More Baking Done

I've done some more cooking, here's my first batch.

Puffed Wheat Squares - I made two batchs as this is popular here
1/3 c butter
1/2 c corn syrup
2/3 c. brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
8 cups puffed wheat... NOTE: also works with cheerios, puffed rice and other plain cereals.

Measure out cereal in large bowl. Combine first five ingredients in sauce pan. Heat until boiling. Pour over the cereal. Mix together thoroughly. Press into a greased 11" casserole. Chill for two hours and then cut into pieces.

NOTE: the boy child thinks this one is fun! Alfie dig it? Mmm....Alfie eat 'em all up? :) Alfie being an excavator from Thomas the train series. :) He had his own little bowl of them.

Lemon Coconut Squares
Base:
1/3 c. butter
1/2 c. white sugar
pinch salt
1/c c. flaked sweetened coconut
1 cup all-purpose flour
Topping:
2 eggs
1 c white sugar
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
pinch salt
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon rind (I use watkins lemon rind)
1 tbsp melted butter
1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp icing sugar

Base: Cream butter with sugar. Stir in salt; blend in coconut, then flour. Press into 8 inch square pan. Bake in 350F oven for 15 minutes or until firm and light biscuit colour. Set aside.

Topping: Whisk eggs until blended. Whisk in sugar, then flour and salt. Stir in lemon juice, rind, butter and b. soda. Pour over base. Return to oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until edges are LIGHTLY browned and topping looks set (it will firm when cooled). Sift icing sugar over top. Let cool completely. Cut into small squares. Makes about 20 squares.

Mother's Cookies
4 c flour
1 lb. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar

Cream butter
add sugars
mix in flour
Roll into balls (3/4-1 inch round), press and bake. 350 oven for about 11 minutes.
Let cool on tray for one minute before transferring to cooling rack.

I like this recipe. It's BIG! That means I can divide it up and do different stuff with it and get lots of variety. My variety this year: Set on top:green and red cherries (glazed ones - Justin stuck them on top and pushed them in), Mixed into recipe: chocolate chips, mixed fruit (like the glazed cherries but different), coconut and then I did some just plain.

NOTE: doing ball cookies in front of a boy playing with trains is just asking for said boy to take some of those balls (before I pressed them) and give them train rides, or to cause train accidents, or any host of things (aka make gates for those trains to crash through...). Fun fun for a boy child. Guess which cookies HE gets to eat? :)

I have yet to make my peppernuts...but I'm making those next week so that hopefully some will make it to the open house....Jim eats them like candy...NOT that I don't either! Hoping also to make Santa's whiskers cookies too. But for now my baking is complete.