Award Winning Recipes

Butter Tarts 
By Wendy Wall 

“I know that lately the trend seems to be to “dress-up” butter tarts with the addition of chocolate chips, toffee bits or peanut butter, but when it comes to butter tarts, I am a purist! The only change I have made to my grandmother’s recipe is to add some maple syrup to the filling. Even for a purist like myself, I feel that maple syrup always makes things better, especially butter tarts! The recipe for the pastry comes from the America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. It is my go-to recipe for pies. For the butter tarts, I switched out the white sugar for brown sugar to give the pastry a bit more of a caramel flavor that I think enhances the butter tarts without overpowering them”.

Pastry

  • 2 1⁄2 cups of all purpose flour

  • 3 tablespoons of brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of salt

  • 8 tablespoons of vegetable shortening, chilled (I use Crisco)

  • 1 1⁄2 sticks of butter (12 tablespoons) cut into pieces and chilled
  • 6-8 tablespoons of ice water. ​
  1. Process the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor until combined. Scatter the shortening over the top and process until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and using short pulses, process the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 seconds. Transfer to a bowl.
  2. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of the ice water over the mixture. Stir and press the dough together, using a stiff rubber spatula until the dough sticks together. If the dough does not come together, keep adding ice water until it does. 

  3. Divide the dough into 2 separate discs and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Let dough soften slightly before rolling out. Cut out circles a little larger than the muffin pan.

Filling

3-cup butter
1/2-cup corn syrup

1/2 cup brown sugar

2/3-cup raisins (optional)

1-teaspoon pure maple syrup
1/4-teaspoon salt

1 egg

Directions

  • Preheat your oven to 425°F.
  • If you are adding raisins, soak raisins in a bowl of hot water and set-aside until ready to 
use.
  • Roll out pastry on floured counter about 1/8-inch thick and cut into rounds and put 
them in a 12-cup muffin pan. If adding raisins, remove them from the water, pat them dry and sprinkle about 1/2 tablespoon of raisins in each pastry shell.
  • Melt butter over medium heat in a small saucepan.
  • Remove from heat and stir in corn syrup, brown sugar, maple syrup and salt.
  • Lightly beat the egg and add to the mixture.
  • Use mixture to fill pastry-lined cups 3/4 full.
  • Bake in 425°F oven for 15- 20 minutes (timing depends on the level of runniness you like 
your butter tarts at – I like them at 16 – 18 minutes) or until pastry is golden.
  • Remove from oven, run tip of knife around edges to loosen and let stand for at least 10 minutes before removing from muffin tins. 

​Lemon Pound Cake 
By Wendy Wall 

“My grandmother was famous for her “lemon bread” and it always brings back memories. But I LOVE all things lemon and I thought that if I added some more lemon flavour, it could only be better. And I think it is!! Her original recipe called for just lemon zest in the batter and a sugar/lemon juice simple syrup on top. I added some fresh squeezed lemon juice into the batter in addition to the lemon zest and also added a lemon glaze to the simple syrup on top of the loaf. I think it strikes the perfect balance between lemon tartness and sweet goodness”!

Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze

  • 1 stick of butter (8 tablespoons)

  • 1 cup of sugar

  • 2 eggs

  • 6 tablespoons of freshly grated lemon zest
  • 1 1⁄2 cups of flour. 
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon of baking powder

  • 1⁄4 teaspoon of baking soda

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt

  • 1⁄4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 3⁄4 cup of buttermilk.
  • 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract 

​Simple Lemon Syrup

  • 1⁄4 cup of lemon juice
  • 1⁄4 cup of sugar

​​Lemon Glaze

  • 1 cup of icing sugar

  • 1⁄4 cup of lemon juice water to thin out glaze ​​

​Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a loaf pan
  2. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a Kitchen Aid mixer using the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time until combined. Add the lemon zest and mix on low speed
  3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the lemon juice, buttermilk and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixture alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Pour the batter evenly into the loaf pan and smooth with a rubber spatula. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out without any batter on it. When the loaf is done, let cool in pan for 10 minutes.
  4. In the meantime, combine the 1/4-cup of lemon juice and the 1/4-cup of sugar in a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove the cake from the loaf pan and set on a wire rack. Poke some holes in the cake with a wooden or metal skewer. Spoon the lemon syrup over the cake. Let sit for 20 minutes or so.
  5. For the glaze, combine the icing sugar and lemon juice with a whisk until smooth. If this mixture is too thick, thin it out with a bit more lemon juice or some water until it is a thick pouring consistency. Pour over the cake and let some drip down the sides. Allow the glaze to set for 20- 30 minutes.

Marble Bundt Cake 
​By Cindy Jamieson

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1-cup sugar
  • 1/2-cup brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1/2-teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2-teaspoon salt
  • 2 single serving vanilla, yogurt
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 pkg instant chocolate pudding mix, divided ​

GLAZE:

  • 1/4 C butter
  • 3 Tbsp. reserved chocolate pudding mix
  • 2 Tbsp. corn syrup
  • 2 Tbsp. milk
  • 1 C powdered sugar

​

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan. Sift together the 2 1/4 cups of flour, baking soda and salt. ​
  2. Cream together the butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated. Reserve 1 cup or the batter. Spread remaining batter evenly in prepared pan. Add brown sugar, cocoa powder and pudding mix to reserved batter; reserving 3 Tbsp. of mix for the glaze. Mix well. Spoon over batter in pan. Run tip of knife through batters to create a marble effect. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 25 minutes in pan on a wire rack, then remove from pan and place on rack set over waxed paper. ​
  3. Glaze: In a small saucepan over low heat, stir butter, reserved pudding mix, corn syrup and milk, until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar. Quickly spoon over warm cake. Let glaze set, before cutting cake.
  4. •  Zest of one lemon
    • 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice (start out small and add juice to taste)
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and use 9 x 13 pan. I use Pampered Chef stoneware so no need to oil or flour. If using a metal pan, oil and flour. Mix first 8 ingredients in large bowl (I love my Pampered Chef stainless bowls for mixing) 

Add next 6 ingredients

Pour into pan and bake for 30-45 minutes, until cake tester comes out clean. Remove to wire rack and cool completely before icing.

I usually bake the cake the day before and let cool, cover and put in refrigerator overnight and spread icing the next day. Especially if using stoneware as it takes a bit to cool but bakes so wonderfully and evenly.

Icing:

In classic batter bowl, whisk cream cheese and butter together (I use mix'n masher for this). Add sugar, vanilla, zest, and lemon juice, whisk until smooth. Spread over top of cake. ENJOY

Pecan Pie 
By Ellen Andrews

Pie Crust

  • cup shortening
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup cold water 

​In a large bowl, cream shortening and butter together. Gradually add flour, creaming together. Add water and mix thoroughly. Roll 1/3 of pastry out on lightly floured surface to form 9” piecrust and place in pie plate.

Pecan Pie Filling

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1-cup corn syrup
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2/3 cup white sugar
  • 1/3-cup butter, melted
  • 1-¼ cup pecans
  • ½ tsp. butter flavouring

​Directions

Place 3 eggs in large bowl and whisk together for 30 seconds. Stir in sugar, salt, and corn syrup. Stir in butter and butter flavouring. Stir in pecans. Pour slowly into pie shell. Bake 10 minutes at 425°. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and cook 30 minutes. Filling should be set and crust golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool thoroughly. Cut into 6-8 pieces.

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies 
By Katrin Dobbin

Ingredients

  • 1 c. room temperature butter
  • 2/3 c. sugar
  • 1/2 c. brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour less 1 tbsp.
  • 2 tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 2 1/4 c rolled oats (not instant)
  • 1 1/4 c. Thompson raisins ​
  1. Preheat oven to 325F
  2. In the bowl of your stand mixer cream together butter and sugars together. Add in the eggs one at a time and then vanilla, scraping down the sides.
  3. Add in flour, cornstarch, baking soda, spices and salt (stir to incorporate with a spoon/whisk to disperse all the dry ingredients - you can add an extra step by combining these in a separate bowl first but not necessary)
  4. Turn mixer back on to medium speed and mix until combined.
  5. Add in oatmeal; stir again, then raisins and stir.
  6. Drop onto cookie sheets by tablespoon.
  7. Bake 10-11 minutes and remove to a cooling rack.
  8. Cookies may look underdone but they will set up nicely.

Makes approx. 2 - 2 1/2 dozen

Once cooled place in an airtight container to keep chewy texture!

 

 

 

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