GIVEAWAY: BLENDTEC DESIGNER 725 + A TWISTER JAR! {VALUED OVER $750!}

I hope everyone has enjoyed the Blendtec recipes we’ve shared this week- today you have the chance to win one! Blendtec has generously given us a Blendtec Designer 725 blender, as well as one of the handy little Twister jars to give away. See below {or click to visit our site!} to enter! Good luck everyone and thank you for participating.

The Blendtec Designer 725 is truly the

Minimal Monday: Crock Pot Cranberry Butter

This zingy cranberry butter has the most amazing crimson color and silky texture. While normally fruit butters are a time consuming project with a lot of stove side babysitting involved, in this recipe I’ve let the crock pot do all the work of cooking and reducing fresh cranberries down into a very potent thick spread. All you need to do is puree and strain. The result is truly unique.

As an added bonus you’ll get an all day holiday scent filling your kitchen.

Crockpot Cranberry Butter

What You Will Need

2 12-oz bags of cranberries, rinsed
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 whole cinnamon stick
1 cup apple cider

Instructions

Put all the ingredients in a crockpot and stir to combine well. Turn on high. Let it cook for about 2 hours or until the cranberries are soft.
Remove the cinnamon stick and puree the mixture in a food processor. Do this in two batches. Be careful as the mixture is hot, I cover the top opening of the machine with a dish cloth. Let the machine run for a full minute to puree the cranberries very finely.
Force the cranberry puree through a mesh sieve or strainer. Push forcefully with the back of a spoon to get as much cranberry puree as you can. Discard the solids.
Pour the puree back into the crockpot. Turn the crockpot to high, and leave the lid ajar. Cook until thickened, approximately another 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Put the cranberry butter into clean jars with tight fitting lids and let cool. Store in the refrigerator and consume within a month.

Notes

Be sure to remove the cinnamon stick before pureeing the cooked cranberries…I learned the hard way!

2.2

http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/2013/11/minimal-monday-crock-pot-cranberry-butter.html

*Recipe from [The View from Great Island|http://theviewfromgreatisland.com] All images and content are copyright protected. If you want to use this recipe, please link back to this page.

This recipe makes 2 cups of cranberry butter, but what it lacks in volume it more than makes up for in silky texture and powerful flavor. A little goes a long way, and a cup of this stuff would be a fine gift. Use it on biscuits, scones, or add it to a cheese plate. Use it as a glaze for grilled chicken or pork,or on sandwiches. You can make creative holiday cocktails with a dab of this, too.

Easy Sugar Cookies

‘Tis the season for… COOKIES. So here is an excellent quick and easy basic sugar cookie recipe that even you the cookie rookie can handle. My apology for the left brain decoration but it’s the taste that matters.

I love a good sugar cookie with icing. The inspiration recipe is called The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies from All Recipes. I looked around a lot but all sugar cookie recipes are similar, not identical but just very similar. So I went with the best rated simple recipe that even a Cookie Rookie can handle. I cut it down and added the glaze. Also lots of pictures and instructions.

Now for my left brain confession. I can not decorate a cookie worth anything. I’m science and math guy, not art. So I made not great attempt to dazzle you with my decoration (or photography) skills. But they do taste great. Use your skill and imagination for the decorations.

Rating

This is an excellent cookie.

Notes:

The original recipe used plain baking pans. While OK, you will be happier with parchment paper or baking mats like I used. Second, like almost all recipes with rolled dough, flour was recommended during the rolling of the dough. Use powdered sugar instead. It will just blend in and no danger of flour spots on your beautiful cookies.

Cooking time will vary some. You can go with a thicker 1/2 inch for chewy or about 1/4 inch for crispy. I did 3/8 since I can’t decide.

Sweetness note. I have had sweeter cookies but if I want to eat sugar I would.

Start with 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter. Soften a little either by resting at room temperature of 10-15 seconds in a microwave. Add one cup sugar to the butter. Cream together with a mixer.

Add two eggs and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well.

Add 2 1/2 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prep baking sheets. I suggest covering with parchment paper or a baking mat.

Dust a prep area with some powdered sugar. I used a larger baking mat for my area. Form the dough into a ball and place on mat. Flatten and then roll out with a rolling pin. Use lots of powder sugar on the mat and on top of the dough to prevent sticking. Roll to a thickness of 1/4 to 1/2 inch.

Cut with cookie cutter. Here I’m using boring 3 inch round since I couldn’t find the Christmas cutters.

Lay out on a cookie sheet keeping at least one inch apart. They will spread out during cooking. Work quickly reusing the scraps and keep dusting the surface and dough with the powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Continue to cut cookies until done.

See the browning on edge of cookie

Bake until edge of cookie is starting brown a little. About 7-8 minutes. Do not over bake. Remove from oven and allow to set for about a minute then move to cooling rack.

After cooled, it is time for decoration. I went with a simple glaze. Mix 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, 2 drops vanilla and 3-4 teaspoon milk. Add a few drops of food coloring of choice. Mix well.

Brush glaze on the cookies.

Easy Sugar Cookies

Total time

1 hour 23 mins

‘Tis the season for… COOKIES. So here is an excellent quick and easy basic sugar cookie recipe that even you the cookie rookie can handle.

Author: Dan Mikesell

Serves: 24

Ingredients

¾ cup (1½ stick) softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla
2½ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter
2 drops vanilla
3-4 teaspoon milk
food coloring as desired

Instructions

Start with ¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter. Soften a little either by resting at room temperature or 10-15 seconds in a microwave. Add one cup sugar to the butter. Cream together with a mixer.
Add two eggs and ½ teaspoon vanilla. Mix well.
Add 2½ cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prep baking sheets. I suggest covering with parchment paper or a baking mat.
Dust a prep area with some powdered sugar. I used a larger baking mat for my area.
Form the dough into a ball and place on mat. Flatten and then roll out with a rolling pin. Use lots of powder sugar on the mat and on top of the dough to prevent sticking. Roll to a thickness of ¼ to ½ inch.
Cut with cookie cutter. Here I’m using boring 3 inch round since I couldn’t find the Christmas cutters.
Lay out on a cookie sheet keeping at least one inch apart. They will spread out during cooking.
Work quickly reusing the scraps and keep dusting the surface and dough with the powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Continue to cut cookies until done.
Bake until edge of cookie is starting brown a little. About 7-8 minutes. Do not over bake.
Remove from oven and allow to set for about a minute then move to cooling rack.
After cooled, it is time for decoration. I went with a simple glaze. Mix 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, 2 drops vanilla and 3-4 teaspoon milk. Add a few drops of food coloring of choice. Mix well.
Brush glaze on the cookies.

3.2.2802

Last Updated
December 3 2014

Related