Charlotte Hubbard also writing as Naomi King
Charlotte Hubbard also writing as Naomi King

Recipes

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

Every time I serve these easy cookies someone remarks about how wonderful they are! I like to frost them with tinted buttercream (recipe is on my website) and dip them in sprinkles to add a little flash, but you can decorate them as you prefer. They freeze well.

3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 oz. (1/4 cup) cream cheese, softened
1 ¼ cup sugar (plus extra, for rolling)
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. rum flavor
¼ tsp. almond extract
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350º. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a mixer bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until well blended. Add the flavorings and the egg, and blend well. Scrape down the bowl and add the flour mixture on low speed until the dough forms a soft ball.

Place additional sugar in a shallow bowl. Pinch off tablespoon-size clumps of dough, drop them into the sugar, and roll them into balls. Place 2” apart on the papered baking sheets and bake about 8 minutes, rotating pans front-to-back halfway through to ensure even baking. Cookies will remain pale and soft—don’t overbake! Cool on pan for a few minutes and transfer to wire racks to cool. Makes about 4 dozen.

Fried Cabbage

So easy, yet so good! Even if you think you’re not a fan of cooked cabbage, the bacon and onion in this recipe will change your mind!

1 small green cabbage, cored and chopped (about 5 cups)
5 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1/3 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon, allowing the grease to remain. Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the broth and seasonings and continue cooking until the cabbage is as tender as you like it. Stir in the bacon pieces and serve.

Awesome Corn Casserole

No cornbread mix to come between you and the fabulous taste of this corn concoction! Makes enough for a crowd and stirs up in a heartbeat.

2 cans creamed corn (15 oz. each)
1 can corn kernels (15 oz.)
6 T. butter, melted
¼ cup sugar
4 large eggs
6 T. flour
1 T. baking powder
¼ cup packaged, cooked bacon bits
½ cup diced red bell pepper
Salt, pepper, and parsley to taste

Preheat oven to 350º and spray a 2-quart casserole or 9”x13” pan. In a separate large bowl, combine the 3 cans of corn, sugar, and eggs and stir until blended. Add in the melted butter, then stir in the flour, baking powder, and remaining ingredients. Pour into the prepared casserole and bake about an hour, until top is golden brown and the center no longer jiggles.

Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Coconut lovers, rejoice! This dense, buttery cake is so good it needs no frosting (but if you love frosting, go for it!), and it makes a luscious dessert when served with a simple whipped topping and fruit, or ice cream.

1 cup butter at room temperature
½ cup solid vegetable shortening
3 cups sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
8 oz. full-fat cream cheese
7 large eggs
1 T. coconut extract
1 tsp. almond extract
1 ½ cups flaked sweetened coconut, pulsed 4-5 times in food processor

Preheat oven to 325º. Spray a 10 inch/12 cup tube or Bundt pan with oil spray. Using a stand mixer, cream the butter, shortening and sugar. Scrape down the sides and mix in the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the eggs alternately with the flour, occasionally scraping down the sides. Blend in the extracts and the pulsed coconut. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan.

Bake for about 85-90 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Gently loosen the sides and around the center of the pan with a thin knife blade and invert the cake onto a serving plate. Frost, if desired, and store in an airtight container. Freezes well.

Cinnamon Glaze Cake

Here’s another cake that looks deceptively plain, but it packs a wallop of cinnamon flavor!

For the cake:
1 box yellow cake mix
3.4 oz. box instant vanilla pudding
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 T. ground cinnamon
4 large eggs at room temperature
¾ cup water
¼ cup oil
½ cup buttermilk, milk, or white wine

For the glaze:
1/3 cup butter
¾ cup sugar
3 T. water
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350º and generously grease or spray a tube or Bundt pan. Pour the cake mix, pudding, sugars, and cinnamon into the large bowl of a stand mixer and combine until brown sugar is fully incorporated. Add eggs, water, oil, and milk/wine and mix well. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake 45-50 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set cake on a rack while making the sauce:

Put butter, sugar, and water in a sauce pam, whisking over medium heat until boiling. Boil for 1 minute or until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla and cinnamon. Pour the sauce over the cake and let set and cool completely. Gently loosen sides and center with a thin knife blade (or you can shake the pan to work the cake loose) and invert onto a plate, then invert onto the serving plate so the glazed size is up. Store in an airtight container. Freezes well.

Baked Chili Cheese Dip

This simple dish is so satisfying that it’s often a main dish at our house rather than an appetizer. I love it best spooned over corn chips or corn “scoops”, and it’s also tasty over baked potatoes! Satisfies your gooey-cheesy-salty cravings—and you can reheat the leftovers in a microwave.

8-oz block of creamed cheese, softened
1 can chili without beans, any size
2 cups shredded cheddar or Colby-jack cheese
10-12 black olives, sliced and blotted dry
½ cup diced red and/or green bell pepper
1 bag corn chips, tortilla chips, etc.

Preheat the oven to 375º. Lightly spray a 9”x9” or 8”x8” glass pan. Spread the cream cheese on the bottom (use a flat spatula or wet your fingertips and press) to cover the bottom of the pan, spread on the chili, then cover entire top with shredded cheese. Sprinkle the olives and bell pepper pieces over the top and bake for 20 minutes, until getting bubbly. Remove from oven and let stand a few minutes. Serve with the chips.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprints

As soon as I tried this recipe, I had to include it in a book! The peanut butter cookie remains moist and tender, and no matter what flavor of jelly you use, it makes this classic combination a favorite all over again.

10 T. butter, softened
2 cups crunchy peanut butter
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ cups brown sugar
2 T. vanilla extract
3 eggs, room temperature
3 ¾ cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 cup of jelly/jam, your choice of flavor

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter, sugars, and vanilla. Add the eggs until blended in. Mix in the flour and baking powder. Cover the dough and chill at least 30 minutes.

When the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350º. Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and place them on cookie sheets covered with parchment paper. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make a hole: insert the spoon handle about halfway into the ball and rotate it gently to make room for the jelly. Stir the jelly to soften it, spoon it into a pastry tube fitted with a large round tip, and fill the cookies.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes, just until the cookies are getting golden around the edges. Cool completely on the pans, and then let set on metal racks until the jelly is set and not sticky anymore. Makes 7-8 dozen. They freeze well stacked with wax paper between layers.

Amish Pumpkin Crunch

Here’s a wonderful fall dish that bakes up like a pumpkin pie on the bottom with a layer of streusel-like cake on the top—and your house smells fabulous while it’s baking! Serve it warm as a dessert or even as a brunch dish, or serve it chilled.

1 15-oz. can solid-pack pumpkin
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. salt
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350º and spray a 9×13-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, and spices. Pour this mixture into the pan, then spread the dry cake mix evenly over the top of it. Sprinkle the pecans over the top of the cake mix, and drizzle the melted butter evenly over everything. Bake 55-60 minutes or until top is golden brown and the center is set. Serves 12. To serve warm, allow the crunch to set about 20 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers.

Annabelle’s Homemade Barbeque Sauce

Here’s a tangy sauce made from simple ingredients—and without the high-fructose corn syrup found in commercially bottled BBQ sauce. I especially like to use this sauce with pulled pork or chicken I’ve cooked in the slow cooker, or in place of taco sauce for nachos. It adds a whole new dimension of zing as a pizza sauce, as well!

1 cup ketchup
3/4 cup water
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 T. maple syrup
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. each celery seed and salt
1 T. each garlic powder and dried onion

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or a little longer to make a thicker sauce. Stir occasionally. Makes about 2 cups. Store in the refrigerator—keeps for several days.

Date Raisin Spice Bars

Nothing’s easier than a bar recipe that you stir up in a pan and bake! This recipe is from my mother-in-law’s collection, and I doubled the spices to make these moist, fruity bars a truly memorable treat!

½ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup raisins
1 8-oz. pkg. chopped dates
½ tsp. salt
1 T. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
2 cups flour
¾ cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp. each vanilla and baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350º. Spray/grease a 10×15-inch pan. In a 2-quart saucepan on the stove, combine shortening, sugar, water, raisins, dates, and the spices. Simmer gently for 3 minutes and remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients until mixture is well blended. Spread batter in pan and bake about 15 minutes, or until center is set. While bars bake, make the frosting. Place bars on a rack to cool, and frost the bars while still hot. Cool completely before cutting.

Frosting
2 ½ – 3 cups powdered sugar
2 T. softened butter
¼ cup milk
Dash of salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. of rum or almond flavoring

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