Tickled Pink Lemonade Cookies

I love a good murder mystery.  Especially the ones that have recipes.  There are more than you might think and the best part is, even if you don't like the book you can cook something and get over it.  I checked out the latest one from Joanne Fluke, called Red Velvet Cupcake Murder.  I will buy the paperback when it come out, not to re-read the book, but to save the recipes!  Which is not to say I didn't like the book.  I did.  But there are some more recipes I want to make and the book was due back at the library.  I made some cookies from a recipe in the book and I think you should, too!

Tickled Pink Lemonade Cookies

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
3 drops red food coloring
1 3/4 cups flour


   

Preheat the oven to 350.  Don't grease the cookie sheets.  I used a Silpat.  I love them because they are reusable and nothing sticks to them.

   

I also use a Kitchen Aid mixer, because it works while I do something else.  Put the softened butter in a mixer with the butter.  Beat for several minutes on medium speed until the butter is light and fluffy.  Stop it every once in a while and scrape down the bowl.

While the mixer is beating the butter and sugar for you ( see why I like it?)  you can get out the other ingredients.  Then add the baking powder and the baking soda.  Beat until they are combined.  Once again, you may need to scrape down the bowl.  Oh, come on.  It is doing all the hard work.  You are just using a rubber spatula.

Put the egg in a bowl and whip it a bit with a fork and add that to the mix.  Add the pink lemonade and keep mixing and scraping. 

Now you are going to think something is wrong.  It is going to look like the lemonade curdled something.  It didn't.  Keep on going, you'll be fine.

Add the food coloring.  Nice and pink, now.  But a light delicate pink, don't you think?

Add the flour a half cup or so at a time.  Beat after each addition.

   

The dough is now done, but can be a bit sticky.  I put the whole mixing bowl in my freezer while I cleaned up, five minutes or so.  You can use a teaspoon to drop the cookies onto the cookie sheets or do like I did and use a small scoop.  They make quick work of cookie scooping and are a good investment if you want to make a lot of cookies!

Drop the cookies about 2 inches apart on the ungreased, but maybe Silpat covered, cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.  Mine took 11 minutes.

   

Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for two minutes and then move them to a cooling rack.  When they are completely cooled you can frost them with...


Pink Lemonade Frosting

2 Tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
3 to 4 teaspoons milk.   I had some heavy cream left over from another recipe and used that, but it took about 7 teaspoons to get the right consistency.
2 drops red food coloring


   

Beat the butter and the powdered sugar together.  I cleaned and used the same Kitchen Aid mixing bowl.  Start it slow or you may become covered in sugar dust!

It won't get too creamy because you don't have a lot of moist for all the dry.  Think about doubling the batch next time!

Add the lemonade concentrate.  Then beat in the milk a little at a time.  You want it thin enough to spread but not watery.  If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar, too thick a bit more milk.

   

Add the two drops red food color and mix until a pretty pink.

   

Frost the cookie with a swirling motion.  Set them back on the cooling rack to harden up a bit.  You can store them in a covered container with waxed paper between the layers when completely dry.

   


Serve with the pink lemonade you made from the rest of the concentrate.  Perfect for a little girl's tea party, but the dads will love them , too.

Blueberry Gingerbread

   

Blueberry recipes usually catch my eye.  And I love me some gingerbread.  This one came complete with a mystery, called Town In A Blueberry Jam by B. B. Haywood.  I found it on the shelves of books waiting to be processed in the Buchanan Library.  I couldn't check it out to read the mystery, but I could look at the back and use the recipe!

Blueberry Gingerbread

1/2 cup butter, softened (one stick)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup molasses This helps to make this a dark rich gingerbread.
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups Maine wild blueberries, fresh or dried only.
1 cup hot water

I couldn't find the wild blueberries.  There are the little teeny ones.  I did find dried blueberries and decided to just chop them up small.  It worked for me.

   

Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray Pam in an 8 inch square pan.

In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar.  A stand mixer is the best for this.  I use a Kitchen-Aid mixer.

   

Mix in the molasses.  If you have a hard time getting the last of the molasses out of the jar, heat it for about 10 seconds.  Not longer.  It will get VERY hot and BURN you.  No, of course I didn't do this.  THIS time.  Because I learn from my mistakes...and so should you, learn from my mistakes, that is.

Add the egg and continue mixing.  You may have to scrape it down a time or two.

   

In a separate bowl , combine the dry ingredients.  Then take out a Tablespoon or so and add it to the bowl where you put the blueberries, chopped up in my case.  Stir it all around until the blueberries are coated and not clumped together.  This allows the blueberries to be evenly distributed in the gingerbread and not sink to the bottom.

Add a scoop of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and then a portion of the hot, not boiling, water.  Continue doing this and mixing in between, until everything is added in and the mixture is smooth.

   

Remove the bowl from the stand and gently fold in the blueberries.  This is where you put them on top and bring the spoon up from the bottom and cover the blueberries.  Work all the way around the bowl until everything is mixed in.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  You will need to do a bit of scraping to get everything from the bowl into the pan.

Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  I had to cook it for 37 minutes.  Wonky oven.

I cut it in 9 squares and then cut some of the squares in half.  Then you can have a small piece and decide you really like it and have another small piece.  This seems like less food than taking a big piece.  Don't ask me why.  Gingerbread is always better with a bit of whipped cream or Cool Whip.

 

    

 

 

The gingerbread flavor is really strong in this recipe.  ( "The FORCE is strong in this one."  Don't know why that quote popped in my head.  Maybe because I have a son that watched those movies a zillion times.)  Even so, you can taste the blueberries.  A strange, yet good,  combination.

Blueberry Lemon Shortbread

   

When working in the Buchanan Library recently, I came across a book that looked interesting.  It was waiting to be processed, so I made sure the labels and all the appropriate stamps were in place and then applied the tape on the spine.  It was one type of book I really enjoy...a murder mystery with recipes!  And BLUEBERRY ones!

Well, I couldn't check it out yet, so I copied a couple of recipes while I wait for it to be processed.  I will read it when it becomes available, but in the meantime I made...

Blueberry Lemon Shortbread

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 Tablespoon lemon zest I didn't measure it, just one lemon minus the green stamp on the skin.
3/4 cup dried blueberries
1 cup (2 sticks) butter

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix the flour, salt, sugar, lemon zest and dried blueberries in a large bowl.

   

Cut the butter into small chunks and cut it into the flour mixture until crumbly.

At this point the recipe wanted me to keep mixing until the dough comes together.  It didn't.

   

So I put everything in my Kitchen-Aid mixer and let it run.  In just a few seconds it all came together in a big ball.  I was worried I would have to add milk or something as it looked like it would never come together.  Modern technology.  Ain't it grand?

   

The recipe suggested chilling the dough for 30 minutes, but our house was pretty chilly already and it wasn't sticky, so I just went ahead.  If it is summer or the dough seems sticky, go ahead and chill it.

Place the ball of dough between two sheets of wax paper.  Roll it out in a (mostly) rectangle until it is 1/2 inch thick.  I used the edge of a table knife to make the edges more even and trimmed off some of it.  Then I cut it into squares.  I made the bits on the edges into a log and flattened it and then cut more squares. 

Place these on an ungreased cookie sheet or a Silpat, about 1 inch apart.

   

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned.  Mine took 17 minutes.

Cool on a cooling rack and place in an airtight container.

I was making chocolate dipped strawberries for the meal I was serving with the Blueberry Lemon Bars, so I went ahead and dipped a few of them in chocolate.  Both ways were delicious!

Strawberry Puff

I saw this recipe in a Sunset magazine a long time ago.  I tore the page out and never made it.  I found it in a binder of recipes I had saved for future use and thought it would be a good dessert.  And it was.  I made some pralines in case it (or I) bombed, so I had to eat TWO desserts.  Bummer (Oops.  Dated myself.)

Strawberry Puff

2/3 cup water
5 Tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
1 Tablespoon sugar
2/3 cup flour
3 large eggs
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon grated orange peel, I used a micro plane and used a whole orange. 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whipping cream
2/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
About 2 cups sliced strawberries

Strawberry sauce (see below)

Combine the water, butter and sugar in a medium sauce pan.  Bring to a boil over high heat.

                                   

Add the flour all at once and stir quickly until the mixture pulls away from the pan.  Remove from the heat and stir until all the flour is incorporated and the mixture is smooth.  Let cool about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I put it in the bowl of my Kitchen-Aid mixer.  Add the eggs one at a time and mix fully between each egg.  Stop mixing when each egg is blended in so you don't over mix.  You can use a spoon.

                                        

Spread the dough in a buttered 9 inch cheesecake pan with a removable rim.  I used Pam and an 8 inch pan, because that is what I own.  Spread it evenly over the bottom and up the sides about 1 inch.  This will give a bit of a rim to your Puff.

                                     

Bake in 400 oven for 25 to 30 minutes.  Take a toothpick and prick the pastry about 12 to 15 times and put it back in the oven for 5 more minutes.  It should collapse a bit.  Then transfer to a rack to cool.  It will collapse a bit more.

Wash the mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, orange peel and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Switch to the wire whisk attachment.  Add the sugar and the whipping cream.  Beat on low until blended and then high just until the mixture forms high peaks.  I had to wait a bit to put everything together, so I put the mixing bowl in the fridge to chill until I was ready to assemble it.

Loosen the rim of the pan and use a knife around the pan sides to release the pastry.  Remove the sides.  Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the pastry

                                       

and then sprinkle the strawberries over the top.  Cut into wedges and serve with strawberry sauce.

Strawberry Sauce

Coarsely chop about 1 1/2 cups strawberries.  Place them in a medium sauce pan and add 2 to 3 Tablespoons sugar.  Heat until boiling and the strawberries soften.  Remove from heat and use a stick blender to puree the sauce.  WEAR AN APRON.  I got splashed! 

                                      

Add 2 Tablespoons orange liqueur, if you desire.   I used Triple Sec.  Chill.

The sauce isn't necessary, but it cooked while I was fixing everything else, was easy and it was good.

This is a new favorite dish.  I need to invite someone over again so I have a good excuse to make it.