Sugar Cookies II

These sugar cookies will make a sweet addition to any school party.  Decorate them with sprinkles and frosting and all of the children in class will eat them up.  They won't care that they are dairy, egg and nut free!!

3/4 c soybutter softened

1/2 c sugar

½ c brown sugar

¼ c oj

¼ c  soymilk                                                    

1 tsp vanilla

2 ½ c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

Beat the soybutter and sugars until creamy.  Next add the orange juice, soymilk, and vanilla and beat on low.  Measure and the dry ingredients and mix on low until a soft dough forms.  Turn dough out onto a sheet or plastic wrap and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.     

Dust a board heavily with flour and roll out cookies.  Cut out with cookie cutters.  If desired, sprinkle with colored sugar sprinkles and bake on an ungreased baking sheet pan at 350 for 11-12 minutes.  Or just bake the cookies plain and frost and decorate them when they have cooled completely.

Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies

These cookies are perfect for Valentine's Day and they are a little different that regular sugar cookies.  Plus it's been just long enough since Christmas to enjoy a sweet treat.  Have fun baking and decorating with you kids!!  

2 c flour

½ c baking cocoa

2 tbs wheat germ

1 tsp baking powder

1 tps baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

¾ c soy butter @ room temperature

½ c packed brown sugar

½ c granulated sugar

¼ c soy yogurt

¼ c soymilk

Measure the dry ingredients and pour them to a medium sized mixing bowl.   Gently stir them together.  Next, cream together the soy butter and the sugars in a large mixing bowl.   Add the soy yogurt, soymilk, and vanilla and beat again until incorporated.   Mix in half of the flour mixture at a time until it is all blended. 

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  When the dough is ready, roll it out on a floured board to ¼ inch thickness.  Cut out the dough with cookie cutters and place on an ungreased baking sheet. 

If desired, decorate with sugar sprinkles before baking.  Cake Mate by Betty Crocker has several nut free varieties.  Or, bake and decorate with frosting and sprinkles when completely cooled.     

Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes. 

Royal Icing

1 c confectioner’s sugar

2 tsp soy milk  

2 tsp light corn syrup

½  tsp vanilla

food coloring of your choice

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and soy milk with an electric mixer.  Next, add the corn syrup and vanilla and beat again until the frosting is smooth.  Divide the frosting into small bowls and add food coloring to desired color.  Cover the icing with a damp cloth when not using to prevent it from drying too much.  

Dairy, Egg, and Nut Free Mocha Cake with Coffee Frosting

I love chocolate and I love coffee.  They are a natural match made in dessert heaven!  This recipe is one that I have been working on and trying out numerous times.  Not that I mind that.  I'm still not sure that I'm 100% satisfied with it yet, but I want to know what other home bakers think.  

Ingredients

2 ½ c flour

2 c sugar

2/3 c cocoa

2 tsp b powder

½ tsp salt

1 tsp b soda
1 tsp vanilla

2/3 c canola oil

1 c soy milk plus 2 tbs coffee syrup and 3 tbs vinegar

1 c hot decaf coffee (double strength)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 2 round cake pans with shortening and dust with flour.  Add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir together.  Make a well in the center and add the remaining ingredients.  Mix with an electric mixer until well blended.  Spoon the batter into the pans and bale for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.  Cool on racks for 10 minutes and remove from pans.  Cool completely and frost with Coffee Frosting.   

Coffee Frosting


Ingredients

3 c powdered sugar

1/3 c soybutter or shortening

1 ½ tsp vanilla

2 tbs double strength decaf coffee

Cream together all ingredients with an electric mixer until well blended.  Frosts and fills a two layer round cake or 24 cupcakes.  Double the recipe for lots of frosting when piping cupcakes.  

Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Pumpkin Pancakes

Well, I apologize for not posting in months!!!  I have started a new part time job and although I have been working on new recipes, I have not had them ready to post.  I hope that you have all still been baking and creating treats for your loved ones.  As usual around here, my husband has been telling me to stop baking and making a mess (I know, he was born without a sweet tooth!)


Lately, I have been trying out some new pumpkin recipes.  These pancake came out nicely, however only 2 of my 3 kids liked them.  Oh well, more for me to eat!

Ingredients

1 ¼ c all-purpose flour

2 tbs brown sugar

2 tsp b powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger                                                                     

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp nutmeg

dash of ground cloves

1 c soymilk

6 tbs canned pumpkin puree

1/3 c canola oil

Measure the dry ingredients into a medium sized bowl and stir.  Make a well in the center and add the soymilk, pumpkin puree, and canola oil.  Gently whisk together the batter.  Melt some soybutter in a skillet over medium heat.  Spoon batter by the ladleful onto the hot skillet and cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side.  Serve with soybutter and Vermont maple syrup. Makes 8 to 10.

Diary, Egg, and Nut Free S'mores Cookie Bars

Who doesn't love making and eating s'mores around the campfire.  I know that it a treat that we enjoy every summer using marshmallows, graham crackers, and Divvies chocolate bars.  But for times when you don't have a fire, such as at the beach or a backyard BBQ, you can have these cookies instead.

Ingredients

½ c soy butter softened

¾ c packed brown sugar

¼ c soy yogurt (chocolate or vanilla flavor)                                   

1 tsp vanilla

¾ c graham cracker crumbs                                                                             

1 ¼  c flour

2 tsp b powder

¼ tsp salt

1 c dairy and nut free chocolate chips

1 ½ c mini marshmallows

Directions

Grease the bottom and sides of a square 8 x 8 baking dish with shortening.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, cream together the soy butter and brown sugar until soft and crumbly.  Next add the soy yogurt and vanilla and beat again on low speed.  

To make graham cracker crumbs take 1 packet of graham crackers (about 10) and place them in a medium ziploc bag.  push out the air and close it up.  Crush up the crackers with your hands.  Then lay the bag down and roll over the small pieces with a rolling pin until they are fine crumbs.  If you are feeling brave just crush them on a board with your rolling pin, but I usually end up with crumbs everywhere when I do that.  

Add the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl and mix until a soft dough forms.  Take just less than half of the dough and press it into the bottom of the baking dish.  Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the dough in a single layer.  Sprinkle the mini marshmallows over the chips in another single layer.  Next comes the tricky part.  Take a handful of the remaining dough in press it out between the palms of your hands and lay it over the marshmallow layer.  Repeat this until all of the dough it used and the marshmallows are covered.  

Bake for 30 minutes and cool completely before cutting into squares and serving.  Otherwise the cookies are very melty and sort of fall apart.  I can't resist and always take a little bite with a spoon when they come out of the oven.  This makes 16 bars that are 2 x 2 inches.  

Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Strawbabababerry Shortcake

If you have ever eaten strawberry shortcake at a restaurant or baked shortcake yourself, you know you will never buy those little six packs of "shortcake" at the supermarket again.  And if you have a kids with food allergies, you're probably wondering what you can make to have strawberry shortcake.  Try this recipe when you have some fresh picked berries to enjoy it with.

Ingredients

2 c flour

4 tbs sugar

2 tsp b powder

1 tsp salt

½ stick soy butter

2/3 c soymilk plus 1 tbs vinegar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Measure the dry ingredients and pour into a medium sized bowl.  Stir to combine.  Make a well in the flour mixture and add the melted soy butter.  Stir gently with a large spoon.  Add the soy milk mixture and stir until it is all mixed together.   The batter will be very lumpy.  Be careful not to overmix the batter, it will make the shortcake tough.  Spoon into 8 clumps onto an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake for 14 - 16 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing in half horizontally.

While to shortcakes are cooking, rinse and slice 1 quart of fresh strawberries.  Sprinkle with ¼ c of sugar and let rest for at least 30 minutes. 

Place the bottom half of the shortcake on a dish and cover with strawberries and sauce.  Scoop soy vanilla ice cream on top.  Place top half of shortcake on the ice cream and serve.  Garnish with fresh mint if desired. 

Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Raspberry Orange Scones

These will taste delicious, but they will probably look like a big raspberry mess before you bake them.  I had been waiting for berry season to arrive to try out this scone recipe.  I got some big juicy raspberries just for the occasion.  Well, they may have been a little too big and too juicy, but live and learn.  I would recommend small to medium sized fresh raspberries for this recipe so that they are not crushed too much when you shape the dough.  

1 ¾ c flour

3 tbs sugar

2 tbs wheat germ

2 tsp b powder

½ tsp salt

1/3 c cold soybutter cut into chunks                                                 

¼ c soy vanilla or plain yogurt

6 - 7 tbs soy milk

zest of 1 small orange

2 tbs orange juice

1 tsp vanilla

1 c fresh raspberries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Measure the dry ingredients and pour into a medium sized bowl.  Stir to combine.  Add the cold soy butter and cut in with a pastry blender or 2 butter knives until the mixture forms fine crumbs.  Next, add the remaining ingredients and stir with a large spoon until just blended.  Gently fold in the raspberries.  Kneed on a floured board 5 - 6 times.  The dough will be slightly sticky and the berries may burst and bleed into the dough.  Don't worry, they will taste fine.  Place the dough onto an ungreased baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Shape the dough into a circle 8 inches in diameter.  Cut the dough into 8 equal slices with a greased knife.  Brush with canola oil and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for 18 – 20 minutes.