by Paula Deen
Lady Lock Cookies
APPROXIMATELY 4 DOZEN
1 pound (4 sticks) butter
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt 1 cup sour cream
1 cup buttermilk
Cut butter into dry ingredients. Add sour cream and buttermilk. Mix well. Divide into four parts, flour well, and fold like a rectangular envelope. Refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove one part at a time, and roll thin. Make strips 1 inch wide and 7 inches long. Wrap around foil-covered clothespins. Bake for 15 minutes, or longer if needed. Set aside to cool.
FILLING
1½ cups Crisco shortening
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1 cup sugar 1 egg white
teaspoons vanilla
½ cup hot milk
Cream together shortening and butter. Add sugar and beat well. Add egg white and vanilla; beat thoroughly. Add hot milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until creamy. Put into cookie press or pastry tube and fill cookies.
Southern Tea Cakes
YIELDS 6 TO 8 DOZEN
This is a very old Southern recipe that has been handed down from one generation to another.
4 cups all-purpose flour
teaspoon baking soda
teaspoons baking powder 2 cups sugar 2 eggs
½ cup buttermilk
½ pound (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl sift flour, baking soda, and baking powder together. Add remaining ingredients and blend well. Dough should be soft. Roll dough out onto a floured surface until approximately ¼ inch thick. Cut dough into desired shapes and bake on a slightly greased sheet for 10 to 12 minutes.
Sliced Nut Cookies
YIELDS APPROXIMATELY 8 DOZEN
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1½ cups Crisco shortening
3 eggs, beaten
4½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup ground pecans
Cream sugars and shortening; add eggs. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; add to sugar mixture. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and nuts. Roll into several small, oblong rolls. Chill until cold. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice dough into thin cookies. Bake for 12 minutes.
Butter Fingers
YIELDS APPROXIMATELY 100
1 cup chopped pecans
2½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup granulated sugar ½ pound (2 sticks) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
One 16-ounce box powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine all ingredients except for powdered sugar. Roll into small “fingers” or balls. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Roll immediately in powdered sugar.
Goodies
YIELDS APPROXIMATELY 20
½ pound (2 sticks) butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla
⅓ cup peanut butter
1½ cups uncooked rolled oats
½ cup chopped pecans
Melt butter in large saucepan. Stir in brown sugar, syrup, salt, and vinegar. Cook over high heat to firm ball stage. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients; pour into greased 8-inch square pan and chill. Cut into squares. Wrap each piece in wax paper.
Low Country Cookies
YIELDS 15 TO 20
One 16-ounce box graham crackers
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg ½ cup milk
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup or 3½-ounce can shredded coconut
Line a 13 × 9-inch pan with whole graham crackers. Melt butter in saucepan and add sugar. Beat egg and milk together; add to butter mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add nuts, coconut, and 1 cup graham cracker crumbs. Pour over crackers in pan. Cover with another layer of whole graham crackers. Prepare topping.
TOPPING
2 cups powdered sugar1 teaspoon vanilla 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter3 tablespoons milk
Beat all ingredients together and spread over top layer of crackers. Chill. Cut into squares.
“Thumb Print Cookies
YIELDS 5 DOZEN
¾ pound (3 sticks) butter, softened
cup sugar
egg yolks
3¾ cups all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Any tart preserves (plum, for example)
Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks. Sift flour and salt; blend into butter mixture. Add vanilla. Chill dough thoroughly. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Make indentation in center of each with thumb; fill with preserves (jelly or pecan halves will also work). Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove to rack to finish cooling. These keep well in a tightly closed container.
Butter Cookies
YIELDS 6 TO 7 DOZEN
3 cups sugar
¾pound (3 sticks) butter
2 egg yolks 1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups bread flour
Gradually cream 1 cup sugar into butter. Add egg yolks and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour, gradually. Decide whether you want to use the dough in a cookie press, roll it out and use cookie cutters, or slice cookies. Shape the dough accordingly. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until ready to bake. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Form dough into cookies, using whatever method you chose, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Do not let them get brown. Use spatula to remove and place on rack to cool. When cool, dip in remaining sugar.
Grandma's Iced Georgia Squares
YIELDS APPROXIMATELY 20
¼cup sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together sugar, butter, and egg. Sift dry ingredients together; add to egg mixture. Pour into greased 13 ×9 ×2-inch baking pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool. Prepare icing.
ICING
1 cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter ½ teaspoon vanilla
Small amount of milk
Combine sugar and butter; add vanilla. Add just enough milk for desired consistency. Pour onto cooled baked batter. Cut into squares.
Fudgie Scotch Ring
YIELDS 36 SLICES
One 6-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips
One 6-ounce package butterscotch morsels
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, plus 1 cup walnut halves
½ teaspoon vanilla
In top of double boiler, melt chocolate and butterscotch together with milk. Stir occasionally until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat; add chopped walnuts and vanilla. Blend well. Chill for 1 hour until mixture thickens. Line bottom of a 9-inch pan with a 12-inch square of foil. Place ¾ cup walnut halves in bottom of pan, forming a 2-inch-wide flat ring. Spoon chocolate mixture in small mounds on top of walnuts to form a ring. Garnish with remaining walnut halves. Chill until firm enough to slice.
Lady Brownies
YIELDS 15 TO 20
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
6 tablespoons cocoa 1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups self-rising flour
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Blend together sugar, oil, eggs, cocoa, and vanilla. Add flour; mix. Add nuts; spread into greased 13 ×9-inch baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
The
Lady & Sons
Cream Cheese Brownies
YIELDS 15 TO 20
Use Lady Brownies recipe above. Pour half the batter into a greased pan. Layer with this cream cheese mixture, then top with remaining batter, swirling it with a knife.
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened ½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add remaining ingredients; blend well. Swirl into brownie batter with knife edge.
The Lady & Sons
Peanut Butter Bars
YIELDS 15 TO 20
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
½ cup peanut butter
1½ cups sugar 2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup self-rising flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13 ×9 ×2-inch pan. Melt butter and peanut butter in bowl over hot water. Add remaining ingredients. Stir until blended. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.
zAunt Glennis's Blonde Brownies
YIELDS 15 TO 20
3 eggs
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
One 16-ounce box brown sugar
2 cups self-rising flour
1 tablespoon vanilla 2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup or 3½-ounce can shredded coconut (optional)
One 6-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat eggs and butter together; add sugar. Gradually add flour; mix well. Stir in vanilla. Fold in nuts, coconut, and chocolate chips. Bake in greased and floured 13 ×9-inch sheet pan for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.
The Lady & Sons
Peanut Butter Buckeyes
YIELDS 6 TO 7 DOZEN
One 12-ounce jar crunchy peanut
butter (1½ cups)
One 16-ounce box powdered sugar
½ pound (2 sticks) butter One 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips
1 bar paraffin
Mix together peanut butter, sugar, and butter and form into small balls; chill. Over medium heat in the top of a double boiler, melt together the chocolate and paraffin. Using a toothpick, dip each ball into chocolate and cover about three-quarters of the ball, leaving a brown round eye. Place on wax paper to cool.
Pecan Clusters
YIELDS 12 DOZEN
One 7-ounce jar marshmallow fluff
1½ pounds chocolate kisses
5 cups sugar One 12-ounce can evaporated milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
6 cups pecan halves
Place marshmallow fluff and kisses into a large bowl. Set aside. Combine sugar, milk, and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 8 minutes. Pour over marshmallow and chocolate, stirring until well blended. Stir in pecans. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper.
Peanut Butter Balls
YIELDS 18 TO 24
1 cup peanut butter
cup honey
cups powdered milk 1½ cups crushed cornflakes, 1½ cups finely chopped walnuts or pecans, or 1 cup powdered sugar
Mix peanut butter, honey, and milk together to form very thick mixture. Roll out in small balls about the size of a walnut. Then roll in crushed cornflakes, finely chopped nuts, or powdered sugar. Place on wax paper and refrigerate.
Old-Time Chocolate Fudge
YIELDS 36 PIECES
cups sugar
heaping tablespoons cocoa
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup evaporated milk 6 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped pecans
1½ teaspoons vanilla
Mix sugar and cocoa; add syrup and milk. Cook in saucepan over medium heat until a small drop forms a soft ball in cold water (234 to 240 degrees on a candy thermometer). Remove from heat. Add butter, pecans, and vanilla. Beat with mixer or by hand. Pour into a slightly buttered oblong glass dish and cut into squares. Work fast, as mixture thickens quickly.
Five-Minute Fudge
YIELDS APPROXIMATELY 16 TO 24 PIECES, OR ABOUT 2½ POUNDS OF CANDY
1⅔ cups sugar ⅔ cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon butter
½ teaspoon salt
One 6-ounce bag semisweet chocolate chips 16 large marshmallows
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
Combine sugar, milk, butter, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add chocolate chips and continue to heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and stir in marshmallows, vanilla, and nuts; mix well. Pour into shallow 8-inch square pan to cool; cut into squares.
Baked Apples
YIELDS 6 APPLES
Baked apples are so very good and can be served along with baked ham or roasted turkey as part of the meal. They may also be served as a dessert with caramel sauce.
6 same-size Granny Smith apples
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup sugar 2 tablespoons butter
1 cup apple juice
6 sprigs fresh mint
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Core apples, being sure not to puncture bottom of apples, so the juices will remain. Skin ½ inch around top of apples at the opening. Fill each cavity with a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. Top each apple with a teaspoon of butter. Place apples in casserole dish and pour apple juice around them. Bake for approximately 1½ hours.
CARAMEL SAUCE
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1 cup light brown sugar ¼ cup evaporated milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
Melt butter; add brown sugar and evaporated milk in saucepan over medium heat. Cook until bubbly, stirring constantly. Continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Place apples in individual compote dishes and top each with an ample amount of caramel sauce and a sprig of mint. Serve immediately.
The Lady & Sons
Strawberry Mold
SERVES 12
I serve this as a congealed salad at holiday meals.
Two 3-ounce packages strawberry Jell-O
1 cup boiling water
Two 10-ounce cartons frozen strawberries 1 cup chopped pecans
3 medium bananas, sliced
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup sour cream
Dissolve Jell-O in boiling water. Add remaining ingredients except sour cream. Pour half of mixture in salad mold; let chill. Cover with layer of sour cream, then top with remaining half of mixture. Refrigerate; chill until firm.
Walnut Praline Brie with ‘Fruit
SERVES 4 TO 6
1 pound red or green grapes
¼ cup dark brown sugar
4 teaspoons butter 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
2 ounces chopped walnuts
1 small wheel of Brie (8 ounces)
Wash and divide grapes into clusters. Make praline: Place sugar, butter, corn syrup, and 1 teaspoon water in a small saucepan. Simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in walnuts. Cut Brie into wedges; arrange on round serving tray. Spoon 1 teaspoon praline mixture over each wedge. Garnish with grapes.
Crème Caramel
SERVES 8
1 cup sugar
5 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt 3 cups milk
1½ teaspoons vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter eight 6-ounce custard cups. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt ½ cup sugar, stirring constantly until it is a light brown syrup. Pour syrup into buttered cups. Place cups in baking pan for easy handling. In large bowl with mixer at low speed, beat eggs, salt, and remaining ½ cup sugar until lemon-colored. Gradually beat in milk and vanilla. Once mixture has settled, with all air bubbles out, pour mixture into cups. Put hot water into baking pan to within 1 inch of top of cups. Bake 1 hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool, loosen custa
rd with knife; invert.
VARIATION: Sprinkle ground nutmeg on top of each custard before baking.
Rice Pudding
SERVES 8
½ cup uncooked rice
3 cups boiling water
½ teaspoon salt
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
½ cup raisins
1 tablespoon vanilla
Measure rice, boiling water, and salt into top of double boiler. Cook over rapidly boiling water until rice is tender, about 40 minutes. Stir in condensed milk, butter, and raisins. Cook, stirring frequently, over boiling water until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serve warm or cold.
The Lady & Sons
Banana Pudding
SERVES 8 TO 10
At the restaurant, I no longer -prefer the meringue topping but instead like fresh whipped. Of course, the pudding must be very cold before you add the whipped cream. Otherwise, the warmth from the pudding will break down the ingredients of the whipped cream.
¾ cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
3egg yolks 1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
3 medium bananas, sliced
Vanilla wafers
Mix together sugar and flour and slowly add milk. This should be cooked in the top of a double boiler, but you can cook it over low to medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens—do not leave it unattended. Slightly beat egg yolks and temper with a small amount of the hot custard; stir well. Add egg mixture to custard pot and cook 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter. Let cool. In a 13 ×9-inch casserole dish, alternate pudding, bananas, and wafers, beginning with pudding and ending with pudding. Add topping, if desired.
