Buttercream Cream Cheese Frosting for Sugar Cookies

I developed this recipe by cobbling together several recipes I came across.  We used it at *N*'s fifth birthday party to decorate cookies.  It worked perfectly well, and I was glad to avoid the shortening that so many buttercream recipes call for - yet be able to have the "sturdiness" of the cream cheese to prevent the frosting from turning into a melted buttery mess.

It tasted good in that it was pretty standard frosting.  I was most interested in its functionality, however, and it delivered.  The night before the party, I used my mini ice cream scoop to put two Tablespoon-size balls of frosting in individual paper Dixie cups, thus making the serving of the frosting in the midst of the craziness much easier.

Update: I made a half-batch next time, and it was enough to cover about 30 sugar cookies, 2.5" in diameter.

Ingredients

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

4 oz cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 to 4 Tablespoons half-n-half [or cream]

4 to 5 cups confectioner’s sugar

Food coloring [optional]

Directions

(1) In a large mixing bowl, soften butter & cream cheese almost to room temperature.

(2) Cream butter & cream cheese together until well blended.

(3) Add vanilla extract; mix thoroughly.

(4) Add 2 Tbsp half-n-half and food coloring.

(5) Add sugar, one cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached.  Add additional food coloring if desired.

(6) Add remaining half-n-half if needed.

Kid Participation:

* Run mixer

* Dump ingredients into mixing bowl

* Constantly stick fingers into frosting and sample

Orange-Glazed Orange Cookies

Original Recipe HERE

I'm not normally a fan of orange-flavored...anything.  Except Sunkist.  I would have put that stuff in an IV and mainlined it as a child if an adult had let me.  Probably because my parents only let me indulge on special occasions, and "Thou most desires that which thou canst not obtain" - or something like that.  Anyway, I wasn't sure whether to proceed with the orange in the original recipe or switch it to lemon.  I stuck with the orange and was glad I did.  It was noticeable but not overpowering.  Husband brought these to work and received raves for them.  I'm glad to have added another recipe to my small-but-growing arsenal of Cookies That Don't Involve Chocolate and Aren't Incredibly Dense (I Mean Satisfyingly Filling).  Broadening my horizons and all that.  This recipe made about 30 cookies.

I also am excited to have learned the trick of infusing the sugar with the zest.  It may have been in my head, but I do think it made a difference.  I've subsequently used the technique a few times with lemon.

Ingredients

* For cookies
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons orange zest
1 cup [2 sticks] unsalted butter
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 egg

* For glaze
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 Tablespoon orange zest
Fresh orange juice

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

(2) In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

(3) In  small bowl, combine sugar and zest by rubbing them together with your fingers until zest is completely incorporated into sugar.

(4) Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and zest-infused sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).

(5) Add juice and egg; mix until combined.

(6) Reduce mixer speed to low.  Gradually add dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. If dough seems slightly soft, refrigerate it for up to 30 minutes.

(7) Using a medium cookie scoop (or 2 tablespoonfuls), scoop dough and roll into balls.  Place them 2" apart on cookie sheets.

(8) Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until very lightly browned around edges but still pale in the middle. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the cookie sheet.  Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

(9) To make glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, orange zest, and enough orange juice to achieve the desired consistency (less juice for a thicker glaze, more for a thinner one). Spread glaze over top of cooled cookies; allow to set at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Store at room temperature in an airtight container (divide layers with wax paper so the cookies don’t stick together).

Kid Participation:

* Whisk dry ingredients

* Rub sugar and zest

* Scoop dough balls

* Drizzle glaze if thin; spread glaze if thick (and you don't mind losing a few broken cookies to a heavy-handed spreader)

Black Bean Burgers

Original Recipe HERE

Husband loves him some cheeseburgers.  Bacon cheddar burgers, to be exact.  If there is one on the menu at a restaurant, he will order it.  It's maddening...it's like "Groundhog Day" every time we go out to eat.  And he also loves to grill at home, though he himself has dubbed his offerings "bronto-burgers" because of their extreme girth and density (he packs the meat so tightly...wait, that doesn't sound right...).  I'm always on him to please not use so much breadcrumbs and to flatten them out more.

Finally I took matters into my own hands and made these.  And we all liked them!  I may have just earned myself a permanent job as burger master.  As expected, the kids took the patties out of the buns and ate everything separately, but even Husband had to concede that these non-bronto-burgers were good.  The ingredient list below made eight full-size burgers.

Ingredients

3/4 cup panko

3 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika [optional]

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 red or orange bell pepper, finely diced

1 shallot, minced

1/2 cup shredded cheese [optional]
cheese slices [optional]
buns

Directions

(1) Combine panko with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil; mix with a fork to blend.

(2) Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko mixture to the skillet.  Toast, stirring frequently, until light golden brown. Remove from the heat; cool to room temperature.

(3) Place 2½ cups of the beans in a large bowl.  Mash with a potato masher or a fork until mostly smooth.

(4) In a separate bowl, combine eggs, 1 Tablespoon of oil, and spices. Whisk to blend.

(5) Add egg mixture, toasted panko, remaining ½ cup beans, bell pepper, shallot, and cheese to the mashed beans. Stir until evenly combined.

(6) Divide mixture into 8 equal portions, about ½ cup each. Lightly pack into 1" thick patties (I used my 15-oz can strainer to make uniform patties).

(7) Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Carefully lay half of the patties in the skillet; cook until well browned on both sides (8-10 minutes total).  Top with cheese slices during last minute of cooking if desired.

(8) Transfer cooked burgers to a plate and tent with foil.  Repeat with remaining oil and bean patties. Serve warm.

Kid Participation:

* Mash beans

* Mix together ingredients

* Form patties (if you don't mind cleaning up the resulting messy hands)

Garlicky Pasta with Broccoli

Original Recipe HERE

This might be my family's official favorite meal.  Every time I make it, each person - young or old, small or big - has multiple servings and wants leftovers the next day for lunch.  The kids actually cheer when I say I'm making "broccoli pasta."  It's crazy, I tell you.  But I will gladly take it.  A simple, quick, easy meal that everyone loves and uses ingredients I always have on hand...and also includes a vegetable?  I can't ask for more.

I like making this with gemelli pasta because of its non-mushy texture and how it pairs well with the broccoli (that will hopefully not be mushy, either).  Also, the amount of garlic and types / amounts of cheese are up to your personal preference.

When I haven't had enough broccoli, I've subbed cauliflower or carrots, and it still turns out well.

Ingredients

1 lb pasta of choice

2 to 3 broccoli heads

3 to 5 garlic cloves

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
pepper to taste

1/4 to 1/2 cup Parmesan

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or other cheese blend

Directions

(1) Bring water to boil in a large pot.  While waiting, finely chop or press garlic cloves.  Add to olive oil to begin infusing.

(2) Cook pasta according to package directions for "al dente."

(3) In the meantime, chop broccoli into bite-size florets.  Add to pasta water for last 4 minutes of cooking time.  Broccoli should be spearable by a fork but not soft.

(4) Drain pasta.  Save about one cup of pasta water.  Transfer to large serving bowl.

(5) In pot used for pasta, heat olive oil and garlic mixture on medium heat.  Add salt.  Stir frequently.  Remove from heat when garlic becomes lightly golden (do not brown).

(6) Add pasta back to pot.  Toss to coat.  Add cheeses and pepper; stir again until evenly distributed.
(7) Add about 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water; stir.  Add more if desired.

Kid Participation: Eat such copious amounts that parents are astounded at children's stomach capacity.

Creamy Dill Dip

Original Recipe HERE

This is a handy recipe to have because, while I always have all of these particular ingredients on hand, it's extremely forgiving and can be tweaked to suit preferences.  One could use different seasoned salt or fresh onion and dill.  I wonder if it could be warmed in the microwave and served as a hot dip - maybe with a little shredded mozzarella added to make it more melty?

We ate it with baby carrots and raw broccoli.  Husband and I both thought it was good, but my kids started out enthusiastic and then lost steam.  Neither finished their portion.  My guess is the dill flavor was too strong; next time I will ease up on it.

Ingredients

1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon seasoned salt [I used Jane's Krazy]
1/2 Tablespoon dried minced onion
1/2 Tablespoon parsley flakes
1/2 Tablespoon dill weed

1/4 cup grated Parmesan [optional]

Directions

(1) Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, and Worcestershire sauce until smooth.

(2) Whisk in seasonings until thoroughly mixed.

(3) Work any lumps out of Parmesan.  Whisk into dip.

(4) Store in refrigerator until ready to use (ideally several hours).

Kid Participation:

* Whisk ingredients

* Try it, tell me you like it, and then don't eat it when it's served to you

Peanut Butter & Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

Original Recipe HERE

This is based on the recipe linked to above, but I have a similar recipe bookmarked that is peanut butter-based.  I added the yogurt and peanut butter of that one to this guy, and this is the end result.  It's a good fruit dip because the cream cheese and peanut butter ensure it won't be too sweet (unlike popular ones that involve Cool Whip or marshmallow fluff).  I thought it was a success, and my kids ate all of theirs and asked for more.

We dipped apple slices and grapes in it and would've used bananas next.  Also, I served carrots and broccoli with a separate dip alongside this, and my kids both dipped their vegetables in this one instead.  Whatever...as long as they're eating the green stuff, I don't care about the unorthodox fashion.  I think this would be good with graham crackers and Nilla wafers, in which case I might throw in some mini chocolate chips to make it more of a dessert dish.

Ingredients

1 package (8 oz) reduced fat cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup plain or French vanilla yogurt

3 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Fruit for serving

Directions

(1) Cream together cream cheese, yogurt, peanut butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.

(2) Add brown sugar and cinnamon.  Whisk or stir until sugar is dissolved. 

Kid Participation: Combine all ingredients.

Honey Bars

Original Recipe HERE

These were an easy thing to make since I had all the ingredients on hand.  I'm not a fan of dried fruit or nuts in something that looks like a dessert-ish bar; it confuses my taste buds and my brain cannot decide whether it's processing a sweet treat or a healthy snack.  In the cup of dried fruit the recipe calls for, I mixed craisins, golden raisins..and mini chocolate chips.  Next time I'll leave out the raisins (which I only included because my kids like them) and go with more chocolate.  I used pecans for my nut selection and thought they worked fine.  Husband remarked that he could detect the honey flavor, and I could smell it while baking, so the "honey" element doesn't get lost.

I used a 9x9 silicone pan, so my bars were pretty thin.  They baked for 19 minutes (should have been 18, but I was feeding the baby) and were done upon removal from the oven.  I let them cool a few minutes and then cut them into two large slabs.  I removed them from the pan (much easier to do than from a regular metal or glass pan) and put them on the rack to cool more quickly.

Ingredients

3 egg whites

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 Tablespoons oil (vegetable or canola)

1 cup dried fruit

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup all-purpose white flour

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 chopped nuts

1/4 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350.  Grease an 8x8 baking pan.

(2) In a large bowl, whisk together salt, flours, nuts, oats, and cinnamon.

(3) Add dried fruit; stir until well-coated.

(4) In a separate bowl, whisk together honey, vanilla, and oil.

(5) In a third bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.

(6) Combine dry and wet ingredients until well-mixed.  Fold egg whites into mixture; do not overmix.

(7) Pour batter into pan.  Bake 25 minutes.  Cool completely before cutting.

Kid Participation:

* Whisk together dried ingredients

* Whisk together wet ingredients

* Crack eggs

* Pour batter & smooth in pan