Old Fashioned Butter Food

OLD FASHIONED BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift dry ingredients together. Place in food processor and process a few seconds to mix. Cut each stick of butter into 8 pieces and place in food processor. Process 20 to 30 seconds until butter is cut in evenly. Add egg yolks and vanilla and process until mixture forms a ball. Remove, divide into 4 equal balls, flatten each and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat over to 375 degrees. Cut aluminum foil to fit approximately 4 cookie sheets. Using a well floured pastry cloth and rolling pin cover, roll 1 section of dough, leaving the rest refrigerated until needed. Roll evenly approximately 1/8" thick (or actually 1/8" thin). Using small size cookies cutters, cut cookies (they should remain in the cutter, then tap out on to the foil lined cookie sheets). Place cookies 1/2 inch apart. Sprinkle with sugar crystals. (Easier to do one whole sheet red, next sheet green). Reroll scraps and roll out, trying to handle dough as little as possible. Don't reroll dough a third time, use another refrigerated section of dough. Bake approximately 8 minutes, one sheet at a time. Cookies should be slightly golden, remove quickly as once they start to brown, they could burn fast. Immediately slide foil off cookie sheet and leave cookies on foil to cool. Repeat with remaining dough. Store in a wax paper lined, cookie tin. Cookies reach their taste potential after a day and will stay fresh in a cookie tin approximatelly 3 weeks. Actual yield is based on the size cookie cutter used. I use a very small size, approximately 1 1/2 " across.

OLD FASHIONED BUTTER TAFFY

Steps:

• Boil all ingredients except the butter and vanilla together until the syrup forms a hard ball when you place a drop in cold water.
• Then add the butter and continue cooking until the mixture becomes brittle. Remove from the stove, add vanilla and pour into a buttered flat baking pan.
• When it is nearly cool, mark it with squares.

PEANUT BUTTER OLD FASHIONED

Steps:

• Measure the Peanut Butter Infused Rye, Salted Honey Syrup and bitters into a mixing glass, add ice and stir. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.
• Combine the peanut butter with the rye and freeze overnight.
• Strain the mixture through a coffee filter-lined chinois 2 to 3 times to remove the oil. Reserve the infused peanut butter and rye separately.
• Combine the honey and hot water in a container. Add the kosher salt and stir to combine.

OLD FASHIONED PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter cookie sheets and set aside. With an electric mixer beat the butter until soft. Add the sugars and beat until creamy. Add the egg, peanut butter, salt, baking soda and vanilla.
• With a rubber spatula fold the flour into the egg mixture but do not overmix. Roll the dough into small balls and place them on prepared cookie sheet. With a fork press the balls into flat cookies and bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until crisp and golden.
• For added touch melt some bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler remove and cool down a bit. When still pliable dip one edge of cookies into chocolate.

OLD-FASHIONED CUPCAKES WITH PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Fill a 12-count muffin tin with liners and set aside.
• With an electric mixer, cream together the sugar and butter until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together, then add alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Add the vanilla and mix until smooth.
• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin tin cups, filling about three-quarters of the way up. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn out cupcakes onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
• For the frosting: With an electric mixer, beat the butter and peanut butter together until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Slowly add 1 1/2 cups of the confectioner's sugar, the milk, and the vanilla. Beat in the remaining 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar. Mix in additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is a creamy, spreadable consistency.
• Generously frost the cupcakes. Garnish with sprinkles.

OLD FASHIONED PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter cookie sheets and set aside. With an electric mixer beat the butter until soft. Add the sugars and beat until creamy. Add the egg, peanut butter, salt, baking soda and vanilla.
• With a rubber spatula fold the flour into the egg mixture but do not overmix. Roll the dough into small balls and place them on prepared cookie sheet. With a fork press the balls into flat cookies and bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until crisp and golden.
• For added touch melt some bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler remove and cool down a bit. When still pliable dip one edge of cookies into chocolate.

OLD-FASHIONED BUTTER CRUNCH

Steps:

• To make the butter crunch mixture, melt the butter in a saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 300 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat, stir in almonds, and pour out into prepared pan, spreading the mixture with the back of a spoon to fill the pan. Before the butter crunch hardens, but when it is firm enough to handle, turn it out onto a large parchment-covered cutting board and peel away the foil. Allow the butter crunch to cool completely. To finish the butter crunch, wipe the top surface of the candy with a damp paper towel to remove excess butter and allow to dry a few minutes. Have another cutting board or the back of a jelly-roll pan ready to turn the candy over onto. Use a small offset metal icing spatula to spread half the tempered chocolate quickly over the butter crunch. Scatter half the chopped almonds over the chocolate. Cover this finished surface with a piece of parchment paper or foil and place another cutting board or the back of a large jelly-roll pan. Remove top board and paper and quickly spread with remaining tempered chocolate and scatter on remaining almonds (it isn't necessary to wipe the second side because it wasn't against a buttered surface). Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set chocolate. Break the butter crunch into 2-inch pieces. Store candy in a tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting cover and keep at a cool room temperature for up to a week.

OLD FASHIONED BUTTER

Steps:

• In a small bowl, soak the cherries in bourbon, stirring occasionally, until bourbon is almost absorbed.
• This will take 2 to 12 hours.
• Place the butter in a medium mixing bowl and with an electric mixer (fitted with the paddle) or wooden spoon, beat until light and fluffy.
• Scrape down the sides.
• Add the soaked cherries, zest, sugar and bitters or additional bourbon (if using) and beat to incorporate, scraping sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
• Scrape into a small bowl, serving crock or butter mold and cover tightly or shape into a long roll in grease-proof paper (plastic, wax or parchment) for storing and slicing as needed.

OLD-FASHIONED PEACH BUTTER

Steps:

• Place half of peaches into container of an electric blender; process until coarsely chopped.
• Pour into a flat-bottomed kettle.
• Repeat procedure with remaining peaches.
• Stir in sugar.
• Cook over medium low heat, stirring frequently 30 minutes or until mixture thickens.
• Quickly ladle butter into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
• Cover at once with metal lids and screw bands tight.
• Process in boiling water bath 5 minutes.

OLD FASHIONED BUTTER BEANS & HAM

Steps:

• Half fill a large saucepan with water and stir in the beans, ham hock, quartered onion, garlic and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered for 1 hour or until the beans are tender. Drain the beans, reserving all of the liquid and discarding the onion, garlic, and bay leaves. Transfer beans to a bowl and the ham hock to a cutting board. Cut the meat into small pieces (you should have about 1 cup). Discard the bones. In the same saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and saute for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in the ham and enough bean liquid to make the beans soupy (about 2 cups); bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the beans, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to taste; heat for 3 minutes or until hot. Ladle into bowls (I like to add a couple of drops of catsup) and serve with warm fresh homemade bread and butter.

OLD FASHIONED PUMPKIN BUTTER

Steps:

• Combine pumpkin puree, sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, cayenne pepper, apple juice, and apple cider vinegar in a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan; whisk until thoroughly combined. Place over medium-high heat and stir occasionally until simmering.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and reduces by about half, 45 to 60 minutes. The sauce will be very hot, so wear an oven mitt and stir carefully. You may also want to use a splatter guard to keep the sauce from dirtying your stove.
• Once reduced, remove from the stove and let cool for 10 minutes. Toss in butter and whisk until it disappears. Let cool to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Transfer pumpkin butter into an airtight container and place in the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled and flavors have developed, 8 hours to overnight. Store in the refrigerator.