October 5, 2020
Most Delicious Cookie, Bar None!
Are you a bar cookie fan? Cookies and brownies of all kinds are popular afternoon treats at Buckhorn Inn. But fall makes us yearn for a sweet date filling, crunchy nuts, and a buttery cookie crust. This recipe was inspired by one found in “Easy Entertaining” by Marlene Sorosky. The cookbook is available on http://www.amazon.com. The addition of prunes adds a chewy texture to the sweet dates. The recipe below makes about 24 bars.
Dates and prunes add natural sweetness to these delicious bars.
Butter-Crust Date Bar Cookie
Crust Layer
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 pound butter, cold and cut into 8 pieces
Fruit-Nut Layer
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped walnuts
2/3 cup chopped pitted dates
1/3 cup chopped prunes
Confectioners sugar for sprinkling on top
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with heavy foil. The foil should extend over the sides of the pan. Butter the bottom. For the crust, pulse flour, sugar and butter in a food processor until crumbly. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 16 minutes until the edges are lightly browned.
Make the fruit and nut layer while the crust bakes. In food processor mix sugars, eggs and vanilla until frothy. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Mix until incorporated. Pulse in nuts, dates, and prunes until well combined. Spread the topping over the hot cookie dough. Return to oven and bake 15 to 17 minutes. The top should be golden. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Use the foil to lift out the cookies. Place on a flat surface and cut into bars. The cookies may be stored at room temperature, tightly covered, for several days or frozen. Before serving, sift confectioners sugar over the top.
October 29, 2018
Soft Ginger Cookies are Perfect taste of Fall
By popular demand, we are posting the recipe for our soft, sweet, and spicy ginger cookies. We find the rich, warm tastes to be perfect for fall.
The ancient Chinese first cultivated ginger root, where it was often used as a remedy for stomach ailments. Traders on the Silk Road brought the spice to Europe. The term “gingerbread” came to refer to any baked good that included ginger and a sweetener such as honey or molasses. Europeans made hard gingerbread cookies, sometimes gilded with gold leaf. These were a popular treat at festivals and fairs. Ladies often gave their favorite knights a piece of gingerbread for good luck in a
Ginger and spice make these cookies nice!
tournament. Queen Elizabeth I is given credit for popularizing fancily decorated ginger cookies and they came to symbolize all that was elegant in England. http://time.com/4602913/gingerbread-men-history The colonists brought ginger baked goods to the New World. Early Americans appear to have preferred softer gingerbread and the first American cookbook contains three different recipes. The Marquis de Lafayette was partial to the soft gingerbread served to him by George Washington’s mother. Buckhorn Inn’s soft ginger cookies offer a delicious taste of history.
Recipe for Soft Ginger Cookies
1/4 pound butter at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
3 tablespoons dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons milk
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
extra sugar for rolling
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, sugar, and egg until light and fluffy. Then mix in molasses, corn syrup and milk. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, creating a stiff dough. Pinch off small pieces of dough and shape into 1 1/2″ balls. Roll in sugar. Place 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 11 to 12 minutes until tops are puffed. Cool cookies 2 minutes on baking sheets, then remove to racks to cool. These freeze well. The recipe makes about 40 cookies.
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