Deep In The Heart Of Texas Sugar Cookies Recipes

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS BACKYARD BARBEQUE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Make sure the whole chicken is rinsed under running water. Cut chicken into quarters, brush with vegetable oil and season with salt, pepper, thyme, and pepper flakes on both sides. Set aside.
• A clean grill is a happy grill. Make sure old ashes are discarded and grates are brushed clean. Add wood charcoal and ignite. When charcoal has burned to white ash, add chicken quarters skin side down. The process now is to render as much grease from the skin without burning the skin or causing the grease to flare-up on the fire and burn the skin. Take your time and be attentive to what is on the grill.
• At this point, add water soaked hickory chips (a small handful at a time) to the edge of the fire. This will start the smoking process. Seal in the smoke with a lid or the top of the grill. Remember to keep an eye on the chicken and turn when skin is rendered about 8 to 10 minutes. If the smoke dies down, add another handful of hickory chips.
• Grill and smoke chicken for about 15 additional minutes making sure the meat is cooking evenly on both sides. Then begin basting each piece of chicken with barbeque sauce. Don't be afraid to swipe on the barbeque sauce heavy and keep turning each piece to prevent burning in 1 area of the grill.
• Remove barbequed chicken from grill to a platter and serve family style with bowls of Country Greens-Cornbread Pan Stuffing and Peach-Jalapeno Chutney. You may find 1 whole chicken is just not enough to satisfy "A Big Texas Appetite."
• To prepare the collard greens, pick through the greens, discarding any large stems and brown or yellow leaves. Wash thoroughly to remove all grit. With a knife, cut the greens into bite-sized pieces.
• Place the ham hock, onion, chiles and pepper in a large pot over medium-high heat and add enough stock to cover by 1-inch. Bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Add the greens in 4 batches, stirring each batch down until wilted and submerged in the liquid. If needed, add more stock to keep the greens covered by 1-inch. Increase the heat, to medium and simmer, 40 to 60 minutes. The length of cooking time depends on the age of the greens; the older the greens, the longer it takes to tenderize them. The liquid (potlikker) should be reduced by 3/4. Remove the ham hock, pull the meat from bones and cut into medium dice. Add back to greens. Remove onion, chop fine and add back to greens. Season with pepper vinegar. Combine with the cornbread and keep warm!
• Cornbread:
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet and place in oven.
• Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add milk, eggs and butter. Stir with a few rapid strokes until dry ingredients are just moistened.
• Pour batter into hot pan. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are light brown and bread is firm. Remove from oven and let cool. With a knife cut cornbread into 1-inch dice.;
• Peel and pit all peaches. Medium dice 3 peaches, place in a bowl and set aside.
• Puree the remaining peaches in a blender. Pour mixture into a medium saucepan with ginger, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Bring pan to medium heat and reduce mixture, stirring occasionally, until thick for about 5 to 6 minutes. Pour diced peaches into saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until mixture is hot. Remove and set aside.

HEART'S DELIGHT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle. , On a heavily floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 4-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired., Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks. While cookies are still warm, poke two holes into each cookie with a straw. When cookies are completely cooled, thread ribbon through holes and tie into a bow; trim ribbon if necessary.

GRANDMA SHEETS' SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix together the sugar, shortening, baking powder and ground nutmeg. Beat the eggs and add to mixture. Combine the milk and baking soda and pour into mixture. Add the flour. You can start out with a good mixer at first but you'll need to switch to hand-mixing when dough gets too thick, adding enough flour so the dough is not too sticky and you can roll it out to about 1/4 inch or so.
• Flour counter and rolling pin and top of dough. If it is very humid where you live it may help to refrigerate dough 15 minutes or so and you can also refrigerate the portion of the dough that you're not presently working with. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch. Cut out with any cookie cutter and place on cookie sheet.
• Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for about 8 minutes, or until ever so lightly browned around edges or on bottom. Remove from sheets and cool on flattened grocery bags or wire racks.

SIRI'S HEART SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until fluffy. Add 1 egg, allowing it to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next with the vanilla extract.
• Dissolve cream of tartar in milk; beat into the butter mixture. Add 4 cups flour and pinch of salt; beat until doughy.
• Spread 1 cup flour onto a flat work surface. Roll the dough out on the prepared surface; cut out in desired shapes until all dough is used.
• Bake on non-stick baking sheets in preheated oven until cookies are set in the middle, about 12 minutes.

DIPPED HEART SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Follow the cut out cookie directions on the back of the Betty Crocker™ Sugar Cookie pouch.
• Cut dough with the heart shaped cookie cutter & bake as directed.
• Empty the Betty Crocker™ Cookie Icing into a bowl.
• Once the cookies are cooled, dip half the heart into the cookie icing.
• While the icing is still wet, sprinkle the red & pink heart sprinkles onto the icing.
• Continue until all cookies are decorated, allowing them to cool for at least 1 hour before serving.

DOUBLE-HEART SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir together Cookie ingredients until dough forms.
• Divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface, roll each half until 1/8 inch thick. With 3-inch and 1 1/2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutters, cut 12 cookies of each size. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• In medium bowl, beat powdered sugar, water, corn syrup and almond extract until smooth. Divide Glaze into 2 bowls; tint each with food color as desired. Dip cooled cookies into glaze, letting excess drip off; dip into decors. Place smaller heart on top of larger heart. Let stand at room temperature until set, about 1 hour.

HEART-OF-MY-HEART COOKIES

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat butter, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, the vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Cover; refrigerate 2 to 3 hours or until chilled.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Divide dough in half. On lightly floured cloth-covered surface, roll each half 1/4 inch thick. Cut with 3 1/2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter. On ungreased cookie sheet, place cutouts 2 inches apart. If desired, sprinkle with colored sugars.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until delicately golden. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In small bowl, mix glaze ingredients until smooth and spreadable. Spread glaze over cookies. Decorate with decorator icings.

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Crush the hard candy fairly fine.
• Beat powdered sugar and butter.
• Mix in vanilla, almond extract and egg.
• Sift together flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Mix into creamed mixture.
• Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm.
• Tape (2) paint stir sticks, the width of your rolling pin, on to parchment paper. Stir sticks gives you even thickness of about 1/8 inch thick.
• Tape the paper to your counter.
• Place a piece of dough on the paper, cover with another piece of parchment paper and roll.
• If the dough sticks use powdered sugar on the rolling surface.
• It is best not to get it on top of the cookie if you are going to glaze, because it makes the top of the cookie puffy where the sugar was.
• Use a 3 ½ inch Texas shaped cookie cutter, then use a 1 inch heart shaped cutter.
• Place cookies on a foil lined cookie sheet.
• Spoon it in the heart spaces. Use as much as you want, but not over the top of the Texas shape cookie.
• You can sprinkle the cookie with sugar before baking or may glaze after completely cooled.
• Bake at 375° F for 7 to 8 minutes or until edges or golden.
• Let your stained glass cookies cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.
• Cool completely before glazing.
• WHITE GLAZE: Mix all ingredients until smooth or desired brushing consistency.

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS BBQ RUB

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients together and store in airtight container.

HEART SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
• Use an electric mixer to cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs.
• Add flour mixture, and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Stir in vanilla or lemon juice and zest. Wrap dough in plastic; chill for about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Transfer to ungreased baking sheets; refrigerate until firm, 15 minutes. Remove from refrigerator, and decorate with sanding sugar, if desired. Bake until edges just start to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on wire racks.