Biscuit Archives - Sweet Southern Savings

I have been blessed to be surrounded by a large family. I’ve always had the luxury of knowing that I was loved and had someone in my corner. Over the years I’ve lost some of the most wonderful people and would not have made it without the support of the great people in my life. Each one touching my life in such a deep and everlasting way that there are no words that can fully express what they meant to me.

Two of those who I’ve lost passed on two great cookie recipes that my family has enjoyed making for years. I remember enjoying both of my grandmothers’ cookies and looked forward to them every year. I would like to share their recipes with you in hopes they will become a favorite of yours and bring you fond memories, also.

Paula’s Family Sugar Cookie Recipe From Mama

These soft and chewy sugar cookies are a Christmas cookie exchange staple in our family! This no-chill dough sugar cookie recipe has just a few simple ingredients and comes together quickly.

Cookie Ingredients:
2 C All Purpose Flour 2/3 C Shortening
3/4 tsp baking powder 2 Eggs
1/4 tsp salt 3/4 tsp Vanilla
3/4 C Sugar

Let’s Bake!
1.    Preheat oven 400 degrees F.
2. Sift dry ingredients together into large bowl.
3.    Cut in shortening.
4. Add eggs & vanilla, mix well.
5.    Roll out very thin on floured board and cut with a floured cookie cutter(s).
6.    Place cookies on Greased or parchment lined cookie sheet & Bake for 9 – 12 minutes until edges are just starting to brown. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Icing Ingredients:
1 1/2 C Sifted Confectioners Sugar 1 Tbsp Milk
Food Coloring

Let’s Decorate!
1.    Sift Confectioners Sugar into a bowl & Add milk. Stir until smooth.
2.    Divide into separate bowls & Color as desired.
3.    Spread icing on to cooled cookies & Add any decorations you want.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Paula’s Family Italian Cookie Recipe From Teta

These Italian Cookies are the perfect bites of sweetness and are the perfect addition to any cookie platter. We enjoy them plain as a breakfast biscuit. These cookies also make a great dessert or a sweet treat with your afternoon tea.

Cookie Ingredients:
12 – 14 C All Purpose King Arthur Flour 2 C Milk
10 Tbls Baking Powder 1/4 C Vanilla or anise extract
2 Tbls salt 2 C Olive Oil
12 Eggs 2 C Sugar

Let’s Bake!
1.    Preheat oven 375 degrees F
2. Sift flour and set aside.
2. You will need a very large bowl to make this recipe. Into it using a large sturdy spoon mix eggs, milk, vanilla or anise, oil, sugar, and salt.
3. Mix in baking powder two tablespoons at a time. Make sure that it is fully incorporated before adding the next two.
4.    Stir sifted flour two cups at a time into wet ingredients. Mixing completely between each addition. Check dough after 12 cups. You should be able to roll the dough into “ropes” with floured hands.
4. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour.
6.    Roll and shape pieces of dough into any shape you like. My favorite growing up was the candy cane shaped ones. Knots and S’s are also fun.
7.    Place cookies on greased cookie sheet & bake for 10 – 12 minutes, until edges are just starting to brown. Transfer to a rack to cool.

We have always mixed these by hand.

Icing Ingredients:
1 Box of Confectioners Sugar Milk
Food Coloring Sprinkles
1⁄8 – 1⁄4 teaspoon anise extract

Let’s Decorate!
1. Sift confectioners sugar into a bowl & add milk. I start with 1 box of sugar, anise, and 2 tablespoons milk. We love the licorice flavor that anise gives so I put 1⁄4 teaspoon anise in ours. Stir until smooth. Then, I add a small amount of milk until it is just thin enough that I can dip the cookie tops in.
2. Divide icing into separate bowls & color as desired.
3. While the cookies are still warm, dip the top of each cookie into icing & add any decorations you want. Put cookies on paper bags or wire racks until the icing sets up.

Makes 5 pounds of cookies. They freeze well!!!

Paula’s No Bake Cheesecake Recipe

This recipe is a favorite of my children. One year they ate 3 of these!

I’ve made this recipe and poured it into little mini phyllo (fillo) cups to take to parties. You can change it up by substituting the vanilla with other extracts and also caramelizing the sweetened condensed milk makes for a delicious caramel cheesecake.

Ingredients:
8 oz Cream Cheese 1/3 C Lemon Juice
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk 1 tsp Vanilla
Graham Cracker Pie Crust

Let’s Bake!
1. Cream the cheese until light and fluffy. When you think it’s light and fluffy do it for another minute.
2. Add the milk and mix on high until smooth.
3. Add the lemon juice and vanilla, mix again until smooth.
4. Immediately pour into pie crust and chill at least two hours.
5. Cut and Serve with your favorite topping.

I’ve always used a hand held mixer for this recipe, measured all my ingredients and had everything open and ready before starting to mix. If using a stand mixer you may need to power it down one speed so that things don’t fly out the bowl.

3-2-1 Pie Crusts and Biscuits 1-2-3 RECIPES made EASY with this Professional Pastry Cutter

EASY
3-2-1 Pie Crusts and Biscuits 1-2-3
RECIPES

3-2-1 Pie Crusts and Biscuits 1-2-3 RECIPES made EASY with this Professional Pastry Cutter

Orblue Professional Stainless Steel Pastry Cutter:

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3-2-1 Pie Crusts and Biscuits 1-2-3 RECIPES made EASY with this Professional Pastry Cutter

My Thoughts:
Having used my Mom’s pastry cutter I’ve been wanting one of these for a long time. This one has a nice sized handle design for an easy grip and I found that does a beautiful job of cutting in butter. Your homemade pie crusts will be flaky and your biscuits light and airy when you use this professional quality pastry cutter to make them.

3-2-1 Pie Crusts and Biscuits 1-2-3 RECIPES made EASY with this Professional Pastry Cutter

1-2-3 Buttermilk Biscuits

Makes about 2 dozen 2-inch biscuits

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes, plus 2-3 tablespoons butter, melted for drizzling

2 1/2 cups self-rising flour, sifted, plus more for dusting the work surface

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Lightly grease or line the baking pan(s) with parchment paper. Place 2 1/4 cups flour into a bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut the cold butter into the flour until it has combined to form a mealy mixture with the largest portions no bigger than a pea. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture, mixing gently until everything is moistened.

Using a portion of the remaining flour, flour your surface and turn the mixture onto it. Knead a couple of times; if to sticky to handle, sprinkle some flour on top. Pat the dough into an approximately 9×5-inch rectangle, and fold it in thirds, folding each outer side in (like you would a letter). Rotate the dough, pat it again into a 9×5-inch rectangle, and repeat two more times.

Pat the dough to a half-inch thickness on your floured surface. Cut into 2-inch circles using a biscuit cutter or floured rim of a drinking glass. Do not twist the cutter. Tip: Try to get as many biscuits as you can because the rise on biscuits from re-rolled dough is not as good.

Place in the pan so that the biscuits touch one another. Drizzle with the melted butter. Bake for 13-17 minutes, or until lightly browned. If you prefer lighter biscuits, withhold the butter until after baking and drizzle to taste.

Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving warm. This recipe was found on Craftsy website.

3-2-1 Pie Crusts

3 parts flour, 2 parts fat, and 1 part water

Makes 1 crust.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 stick cold unsalted butter (8 tbsp), cut into small pieces

4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Instructions
Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and stir briefly until the mixture is aerated. Omit the sugar if you are making a savory pie. Using a pastry blender cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it’s in pea-size pieces that are slightly yellow in color, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drizzle in 4 tablespoons of the ice water and mix just until the dough comes together. Add the last tablespoon of ice water if necessary, but don’t overwork the dough or it’ll become tough.

Shape the dough into a flat disk, cover it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, then use it in the pie or tart recipe of your choice. This recipe was found on the Chow website.