And the winners are ....

Amelia Bystry

E-mail this story

Print this story

Share

Sweet Petal Bread

Amelia Bystry, Princeton

2 packages yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 1/2 cups warm milk

4 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon salt

5-6 cups flour

6 tablespoons margarine

2 eggs

Soften yeast in water. Combine milk, shortening, salt and sugar. Stir to melt shortening and allow to cool to lukewarm. Stir into yeast, add eggs and flour to make stiff dough. Knead 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl and let rise to double.

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups chopped nuts if desired

1 cup oleo

Mix sugar, cinnamon, brown sugar and nuts in bowl. Melt oleo in another bowl. Put off pieces of dough (about golf ball size — can make larger or smaller, depending on size of roll you desire). Roll between palms of hands to make it hot dog thickness. Dip in butter then in sugar mixture. On foil-lined pizza pan (or in cake pan or pie pans), start in center and hook two “C-shaped” rolls together. Then continue arranging rolls around the “C” so they look like flower petals. Cover with towel and let rise. Bake 25 to 30 minutes at 350° until just turning brown. Drizzle with powdered sugar glaze.

Creamy Chocolate Wafers

Kathy Allen, Princeton

Brownie Layer

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 cup butter

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup flour

Melt chocolate and butter in top of double boiler. Cool slightly. In a separate bowl, beat eggs until light and  lemon-colored. Gradually add sugar to egg mixture. Add butter and chocolate; stir in flour. Pour into a greased and flour 15 1/2-by-10 1/2-inch jelly roll pan. Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool and chill in refrigerator.

Vanilla Buttercream Layer

1/2 cup softened buttered

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream butter thoroughly with electric mixer. Gradually add powdered sugar alternately with cream. Add vanilla and beat until very light and fluffy. Spread evenly over cooled brownie layer. Chill in refrigerator at least 10 minutes.

Chocolate Glaze

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

4 tablespoons butter

Melt chocolate and butter together in top of double boiler. Beat well. Drizzle over the chilled butter cream in a lacy pattern. Chill one hour. Cut into squares and serve.

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprints

Allison Jensen, Princeton

Cookies

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2  cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup raspberry jam

Glaze

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

2-3 teaspoons water

Heat oven to 300°. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter and almond extract. Beat at medium speed until creamy, 2-3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add flour. Beat until mixed. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. With thumb, make indentation in center of each cookie. Fill each indentation with jam — about 1/4 teaspoon each.

Bake 14-18 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let stand 1 minute. Remove cookies and cool completely.

In a small bowl with wire whisk, stir all ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over cookies.

Melt-in-your-mouth Sugar Cookies

Georgia Philippe, Malden

1 cup oil

1 cup margarine

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

4 1/2 cups four

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat oil and margarine together. Add other ingredients. Chill dough overnight or for 2 hours. Roll 1 teaspoon of dough into ball. Rough ball into granulated sugar; flatten. Bake at 375° for 8 to 12 minutes.

 Lemon Hearts

Debbie Bartman, Princeton

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened (no substitutions)

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon grated fresh lemon peel

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Lemon Glaze

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

4-5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

For cookies: Preheat oven to 325°. On waxed paper, combine flour cornstarch and salt. In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar until creamy, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Beat in lemon peel and extract. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in flour mixture until blended, occasionally scraping bowl.

Divide dough in half. Between two 2-inch sheets of waxed paper, roll half of dough 3/8-inch thick. (If paper wrinkles during rolling, peel if off, then replace it to remove wrinkles.

With floured 2 1/4-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut dough into as many cookies as possible. With floured 3/4-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out and remove enters from cookies. Reserve centers and trimmings to re-roll. With lightly floured wide spatula, carefully place cookies, 1 inch apart, on ungreased large cookie sheet. (If dough becomes too soft to transfer to cookie sheet, freeze 10 minutes until firm.)

Bake cookies 15 to 16 minutes or until edges are golden. Transfer cookies to wire rack; cool 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepared glaze: In small bowl, with wire whisk or fork, mix confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice and lemon peel until blended. Dip top side of each warm cookie into glaze. Place cookies on wire rack set over waxed paper to catch any drips. Allow glaze to set, about 20 minutes.

Repeat with remaining dough, reserved  centers, trimmings and glaze, adding a little water to glaze if it begins to thicken. Store cookie, with waxed paper between layers, in tightly covered container at room temperature up to 1 week, or in freezer up to 3 months.