Notes
Vegetable shortening should be used to grease metal baking pan cookie sheets where the recipe calls for a greased pan. Otherwise, metal baking pan cookie sheets must be lined with flexible parchment paper. Metal baking pan cookie sheets are not meant to be used ungreased or without parchment paper. Otherwise, a metallic taste will be imparted onto the cookies and the taste aesthetic will be off and the cookies will likely taste bad at the time of serving and taste testing.
Dry measure means choosing and using the right measuring cup for the job and then filling it or packing to the top with the dry good called for as an ingredient in the recipe like white flour or brown sugar and then passing a metal spatula or the flat end of a metal butter knife over the top of the filled measuring cup for 3 passes to level it off at the top. There and back and there with the spatula or back end of a butter knife to remove any excess from the measuring cup. This is the formula for making sure that the dry measure amount of dry goods is accurate and precise in the recipe.
Egg wash also known as egg yolk wash and it is made by beating together 1 large egg and 1/2 teaspoon of water. Egg wash also known as egg yolk wash is brushed onto the cookie baked good product before the bake step of the recipe.
Milk paint glaze is made by mixing 2 tablespoons of full fat condensed milk and enough food coloring to give the glazed look the right shade of color. Milk paint glaze is brushed onto the cookie baked good product before the bake step of the recipe
Beyond’s Peanut Butter Cookies
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Bake Time: 12 minutes for each batch of 12 cookies
Makes 13 batches and this equals 156 cookies
Ingredients
4 1/2 cups all purpose enriched white flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3 teaspoons baking soda
2 3/4 jars of creamy peanut butter and this means the same thing as saying 2.75 jars is needed for this recipe and each jar from the store has 18.0 ounces of creamy peanut butter inside of it so this makes 49.50 ounces of creamy peanut butter total that is needed here
2 1/2 cups of unsalted butter, softened and this is equal to about 5 sticks of butter most of the time
2 1/4 cups of packed brown sugar
2 1/3 cups plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar
5 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
Preparation and Assembly and Baking Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large bowl, stir together the enriched white flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until blended.
In a separate large bowl, beat the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, and 2 1/3 cups of granulated sugar together until creamy using a hand mixer or a stand mixer at the medium speed setting. Every minute, also known as every 60 seconds, be sure to scrape the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula. Lower the speed to the low speeding setting on the machine mixer. Beat in the vanilla extract. Scrape the bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the combined flour mixture that is still in the first large bowl, the one you made at the start, just until blended. Scrape the bowl occasionally as you go and mix one last time to the finish.
Using the rounded measuring tablespoon method, drop the peanut butter cookie dough onto 2 ungreased large metal pan cookie sheets that are lined with flexible parchment paper. Space the cookies 2 inches apart. This amount of peanut butter cookie dough is the total amount that you need to make the 156 cookies, so be mindful when sizing the cookie dough drop. Place the remaining 1/4 cup of granulated sugar on a plate lined with flexible parchment paper. Dip the tines of a fork in the granulated sugar. Press the traditional crisscross crosshatch pattern onto the top of each cookie before baking. This 1/4 of granulated sugar is what is called for by recipe to finish and crosshatch the whole bakers dozen. Portioning the 1/4 cup of granulated sugar into 13 portions and using 1 portion per batch, is something that might be helpful when planning.
Bake each batch 12 – 14 minutes until lightly browned. Once they come out of the oven, transfer the hot peanut butter cookies to a wire rack right away and they can finish cooling there. Use a wide spatula to transfer the hot cookies or otherwise they will crumble and break. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and sugar on top and enjoy.
Creator’s Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies and Beyond’s
Preparation Time: 31 minutes
Bake Time: 10 – 12 minutes for each batch of 12 cookies
Makes 13 batches and this equals 156 cookies
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups vegetable shortening, softened
1 3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
4 eggs, beaten with a whisk by hand until stiff peaks form
1 cup of 4% whole milk, to create sour milk
1 teaspoon vinegar, to create sour milk
2 full tablespoons of the sour milk mixture
3 1/4 cups enriched white flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 3/4 cups long rolled oats
2 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1 full teaspoon of vanilla extract
Preparation and Assembly and Baking Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix the vegetable shortening and brown sugar in a medium size bowl and cream them together until light and fluffy.
Combine the whole milk and vinegar and set them aside for at least 2 minutes to let the milk sour and this creates sour milk. Two full tablespoons of this sour milk mixture will be used in the next step of the recipe.
Add the 4 beaten eggs and 2 tablespoons of sour milk to the shortening and sugar from the first step and beat things together just until incorporated.
Sift the enriched white flour, baking soda, and cinnamon together into a large size bowl and then these dry ingredients to the creamed mixture you made in the step before this one.
Gently stir in the rolled oats and chocolate chips.
Using the rounded tablespoon method, drop the portioned chocolate chip cookie dough onto 2 ungreased large metal pan cookie sheets that are lined with flexible parchment paper. Space them apart by 2 inches.
Bake each batch at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 – 12 minutes per batch.
Allow the cookies to cool completely while they are still on the metal pan baking sheet for 15 – 20 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack and allow them to come to room temperature for 1 hour. Put the cookies in an airtight container and do not refrigerate them.
Serve with cold milk to drink as a beverage and enjoy.
Manon’s Master Make Ahead Mix
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Makes 13 portions and each portion is 1 cup in size
Ingredients
9 cups enriched white flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cups vegetable shortening, softened
Preparation and Mixing Instructions
In a large size mixing bowl, sift together all of the dry ingredients. Pour the sifted together dry ingredients into a different large size mixing bowl. Sift the entire mixture back again into the first large size mixing bowl. Pour the twice sifted dry ingredients into the 2nd large size mixing bowl. Sift everything into the first large size mixing bowl. This is now a three times and thrice sifted mixture.
Add in the vegetable shortening 1/2 cup at a time and stir in between every addition.
Mix everything together until the mixture has the consistency texture of hot and cooked oatmeal cereal or gruel.
Store Manon’s Master Pudding Mix at room temperature in a covered container.
Measure it out when you use it in a recipe according to the instruction notes above for dry measure leveling and measuring.
Great Beyond’s Baked Chocolate Pudding
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Makes 1 dozen portions and each portion is 1 cup in size. If you want to make 13 dozen total for large batch baking like a baker’s dozen of them, you need to repeat this process and carry out all the steps in the recipe 13 times.
Pudding Base Ingredients
4 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup of Manon’s Master Make Ahead Mix and the recipe for this is seen above
3 1/2 tablespoons of 1% milk
1/2 teaspoon of condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon of evaporated milk
Topping ingredients that you need to add on top of the pudding before baking the chocolate baked pudding
5 tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 3/4 cup water that is at a tepid temperature
Preparation and Assembly and Baking Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large size bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon dry ingredients. Add in Manon’s Master Make Ahead Mix and stir until blended.
To the same large size bowl from before, stir in the 1% milk, the evaporated milk, and the condensed milk, and beat these things together with a hand mixer using the (dough) mixing blade on the medium speed setting.
Pour the pudding base batter into a greased 8” width x 10” length x 3.5” deep stainless steel metal pan. Grease the pan with vegetable shortening and not pure fat lard or butter. Spread the pudding base batter out evenly in the pan with a silicone tip edge spatula.
In a one quart size stovetop safe pot, mix together the topping ingredients: cocoa powder, firmly packed brown sugar, and tepid water. Place the stovetop safe pot on top of a burner element on the top of the stove. Turn the stove element on to medium high heat and continue heating and bring the topping ingredients just to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat of the stovetop burner element and pour the topping ingredients evenly over the entire contents of the pudding base batter that you poured and spread earlier into the 8” width x 10” length x 3.5” deep stainless steel metal pan.
Place the pudding base batter, now topped with the topping, into the oven and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes.
Allow the baked chocolate pudding to cool for 30 minutes to room temperature.
Scoop and portion and serve with a portion of fancy granola.
Queen Nebula and her Fancy Granola
Preparation time: 1 hour
Makes 1 dozen portions and each portion is 1/2 cup each. To make 13 dozen portions total, carry out and completely finish this recipe 13 separate times.
Ingredients
6 cups oat flakes
3/4 cup walnuts, hulled and crumbled
1/2 cup pecans halves, sliced
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, unhulled
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup water
1 1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sultana raisins, kept whole
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preparation and Assembly and Baking Instructions
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line 2 large and rimmed metal pan baking sheets with flexible parchment paper.
In a large size bowl, combine the oat flakes, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and pecan halves.
In a sauce pan on top of the stove, add together the water, maple syrup, corn syrup, and salt. Heat on the medium-high heat setting and continue heating for 19 minutes until the maple syrup completely dissolves. Remove the saucepan from the heat of the stovetop.
Pour the heated semi-liquid contents of the saucepan on top of the granola that is on the metal pan baking sheets. Mix everything together thoroughly while it’s still on the pan and before you put it in the oven for baking. Spread everything out to evenly to cover the tops of the baking sheets.
Place the metal pan baking sheets on the center rack of the oven and bake at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour. During the baking process, stir the mixture twice with a wooden spoon and this is happening midway and two-thirds of the way through.
Remove the metal pan baking sheets from the oven and allow the granola to cool for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes of out of the oven time, pour the granola into an extra extra large size mixing bowl. Add the cinnamon spice to the granola bowl and mix well to distribute some cinnamon spice flavor all around.
Let cool completely until it is room temperature for sure.
Store in airtight mason jars.
Serve stirred into vanilla yogurt or with Great Beyond’s baked chocolate pudding.
A and Izzy’s Mini Apple Pie
Preparation Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Makes 12 mini apple pies
Ingredients for Apple Pie Filling
1 1/2 cup cake and pastry flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter, softened
6 medium size gala apples, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Preparation and Assembly and First Set of Baking Instructions for the Apple Pie Filling
Sift the cake and pastry flour and kosher salt into an extra extra large size mixing bowl.
Add in the firmly packed brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, cornstarch, and cinnamon and mix until blended.
Fold in the softened butter in tablespoon size increments and blend in between each addition.
Add in corn syrup, heavy cream, water, apple cider, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and mix thoroughly.
Add in the peeled and sliced apples and mix until everything is blended and the apple slices are completely covered and coated.
On the stovetop, preheat a saucepan using the medium-high heat setting on the stove and then put everything from the extra extra large mixing bowl in the saucepan on the stovetop. Heat the apple pie filling for 15 – 20 minutes over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat setting to low. Continue heating in the saucepan for an additional 15 – 20 minutes until the apple pie filling has a warm, golden brown and caramelized appearance. Remove from heat completely and cool for 1 hour.
Ingredients for Pastry Crust Mini Pie Crusts
2 cups cake and pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons pure fat lard
2 tablespoons ice water
Preparation and Assembly and First Set of Baking Instructions for the Pastry Crust Mini Pie Crusts
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a medium size mixing bowl, sift together the flour and kosher salt.
Add 3 tablespoons of lard to the same medium size mixing bowl from earlier. Blend the ingredients together using a pastry blender hand tool until it has a fine crumbled look texture and consistency.
Add 1 tablespoon of ice water to the mixing bowl. Stir with a spatula until the mixture is moistened. Add the other 1 tablespoon of ice water to the mixing bowl. Stir with a spatula again.
Sprinkle an adequate enough amount of cake and pastry flour on the work surface countertop you will use in this next step. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and place it on the floured work surface. Form the dough into 4 equally sized smooth dough balls.
Roll out all of the dough balls separately with a floured rolling pin to a thickness of 1/2” and use a pastry knife to cut each of them into squares that have the dimensions of 3” wide and 3” in length. Each dough ball should be made into 3 mini pie crusts for a total of 12 by the time you are done rolling and cutting things to shape and size.
Fit the 12 mini pie crust pastries into aluminum foil pie plates and press the pastry down gently to fill and reach the whole bottom of the pie plate and let the edges of the pastry hang off the edges of the pie plate. Place the pie plates on a metal pan baking sheet that is lined with flexible parchment paper. Only 1 metal pan baking sheet should go in the oven at one time.
Bake in the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 – 12 minutes until the pastries look lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer the pie plates to a wire cooling rack and allow them to cool for 30 minutes.
Final Steps in Mini Apple Pie Making and Baking Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add 1/12 portion of apple pie filling to each of the 12 pie plate pastry crusts. Use it all up.
Fold the edges of the pastry crust up and over the top of the apple pie filling so it looks like an inverted pinwheel and pinch the edges down all the way around.
Use the tines of a fork to pierce 4 holes in the top of the crust of each mini apple pie pastry.
Place the mini apple pies that are still inside their pie plates on a metal pan baking sheet.
Place the metal pan baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the crust on top looks medium golden brown.
Remove the metal baking pan from the oven and transfer the mini apple pies to a wire cooling rack and leave them in their pie plates. Transfer them to air tight containers after 1 hour.
Serve warm and with vanilla ice cream a la mode if you wish.
Own’s Own Lemon Square
Preparation Time: 51 minutes
Makes 1 full pan that is cut into 12 squares for the dozen
Ingredients
2 tablespoons of unflavored kosher gelatin
1/3 cup ice cold water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups boiling hot water
2 tablespoons of grated lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice
5 egg whites, stiffly beaten this means beating the egg whites until stiff peaks form no yolk no yolk
1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
One single 8 ounce container of frozen whipped dessert topping, thawed enough so it is spreadable
Preparation and Assembly and No Bake Instructions
Sprinkle and then press down 1 cup of the graham cracker crumbs all along and over the bottom of a rectangular metal baking pan that is 8” wide and 10” in length and at least 2” deep and ensure the pan has walls that meet in all 4 of the corners.
In a medium size stainless steel mixing bowl, add together unflavored kosher gelatin and cold water.
In a medium size stainless steel stovetop safe pot, dissolve the granulated sugar in the pre-measured amount of boiling hot water off heat. Add in grated lemon zest. Turn the stovetop burner element on to medium-high heat and put the pot on the element and bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Pour the hot liquid from the stovetop safe pot over the gelatin and cold water mixture from step 2. Stir everything together well so the gelatin dissolves completely. Add the lemon juice to the mixture and all of this is happening in the medium size stainless steel mixing bowl.
Cover the medium size stainless steel mixing bowl with food approved plastic wrap. Refrigerate and chill the mixture for 5 – 10 minutes until it is half set.
Remove the bowl from the fridge. Beat the lemon mixture with a hand mixer or a stand mixer on the medium speed setting for 5 minutes. Add the stiffly beaten egg whites into the bowl and beat on the low speed setting until it thickens and is no longer runny but more than that you should be able to nearly turn the bowl upside down and the beaten together lemon egg white mixture doesn’t move that much or fall right plop out.
Pour the thickened and partially set beaten lemon egg white mixture on top of the graham cracker crumb crust that’s at the bottom of the rectangular metal baking pan. Spread things out nicely and evenly.
Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Remove from the fridge.
Spread the whipped dessert topping that is has been thawed and that is ready for spreading on top of the lemon square dessert we are making to a height of 1/2 on top of the lemon layer.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of graham cracker crumbs nicely and evenly on top of the whole thing.
Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours. Remove from the fridge. Cut into 12 square pieces with a sharp blade dessert knife designed for this purpose.
Serve cool on a saucer with a dessert spoon for tasting.
Ding Ding Drop Gingersnaps
Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Makes 13 dozen cookies to bake and share
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups pure lard
3 1/3 cups granulated sugar
7 1/3 cups black strap molasses
8 eggs, beaten
19 1/2 cups all purpose enriched white flour
7 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
7 teaspoons cinnamon
10 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons allspice
2 teaspoons nutmeg
6 cups strong coffee, brewed from instant coffee granules and this amounts to 1 level teaspoon of instant coffee granules being needed to brew and make 1 cup of strong brewed coffee so this recipe requires 6 level teaspoons of instant coffee granules total and also the addition of these granules to 6 cups of boiling hot water and then the resulting hot boiling instant strong coffee you have created is what will be used as an ingredient and it will be added in later on
8 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preparation and Assembly Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
In an extra extra extra large 3 XL size stainless steel mixing bowl, cream together pure lard and granulated sugar completely.
Add in black strap molasses and eggs and blend together.
Into a large size stainless steel mixing bowl, sift all purpose enriched white flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg spices.
Add 1/4 of the sifted dry ingredients from the large size mixing bowl to the 3 XL size mixing bowl with the lard, sugar, molasses, and eggs in it. Mix thoroughly.
Add in 2 cups of strong brewed coffee to the 3 XL bowl. Blend everything completely.
Add the remainder of the sifted dry ingredients to the 3 XL bowl. Mix together completely.
Add the remaining 4 cups of strong brewed coffee to the 3 XL bowl. Blend everything well.
Add the final ingredient of vanilla extract to the 3 XL bowl and stir and mix well.
Prepare 2 large metal pan baking sheets for baking by lining them each with flexible parchment paper. You can bake up to 2 large metal pan baking sheets in the same oven at one time. Up to 1 dozen drop gingersnap cookies may go on one single baking sheet.
Using the rounded tablespoon method, drop the gingersnap cookie batter onto the parchment lined metal pan baking sheet and spread the cookies apart by 2” and remember this recipe yields 13 dozen cookies so portioning the batter is important to help ensure the correct number of servings will be there in the end.
Use a fork to crosshatch each cookie in a way similar to what was described in the peanut butter cookie recipe above.
Baking Instructions
Bake each batch of gingersnap cookies in an oven that has been preheated to 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 31 minutes.
Remove them from the oven when they’re done baking. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely. Transfer them to an airtight container for storage and gift giving and enjoy.
Jennifer Joy Brenley Nyhof 