Red Velvet Cupcakes Ingredients & Supplies Needed: Muffin Tins and Cupcake Papers 2 1/2 cups cake flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup cocoa powder 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil 1 cup milk 2 large eggs 3 tablespoons liquid red food coloring (Add more for desired darkness) 2 teaspoons white distilled vinegar 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Instructions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with cupcake papers. . In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a separate bowl, mix milk and vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes – curdling will occur. Then add the oil, eggs, food coloring and vanilla to the milk mixture, whisking until mixed. Using a stand mixer, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with the paddle until just combined. Divide the cake batter evenly into the tins – about 3/4 full. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients 1 pound cream cheese, softened 4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar 1 cup unsalted butter softened 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon lemon extract (optional) Instructions Mix cream cheese with butter until smooth. Add extracts. Slowly add sugar and blend until light and fluffy! Fill and Ice cake as desired. Pecans can be added to top of cake for decoration. Use a piping bag with a round #8 tip to create fluffy cupcake tops!

LEMON THUMBPRINT COOKIES

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
21/2 cups all purpose flour
6 tablespoons (about) jam or jelly

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter 2 baking sheets. Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Beat in egg yolks, lemon peel, lemon juice and salt. Add flour in 2 additions and beat just until moist clumps form. Gather dough together in bowl to bind dough. Form dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Using finger, make deep indentation in center of each ball.
Bake cookies until firm to touch and golden on bottom, about 22 minutes. Remove from oven. Immediately fill indentation in each cookie with scant 1/2 teaspoon jam or jelly. Transfer cookies to racks and cool completely. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store between sheets of waxed paper in airtight container at room temperature. Cookies will soften slightly.)
Makes about 36.

Bon Appétit
Flavors of the World
August 1999

LINZER COOKIES

1 cup almonds (toasted and ground)
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 large egg yolks
Confectioners’ Sugar for dusting
1/2 cup seedless Raspberry Preserves

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Toast the almonds on a baking sheet for about 8-10 minutes (or until lightly browned
Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. Once the nuts have cooled, place in a food processor and process with 1/4 cup of the sugar from the recipe until finely ground.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and remaining sugar until light and fluffy (approximately 3 minutes). Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts and egg yolks.
Beat in the ground nuts. Add the flour mixture and beat until incorporated. Divide the dough in half and shape into two rectangles about 1/2 inch thick. Wrap the two rectangles of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (at least one hour and up to several days).
Roll dough out to about ¼ inch thick. Using a round cookie cutter cut out two rounds per cookie.
Then go back and with a slightly smaller cutter, cut out the center of one of the two rounds per pair. (I use a cutter that is 2 inches in diameter and then use the wrong end of a pastry tip to cut out the center of the top round).
Bake at 350 degrees F for about 12-14 minutes until browned lightly.
Cool the cookies on a wire rack.
Whip the raspberry preserves with a whisk until smooth and light.
Put a dollop of preserves on the center of each round.
Dust confectioner sugar on rounds with circles cut out and sandwich on top of rounds with raspberry preserves.

Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
One half teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup molasses (yellow label)
2 tablespoons vinegar
6 cups flour
1 and one half teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoons powdered ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions
In large bowl, cream butter, sugar and salt. Stir in eggs, molasses and vinegar. In separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, ginger and cinnamon. Add dry to wet ingredients in 3 intervals. Chill 3 to 9 hours or overnight.

Roll 1/8 inch thick, cut using cookie cutter and place on parchment papered cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes at 375 F. Cool on rack. Makes about two dozen.