1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
Pinch salt
1/4 cup ground poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup sweet chocolate bits
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Melt butter. Pour into large bowl. Add sugar and salt. Mix well. Beat eggs with vanilla. Add, mixing well. Gradually add flour, mixing after each addition. Add poppy seeds (they can b ground in a blender or food processor) and cinnamon. Mix well and form into a ball of dough. Place in refrigerator and chill at least 3 hours.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on greased cookie sheet at least 1 inch apart. Make a slight indentation or depression in center of each ball. Bake 15 minutes or until browned on bottom and very light browned on top. While cookies are baking, melt chocolate bits in top of double boiler. Add the heavy cream. Mix well. After cookies have cooled, put a generous amount of melted chocolate on top of each. Serve after chocolate has hardened. Makes about 40 cookies.

From St. Mark’s Church cookbook.

4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, each stick cut into quarters

1. Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt in bowl of standing mixer; place bowl over pan of simmering water. Whisking gently but constantly, heat mixture until it is thin and foamy and registers 160 degrees on instant read thermometer.

2. Beat egg mixture on medium-high speed with whisk attachment until light and airy, and cooled to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add butter, one piece at a time. After adding half the butter, buttercream may look curdled; it will smooth out with additional butter. Once all butter is added, increase speed to high and beat 1 minute until light, fluffy and thoroughly combined. Can be covered and refrigerated up to 5 days.
From America’s Test Kitchen.

Adding the butter pieces to the mixing bowl one at a time prevents the dry ingredients from flying up and out of the bowl. This yellow cake works with any frosting.

4 large eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/3 cups sifted plain cake flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, softened and each stick cut into 8 pieces

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease two 9 inch round cake pans with vegetable shortening and cover pan bottoms with rounds of parchment or waxed paper. Grease paper and dust cake pans with four, tap out excess.

2. Beat eggs, milk and vanilla with fork in small bowl; measure out 1 cup of this mixture and set aside. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in bowl or standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment; mix on lowest speed to blend, about 30 seconds. With mixer still running at lowest speed, add butter one piece at a time; mix until butter and flour begin to clump together and look sandy and pebbly, with pieces about the size of peas, 30 to 40 seconds after all the butter is added. Add reserved 1 cup of egg mixture and mix at lowest speed until incorporated, 5 to 10 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add remaining egg mixture (about 1/2 cup) in slow, steady stream, about 30 seconds. Stop mixer and thoroughly scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Beat on medium-high until thoroughly combined and batter looks slightly curdled, about 15 seconds longer. To mix using hand mixer, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Add butter pieces and cut into the flour mixture with pastry blender. Add reserved 1 cup of egg mixture; beat with hand mixer at lowest speed until incorporated, 20-30 seconds. Increase speed to high, add remaining egg mixture and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Stop mixer and thoroughly scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Beat at high speed 15 seconds longer.

3. Divide batter equally between prepared cake pans; spread to sides of pan and smooth with rubber spatula. Bake until cake tops are light golden and skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cakes may mound slightly but will level when cooled. Cool on rack 10 minutes. Run a knife around pan perimeter to loosen. Invert cake onto large plate, peel off paper and reinvert onto lightly greased rack. Cool completely before icing.

The key to this pie is timing. Start preparing the filling when you put the pie shell in the oven. The pie may be served slightly warm, chilled, or at room temperature, which is our preference. The pie is fine by itself but much improved by a dollop of the brandied whipped cream.

1 recipe American Pie Dough for Prebaked Pie Shell, prepared through step 4
2 cups (16 ounces) plain canned pumpkin puree
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup milk
4 large eggs

Brandied Whipped Cream
1-1/3 cups heavy cream, chilled
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon brandy

1. Adjust oven rack to lower and middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Partially bake pie shell on middle rack as directed in step 5 of American pie Dough for Prebaked Pie Shell recipe.

2. Meanwhile, process pumpkin puree, brown sugar, spices, and salt in food processor fitted with steel blade for 1 minute. Transfer pumpkin mixture to 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan; bring it to a sputtering simmer over medium-high heat. Cook pumpkin, stirring constantly, until thick and shiny, about 5 minutes.

3. As soon as pie shell comes out of oven, increase oven temperature to 500 degrees. Whisk heavy cream and milk into pumpkin and bring to a bare simmer. Process eggs in food processor until whites and yolks are mixed, about 5 seconds. With motor running, slowly pour about half of the hot pumpkin mixture through feed tube. Stop machine and scrape in remaining pumpkin. Process 30 seconds longer.

4. Immediately pour warm filling into hot pie shell. Ladle any excess filling into pie after it has baked for 5 minutes or so, by this time filling will have settled. Bake pie on lower rack until filling is puffed and dry looking and lightly cracked around edges, and center wiggles like gelatin when pie is gently shaken, about 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour.

5. For the whipped cream: When ready to serve the pie, beat cream and sugar in electric mixer bowl at medium speed to soft peaks; add brandy. Beat to stiff peaks. Accompany each wedge of pie with a dollop of whipped cream.

From America’s Test Kitchens.

2-1/2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup chopped peanuts
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine first three ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside. Stir together brown sugar, syrup and peanut butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until mixture begins to boil and is blended. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour hot mixture over cereal, stirring until all is coating. Press mixture evenly into a greased 9-inch square pan; let cool completely. Cut into 12 bars. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container.

Recipe from the National Peanut Board.

1 package (19.6 ounces) brownie mix
1 package Philadelphia brand cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Prepare brownie mix as directed on package. Pour into prepared pan. Beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar, mixing until well blended. Add egg and vanilla; mix just until blended. Pour cream cheese mixture over brownie mixture; cut through batter with knife several times for marbled effect. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until cream cheese mixture is lightly browned. Cut into 24 squares.

If you want warm pie, cool the pie thoroughly so that it sets completely, then warm it in a 250-degree oven for 15 minutes and slice.

1 recipe American Pie Dough for Prebaked Pie Shell, prepared through step 4
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups pecans (8 ounces), toasted and chopped into small pieces

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Partially bake pie shell as directed in step 5 of American Pie Dough for Prebaked Pie Shell recipe.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter in medium heatproof bowl set in skillet of water maintained at just below simmer. Remove bowl from skillet; mix in sugar and salt with wooden spoon until butter is absorbed. Beat in eggs, then corn syrup and vanilla. Return bowl to hot water; stir until mixture is shiny and hot to the t ouch, about 130 degrees. Remove from heat, stir in pecans.

3. As soon as pie shell comes out of the oven, decrease oven temperature to 275 degrees. Pour pecan mixture into hot pie shell.

4. Bake until center feels set yet soft, like gelatin, when gently pressed, 50-60 minutes. Transfer pie to rack; let cool completely, at least four hours. Serve pie at room temperature or warm, with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

From America’s Test Kitchens.

These cookies have a strong peanut flavor that comes from extra-crunchy peanut butter (Jif) as well as from roasted, salted peanuts that are ground in a food processor and worked into the dough. Salted butter brings out the flavor of the nuts.

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup extra-crunchy peanut butter at room temperature (Jif)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup roasted salted peanuts, ground in food processor to resemble bread crumbs, about 1 pulses

1. Adjust oven rack to upper- and lower-middle positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper, or spray with Pam or Mazola.

2. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in medium bowl; set aside.

3. Either by hand or with electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes with electric mixer, stopping to scrape down bowl as necessary. Beat in peanut butter until fully incorporated, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Gently stir dry ingredients into peanut butter mixture. Add ground peanuts, stir gently until just incorporated.

4. Working with generous 2 tablespoons each time, roll dough into 2-inch balls. Place balls on parchment-lined cookie sheets, leaving 2-1/2 inches between each ball. Press each dough ball twice with dinner fork dipped in cold water to make crisscross design.

5. Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking time (from top to bottom racks and back to front), until puffed and slightly brown along edges but not on top, 10-12 minutes. Cookies will not look fully baked. Cool cookies on cookie sheet until set, about 4 minutes, then transfer to wire rack with wide spatula to cool completely.

From America’s Test Kitchens.

1 package yellow cake mix
1 package JELL-O lime flavor gelatin (4 serving size)
1 package JELL-O lemon flavor gelatin (4 serving size)
2 tubs (8 ounces each) COOL WHIP

Heat oven to 350. Prepare cake mix as directed on package. Divide batter into two bowls. Add lime gelatin to one bowl and lemon gelatin to the other. Stir thoroughly. Pour each into separate wax-paper-lined, greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake 28-30 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool on wire racks. Place lime cake layer on serving plate; spread with 1/2 tub whipped topping. Top with lemon cake layer. Frost cake with remaining whipped topping. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Delicious!

his recipe makes 112 cookies. It can be halved.

2 cups butter
4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
5 cups blended Oatmeal (put oatmeal in a blender and blend to a fine powder)
24 ounces chocolate chips
1 8 ounce Hershey Bar, grated
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)

Cream butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. In separate bowl, blend together the flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and soda. Add to creamed mixture slowly. Add chocolate chips and grated chocolate. Form into balls and bake 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 375. Enjoy!