taste of the west - western recipes
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
1½ cups
firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup Land O' Lakes Butter, softened
2 eggs
2 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup raisins or chocolate chips
Heat oven to 350°F. Combine brown sugar and butter in large mixer
bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy (1 to
2 minutes).
Add eggs,
water, and vanilla; continue beating until well mixed (1 to
2 minutes). Reduce speed to low. Add all remaining ingredients except
oats and
raisins; beat
until well mixed (1 to 2 minutes). Stir in oats and raisins
by hand. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased
cookie sheets. Bake
for 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand 1 minute;
remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely. Yield: 4 dozen cookies
Courtesy of Land O' Lakes
Jeweled Fruitcake
Fruitcake
recipes vary as much as individual tastes. While this recipe excludes liquor,
many recipes incorporate rum or brandy into them either by soaking
the fruit in the liquor before adding them to the batter or by pouring
it over the top and sides of the baked, cooled cake, as you would a glaze.
2 cups dried
apricot halves (11 ounces)
2 cups pitted whole dates (12 ounces)
1½ cups Brazil nuts (8 ounces)
1 cup red and green candied pineapple, chopped (7 ounces)
1 cup red and green whole maraschino cherries, drained (12 ounces)
¾ cup Gold Medal all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
Light corn syrup, if desired
Heat oven to
300°F. Line loaf pan, 9 x 5 x 3 or 8½ x 4½ x 2½ inches,
with aluminum foil; grease foil. Mix all the ingredients except corn
syrup. Spread in pan. Bake about 1 hour, 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted
in
center comes out clean. If necessary, cover with aluminum foil for
last 30 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. Remove fruitcake
from pan
(with foil) to wire rack. For a glossy top, immediately brush with
corn syrup. Cool completely before cutting, about 24 hours. Wrap tightly,
and store in
refrigerator no longer than 2 months.
Courtesy of General Mills
Ranch Rolls
This dough may
be refrigerated for three or four days so that you can make as many or as
few rolls as you need.
5 cups all-purpose
flour
2 (2-ounce) cake yeast or six ¼-ounce packets dry yeast
½ cup sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 cups buttermilk
½ cup warm water
½ teaspoon soda
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven
to 450°F. Dissolve yeast in warm water; let stand 10 minutes. Mix all
dry ingredients. Add yeast mixture, oil, and buttermilk. Stir
with wooden spoon. Turn onto floured surface, and knead lightly. Roll
out, and cut
into 2-inch rolls. Generously oil top and bottom of rolls. Bake in 2-
to 3-inch deep pan 12 to 15 minutes until golden. Yield: 3 dozen rolls; unused
dough
may be refrigerated and used as needed.
TIP: Wooden spoons are preferred-buy the heaviest you can find-because
you don't have to worry about them scratching stainless bowls or cast
iron skillets.
From
Barbecue, Biscuits, and Beans: Chuck Wagon Cooking by Bill Cauble and
Cliff Teinert,
Bright Sky Press 2002, Albany, Texas www.brightskypress.com.
Fruited Sourdough
Rolls
Sourdough lends
itself well to sweet breads. Chuck Wagon cooks typically used
dried or canned fruits or whatever they found along the trail. We use whatever's
in season or what we find in the pantry.
1 recipe Sourdough
Biscuits (recipe below)
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 cups dried apricots, boiled in a little water until soft
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Vegetable oil
Preheat oven
to 400°F. Roll sourdough out on well-floured surface until it is about
18 to 20 inches long and 8 to 10 inches wide. Quarter butter
lengthwise.
Place quarter cuts of butter end to end the length of dough, about 1-
inch from edge nearest to you. Repeat placing the butter quarters just past
the middle
of the dough. Spread apricots on each side of both rows of butter. Sprinkle
first row of quartered butter as guide. (This gets easier after doing
several
times.) Cut with a sharp knife into 1-inch rolls. Carefully oil both
sides, or cut rolls, and place in nonstick, large, deep baking pan or
16-inch Dutch
oven. Pat down as you would sourdough rolls. Cook 20 to 25 minutes. Mix
confectioners' sugar with 1 tablespoon water until smooth. Pour over
rolls when removed
from oven. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 12 to 14 rolls
From
Barbecue, Biscuits, and Beans: Chuck Wagon Cooking by Bill Cauble and
Cliff Teinert, Bright Sky Press 2002, Albany, Texas www.brightskypress.com.
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