and pink. Place the jars in a shallow baking dish, add about 1/4″ in water in the baking dish. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove jars and allow to cool completely before scooping a small portion from the top of your cake and adding a hefty dollop of vanilla butter cream to the top. Sprinkle and serve, or cover with a lid and store in the fridge or pop into the mail and ; surprise someone you love!

Baking times may vary a little according to altitude and how your oven performs. :)

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Big Soft Ginger Cookies

These are just what they say: big, soft, gingerbread cookies. They stay soft, too. This is my kiddos favorite ginger cookies. :)

Big Soft Ginger Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
 1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar

 Directions 

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

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