Cornmeal Currant Crunch Cookies

I found this recipe in a cookbook called Big Fat Cookies.  Supposedly this recipe comes from Italy. They are a delicious crispy cookie, thanks to the cornmeal in them! I had trouble finding the dried currants, but found them at Fresh Thyme.  They are in a box like raisins.

Cornmeal Currant Crunch Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dried currants
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, stir the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt together; set aside.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, 3/4 cup of the sugar, and the lemon zest until smooth and creamy and the color has lightened slightly, about 1 minute.  Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing.  Add the egg yolks and vanilla and mix until blended, about 1 minute.  On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated.  Mix in the currants and pecans.
3. Spread the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar on a large piece of parchment or wax paper.  Using a scoop measuring 1/4 cup, scoop out portions of dough.  This can be made smaller if you want.  Roll each one between the palms of your hands into a smooth ball, then roll each ball in the sugar.  Flatten it to about a 3 1/2 inch circle, and place on cookie sheet. (I flatten with a glass.)
4. Bake one sheet at a time until the bottoms and edges are lightly browned, about 15 minutes.  Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Rousquilles

I found this recipe in a cookie book I got from the library.  It is found in Barcelona and France.  It is a wonderful little cookie, not too sweet.

Rousquilles

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. anise seeds
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. table salt
• 4 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
• 2 cold large egg yolks
• 2 T. orange flower water, milk or white wine
• 2 tsp. honey

Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.  Have two round cookie cutters at hand, one 1 3/4 inches in diameter the other 3/4 inch.  You could use larger round cutters, should look like a donut when cut out.
3. Put the flour, sugar, anise seed, baking soda and salt in a food processor and pulse unit to blend.  Drop in the pieces of cold butter and work in long pulses until you've got a grainy mixture.  Stir the yolks, orange flower water (or whatever you're using) and honey together and add it in small measure, pulsing in short spurts after each bit goes in .  When all the liquid is in, process, stopping to scrape the bottom of the bowl if needed , until you have a mass of moist curds.
4. Scrape the dough out onto the counter and knead it lightly and briefly, just to corral the curds into cohesion.  Place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll it to a thickness of 1/4 inch.  
5. Peel away the parchment and using the larger cutter, cut out as many circles as you can. Transfer them to the baking sheet (you can put them close together; they don't spread much), and remove their centers with the small cutter.  Gather the scraps of dough together, press them into a disk, re-roll and cut again.
6. Bake the cookies 18-20 minutes, rotating the sheet  after 10 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown. Remove to a rack and cool.  
7. Dust with powdered sugar.  Optional:  Frost with a powdered sugar glaze.

Irene's Buns or Rolls

My mom loved to bake!  And every Saturday she would be in the kitchen baking buns, rolls and kuchen.  And I am not kidding, every Saturday!  Later I remember her doing overnight dough, and mixing it on Friday late afternoon.  She would then form the buns and rolls about 10 PM and it was ready to bake at 6 or 7 AM.  Then we woke up to fresh rolls!  I have cut her recipe in half as she made a big batch.  So feel free to double if you want a bigger batch.

Buns and Rolls

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water, or 1 cup milk and 1 cup water, or 2 cups milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tsp. yeast
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 eggs, room temperature, beaten
• 1 tsp. salt
• Flour 5-6 cups

Directions:

1. Bring water and sugar to a boil.  Add butter and let cool to lukewarm.
2. Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup water (100-110 degrees) and 1/2 tsp. sugar.  Let rise.
3. Pour lukewarm water/milk mixture into a large mixer bowl.  Add eggs, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat well.  Add yeast and mix well.  Add rest of flour to make a soft dough.
4. Knead.  Put into a container to rise.  Let rise until double in blue.  Punch down and let rise again.
5. Form into buns, rolls or kuchen. Be sure to grease the pans well. Let rise again until doubled.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

Butterfinger Pie

2020 was not only the year of the Covid-19 pandemic, but also the year I was making a pie a week.  I was always looking for a new recipe to try.  This one made it to my kitchen in May. It is an easy pie to make.

Butterfinger Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 graham cracker crust
• 1 12 oz. container Cool Whip, thawed (or you can whip your own cream)
• 1 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature
• 4  2.1 oz. Butterfinger bars, crushed

Directions:

1. Blend cream cheese and cool whip.  Fold 3 crushed Butterfinger bars into pie filling.  Sprinkle with the 4th crushed Butterfinger bar on top.  
2. Chill 3-4 hours.

Burritos Supreme

Quite often on Monday morning I will take a cookbook and make a menu for the week.  I have lots of cookbooks from churches, organizations, schools etc.  So this particular week I found this burrito recipe and it ended up on my menu.  

Burritos Supreme

Ingredients:

• 8 burrito-size flour tortillas
• 1 16 oz. can refried beans
• 1 8 oz. pkg grated cheddar cheese
• 1 4.25 oz. can black olives, chopped
• 1 lb. hamburger
• 4 oz. can green chilies, chopped and drained
• 1 small onion chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Fry hamburger, salt and pepper in skillet, then drain.  Cook refried beans.  Divide everything into 8 portions.  
2. Spread refried beans, hamburger, onions, cheese, black olives and green chilies down the middle of the tortillas.  Wrap and fasten with toothpick if needed. Put width way into cake pan.

Burrito Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 T. butter
• 3 T. cornstarch
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups taco sauce 
• 1/2 tsp. oregano

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a sauce pan.  Whisk in cornstarch.  Add other ingredients.
2. Simmer until thick.  
3. Pour burrito sauce over the burritos.

Bake at 350 degrees until hot.  25-35 minutes.