Amish Molasses Cookies

I have been interested in the Amish lately.  First my trip a couple of weeks ago with some friends, then we went back and ordered us a new bed.  I can't wait for that to be made. I am also watching an Amish movie while I am typing this.  So when I saw this recipe for these cookies I had to make them.

These are not as spicy as my gingerbread men I make for the holidays but these have a really nice flavor to them

This is still some of my locally made molasses.

Start with 3.4 cup shortening.  I like using butter flavored shortening for my baking.

1 cup brown sugar

Cream that together.

Add 1 egg

1/2 cup molasses

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Mix well.  Then cover and place in the fridge for about 2 hours or until firm.

When you take them out of the fridge.  Roll into small balls and roll into sugar.

Then place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

This batch is ready for the preheated 350 oven.  Bake for 9-10 minutes.

They smell really good out of the oven.

You might want to share them. Molasses cookies are not just for Christmas, they are great any time.

Amish Molasses Cookies Recipe

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup molasses

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven 350.  Bake for 9-10 minutes.

German Chocolate Cake Bars

The German chocolate pie I made earlier this summer was such a hit I thought I would try this take on the German chocolate cake.  Chocolate, pecans, and coconut what could be wrong with that?

So oozy and gooey.  I think your family will love this.

The recipe called for a devil's food cake mix but I had the German chocolate one in the pantry and so I went with that one.  I thought it turned out fine.  The recipe did state that you should not use the cake mix with the pudding in it.

For the crust, start with the cake mix.

Melt one stick of butter

1 egg

Mix well.

It will come together well and be thick.

Press it down in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish that has been sprayed.  Place in a preheated 350 oven.  Bake for 7 minutes.

While the crust is baking, mix together the filling.  Start with 1 can sweetened condensed milk.  I used fat free.

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

Mix that all together.

Now do better than I did.  I wasn't thinking and poured it pretty much in the middle thinking I could spread it out.  Well you can't do that.  It would be better to drizzle it around and get some on the edges.

Sprinkle 1/2 chocolate chips on top.

Put it back in the oven for 24-30 minutes.

It looks a little bit like the earthquake cake I have seen before.

It is nice and gooey.

German Chocolate Cake Bars Recipe

Crust

1 box devil's food cake mix or other chocolate mix without the pudding

1/2 cup melted butter

1 egg

Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 7 minutes

Filling

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup coconut

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Bake for 24-30 minutes.

Does it Work?

Our local TV station does a weekly Deal or No Deal on the as seen on TV items.  This is a little bit like this.  I tried out some of the helpful hints that can be found on Pinterest to see if they really work.


The first one.  How well does the mixer chop cooked chicken.

I have seen that you can shred chicken with the Kitcheaid mixer.  One suggestion was that they needed to be hot.  I was cooking several pieces of chicken to shred for the freezer.  So I gave it a try. I put two pieces of hot chicken in the bowl.

Turned the mixer on.

And it shredded it very well.

Let it cool and then put it in bags and freeze it.

The second one I tried.  You have all seen the cookie sheet that looks terrible and using two ingredients and it comes out sparkling clean.

The first thing I wanted to clean wasn't a cookie sheet but the pot I cook my black eyed peas in.  Over the years it has left the pot very stained.  You can see the bottom and sides are brown from pea juice.

I put some baking soda in the bottom.

Added some peroxide to the soda to make a paste. I used a rag and scrubbed a little.  Then I let it sit overnight.

It got the sides and most of the bottom shiny and clean.  So it kinda worked.

This is the cookie sheet I wanted to clean. I used the same paste I made with the pan. I scrubbed some and then let it soak some.

This is how clean the cookie sheet got.  Not the shiny like new that they make you think.  I will try it with another sheet to see how it does.

The third one I tried.

I read that you could put a little bit of vanilla flavoring in an oven proof dish.  Place it in a preheated 300 oven and let "cook" for about 2 hours.  This is suppose to make you house have a nice vanilla scent.  It did smell good nd it was not a strong overpowering smell.  It would be something nice to do if you are showing your house or if you are having a party. This one worked pretty well too.