Baklava

1 box phyllo dough  

1 lb. chopped walnuts

4 sticks unsalted butter (never margarine)

½ tsp. cinnamon

Sauce:

3 cups sugar

2 cups water

1 T. fresh lemon juice

Directions:  In a bowl, mix walnuts, ½ cup sugar, and cinnamon.  Put aside.  Make 

the sauce.  In a saucepan, mix 3 cups sugar, 2 cups water, and simmer for five 

minutes.  Add 1 T. lemon juice and simmer 2 minutes longer.  Remove the pan from 

the heat.  Set aside to cool.

Grease a 9” x 13” pan.  Place about 10 sheets phyllo dough on the pan.  Spread 

walnut mix evenly over the surface.  Cut into 2-3” squares or diamond shapes.  In a 

sauce pan, melt the butter.  Pour the melted butter over the baklava.  Spread the 

melted butter all over the baklava evenly so the butter can go down the cut slits.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes until lightly golden.   Remove from oven.  

Pour cold sauce over the hot baklava.   Let it set until baklava is cold.  Cut the slices 

again.  Serve.  Refrigerate.

Comment:

Elephant Ears

1 cup lukewarm water 1 T. sugar

1 T. vegetable shortening 1 tsp. salt

1 pkg. active dry yeast 2 cups flour

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Cinnamon / Sugar mixture

Directions:  In large bowl, combine water, sugar, melted shortening, salt, and yeast.  

Allow to stand a few minutes while yeast dissolves.

Sift flour and add to liquid mixture slowly, beating well after each addition.  Knead 

dough on floured board until no longer sticky. Place in plastic bag and refrigerate to 

rise.  (Dough will keep 7 to 10 days.)

To make elephant ears, punch down dough in bag.  Pull off small balls and stretch 

into a thin shape, the thinner the better.  Fry in deep oil at 350 degrees, turning once 

to brown on both sides.  Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. 

Comment:

Classic Cream Scones

2 ½ cups flour

½ cup + 2 tsp. sugar, divided

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

¼ cup chilled butter, cut into ¼” slices

1 cup + 1 T. heavy whipping cream, divided

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions:  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with nonstick 

cooking spray.  In a large bowl, combine flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder and salt.  

Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.  Add 1 cup cream and 

egg, stirring with a fork just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Turn dough out 

onto a lightly floured surface.  Gently knead 1 to 3 times.  Place dough on prepared 

baking sheet and pat into ½” thick circle.  Using a knife, score dough into 10 

wedges.  Brush dough with remaining 1 T. cream, and sprinkle evenly with 

remaining 2 T. sugar.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cut along 

scored lines into wedges.  Serve with jam, if desired.

Cardamom Scones:  Increase butter to ½ cup.  Add 1 tsp. ground cardamom and 1 

(3 oz.) package cream cheese.

Chocolate-Cherry Scones:  Substitute 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar for white 

sugar. Add ½ cup cocoa powder and ½ cup drained chopped maraschino cherries.  

Increase butter to ½ cup.

Chocolate Scones:  See above minus cherries.

Comment:  Fun to add a chocolate glaze drizzle over finished scones.  

Chocolate Glaze:

¼ cup chocolate chips

1 T. Butter

1 ½ T. heavy whipping cream

1 T. powdered sugar

Melt chocolate and butter and mix smooth.  Stir in cream and sugar.  Drizzle over 

scones.

Cinnamon Swirl Loaf

1 pkg. dry yeast 2 cups scalded milk

½ cup sugar ½ cup shortening

2 tsp. salt 7 ½ - 8 cups sifted flour

2 eggs ¾ cup sugar

1 ½ T. cinnamon Soft butter

Directions:  Pour scalded milk over ½ cup sugar, the shortening, and the salt; stir to 

dissolve sugar.  Cool to lukewarm.  Add 3 cups flour; mix well.   Stir in yeast and 

eggs; beat well.  Add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.  Turn out 

on lightly floured surface.  Cover and let rise 10 minutes.  Knead until smooth and 

elastic (8-10 minutes).  Place in lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface.  

Cover and let rise in warm place until double (1 ½ -2 hours).

Punch down and let rise again until almost double (about 1 hour).  Punch down and 

divide dough in half to form 15” x 7” rectangles, about ½” thick.  Mix ¾ cup sugar 

and the cinnamon.  Reserve 2 T. of sugar mixture.  Sprinkle about 2 T. water over 

each rectangle, sprinkle with sugar mixture; smooth with spatula.

Roll up each dough rectangle as for jelly roll, beginning with the narrow side.  Seal 

long edge.  Place sealed edge down in two, greased 9 ½” x 5” x 3” loaf pans.  Let 

rise until almost double (45-60 minutes).  Just before baking, brush loaves with soft 

butter and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.  If crust browns too fast, cover with 

aluminum foil the last 5-10 minutes of baking.  Turn out of pan and cool on racks.  

Makes two loaves.

Comment:  

Funnel Cakes

2 eggs, beaten

1½ cups milk

2 cups sifted flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Powdered sugar Maple syrup

Directions:  Mix eggs and milk.  Mix dry ingredients, and add to milk mixture.  

Batter should be the consistency to flow easily through a funnel.  Add more milk to 

thin or add more flour to thicken.

Heat oil to 375 degrees.  Cover funnel bottom with finger.  Pour 1/3 cup batter into 

funnel.  Release finger over oil and move funnel in spiral motion to rings of batter 

form.  Fry to golden brown.   Serve warm or cold with powdered sugar or syrup. 

Comment: