Yummy Peach Betty.

Every once and a while we all need a dessert.  This is a yummy dessert that you can feel less guilty for eating.  I mean we do need fruit and oats in our diet.  How about a beautiful peach betty with oats in the crust.  Well, that is the perfect thing on a cold winter day.  Right?!? My answer is yes.  And once you master the crust you can make betty out of any fruit pie filling so you can customize it to what's in season, what's on sale, what you like, or what some body else likes.   Oats are healthy, they are good for cholesterol and more.  This could also be made gluten free  or vegan easily.

This is  a quart of  Peach pie filling I canned last summer.  But you could use 2 cans of pie filling, or a couple of cans of just canned fruit.  You can also use fresh fruit. 

Add the oats to the dry mix and stir.

Added the flour and sugars in a medium mixing bowl.  You can
put 1/2 c of oats in the blender or food processor and turn it into
Oat flour instead of regular flour, or you can use any flour you like.

Use a dough blender or whatever you have to cutter the butter (or what ever solid fat you would like) and continue working it until it is mixed and looks like crumbs.  This will take a little bit of time, but worth it.

Then pile it on tome of the fruit filling and  place in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour or until the crust is golden brown and some of the filling is bubbling up.  For  some  pans like this one where the betty reaches the top of the pan, I pan it on top of a cookie sheet to make cleaning easier because it is likely to bubble over a little bit.  And I hate cleaning the oven,


For a  real treat  on warmer days, you can eat with vanilla ice cream on top. That is Handy Hubby's favorite way to eat it.  Especially if it is peach, strawberry, or blackberry betty.


Betty Crust Recipe

• 1/2 c flour 
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 3/4 c oatmeal
• 1/2 c or 1 stick of butter
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1tsp nutmeg
• pinch of salt (1/4 or less tsp)

 For filling 

2 cans of pie filling or any other fruit in other forms.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour.  Until golden brown and bubbly.

Glazed Lemon Sugar Cookies

You know when Handy Hubby ask for something sweet, especially with his heart healthy diet, it is cookies I will make. He works so hard to provide for us, he deserves a treat.   Today's creations are Glazed Lemon Sugar cookies.  John loves sweet and sour so I thought lets try this.  

John and the kids loved these I would say they are a hit.  I have to say they are Yummy!!!

1 c sugar and zest of 1 lemon for the creaming process.

Juice of 1 lemon but we only need 2 tbsp at this point

Added the butter and egg and creamed together until light and fluffy.  I used my egg beaters.  For some strange reason I tend to set fire to mixers.  I go through  one every three to six months.  Love the older technology it saves my behind in the kitchen.

Mix together the dry ingredients.  Then add them to the creamed mixture slowly. 

When it is all mixed and crumbly put it in a plastic zipper bag and roll it into a log form and park it in the ice box for a couple of hours.

When the painful wait of 2 hours is up.  Take the dough out and roll it into balls.  I got 20.  Put them on a cookie sheet and throw them in the oven for 12-14 minutes at 350.

While the cookies are baking, get another cookie sheet and a cooling rack ready, it makes for cleaner glazing.  And I mixed up the super simple glaze.  I combine the lemon zest and the confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)

Then juice that lemon 

I measured it out.  And John is over here licking his lips.  He likes to drink it.

This is the beautiful glaze, I used my egg beaters again.  Trusty eggbeaters.

I dipped each cookie in the glaze and set them on the cookie rack.  At John's insistence, they needed yellow sugar.  So I sprinkled that on top.  

Aren't they pretty?

Ethan, who just got back for the Event at Ozark Christian College, says they taste as
good as they look.  

Handy Hubby loved them too.


Glazed Lemon Sugar Cookies

• 1/2 c butter
• 1 c Sugar
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 c flour

Cream butter, sugar, lemon zest, Lemon juice, and egg together, in a separate bowl mix baking soda, salt, and flour together then slowly add to the creamed mixture.  When it is all crumbly and combined put in a zippy baggy and chill for 2 hours.  Then ball up and bake for 12-14 minutes at 350

The Glaze

• 2 c confectioners sugar
• juice of 1 lemon
• zest of 1 lemon

Mix together until smooth and no lumps.  

1 Recipe 4 different cookies

The kids decided that Charlie (the Cookie Jar) needed to be fed again.  So I decided to experiment with a cookie recipe.  I used the standard Toll House Chocolate Chip cookie recipe, and I tweaked it and twisted it for some yumminess.  First batch I used the standard recipe as is.  I split that dough into 2 different batches.  The first half I balled up and baked according to the recipe and the second half I put in the freezer until it was frozen solid and crumbled.  The next dough I made up was still the Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe and I added 1/2 cup of cocoa powder to the wet ingredients.  Then I separated the dough into 2 different batches.   

Standard Toll House recipe with Pecans.  I live in Pecan country.  And I love pecans
 (pronounced Pa cons (at least the part of Texas I am originally from))

This is the same recipe with the cocoa powder added and some of the frozen cookie dough broken into it.

Standard Toll House recipe.  

Cocoa added and chunks of frozen standard cookie dough added into the chocolate cookies

Half of each of standard toll house cookies and 1 chocolate toll house cookies.

Chocolate toll house chocolate chip cookies.

Aren't they yummy looking?

It doesn't have to look good as long as it taste good.

John (aka Handy Hubby) doesn't always have a sweet tooth, but every once and a while, he gets a craving for something.  This time it is a strawberry tart.  Well I am not good at tarts and I don't own a tart pan. So I decided on a compromise, strawberry pie, at least I hope it is a good compromise.  So I set out gathering the stuff to make it. I used the Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pie Crust recipe.  I followed the directions and made the crust. And while the crust was chilling, I started on the filling.

I really suck at pie crust. So I gave up on rolling it out and just pressed it into the pie plate with my fingers.

I started by putting frozen strawberries in a bowl (could be any berry or fruit) and sprinkled with a tbsp of cornstarch.

I finished off the edges with a fork,  okay so I wanted it to look somewhat nice.

I placed the strawberries, poured the simple syrup mixture over the top, and sprinkled with a little flour.

Added crumbles of leftover crust on top of the fruit and into the oven.

Baked and ready to eat , Yummy!!!!

Strawberry Pie.

• 1/2 lb (give or take) strawberries
• 2 tbsp cornstarch,
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 cup water
• Pie crust recipe

On the stove in a medium sauce pan combine the sugar, water, and 1 tbsp of cornstarch and bring to a boil.  In a mixing bowl toss the strawberries in 1 tbsp of cornstarch. Prepare your pie crust, whether your roll it out or press it into the pan (  you can use ready made crust too)  Place the strawberries in the crust.  Then pour the sugar and water mixture over the top.  Sprinkle with a little flour on top.  Add crumbled up left over crust and bake at 350 for about an hour.