Posts by Beth

• Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line the jelly roll pan with wide foil and apply nonstick spray.
• In a mixing bowl, combine flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
• In a large bowl, beat together the shortening and sugar until they are fluffy. Scrape the bowl as needed. Beat in the eggs and molasses. Slowly add the dry ingredients; if using a stand mixer, it may be necessary to stop doing so at the end to finish mixing by hand. Pat the dough into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the coarse sugar across the top and lightly press it in.
• Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. The edges should be turning golden. Cool in pan on wire rack. Use the foil to lift it onto a cutting board for easy slicing. In a sealed container, keeps up over five days at room temperature.

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• In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, cornstarch, and maple flavor. Gradually add the flour. Shape the dough into a disc and encase in plastic wrap. Chill it for at least 45 minutes in the fridge until it’s firm enough to roll out, but it can be kept there for up to 2 days–but note that it will get quite hard with longer storage. If it’s there over a day, let it sit at room temp for 30 minutes to an hour to soften enough to roll out (but don’t let it get too soft, either).
• Preheat oven at 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Lightly flour a surface and roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out cookies. Place spaced out on parchment.
• Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack. Once they are cool, mix the glaze. Use the back of a spoon to spread glaze onto cookies, Set them back on cookie sheet or rack to set for an hour or two. Pack in sealed containers for up to a few days.

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• Place ingredients in recommended order for bread machine, usually liquid first: water, milk, egg, butter, flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Start dough cycle, and let it mix and complete the first rise.
• Prepare a baking sheet or sheets with parchment paper.
• Once that is done, remove dough and divide in half using food scale. Roll each half into a 12-inch round. Divide the 1/4 cup butter in half and spread over each round. Use a knife or pizza cutter to slice each round into 12 wedges. Starting at the wide end, roll up each triangle gently but tightly to form a crescent roll. Place each roll, narrow side down, on the baking sheet.
• Cover pan with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let rise in a warm spot for an hour. Meanwhile, start preheating oven at 400 degrees.
• Once rolls are risen after the hour, bake for 10 to 15 minutes, switching pan position in oven, if necessary, to prevent overbrowning. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
• Cool rolls can also be frozen for later enjoyment; thaw them at room temperature then heat wrapped in aluminum foil at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes.

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Mix topping

• Combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until the mixture becomes crumbly. Tuck into fridge while the loaf is made.

Create loaf cake

• Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Cut parchment paper to fit into loaf pan like a sling, the paper extending up both long sides. apply nonstick spray into middle.
• In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add the buttermilk and vanilla.
• In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet. Fold in the apple pieces and the walnuts. Pour batter into the pan and even out. Sprinkle topping mix to cover.
• Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes in pan before using the parchment to lift the cake onto a rack. Keep stored at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap or otherwise covered. Pieces can also be individually wrapped and frozen.

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• Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Use nonstick spray with flour on the interior of a bundt pan.
• Drain the pears, reserving the syrup. Mash the pears with a fork to break into small chunks.
• In a large bowl, reunite the mashed pears with the syrup. Add the cake mix, egg, and two egg whites. Beat for several minutes to fully incorporate and create a light batter.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes; the middle of the cake should pass the toothpick test. Cool for 20 minutes, then invert cake onto cooling rack to completely cool.
• If desired, sprinkle on confectioners’ sugar just before serving. Cut into slices with a sharp knife (seriously, the cake is very soft) and enjoy! Cake is best if eaten within a day.

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