First-place winners!
Now that the weather is chilly, get ready for the holidays by whipping up the first-prize recipes from the 2007 Harvest Fair Bake-Off Competition.
Age 12 & Under Cookies
VANISHING OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES Baked by Philip J. DeCicco of Skillman
1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
1 cup raw cane sugar (brown)
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins
½ cup sweetened coconut
1 cup pecans
1 cup chocolate chips
Beat together the butter and sugars until creamy. Mix in eggs and vanilla, beat well.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and oats. Mix this well with the egg mixture.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well with a wooden spatula.
To make cookies, make tablespoon-sized balls in your hands, put on a cookie sheet, and flatten a little. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Cool a minute on pan then place them on a wire rack to finish cooling. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
Hopewell Coffee Cakes
SUNRISE COFFEE CAKE baked by Lewis of Pennington Cake:
2/3 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup golden raisins
Cream butter, sugars, eggs, and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients and raisins. Pour into a greased and floured 9×13-inch pan.
Topping:
½ cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup chopped nuts
Mix topping ingredients until crumbly and sprinkle on top of batter in pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Glaze:
1¾ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
While cake is warm, drizzle with glaze.
Baked Chocolate Desserts
BITTERSWEET CARAMEL CRUNCH DELIGHT baked by Georgia Travers of Hopewell Cake:
2 12-oz bags semisweet
chocolate chips
1 cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon instant coffee
granules
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt 2 cups of chocolate chips over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring occasionally until smooth. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream butter with sugars until smooth. Beat in egg, then stir in coffee granules and vanilla until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate. Blend in dry ingredients until everything comes together and stir in the remaining chocolate chips.
Spread batter evenly in greased 9×9-inch square pan and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, cool for three hours before removing onto serving plate to frost and top.
Frosting:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
(sift before measuring)
1½ tablespoons butter,
softened
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
Toppings:
2 Lion candy bars or Kit Kat candy bars or Ghiardelli caramel squares
Commercially prepared caramel sauce
Combine all frosting ingredients in small mixing bowl. Stir until smooth and well blended. Adjust for spreading consistency, adding more milk or more confectioners’ sugar as necessary.
Cover cake with a thin layer of vanilla frosting. Crush 2 candy bars and sprinkle over the frosting. Drizzle with a small amount of commercially prepared caramel sauce.
Harvest Muffins
CARROT CAKE MUFFINS baked by Nancy B. Kennedy of Hopewell Cake:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups grated carrots
1 apple, peeled and grated
½ cup shredded coconut
½ cup raisins
½ cup chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting:
Cream together:
1 8-oz block of cream cheese
8-oz butter (2 sticks)
Mix in:
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in carrots, apple, raisins, coconut, and walnuts. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, oil and vanilla; add to flour and fruit mixture and mix only until batter is moist. Fill greased muffin pan and bake at 350 degrees 25-30 minutes. Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting. Makes 16-18 large muffins.