Kansas CW Demo - Cookies in a Jar!

 As I promised...Here are the recipes for the "Cookies in a Jar" that I demonstrated this morning on the Kansas CW.  They are delicious gifts, (just ask my staff at the bakery), that you can easily make for your friends and family. But, just remember...You can find delicious, all ready baked cookies from the bakery!


COWBOY COOKIE MIX


1 1/3 cups quick-cooking oats
      1 cup all-purpose flour
      1 teaspoon baking powder
      1 teaspoon baking soda
   1/4 teaspoon salt
   1/2 cup chopped pecans
      1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
   1/2 cup packed brown sugar
   1/2 cup sugar
Additional Ingredients:
   1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
      1 egg, slightly beaten
      1 teaspoon vanilla


Pour oats into a wide-month 1-qt. glass container with a tight-fitting lid.  Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; place on top of oats.  Layer with pecans, chocolate chips, brown sugar and sugar, packing each layer tightly (do not mix). Cover and store in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.
  To prepare cookies: Pour cookie mix into large mixing bowl; stir to combine ingredients.  Beat in butter, egg and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll into 1-inch balls. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets.  Bake at 350 for 11 -13 minutes.  Yield: about 3 1/2 dozen.


CHRISTMAS COOKIES IN A JAR


1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
   1 cup quick-cooking oats
   1 cup dried cranberries
   1 cup vanilla or white chips
Additional Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
   1 egg
   1 teaspoon vanilla


In a 1-qt. glass jar, layer the sugar and brown sugar, packing well between each layer.  Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; spoon into jar.  Top with oats, cranberries and chips.  Cover and store in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.
  To prepare cookies: Pour cookie mix into large mixing bowl; stir to combine ingredients. Beat in butter, egg and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or until browned.  Yield: about 3 dozen

Well, there you go...that's the whole recipe for these fabulous cookie gifts. After you fill the jars, add fabric, ribbon or other trim to decorate them for the holidays.  Don't forget to print the "How to" instructions and attach. Enjoy!

Our North Pole Airways Gingerbread Creation

A was going through my photos and came across a gingerbread house we did back in 2006.  We did it for a competition and won Best of Show!  Everything is edible and made out of either gingerbread or fondant.  It took a long time, but it was so just so much fun to make.

 

My Grandson's 1st Birthday!!!

Yesterday was my Grandson Paxton's 1st Birthday party!! It was a fun celebration and of course I have to share all the sweets we made for his party.





   
 
I have a very talented team of decorators that do the party cakes at the bakery, but for his birthday, this Grandma couldn't let anyone else do the cake. 

This was his smash cake...

 

  


A close-up of some of the details on the cake.

The cutest cookies to go with the theme!

And, some cupcakes too!

The dessert table...

Happy 1st Birthday Paxton!!!

Love, Grandma

I love making pies...

One of the best equipment purchases I have made is our pie crust forming machine. We make our pie dough from scratch...no mix or ready-made crust is ever good enough.  We mix the dough and let it rest in the refrigerator over night. Then each dough ball is put in a pan and placed on the machine. At the pull of a lever it presses out a perfect crust.  The crusts are filled and for our fruit pies, a top crust is added. We seal with a crimper (shown below), but I like a hand pinched edge. So after a few pinches, it's ready for the oven. Beautiful! 

 

Rockin' the Roundhouse at WSU

We had a great time last night at Wichita State's Rockin' the Roundhouse, the annual fundraiser for the athletic department.  If you haven't been before it is where you get to walk around and sample lots of different foods from various Wichita restaurants. 

We sampled our pies, cut-out cookies, drop cookies and our new cupcakes.

The cupcakes got rave reviews. We served lots of different flavors.

And, I think my girls had a good time too!

Trip to the International Bakery Industry Expo in Las Vegas

I just got back from a convention in Las Vegas and wanted to share my trip with you.  It was a huge convention, one of the biggest I have ever attended. There were suppliers for equipment, ingredients, packaging and decorating supplies. I also attended some great seminars and workshops. These trips are invaluable to me. I gather so much industry information and come back excited and energized.
  

 Here are decorators who have competed on the food channel.  This is Courtney Clark demonstrating a fun topsy turvy cake set-up that I can't wait to try...Lowes, here I come!

A couple more decorators I have seen competing on TV.  I can't remember the one on the left...but Marina Sousa in on the right. She always wins her cake contests. 

 Various shots from different booths...

There were also a couple of competitions being filmed by the Food Network.  This is a chocolate challenge...the pieces they were building looked amazing.

 

 This was a baking competition...

The United States Entry

A closer view...it is all out of bread!

One of the best things about these trips is seeing my bakery owner friends.  I don't get to see them very often with the hours that we all work, and the couples above both own bakeries in Texas. But it is so great to see them at least once a year to catch up!

New Chocolate Peanut butter Dessert Cake

Chocolate Peanut butter Dessert Cake

Our love of all things chocolate & peanut butter got us thinking of a new dessert cake and this is what we came up with. It is our moist, rich chocolate cake split & filled with a peanut butter cream filling, iced with peanut butter buttercream and finished with chocolate ganache & peanut butter candy. This is definitely my new favorite cake...is your mouth watering yet??