White Chocolate Cheesecake with Raspberries

 

You will need...  

Graham crackes, 4 crackers.

3 tablespoons white sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted ( think i used more than that)

fresh raspberries

2 tablespoons white sugar

1/2 cup water

2 cups white chocolate chips

1/2 cup half-and-half cream

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (never measure vanilla, i just pour in a little)

 

1. In a medium bowl, mix together graham crackers, 3 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 10 inch springform pan.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate chips with half-and-half, stirring occasionally until smooth.(thats one way, i just put mine on the stove, depends on what you have)
3. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted white chocolate. Pour batter over crust.
4. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours before removing from pan. (what i find that is the best for making cheesecake, is wrap foil on the outside of your spring form pan(so no water gets in) and then put that pan in a larger pan(i use my roasting pan) and put boiling water in the larger pan. it makes the cheesecake much more fluffier.
5. When cooled place raspberries on top, with white chocolate shaving. 

 

Royal Icing

Royal Icing
(This will cover 2-3 dozen 3.5 inch cookies in 2 colors; I usually double this recipe.)

4 TBSP meringue powder
scant 1/2 c. water
1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp light corn syrup
few drops clear extract (optional)


Combine the meringue powder and water. With the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, beat until combined and foamy.

Sift in the powdered sugar and beat on low to combine. (Do NOT skip the sifting!)
 
Add in the corn syrup and extract if desired. ( I think the corn syrup helps keep the icing shiny.)

Increase speed to med-high/high and beat for about 5 minutes, just until the icing is glossy and stiff peaks form.


(You should be able to remove the beater from the mixer and hold up and jiggle without the peak falling.) Do not overbeat.


Cover with plastic wrap touching the icing or divide and color using gel paste food colorings.

This "stiff" icing is perfect for outlining and even for building gingerbread houses and monogramming. To fill in your cookies, add water to your icing a teaspoon at a time, stirring with a rubber spatula, until it is the consistency of syrup. This technique of filling a cookie with thinned icing is called "flooding."

Karie's Magnolia Sugar Cookies!

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

2 cups vegetable shortening

3/4 teaspoon vanilla (i usually add more because i love my cookies to have a very vanilla taste)

1 large egg, beaten

4 1/3 cups cake flour or 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tsp. orange zest (not flavoring) optional

Important Note: I have made these  cookies several times lately experimented with different amounts of cake flour since their seems to be some confusion over what the correct amount really is. Here is the conclusion that I have drawn. If you are using Cake Flour which I strongly suggest I would use 4 1/3 cups. I would chill them for at least 2 hours prior to baking.
If you must use all purpose flour I would use 3 1/2 cups and chill for at least 2 hours. I have made these cookies with 3 1/2 cups cake flour and if your making drop cookies without chilling they spread too thin. 

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375°.

2) In a medium bowl, cream together the sugars and shortening using an electric mixer.

 3) Mix on slow speed 30 seconds, then scrape down the bowl with a spatula.

4) Increase speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes.

5) Slowly add vanilla and beaten egg while mixing.

6) In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, mixing on slow speed until just blended. Do not overmix.

 7) Scoop with an ice-cream scoop if decorating with sugar only

8) Place directly on cookie sheet.

9) Bake at 375° for 9-10 minutes. Cookies are done when small cracks appear and are pale golden. Ideally, the edges do not brown.

VARIATION FOR CUTOUT COOKIES:

7b) If making cut out cookies form dough in to 2 balls, chill dough in refrigerator for at least 2 hours covered.

9) Roll out dough on floured surface and cut out cookies with desired shaped cookie cutters. If dough is too moist sprinkle small amount of flour directly on rolled dough

9) Place directly on cookie sheet.

10) Bake at 375° for 9-10 minutes. Cookies are done when small cracks appear and are pale golden. Ideally, the edges do not brown.

Mom's Ultimate chocolate chip cookies

mom's ultimate chocolate chip cookies
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 butter flavor crisco
2 tablespoons milk
1 table spoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
chocolate chips (i use whatever i have, and usually half a bag or add as much as desired)

heat oven to 375, combine brown sugar, shortening, milk and vanilla in large bowl. beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. beat egg into creamed mixture.

combine flour, salt and baking soda. mix into creamed mixture until just blended. stir in chocolate chips.

bake 10 minutes.