Kentucky Butter Cake

One day I was just sitting in my living room when my housemate turned to me and said three words- "Kentucky Butter Cake"- and I said, "send me the recipe". I made it the next day, I believe. This cake is full of butter and sugar and tastes like heaven. You bake a nice eggy cake, then poke holes in it and pour butter sauce over the whole thing- I like to think of it as Kentucky's answer to Mexico's Tres Leches Cake.


Here's the cake ready to go into the oven...


And the butter sauce to pour over it once it's done!


And a thing of beauty- cake with butter sauce!


Kentucky Butter Cake
-1 cup butter
-2 cups sugar
-4 eggs
-1 cup buttermilk
-2 teaspoons vanilla
-3 cups flour
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-powdered sugar for dusting
butter sauce:
-1 cup sugar
-1/4 cup water
-1/2 cup butter
-1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream the butter and sugar, then mix in the eggs and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and milk alternately, stirring between additions.
Bake at 350 F for about 45 minutes (for a 9x13'' pan).
While baking, combine all ingredients for the butter sauce and microwave until melted together.
When the cake is done, poke holes in it then pour over the butter sauce. Let cool completely and dust with powdered sugar.



And the finished cake- it's so delicious and simple, I hope you try it!

Savor it!
love, rue

Soft Pretzels

I promise- don't be intimidated by making soft pretzels. They're easy and completely delicious- and you can put whatever you like on them- salt, cinnamon sugar, or whatever you can think of. This isn't my traditional recipe, as I couldn't find that one, but these were just as good!


This is the dough just mixed up, before rising.


And here's the dough after rising- doubled in size and smoother looking.


And here are the pretzels ready for the oven- shout out to my boyfriend Danny for helping me!


Soft Pretzels
-1 packet active dry yeast
-1 cup warm water
-1/4 cup sugar
-1 teaspoon salt
-2 tablespoons butter
-1 egg
-3 1/4 cup flour
-egg yolk + water for brushing on the pretzels before baking
Dissolve the yeast in the water, then mix all ingredients together. Let rise until doubled in size.
Shape into pretzels, and let rise for about 20 minutes. Brush pretzels with egg yolk and water, then sprinkle with salt or cinnamon sugar.
Bake at 400 F for 15-20 minutes and enjoy!



And here are the finished pretzels- I hope you give these a shot!

Savor it!
love, rue

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut butter cookies were always a staple at my Grandmother's house- there was always a cookie jar full of them when I was growing up. Now, these cookies are chewy as opposed to crispy and have chocolate and peanut butter chips, but I like to think they carry on the spirit of my grandmother as I share them with my friends. These cookies are chewy and peanut-buttery and delicious with the addition of chocolate and peanut butter chips- they definitely put these over the edge!


Here's the beautiful dough...


And the cookies ready to go into the oven.


Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
-1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
-1 cup smooth peanut butter
-3/4 cup white sugar
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1 egg
-1 tablespoon milk
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1 1/4 cups flour
-3/4 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/2 cup peanut butter chips
-1/2 cup chocolate chips
Cream together butters and sugars, mix in the egg, milk, and vanilla. Then stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the chips. Place the cookies on ungreased cookie sheets and press down slightly with two fingers.
Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes.



And here are the finished cookies- they may look a little underdone when you take them out, but they'll be just right! Enjoy!

Savor it!
love, rue

Homemade Cheese Crackers

I had never made cheese straws or crackers before this time, and this recipe that I crafted out of a few different ones was a complete success. These are crispy and cheesy, and best right out of the oven. I imagine they would be good in soup as well. Feel free to experiment with the type or types of cheese that you use, and have fun with this recipe. Just make sure to use plenty of flour when rolling them out!


Here's your simple set of ingredients.


And here's the lovely dough that they make- get in there with your hands- its the best way!


And here is the dough all rolled out and ready for cutting- be creative!


Here are the crackers, ready to go into the oven (I just went with squares!)


Homemade Cheese Crackers
-1/4 cup softened butter, cubed
-1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
-3/4 cup flour, plus for rolling
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1-2 tablespoons milk, as necessary
Mix and knead all ingredients together until they form a ball- use as much milk as you need, it will depend on your dough. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until about 8''x10''. Cut into 1'' squares, and poke a hole in the middle of each with a skewer.
Bake at 350 F for 12-13 minutes, until the edges just begin to brown.



And here are the baked crackers- give them a shot, they're delicious!

Savor it!
love, rue

Snickerdoodles

I've only ever made snickerdoodles once before: when I was a tasty-things maker for a co-op, so I was making about 10 batches of cookies to feed 80 people over the course of a day or two. Now, making them on a single-batch scale is much, much easier, and I encourage you to get this cinnamony smell in your house post-haste! These cookies were received with great appreciation and were completely delicious.


Here's the finished dough and the cinnamon-sugar to roll the cookies in.


And here are the cookies ready for the oven...


Snickerdoodles
-1 cup butter (2 sticks)
-1 1/2 cup sugar
-2 eggs
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
-2 1/2 cups flour
-2 teaspoons cream of tartar
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-sugar and cinnamon for rolling the cookies in
Beat together the butter and sugar, mix in the eggs and vanilla. Then stir in the dry ingredients. Roll the dough into balls and roll them in cinnamon sugar.
Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes (they will look slightly underdone).



And here are the finished cookies- enjoy!

Savor it!
love, rue

Honey Pound Cake

I ran across this recipe in whole-wheat form, but for dietary reasons (I can't have hardly any fiber) I switched it to regular flour and made a few other tweaks. This cake is a light and moist pound cake that is super versatile- I made muffins and a cake out of this batch, and the cake is fantastic with lemon icing- it's getting gobbled up at quite a rate. Feel free to use this cake however you like- it would be delicious with fresh fruit and whipped cream, iced, or just plain- put your experimenting hat on! Also don't stress if you don't have buttermilk- I used regular milk with a few teaspoons of cider vinegar mixed in- works like a charm!


Here's the cake batter- nice and fluffy.


And the cake ready to into the oven (this is a 7'' x 11'' pan)


And here's the cake out of the oven- golden brown and delicious!

Honey Pound Cake
-3/4 cup butter (1.5 sticks)
-1 cup sugar
-1/2 cup honey
-2 teaspoons vanilla
-3 eggs
-2 1/4 cup flour
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-3/4 teaspoon salt
-1 cup buttermilk
Beat together the butter and sugar, then add the honey, vanilla, and eggs and mix well.
Add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, alternately, stirring well.
Bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes for muffins, or about 40-50 minutes for a cake.



And here are the little pound cake muffins I made- enjoy!

Savor it!
love, rue

Nutella Cupcakes

So I'd been seeing this recipe float around the internet for at least a year before I tried making them. I'd become so attached to the recipe, in fact, that I had it bookmarked in 3 different places. Basically the idea with these cupcakes is to make a nice white cupcake, and swirl nutella on the top, and it bakes up nice and beautifully with nutella as the filling/icing. Pretty perfect, no? Let's get on to those pictures and the recipe- I hope you try it for yourself!


Here's your cast of characters- pretty much standard baking supplies, plus nutella!


And here's the light and fluffy batter for the cupcakes.


And here are the cupcakes with nutella- ready for the oven!


Nutella Cupcakes
-1/2 cup butter (1 stick) softened
-1/2 cup white sugar
-3 eggs
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
-1 3/4 cup flour
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/3 cup nutella (approximately- 1 teaspoon or so per cupcake)
Beat together the butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients.
Ladle batter into a muffin tin which has either been greased or has papers in it (makes about 12). Top each cupcake with about a teaspoon of nutella, and swirl into the batter.
Bake at 325 F for 15-20 minutes.



And here are the finished cupcakes- beautiful! and I hope you enjoy!

Savor it!
love, rue