Baking with Love

Baking with love.

When we were little mom would bake with us. She would get the four of us ready and we would bake up a storm. Mom and dad had seven children. I fall fifth in line. I have two older brothers, two older sisters, and two younger sisters. My younger sisters and I are very close in age. I have one sister two years younger than me, one sister one year (eleven months) younger than me, and one sister two years older than me.

My oldest sister is twelve years older than me and the two boys, now men, ten years and eight years older than me. When we would bake it was the youngins sitting around the table, awaiting our duties. Mom would get us all to wear underwear on our heads to keep our hair from falling in the cookie dough. We would scrunch it all up there in the pair of underwear. No hairs in our cookies!

I can remember how much we liked to bake, how much fun it was, how good the cookie dough was! "Don't eat the cookie dough, you'll get worms in your tummy," mom would say. Myth? I'm not sure. We would definitely sneak our fair share of cookie dough though when mom wasn't looking. I loved baking as a kid.

I can remember having a flour fight when we were younger. Mom wasn't very impressed. Five, six, seven, and nine-year-old girls running around throwing flour everywhere. What a mess. There was flour everywhere. I can't imagine having my nieces and nephews over and them having a flour fight. Aunt Kerri would not be impressed.

When I got a little older I would bake on my own. Whenever I was having a bad day I would take out a cake box and bake a cake. 3 eggs, 3/4 cup of water or milk, 1/4 cup of oil, and you're done. Delicious cake, or cake batter in my case. I loved me some good cake mix dough. So good. I think that's why I would make it, for the dough! I would make the icing too. Icing sugar, vanilla, milk, and butter. Mm Mm good!

I just started baking again recently. I was visiting my sister for two months and I started baking with my niece. She is four. Our first baking treat was Rice Krispie Squares. Can't go wrong. So easy and delicious. Not much to them either. I would get the ingredients ready and my niece would dump them in. She was also the stirrer and she got to lick the spoon! She was excited about that.

Usually, the Kellog's Rice Krispies have the recipe on the back but just in case your box doesn't the recipe is as followed...

Rice Krispies Squares:

3 tablespoons of butter

40 marshmallows

6cups of Rice Krispies

It's that easy folks. I'm not going to get too into this one because the recipe will be on the box but you pretty much melt the butter and marshmallows together and then add the Rice Krispies. Mix it all together and throw it in a buttered pan. Put it in the freezer and a few hours later... delicious Rice Krispie squares. They are on my baking list because they are simple and delicious and everyone loves them.

The next cookie on my list is spider cookies. They are so good. Easy to make. Easy to clean up after. I made these recently with my niece. She loved it. Pour each ingredient in and stir! It's an easy recipe. Easy to make, easy to clean. That's important to me as a baker. They are also delicious!

So here it is folks...

Spider Cookies:

8 tablespoons of butter (1stick)

1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar

1/2 cup of milk

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup shredded coconut

Now for the fun part! In a saucepan over medium heat mix butter, milk, sugar, vanilla, salt, and cocoa powder. Cook for a minute. Add dry ingredients: oats, and coconut. Mix and drop in balls on buttered pan. Put in the fridge for 2-3 hours and serve! Mmm mmm good!

Next on the list is a holiday classic, shortbreads! You can't spell Christmas cookies without these delicious cookies. I like to add icing to mine. Mom would make them into flattened balls, dig a knuckle in the middle and add a cherry. I'm not big on cherries but if you are feel free to do the same.

Shortbreads:

1 cup of icing sugar

1 cup of corn starch

2 cups of flour

3 blocks of butter

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, greese pan, make into circles, flatten and put on baking sheet. Back for 20 minutes. Cool. Frost with icing. Feel free to add food coloring to icing. If you have small children pick up some cookie cutters and make little Christmas trees, Santas, whatever your heart desires!

Side note:

I would have liked to have added some sort of doggie treats to this baking list...next year. I just got my dog two weeks ago. I love her. Look for me next year for Baking with Love Part 2, Baking with Love for Dogs.

Dub dun dun...

OREO CHEESECAKE... Yes, I said it, that's right, Oreo Cheesecake. So good. Melts in your mouth it's that good. I don't even like Oreo's or thought I didn't like Oreo’s until I tried Oreo Cheesecake. And, it's so easy to make. I couldn't believe it. Expensive but delicious. Worth it. To be the person who brings the Oreo Cheesecake... buckle up, you got er, the Queen of all Queen's, King of all King’s, Prince of all Prince’s, Oreo Cheesecake.

Oreo Cheesecake:

2 boxes of Oreo's

1/4 a cup of butter

8 ounces ( I use 3 blocks) of cream cheese

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 cup of granulated sugar

3 eggs

Mmm cheesecake, so good. Now, when you google this recipe it says 24 Oreo's. That is a lie. You cannot make this delicious Oreo Cheesecake with 24 Oreo's. You just can't. I use about a whole box for the crust. Then I crunch up about 3/4 a box for the mix and toppings. You just mix the butter and a box of grounded up Oreo's for the crust. I suggest putting them in a large zip-seal baggie and rolling them out. I haven't tried this but just a suggestion I thought might work better them scrunching them up with your hands.

Next step is the batter, the cake part. It's so easy to make it's scary. Anyone can make cheesecake, the most delicate, precious cake there is. So classy. So delicious. You lay the crust down in a small pan and then mix the middle. You mix the cream cheese and the sugar together in a medium sized bowl. Next you add the vanilla and then the eggs. You mix in one egg at a time. Very important. Once all that is done take about half a box of scrunched up Oreo's and pour them into the bowl. Mix.

Once it is all mixed pour the batter on top of the crust. Save some Oreo's to sprinkle over the top ( about 1/4 of a box). Here come's the tricky part. If you really want to impress your friends fill a roast pan up about two inches of warm water. Cover origional baking pan with tinfoil. Place pan in roast pan, covered with The tinfoil. Cover Roast pan. Set to 350 for one hour. And wha la, you’re done.

Now the cheesecake needs to set for about five hours. Yes, I know, you thought you were done, but things need to set, Ok? After the five hours you can top as desired. I would suggest a light drizzle of caramel sauce. Cut ever so gently and serve. Delicious.

I am hoasting a girls baking, facial, nails and drinks night. Everyone is to pair up and get enough ingredients for four trays of whichever baked good they choose to bake. We will all bake enough so that everyone has four different baked good to take home. While we wait for the cookies and cakes to bake we'll do facials. This will be my first one so wish I could tell you how it goes but I'm sure it will be a blasty-blast!

Hope you enjoyed and have some new baking ideas or girls nights ideas for the holidays! Feel free to drink some egg nog while you bake. Throw on some Christmas tunes. Get in the spirit. It's Christmas and with so much going on in the world it's nice to relax and bake or even better relax with friends and bake. :)

Merry Christmas!:)