Ruth's Crockpot Apple Butter

You can make this overnight and when you wake up your place smells awesome.

16.5 cups  of Cooking Apples: peeled, cored and chopped finely
4 cups of sugar (I use Maple sugar or organic cane sugar)
4 teaspoons of ground cloves
6 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix sugar, cloves and cinnamon, then pour over apples in slow cooker. Cook HIGH for 1 hour. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 11 hours until thick. Stir occasionally and uncover the last hour continue stirring. Use a hand held mixer to blend smooth. Pour into containers and freeze or serve fresh.

Easter Eggs

Easter Egg 

1/2 cup Butter

1 tsp Vanilla

2/3 cup (1/2 can) Condensed Milk

5 1/2 Cups Icing Sugar

Yellow food colouring

Cream Butter and Vanilla.

Add milk and blend until smooth

Gradually add Sugar and blend mixture until smooth but not sticky.

Take a small bowl of mixture and add food colouring.  Make into shape of yokes and freeze individually.

Make white into balls.  

Pat balls down and flatten and then wrap around frozen yolks.

Freeze egg.

Dipping Chocolate

1/2 pound semi sweet chocolate

Melt in double boiler and dip eggs

Great Aunt Dobbie's Banana Bread

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas
4 tablespoons sour milk (4 tablespoons of milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Mix flour and baking powder in one bowl
Mix baking soda in sour milk (it will gain volume so make sure the bowl is big enough)
Mix vanilla in with mashed bananas
Cream together butter, sugar and egg.  Alternately add flour ingredients and the milk ingredients.  Add bananas after all other ingredients blended.

Oil baking pan and then line with wax paper.  Bake loaf a little bit lower than 350 degrees F.

Christmas Shortbread

1 cup butter
1/2 cup of icing sugar
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
2 scan cups flour

Put through cookie press.  Bake at 3:50 for 5 - 8 minutes.

Icebox Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup of shortening
2 cups sugar (brown or white - brown is best)
2 eggs, well beaten
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla

Make into a roll, wrap in wax paper and freeze.  Slice as thin as possible but even thickness.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes.

Gingerbread Men

3 cups (420 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
1 lrg egg
2/3 cup (160 ml) unsulphured molasses

Note: To prevent the molasses from sticking to the measuring cup, first spray the cup with a non stick vegetable spray (like Pam).

Gingerbread Men:  In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and spices. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined.  Gradually add the flour mixture beating until incorporated.

Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or over night.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F  (177 degrees C) and place rack in centre of oven.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside while you roll out the dough.

On a tightly surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.  Use a gingerbread cuter to cut out the cookies.  With the offset spatula lift the cut out cookies onto the baking sheets, placing the cookies about 1 inch (2.54 cm) apart.  If you are hanging the cookies or use as gift tags, make a hole at the top of the cookie with a straw or end of a wooden skewer.

Bake cookies 8 - 12 minutes depending on the size.

Grandma Betty's Gumdrop Cake

1 pound of seedless raisins, boiled, drained and cooled
1 pound of gum drops, cut into pieces (no black ones)
 
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup of butter
2 eggs
Almost 3/4 cup of sweetened milk
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream sugar, butter and 2 eggs together
Mixed dry ingrediients and add alternately with milk

Mix Raisins and gumdrops in last

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour