Basic Pizza Dough

If you keep balls of this basic pizza dough in the freezer, you are always ready to make homemade pizza, stromboli, calzones, bread sticks, and much more. Double this recipe and you will have 4 balls of dough to freeze.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4-ounce packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Directions

Whisk 1 1/3 cups warm water (105 degrees F) and the sugar in a bowl; sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the olive oil.

Whisk the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture. Gradually stir with a wooden spoon to make a rough dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, dusting with more flour if necessary. Form into 2 balls. Brush 2 large bowls with olive oil, add a ball of dough to each and turn to coat with the oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour, 30 minutes. Roll out and top as desired, or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze up to 1 month.

Recipe and picture are the property of Food Network and can be viewed on their website at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/basic-pizza-dough-recipe/index.html

Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon Spice Islands® pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar.
Shape dough into 1-in. balls; roll in cinnamon-sugar. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen.




Recipe and picture are the property of Taste of Home and can be viewed on their website at: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Snickerdoodles

Christmas Eve Mice

Here's an adorable cookie from Taste of Home that I am making for my Christmas Cookie trays this year.

Christmas Eve Mice

Ingredients

24 double-stuffed cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons shortening
24 red maraschino cherries with stems, well drained
24 milk chocolate kisses
48 sliced almonds
1 small tube green decorative icing gel
1 small tube red decorative icing gel

Directions

Carefully twist cookies apart; set aside the halves with cream filling. Save plain halves for another use.
In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Holding each cherry by the stem, dip in melted chocolate, then press onto the bottom of a chocolate kiss. Place on the cream filling of cookie, with cherry stem extending beyond cookie edge.
For ears, place slivered almonds between the cherry and kiss. Refrigerate until set. With green gel, pipe holly leaves on the cream. With red gel, pipe holly berries between leaves and pipe eyes on each chocolate kiss. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.


Recipe and picture are the property of Taste of Home and can be viewed on their website at: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Christmas-Eve-Mice