Tag Archives: raisins

Recipes - Desserts

Raisin Nut Pie


Raisin Nut Pie 3

I found this recipe in mama’s recipe box, written in pencil, on a yellowed index card, and memories flooded back as I remembered eating this delightful pie at the Barker house next door while a kid in Marble Hill.  Bernie Barker’s recipe for Raisin Nut Pie will delight you too if you are a raisin and nut lover especially.  The recipe is also found in my “Missouri to Maui” cookbook.

My prep time today was less than an hour and that included rolling out my homemade crust.  Separate the eggs, the egg whites beaten slightly then added to the pie filling right before baking.  Be sure you fold in the egg whites, not stirring, but folding, taking care to leave them as light and fluffy as possible.  I used pecans today but walnuts are also great in this pie.  I also used golden raisins rather than dark raisins; either works fine.

This old recipe is often referred to as a “funeral” pie and I do turn to it often when I need something for bereavement dinners at church. You will have the ingredients on hand most likely and perhaps that is why it is such a popular pie here in southern Missouri when you need to prepare something quickly to carry in somewhere.

No matter your reason for preparing this old stand-by, you will be glad you did.  Serve it up slightly warm with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and enjoy the smiles around the table.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 T. vinegar
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
1 cup raisins
1 9” unbaked pastry shell

Directions Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter, sugar, egg yolks, and vinegar in a medium bowl. Add nuts and raisins. In separate bowl, beat egg whites slightly, and fold into first mixture. Stir well to blend all ingredients. Pour in unbaked pastry shell and bake for 45 minutes and allow to cool before cutting.  This is good served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top.

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Bakery Miscellaneous

Betty’s Molasses Cookies


Day 3 Cookie Bake! My heart beats faster when I run across a recipe that is obviously well-used and treasured. This recipe came to me from mama’s recipe box and it to her from her close friend Betty Hopkins. Miss Betty’s Molasses Cookies made for a satisfying and wholesome end to cookie baking time today and I definitely see why mama insisted these cookies be included in my cookbook.  These proved to be a perfect cold weather stay-at-home-with-a book treat.

The buttermilk is in the dough, they aren’t glazed, and they have a soft, yet chewy, texture.  They bake round and tall and fill your kitchen with the aroma of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.  I love the dark raisins and the walnuts I used as they make  the cookies dense and satisfying; these are definitely cookies to sink your teeth into, and, needless to say, so perfect with a glass of cold milk (yes, for lunch). The molasses sweetly softens them but also makes for a sticky dough and these benefit from just a bit of shaping once they are on the cookie sheets. The spices layer with the molasses throughout and I have to say there really isn’t a thing that needs changing here, proving once again that old recipes are, like old friendships,  treasures indeed.

Betty’s Molasses Cookies

1/2 cup Crisco shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
2-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Directions  Preheat oven to 400. In large mixing bowl, cream shortening, sugar, and the molasses with a wooden spoon until well blended. Add the egg and buttermilk and beat briefly with electric mixer. Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl and stir with a fork to sift. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture gradually, blending well with a large rubber spatula after each addition. Fold in the raisins and the nuts. Bake on lightly-greased cookie sheets for 10 minutes. Store airtight. Yields 5 dozen.

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Recipes - Side Dishes

Fried Apples & Raisins

Fried Apples & Raisins

When asked last week what she’d enjoy for a snack this week, mama just didn’t know, she just didn’t know, but when I suggested fried apples, she quickly said, “Oh, yes, that would be good!” True to form she clearly knows what hits the spot on a winter day.

This recipe from my cookbook collection is simple to prepare. Use a cast iron skillet and cook the apples until just tender. You want them to hold their form and be fork-tender, not mushy. Today I used Jonagold apples and dark raisins because I didn’t have the golden raisins I prefer and dark raisins work just as well really.  Don’t take too long sautéing the apples, 7-8 minutes is fine, in melted butter, over medium-high heat. I did add a teaspoon of bacon grease to my skillet today knowing it would add contrast to the sweet butter I used.  Flavor with brown sugar, thicken with cornstarch and water, and add just a splash of lemon juice before serving.   All pau!   Ready!

 

Fried Apples & Raisins

Ingredients

4 lg. tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4” thick
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 tsp. lemon juice, to taste

Directions Prepare apples. Melt butter in large skillet; add apples. Cook and stir over medium heat 6-7 minutes or until almost tender. Dissolve cornstarch in water, add to skillet. Add brown sugar and raisins and bring to a low boil. Boil 2 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and season with the lemon juice to taste.

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