Mini Brer Rabbit Cookies

Here is your introduction to the most scrumptious cookies ever!!! This is my Grandma Ricks' recipe and I think I've finally perfected it. Enjoy!

Mini Brer Rabbit Cookies

Makes a whole lot! I halved the recipe and it still made 4-5 dozen cookies.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup shortening

3/4 cup molasses

3 eggs

3 cups sugar

6 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp cloves

1 1/2 tsp ginger

6 tsp baking soda (yes, 6 tsp, not a typo!)

1 Tbs cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Beat together shortening, molasses, eggs, and sugar. Add remaining dry ingredients, and mix well. Chill dough in fridge for 30 to 60 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Form into 1/2 inch balls and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 6-8 minutes.

Zuppa Toscana and Lion House Rolls!

Yesterday I made zuppa toscana and some Lion House rolls for dinner. So yummy! Seriously! I could eat this stuff all day! For the soup recipe, you can go here, where I posted it before.

I found the recipe for the Lion House rolls on this website. Here it is:

Lion House Rolls

Ingredients:
2 c warm water
2/3 c nonfat dry milk (instand or non-instant)
2 Tbs yeast
1/4 c sugar
2 tsp salt
1/3 c butter or shortening
1 egg
5 - 5 1/2 all purpose or bread flour

Directions:
Combine water and milk powder; stir until milk dissolves. Add yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg and 2 cups flour. Mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups flour; mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then on medium speed for 2 minutes. (Dough will be getting stiff and remaining flour may need to be mixed in by hand.) Add about ½ c. flour and mix again, by hand or mixer. Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff. (A soft dough will produce a lighter roll. Add only enough flour to make a manageable dough.) Place dough in a greased bowl; turn to coat. Cover and let rise until double in size. Turn dough over on floured surface so that it is floured on both sides. Gently flatten to 1 inch thick, then roll into a 18x8 inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. Cut dough in half the long way, to make two 4 inch strips. Cut dough every two inches to make 18 rectangles of dough, about 2 inches x 4 inches each. (Sometimes when I roll out the dough it turns out larger than 18x8, in which case I just add another column when cutting the rolls; the point is, you should cut the dough into rectangles roughly 2x4 inches.) Starting with the short (2 inch) end, roll the dough up and place on greased baking pans with the short end down. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Bake at 375° for 15 to 18 minutes or until browned. Brush with melted butter while hot. Makes 1 to 1 ½ dozen rolls. (Dough may be used for breadsticks as well – 375° for ~10 minutes.)

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Twists

I tried out this recipe last night and then today tried it out with a bit of a variation. I loved it! It's a great, easy, and delicious dessert idea! Enjoy!

Cinnamon Twists
Makes: 20
Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. yeast
3 1/2 cups flour (I used a combination of white and wheat flour which was yummy)
1 tsp salt
2 Tbs. butter
Cinnamon Sugar mixture (Make however much you want!)

Directions:
Combine first three ingredients and let sit for 5-10 minutes.
Add in flour and salt. Mix until smooth. Let this sit for 10 minutes, covered.
Roll out dough into a large square on a floured surface. Brush with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Fold in half and slice into one inch strips. Twist and place on a cookie sheet. Let those sit for another 15-20 minutes.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Brush with remaining butter and sprinkle with any remaining cinnamon sugar as desire.
Drizzle with or dip in frosting and enjoy!

Frosting: So I don't measure out my ingredients for frosting. I do about a tablespoon of butter, 3/4 cup of powdered sugar, a splash of milk and a couple teaspoons of vanilla. I just mess with it until it gets to the consistency I want and it tastes good.