Common Cuisine |

from the kitchen of Brandee Faughn

• ½ C butter, melted
• ½ C peanut butter
• ½ C granulated sugar
• ½ C brown sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 1 ¼ C flour
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375.

Cream together butters and sugars. Add egg and vanilla, then dry ingredients. Beat well.

Roll dough into balls, then create criss cross pattern with fork, and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 8 minutes.

from the kitchen of Gracie Hinton

• 1 C light brown sugar
• ½ C shortening
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ Cups flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 C chopped unpeeled apple
• Whole pecan halves (optional)

Cream together sugar and shortening. Beat in egg. Sift together dry ingredients and add to mixture. Beat until well blended. Stir in apples. Drop in the shape of a ball on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes. Sprinkle cinnamon and pecan on top.

from the kitchen of Gracie Hinton

• 2 ½ C sifted flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice
• ½ C sort shortening
• 1 ¼ C brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 28oz can pumpkin
• 1 C chopped walnuts
• 2 pkgs (12 oz ea) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 ½ C quick cooking oats
• butterscotch morsels (optional)
• Heath Bar crumbs (optional)

Cream shortening. Add sugar and eggs one at a time. Add pumpkin and mix well. Stir in all dry ingredients, then oats. Gradually stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Drop by Tablespoons on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes. Sprinkle butterscotch morsels and Heath Bar crumbs on top.

from the kitchen of Wendy Patranella

• 1 pkg yellow cake mix
• 1 C chunky peanut butter
• 1/2 C butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1 C (1 oz) semisweet chocolate morsels
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Beat a medium speed with electric mixer 1-2 minutes. Press half of mixture into bottom of ungreased 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes; remove from oven.

Sprinkle with chocolate morsels and drizzle with condensed milk. Sprinkle with remaining cake mixture.

Return to oven for 30 minutes. Let cool, and cut into bars. Makes 24 bars.

This kid-friendly treat is a beautiful jewel on a plate of homemade cookies, and is so full of fruit and nuts it could practically count as a serving of fruit.

• 1 C dried dates
• 1 C golden raisins
• 1/2 C dried cranberries
• 1/2 C dried apricots
• 1 Tbsp Orange Juice
• 1/2 C white chocolate chips
• 1/2 C walnut pieces
• Granulated sugar

In a food processor, place dates, raisins, cranberries and apricots. Pulse several times until fruits are well chopped. Add Orange Juice to help with mixing.

Add white chocolate and nuts to mixture. Pulse a few more times until mixture has a slightly chunky consistency.

Roll mixture into 1″ balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar.

Serve in individual candy cups. Makes about 40 sugar plums.

This is a fun dish to make during Thanksgiving week, when everyone is looking for something besides turkey dinner.

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2″ pieces
• ¾ cup onions, chopped
• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ginger
• 1 tsp grated orange rind
• ½ cup orange juice
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar (optional)

Layer chicken pieces in bottom of slow cooker. Top with (in order) onion, cranberries, salt, cinnamon, ginger, orange rind, and orange juice. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours. Remove chicken pieces to a platter.

Melt butter in saucepan. Pour sauce from chicken into pan, reserving ½ cup. Add sugar to saucepan, if using. Heat to boil. Combine reserved sauce with cornstarch until smooth; add to sauce. Return to boil. Boil and stir one minute, until thickened. Serve over chicken.

Serves 4.

I have never met such a little thing with so many names! When I was in junior high, I made these for World Foods Day in Home Ec and called them Pfeufferneusse from Austria. I don’t even know what that word means. My cookbook calls them Russian Teacakes, but then a friend saw them and commented on my Wedding Cookies. I think the simplest name of all is Snowballs, so that is what they are called here.

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup finely chopped nutes
• 1/4 tsp salt
• powdered sugar

Heat oven to 400. Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla. Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds togetehr. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown.

Roll in powdered sugar while warm; cool. Roll in powdered sugar again.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.