Lady Bugs

Yield: Makes 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Orange and black icings

Miniature yellow candy-coated chocolate pieces

Preparation:

1. Beat shortening, sugar and honey in large bowl at medium speed of electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until well blended. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Add to shortening mixture; mix at low speed until blended. Shape dough into disc. Wrap in plastic wrap; chill 2 hours or overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 375°F. Divide dough into 24 equal sections. Shape each piece into 2X1-1/4-inch oval-shaped ball. Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheets 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

4. Decorate cookies with orange and black icings and candy-coated pieces to resemble lady bugs.

Alien Faces

Yield: Makes 36 cookies










Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup shortening

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1 teaspoon baking powder

2-1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1/3 cup cream

Black decorating gel or black gumdrops

Preparation:

1. Cream butter, shortening and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in corn syrup, eggs, vanilla and almond extracts and salt; mix until fluffy. Sift together 1-3/4 cups flour and baking powder and stir into sugar mixture; blend well. Cover dough; refrigerate 2 to 3 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 375°F. Sprinkle flat surface with remaining flour and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out faces with oval or egg shaped cookie cutters. Use edge of a teaspoon to form teardrop-shaped eyes. Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until sides begin to brown slightly. Cool on cooling rack positioned over sheet of waxed paper.

3. To make glaze, sift confectioners' sugar and add cream, tablespoon by tablespoon, until smooth and thin. Pour glaze over cooled cookies on rack. (Waxed paper will catch drips.) Once glaze is dry, decorate faces with black gel or use sliced black gumdrops to make eyes.

Burger Mania

Yield: Makes 34 to 38 servings

Ingredients:

9-1/2

cups cake batter

1 (10-inch) round cake board, covered

1 container (16 ounces) white frosting, divided

1 container (16 ounces) chocolate frosting

12 green gumdrops

1 to 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2-quart ovenproof bowl and 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Pour 4 cups cake batter into prepared bowl; pour 2-3/4 cups cake batter into each cake pan. Bake cake in bowl 60 to 70 minutes and cakes in pans about 35 minutes or until wooden skewer inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in pans. Loosen edges; invert onto wire racks and cool completely.

2. Trim flat side of bowl cake and tops of round cakes.

3.

Reserve 1/2 cup white frosting; set aside. Blend 1/4 cup chocolate frosting with
remaining white frosting to create tan color.

4. Place one round cake layer on prepared cake board. Frost with tan frosting. Top with second round cake layer; frost with chocolate frosting. Place bowl cake, flat side down, on top of chocolate frosted layer; frost with tan frosting.

5. Flatten gumdrops with rolling pin on smooth, flat surface or sheet of waxed paper sprinkled with sugar. Roll until very thin (about 1/16 inch), turning frequently to coat with sugar. Cut ruffled edge on gumdrops with sharp knife or scissors; tuck underneath chocolate frosted layer to resemble pickles or lettuce.

6. Divide reserved white frosting in half; tint half red and half yellow. Using medium writing tip, pipe frosting around edges of bowl cake to resemble ketchup and mustard. Sprinkle sunflower seeds on top of cake.