Desserts

Sour cream cookies

4 dozen cookies

Butter or margarine, softened ½ cup

Sugar 1 cup

Eggs, beaten 2

Vanilla 1 teaspoon

Flour, unsifted 1¾ cups

Salt ½ teaspoon

Baking soda ¼ teaspoon

Nutmeg ½ teaspoon

Sour cream ½ cup

Nuts, chopped 1 cup

Preheat oven to 375°F. (moderate). Grease baking sheets.

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Beat fat and sugar together until creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Stir flour, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg together. Mix flour mixture, sour cream, and nuts with fat mixture.

Drop dough from a teaspoon onto baking sheets; space cookies about 2 inches apart.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges.

Baked pastry shell

8- or 9-inch pastry shell, 6 to 8 servings

Flour, unsifted 1 cup

Salt ½ teaspoon

Shortening or lard ⅓ cup

Cold water About 2 tablespoons

Preheat oven to 450°F. (very hot).

Mix flour and salt thoroughly. Mix in fat only until mixture is crumbly. A pastry blender, two table knives, or a fork may be used for mixing. Add a little water at a time while mixing lightly. Dough should be just moist enough to cling together when pressed.

For easier handling, cover dough tightly and let stand a few minutes.

Shape dough into a ball. Roll out on a lightly floured surface until the dough is at least an inch wider all around than the piepan.

Fold dough in half for easier lifting and centering in piepan.

Smooth pastry into place, lifting edges as necessary to eliminate air bubbles.

Trim off irregular edges leaving about one-half inch beyond edge of pan; fold under to edge of pan. Shape edge into plain or fancy rim, as desired. Prick bottom and sides well with a fork before baking.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Cool before filling.

VARIATIONS

Pastry shell filled before baking.—Do not prick the pastry. Fill and bake as directed in pie filling recipe.

Pastry for two-crust pie.—Double the recipe for baked pastry shell. Form dough into two balls, one slightly larger than the other. Roll out larger ball and fit into piepan. Roll remaining dough for top crust; make small slits to let steam escape during baking. Put filling into pastry-lined pan and top with second crust. Fold edges of pastry under and press together firmly to seal. Bake as directed in pie recipe.

Apple pie

9-inch pie, 6 to 8 servings

Pastry for two-crust pie (p. 21) 1

Sugar ¾ cup

Cornstarch 1 tablespoon

Cinnamon ½ teaspoon

Apples, tart, pared, sliced 6 cups

Preheat oven to 400°F. (hot).

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Prepare pastry.

Mix dry ingredients lightly with apples in a bowl. Put filling into pastry-lined 9-inch pan. Top with second crust. Fold edges of pastry under and press together firmly to seal.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until filling is bubbly and crust is lightly browned.

Apple turnovers

6 turnovers

Pastry

Flour, unsifted 1½ cups

Salt ¾ teaspoon

Shortening ½ cup

Cold water About 3 tablespoons

Butter or margarine 2 tablespoons

Filling

Apples, tart, pared, sliced 1½ cups

Sugar ¼ cup

Salt ⅛ teaspoon

Cinnamon ¼ teaspoon

Nutmeg ⅛ teaspoon

Mix flour and salt thoroughly. Mix in shortening only until mixture is crumbly. A pastry blender, two table knives, or a fork may be used for mixing.

Add water, a little at a time, mixing lightly. Dough should be just moist enough to cling together when pressed. Shape dough into a ball.

Roll out on a lightly floured surface until dough is about 12 by 12 inches. Dot with butter or margarine.

Fold pastry so that two sides meet in center. Press folded pastry with fingers. Fold ends to center and press with fingers.

Wrap in waxed paper and chill.

Divide pastry into six balls. Roll each ball out on a lightly floured surface to make a 6-inch square.

Preheat oven to 400°F. (hot).

Place about ¼ cup apples onto half of each pastry square about ½ inch from edges so that when top is folded over the turnover will be triangular.

Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sprinkle apples with sugar mixture.

Moisten edges of pastry squares. Fold pastry diagonally over apple mixture. Seal edges with a fork. Prick tops of turnovers.

Bake until lightly browned, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Gingerbread

9 servings

Shortening ½ cup

Brown sugar, packed ⅓ cup

Egg 1

Light molasses ½ cup

Flour, unsifted 1½ cups

Salt ½ teaspoon

Baking soda ¾ teaspoon

Ginger ½ teaspoon

Cinnamon ½ teaspoon

Boiling water ½ cup

Preheat oven to 350°F. (moderate). Grease an 8- by 8- by 2-inch baking pan.

Beat shortening and sugar until creamy. Add egg and molasses; beat well.

Mix dry ingredients thoroughly. 23 Add to molasses mixture alternately with boiling water. Beat after each addition.

Pour batter into pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm.

Cheesecake

9-inch cake, 12 servings

Zwieback crumbs 1 cup

Butter or margarine, melted 2 tablespoons

Sugar 2 tablespoons

Cinnamon ¼ teaspoon

Cream cheese, softened 16 ounces

Sugar ½ cup

Flour 2 tablespoons

Salt ½ teaspoon

Lemon rind, grated 1 lemon

Lemon juice 1 lemon

Egg yolks 5

Sour cream 1 cup

Vanilla ½ teaspoon

Egg whites 5

Mix crumbs, melted fat, sugar, and cinnamon. Line bottom of 9-inch spring-form pan with ¾ cup crumbs, saving remaining crumbs for top.

Preheat oven to 325°F. (slow).

Beat cheese until soft. Mix in sugar, flour, and salt. Stir in lemon rind and juice. Add yolks one at a time, beating after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla. Mix well.

Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold egg whites into cheese mixture.

Pour mixture into pan. Cover with remaining crumbs. Bake 1 hour or until set.

Cool on cake rack. Refrigerate.

Sponge cake roll

8 servings

Cake flour, unsifted 1 cup

or

All-purpose flour, unsifted 1 cup less 2 tablespoons

Baking powder 1 teaspoon

Salt ¼ teaspoon

Eggs 3

Sugar 1 cup

Water ⅓ cup

Vanilla 1 teaspoon

Confectioner’s sugar ¼ cup

Filling As desired

Preheat oven to 375°F. (moderate). Line a 15- by 10- by 1-inch pan with foil or heavy paper; grease.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt thoroughly.

Beat eggs about 5 minutes until thick and lemon colored and heavy peaks cling to lifted beater. Beat in sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Slowly mix in the water and vanilla.

Gently mix or fold in dry ingredients only until batter is smooth.

Pour into pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, just until center is firm when lightly touched.

Place a sheet of foil or waxed paper on a rack; sprinkle with about three-fourths of the confectioner’s sugar. Turn cake onto foil or paper. Peel foil or paper from cake and quickly trim away any crusty edges. Cool on rack.

Spread cake with a filling, as desired (See note). Starting with the narrow edge, roll cake. Place seam down. Sift remaining confectioner’s sugar over top.

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NOTE: For the filling, use jelly or jam. Or use whipped dessert topping or sweetened, flavored whipped cream alone or with fresh blueberries or sliced, sweetened strawberries (well drained). Or fill a chilled roll with slightly softened ice cream and place in freezer until used.

Yellow chiffon cake

10-inch cake, 15 servings

Oil ½ cup

Egg yolks 4

Water ¾ cup

Vanilla 1½ teaspoons

Cake flour, unsifted 2 cups

Sugar 1½ cups

Baking powder 2½ teaspoons

Salt 1 teaspoon

Egg whites 4

Cream of tartar ½ teaspoon

Preheat oven to 350°F. (moderate).

Place oil, unbeaten egg yolks, water, and vanilla in mixing bowl, and mix well.

Mix dry ingredients thoroughly and add to liquid mixture. Beat until smooth.

Pour egg whites into large mixing bowl. Add cream of tartar. Beat until very stiff peaks are formed.

Fold egg yolk mixture gently into egg white mixture. Pour batter immediately into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan.

Bake about 1¼ hours, or until top is springy to touch.

Invert cake in pan until cool. Serve plain or topped with a lemon or chocolate glaze.

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1979 O—292-694