Hahn Family Sweet Treats
- Details
No Thanksgiving dinner would be complete without the desserts. Pumpkin pie is par for the course, where sweet treats are concerned, but few folks stop there. Every family has their own unique preferences, and this collection of recipes has something for everyone. The applesauce cake will have even the most ardent fruitcake detractors coming back for a second slice, and the lemon bars are the best we’ve ever had. The shortbread is recipe was adopted from a Scottish woman who lived down the street from mom when she was growing up in Boise.
Grandma's Applesauce Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup shortening (or butter)
- 1 egg
- 1-1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (can use sweetened)
- 2 cups flour (or 2-1/2 cups cake flour)
- 1/2 cup currants
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon rum flavoring (optional)
- 1 tablespoon brandy flavoring (optional)
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 8 oz candied fruit
Instructions
- Cream shortening and sugar together. Add egg, applesauce and flavorings, if using.
- Sift together all dry ingredients and mix with applesauce mixture.
- Grease and flour tube pan or loaf pans (2).
- Mix in nuts, currants, and candied fruit.
- Bake at 350 for 50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Grandma's Lemon Bars
Ingredients
Shoutbread Crust:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Filling:
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons - you should have enough left over for the glaze)
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Glaze:
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
Shortbread Crust
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the flour and poppy seeds, and mix well. Put into an 8 x 8 pan, and pat down so the bottom of the pan is evenly covered. Bake for 20 minutes.
Filling:
- Combine all, mix well and pour over shortbread crust. Bake for 20 minutes. When done, remove from oven and let cool before you pour on the glaze.
Glaze:
- Mix well and pour over cooled lemon bar, making sure to completely cover it. When glaze is set, cut into bars and enjoy!
Notes
Taste the fresh lemon juice. If it doesn't taste tart enough, add 1/4 tsp Lemon Crystal. (Tartness in lemons will vary - you want the tart flavor to balance out the sweetness.
Mom's Shortbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 tsp of salt
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Cream butter, salt and sugar together. Add flour, and mix well.
- Pat into a pie pan.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, until the top begins to brown.
Notes
Can also add 2 tsp of spices to basic shortbread recipe.
Browned Sugar Shortbread:
Substitute brown sugar for white sugar.
Brown Sugar Oatmeal Shortbread:
Substitute brown sugar for white sugar and 1/4 cup oatmeal for 1/4 flour
Chocolate Shortbread:
Substitute 1/4 cup cocoa powder for 1/4 cup flour.
Try it with Advieh. Try poudre douce in brown sugar shortbread, or urfa biber in chocolate shortbread.
These recipes brought to you by World Spice Family Favorites. Thanks, Sherrie! For more holiday treats, check out all our desert and pastry recipes.
French Macarons
Food is considered by the French to be one of life’s greatest pleasures. Béatrice Peltre celebrates that with her beautiful blog and cookbooks. Her latest cookbook, My French Family Table, focuses on everyday foods that …
Ras El Hanout Plum Preserves
Her name was Edna Nosworthy, and she had the same birthday as I do- only eighty years difference. She had a bottomless stash of Tootsie Rolls, made a mean Snickerdoodle, and had a sprawling green …
Indian Coriander Energy Bars
Sometimes I get so busy doing things that I forget to eat breakfast and/or lunch. I know, I shouldn’t do that, but I do. I’ve tried various power or energy bars, but I found them to …
Portuguese Ginjinha
Ginjinha, or Ginja for short, is a liqueur made from an infusion of sour cherries, also called ginja berries. After a friend from Lisbon introduced us to this delicious concoction, we waited almost a year …
Michael’s Boeuf A La Bourguignonne
Turkey dominates the center of the Thanksgiving spread, but it doesn’t have to be the only protein on the table. Boeuf a la Bourguignonne is a French peasant dish from Burgundy that uses beef simmered …
Leave a Comment