magic marshmallow crescent puffs
Posted: February 28, 2016 Filed under: desserts | Tags: bacon, butter, cinnamon, crescent rolls, marshmallows, milk, pecans, powdered sugar, sugar, vanilla Leave a comment
Let’s Make Some Magic
This recipe is a Pillsbury Bake-Off® winner from time warp October 20, 1969! It marked the first time a refrigerated dough won the Bake-Off’s grand prize. Hats off to you, Edna Holmgren Walker (at right), for winning the grand prize that landed you in the Pillsbury Hall Of Fame and into the hearts and tummies of foodies across the globe. And thank you my Mom “Betty” for snagging this recipe so that I could enjoy it!
I think if you were to shout out “Pillsbury” in your local grocery it would soon be echoed with a “Doughboy!” But second to Snuggles, who annoyed my good childhood friend Scotty, the Pillsbury Doughboy just creeps me out. He’s always in a over the top good mood and his platter sized dilated pupils are super freaky. His laugh? Me, oh my!
The web is flooded with jokes and videos about the doughy guy. I even found his “fauxbituary” that said he died of a yeast infection caused by being poked in the stomach too many times. This commercial, however, is probably one of my favorites of him – it features Maureen McCormick in a spot from before her Marcia Brady stardom. Marcia! Marcia! Marcia! Thank you for practicing your singing before making what might have been something other than a Sunshine Day.
All kidding aside, the Pillsbury crescent rolls make the perfect wrapper for these sweet treats.
foodie tips ~
❤ Fine dining for two – four? You can half this recipe if you don’t want 16 magical puffs. Or you can make all 16 and get your crazy magic marshmallow puffs on!
❤ I read on some blogs that folks thought it was normal that the puffs had a coating of the marshmallow mixture inside, but otherwise the puff had blown a tire during baking. I absolutely disagree. Obviously there’s an art to creating the perfect magical mouthwatering gooey marshmallow puff and about half of my first batch turned out with no white explosion. Why, look at Edna’s vintage picture above – do you see any exploded puffs? Zero. I tasted both blown and unblown puffs and will eagerly testify in foodie court that these are best enjoyed with the entire marshmallow intact inside the perfect puff. That’s the magic!
❤ Need a piping bag in a pinch? You can fashion one out of a snack bag by inserting your icing and snipping a wee bit of the corner off. Works like a charm!
❤ Here in Texas “nuts” is an abbreviation for “Texas Pecans.” Giddy up!
❤ On my next go of these, I’m going to sprinkle a little fairy dust on top of these magic puffs. By fairy dust I mean crumbled bacon. Mmmm… bacon!
i. ingredients
¼ cup | sugar
1 teaspoon | cinnamon
2 8-ounce cans | Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
16 large | marshmallows
¼ cup | butter, melted (Betty’s Mom “Nanny” would say make it Falfurrias)
¼ cup | chopped nuts (make it pecans – see foodie tip above)
½ cup | powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons | milk
½ teaspoon | vanilla
ii. what to do
0. Preheat oven to 375°F.
1. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
2. Separate the two cans of crescent dough into 16 triangles.
3. Dip a marshmallow in the melted butter then roll it in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
4. Place the marshmallow on the wide end of the triangle. Fold the corners over the marshmallow and roll it toward the point. Make sure to completely cover the marshmallow and squeeze the edges of the dough to seal. We don’t want any melted marshmallow blowouts, remember?!
5. Dip the pointed side of the puff into butter and place the buttered side down in a greased deep muffin pan. Repeat the process until all your puffs are prepared.
6. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.
7. Remove the puffs from the pan and drizzle with your icing mixture. Sprinkle with your pecans and serve warm. Note: While Mrs. Holmgren’s recipe below called for immediate removal and topping I ate my magic puff too fast and it was hot-hot-HOT! I’d suggest letting these rest a few minutes but don’t let them get cold. Nobody likes a cold magical marshmallow puff!
Yields 16 rolls (full recipe)
~ Patrick
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
A scan of my Mom Betty’s original magic marshmallow crescent puffs recipe (see top right)
mississippi mud pie
Posted: March 18, 2015 Filed under: desserts | Tags: butter, cocoa powder, coconut, eggs, flour, marshmallow, milk, nuts, pecans, powdered sugar, sugar, vanilla Leave a commentFrom MS to TX. With Love.
This recipe is dedicated to Lou Bodin and Louis Kiker.
I wish y’all had met in person.
~ ❤ ~
In this crazy world there are few things that shake the heart in a great way.
This recipe is one of them.
My sister-in-law’s sister-in law “Dollie” may sound like a far distant relative but I can assure you she is loved family through the heart. And through this recipe.
Dollie gifted me one of the most amazing presents ever – a handmade cookbook of her Mother-in-Law’s recipes. Each page of the cookbook was made with the beauty only time and artistic grace can create – picture recipes and family photos adorned with layers of shiny jewels, custom cutouts, ribbons and more surprises with every turn of the page. The cookbook sits on my highly coveted shelf of Betty’s Cook Nook recipes.
What I find amazing is that Dollie really had no reason to make me a cookbook but as she crafted some books for her family she included me, which means a lot. Her prized recipes helped bolster the family recipes I have from my Mom “Betty” so a new culinary door has been opened!
This pie? I think of it like a super tasty brownie with a magical middle. We ate every last bit of it! If you like chocolate and marshmallow, scroll down now and get started!
Lou Bodin’s Cookbook Lovingly Made By Dollie Bodin
foodie tips ~
❤ In Texas, “nuts” is an abbreviation for pecans. If you think I’m joking, just ask the squirrels. They are crazy for ’em as our doggies Boomer and Harley.
❤ Butter vs. margarine differences aside, my Grandmother Nanny insisted on Falfurrias brand butter so it’s a staple in my kitchen. I have 3 boxes in my fridge right now – just so I don’t accidentally run out. :)
i. ingredients
for the cake
4 | cage free eggs
2 cups | sugar
2 sticks | butter, melted
1 ½ cups | flour
⅓ cup | cocoa
1 teaspoon | vanilla
2 cups | nuts, finely chopped
1 cup | coconut (optional and suggested)
1 jar | cream of marshmallow
for the icing
1 stick | butter
6 tablespoons | milk
⅓ cup | cocoa
1 teaspoon | vanilla
1 box (1 pound) | powdered sugar
2 cups | nuts, finely chopped
ii. what to do
1. Heat It Up: Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. Make Dough: Beat eggs until “lemoney.” Add sugar, a little bit at a time, and beat two minutes with an electric mixer. Add to this the two sticks of melted butter.
3. Mix It Up: Sift the flour and cocoa together. Add gradually to the egg-sugar mixture. Add the vanilla, nuts, and lastly the coconut (if used). PS ~ I used coconut!
4. To Bake: Pour the dough into a greased and floured 9″ x 13″ pan (or close to that size). Bake your preheated oven for 30 minutes. While still warm, spread the marshmallow cream over the top of the cake. Oooey gooey awesomeness!
5. To Frost: Mix together the butter and milk and warm it all together. Add the cocoa. Gradually add the powdered sugar and the vanilla. Top with the nuts.
Serves: 18 or more servings, depending on the size of your cut
Thank you, Lou, for this recipe! And thank you, Dollie, for your generous gift!
~ Patrick
Betty’s Son
Founder and “Nostalgic Food Blogger” of Betty’s Cook Nook
Here’s a scan of Lou’s recipe that Dollie included in her cookbook gift – click the image to zoom-in on detail of the recipe instructions … and the crafting skills of Dollie. :)
If you’re still reading why not check out another recipe of Lou’s? Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls!
holiday cake
Posted: December 25, 2014 Filed under: desserts | Tags: baking powder, butter, cherries, cream cheese, eggs, flour, milk, pecans, powdered sugar, sugar, vanilla Leave a comment
A Christmas Spectacular
(Part III)
This holiday recipe is a continuation of the ultimate holiday meal which begins with this tomato bisque recipe, which you’ve gotta check out if you want your holiday meal to be complete. ;)
You’ll also be able to read a little more about how this recipe was selected for Betty’s Cook Nook plus learn about the photographer who took the picture of the 1970s Christmas family below.
foodie tips ~
♥ Butter instead of margarine? Call me hard-headed, but yes. Plus, I don’t like to anger Mother Nature.
♥ Green maraschino cherries? I had trouble finding them at my local HEB so I went red all the way. Below, when it calls for well-drained cherries, after draining them in a colander transfer them to a paper towel then blot them with a paper towel.
♥ I had lots more glaze leftover. You could easily cut the powdered sugar and milk quantities below in half unless you want more glaze than what’s pictured above.
i. ingredients
1 cup | falfurrias butter, softened (falfurrias is from Texas, y’all)
1 package (8 ounce) | philadelphia cream cheese, softened ahead of time
1 ½ cups | sugar
1 ½ teaspoons | vanilla extract
4 | cage free eggs
2 ¼ cups | cake flour, sifted and divided into 2 cups in one bowl and ¼ cup in another
1 ½ teaspoons | baking powder
¾ cup | red and or green maraschino cherries, well drained
1 cup | pecans, chopped and divided into halves (½ cup each)
1 ½ cups | powdered sugar, sifted
¼ cup | milk
to top | more maraschino cherries
ii. what to do
1. Make sure your butter is softened then preheat your oven to 325°F. Things are about to heat up!
2. Combine butter, cream cheese and sugar then cream together until light and fluffy. We used our tried and true KitchenAid mixer for the ultimate fluffy.
3. Stir in the vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well with every addition.
4. In a medium bowl gently hand mix 2 cups flour and baking powder then gradually add to the creamed mixture.
5. Combine the remaining flour, cherries and ½ cup of the pecans and fold into the cake batter.
6. Sprinkle the remaining pecans into a greased 10-inch Bundt or tube pan; pour in the cake batter.
7. Bake for 1 hour or until cake tests done. Cool 5 minutes then remove from pan.
8. Combine powdered sugar and milk. Pour this glaze over the cake and garnish with cherries.
Here’s a scan of the original recipe! Note the missing Apple Cider recipe (how could they?!). No worries – I have a substitute recipe coming soon.
lou’s chocolate covered peanut butter balls
Posted: December 1, 2013 Filed under: desserts, The Best Of The Best Recipes | Tags: butter, chocolate chips, hershey chocolate bar, margarine, oleo, paraffin wax, peanut butter, powdered sugar, rice krispies cereal 1 Comment
Great Balls of Christmas!
Holiday traditions are the best, right?
One of my more recent holiday traditions was literally handed to me by my brother Roger’s mother in law, “Lou.”
Each year when I blew into town from college for holiday visits Lou would always have a special plate of several handmade holiday sweets for me … and her special chosen ones. There were cookies and brownies and some things I never knew what they were called and I loved them anyway because they tasted great and they were made with love.
Of all the holiday treats the ones I always ate first were the chocolate pb balls. If you love Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups you will love these as much as Christmas itself!
A few years after Lou had passed I remembered these favorites and finally tracked down the recipe through a family member “Dollie” who secured her spot in “Awesomeville” forever more for sending a pic of the recipe (below) my way. On Thanksgiving weekend 2013 two of my nieces (Lou’s grandkids) Kim and Lizzie and I made these together and it was one of the most special things ever!
We all love and miss Lou very much. But especially when I eat these chocolate covered peanut butter balls, she’s only a lick of a chocolatey finger and a wink away!
foodie tips ~
♥ What’s oleo? It’s margarine. What’s better than margarine? BUTTER! Which butter’s best? Falfurrias brand butter per my grandmother Nanny and my stomach! Get the unsalted stuff.
♥ Kim, Lizzie and I had a difficult time finding the paraffin wax. My local HEB Foodie intercepted our shopper’s frustration and told us to use chocolate cubes because they have more cocoa and they include the paraffin wax ingredients which makes them great for coating. He was right! We omitted the Hershey’s chocolate bar (forgive me), the chocolate chips (forgive me again) and the paraffin wax and used Ambrosia brand Chocolate Flavored Bark Coating (a.k.a. bark coating).
♥ We were only able to find Jif Extra Crunchy peanut butter. I checked out the Jif website and it appears Jif only produces creamy or extra crunchy peanut butter (no “regular” crunchy) at this time. My hunch is that the folks at Jif had some consumer insight that said their customers are big crunch lovers.
♥ About 30 balls into the mass dipping, we noticed the balls were starting to crumble when the toothpicks were inserted into them or when they were toothpick diving into the chocolate. Angry faces! We put the tray of balls into the freezer for 10-15 minutes and they firmed right back up. Happy faces! You can leverage your angry broken ball frustration by re-forming any broken balls into new balls or simply put the broken pieces into a freezer-safe Ziploc bag – I plan to decorate the top of a large bowl of ice cream with the broken pieces. Soon.
♥ If the melted chocolate becomes difficult to work with, zap it in the microwave about 30 seconds and it’ll return to creamy.
♥ We doubled this recipe and it made a ton! Plan on a single batch yielding about 50-60 balls. For the doubling we used extra butter to aid with forming (½ cup) and extra chocolate to help coat (4-6 squares) for each batch.
♥ On the next go of this recipe I’m going to try and drizzle some white chocolate on top for some contrast. That was actually Kim’s idea but since I typed this recipe up on Betty’s Cook Nook, I’ll take credit for it. Ssssshhhh! :)
i. ingredients
1 stick | margarine (oleo)
1 pound | powdered sugar
2 cups | jif brand chunky (extra crunchy) peanut butter
3 cups | kellogg’s brand rice krispies cereal
8 ounce bag | hershey brand chocolate bar*
6 – 9 ounces | chocolate chips*
⅛ pound (½ a slab) | paraffin wax*
* See an important foodie tip above regarding a substitution for these three ingredients.
ii. tools n’ materials
1 | medium-large mixing bowl
1 | tray for refrigerating the peanut butter balls
1 | pyrex bowl for microwaving the chocolate
1 | spatula for mixing and dipping the chocolate
a few | toothpicks for dipping
a few sheets | wax paper or nonstick foil
to present | petit four cups or packaging, if gift giving
iii. what to do
1. Mix together the butter, powdered sugar, peanut butter and the rice krispies. Form the mixture into 1″ balls then refrigerate for at least 1 hour. You will have to use pressure to mold the balls as the mixture is fairly dry. You’ll get better at forming as you go!
2. Just before you’re ready to start dipping, melt your Ambrosia bark coating (or the last three ingredients above) in a microwave safe Pyrex bowl. Do not boil!
3. Insert a toothpick into the center of the rolled ball and completely dip it into the melted chocolate. With the toothpick horizontal to the bowl gently tap the toothpick and ball against the rim of the bowl a few times to return some of the chocolate “runoff” back into the bowl. If you leave too much chocolate on the ball it may form a flat foot for the finished ball and this tapping technique will yield a tight round ball.
4. While the ball is still on the toothpick move it over a tray or counter lined with wax paper (or nonstick foil) and shake it off of the toothpick. It may be helpful to use a second toothpick to free the ball from the toothpick. If there’s a crater-blemish on the top of the ball you can smooth things over with the toothpick or a dab more chocolate. Continue dipping the balls until you’re all done.
5. The chocolate will cool with a little time. You can transfer the finished chocolate covered peanut butter balls to fluted paper petit four cups or to a serving plate or gift box.
Yields: 50 – 60 balls per batch
pecan rolls
Posted: November 20, 2013 Filed under: desserts | Tags: butter, flour, nutmeg, pecans, powdered sugar, vanilla Leave a comment
10 Out Of 10 Elves Agree . . .
These Pecan Rolls rock! Actually they roll, too, because they are, er, pecan rolls.
Rock and roll aside, these have a similar taste of Keebler Pecan Sandies which made regular appearances in our family’s pantry.
Growing up at 2927 Trailend we had a pecan tree in the back yard. It was a big tree and oddly I don’t remember picking up its pecans – probably because it was surrounded by bushes and a large bed of ivy that kinda creeped me out.
What I do remember are the mesquite trees we had – one in the front yard and one in the back yard. The front mesquite tree was precisely decorated with white lights each Christmas and our house was known for its white light signature tree every year at holidaytime.
The mesquite trees. I love to tell the story about how I was “ripped off” by my parents as I was paid a mere 25 cents PER BOX for picking up the mesquite tree beans that would fall off into the grass. The lawn mower couldn’t pick the beans up very well but small children who didn’t know better could!
Beans aside, pecans were a family treat growing up so I hope you enjoy this recipe featuring our nutty fall nut favorite partnered with vanilla and nutmeg – perfect for the holidays!
foodie tips ~
♥ If you like consistency, form the dough into balls using a cookie scoop. Scoop the dough onto a flat surface and cut it in half, then roll by hand.
♥ If you like round bally things coated in powdered sugar, you have to give these rum balls a whirl. They’re outstanding. And they’re made *with rum*, yum rum yum.
i. ingredients
9 tablespoons | powdered sugar
½ pound | falfurrias brand butter (per my grandmother Nanny)
2 cups | flour, sifted
2 ½ cups | ground pecans
1 ½ teaspoons | vanilla
½ teaspoon | nutmeg
1 teaspoon | salt
ii. what to do
0. Preheat oven to 325°F.
1. Mix sugar and butter. Gradually add sifted flour. Stir in pecans, vanilla, nutmeg and salt.
2. Shape dough into the size of pecans in the palm of your hands.
3. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 20 minutes and do not brown.
4. Remove from oven and cool. Then roll in powdered sugar.
Yields: 60 pecan balls. Yee Haw!
rum balls
Posted: December 30, 2011 Filed under: desserts | Tags: chocolate morsels, corn syrup, evaporated milk, nuts, powdered sugar, rum, vanilla wafer 4 Comments
Aside from the Grinch, who celebrates the holidays without rum balls?
Exactly!
Rum balls are a nostalgic favorite.
This no-bake recipe will surprise you with its super-amazing taste; a nutty, chocolatey mouth-watering sweet that tickles your tongue with the delightful dismount from a pleasing punch of rum. Yeah. Makes me want to “scarf” a dozen.
Let’s roll!
i. ingredients
1/2 cup | evaporated milk
1 cup | semi-sweet chocolate morsels
3 tablespoons | corn syrup
1/3 cup | light rum
1/2 cup | powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup | finely cut nuts (I used Texas pecans)
2 1/2 cups | vanilla wafer crumbs
1/2 cup | powdered sugar (for coating)
ii. what to do
1. Stir evaporated milk, chocolate morsels and corn syrup in a 2-quart saucepan over low heat until the chocolate melts.
2. Remove from heat and mix in the rum and 1/2 cup powdered sugar until smooth.
3. Stir in the nuts.
4. Add the vanilla wafer crumbs about ¼ at a time, mixing well after each addition.
5. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
6. Shape with wet hands into 1-1/2 inch balls.
7. Roll balls, one at a time in 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar.
8. Chill at least 1 hour.
Yields about 3 dozen rum balls and up to 3 dozen fans, depending on how generous you are with their serving size.
Enjoy these yum balls! Er, rum balls!
Foodie Tips ~
♥ Don’t be stingy with the rum. If you feel the need to add a bit more, I won’t tell.
♥ To make the wafer crumbs, I put the whole cookies in a ziploc bag and used a rolling pin. Don’t pulverize the wafers into powder; small chunks add texture to these tasty treats.
♥ Make sure and keep your hands wet (like the recipe calls for). I left the kitchen sink water running and wet my left hand before rolling each ball.
♥ After rolling the balls, they may be a little deformed. No worries. I popped them in the fridge for about 10 minutes and they firmed-up. Then I rolled them in the sugar and was able to get them shaped perfectly round. If they still aren’t to your liking, you can put them in the fridge to chill again, then roll and coat with more sugar.
♥ Use plenty of powdered sugar for the coating; I used 1 cup (vs. 1/2 cup).
Betty's Cook Nook 