Cheese Crackers

These crackers have been on my to-make list for years, but for some reason they intimidated me. So, I decided to tackle them for our first Baking Club meeting. They were surprisingly easy and delicious! The trick is to roll them very, very thin. I rolled them right on my Silpat and left them there for baking.  I used the round end of a large pastry tip to cut the circles.

-Tasty Kitchen

8 ounces, weight Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

4 Tablespoons Butter, Cut Into Cubes

1 cup Flour

¾ teaspoons Salt

2 Tablespoons Cold Water

Pulse everything (except water) together in the food processor until the dough resembles coarse sand.

Pulse in water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Remove dough from the processor, wrap in plastic, and chill for 20 minutes.

Roll out the dough and cut into desired shapes. You can use a toothpick to make the eyes and smile if desired. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until crispy.

Makes approximately 7 dozen crackers.

Grasshopper Ice Cream

I received a fun new Cuisinart ice cream maker for my birthday, and we've been having lots of fun making different flavors. I think this one has been everyone's favorite.

1 cup whole milk

¾ cup granulated sugar

pinch salt

2 cups heavy cream

2 tsp. mint extract

½ package Keebler Mint Grasshopper Mint & Fudge Cookies, chopped and frozen

In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine the milk, sugar and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and mint extract. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.

Turn on the ice cream maker; pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add chopped Grasshopper cookies. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for 24 hours.

The 'Best Biscuits'

Brandon and I enjoyed some great biscuits on our trip to Portland and have been looking for a great biscuit recipe to recreate the deliciousness of Pine State and Jim & Patty's. I think this recipe comes pretty close! Lots of butter and sour cream makes everything better, right? Makes 12 large biscuits.

-Your Homebased Mom

4 C flour

2 Tbsp baking powder

1½ tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp soda

½ C butter

16oz sour cream

3-5 tsp water

Melted butter

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl or your food processor. If using food processor, pulse until butter is small and well-blended pieces or cut in butter by hand using a pastry cutter

Add in the sour cream and water and mix well

Pulse again until well mixed

Add more water if it is too dry (just a little at a time.)

Knead a few times on the counter and roll out to 1 inch thick

Use a biscuit cutter to cut or dip a drinking glass into flour and cut

Freeze individually on a cookie sheet

After they are frozen, place in a freezer bag to store, use as needed

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet

Bake at 400 for 15-17 minutes or until top is golden

Twice during the baking process baste the tops of the biscuits with melted butter