The joyous Jewish holiday of Purim will be celebrated this weekend, beginning Saturday at sundown. Like all of my favorite holidays, it’s celebrated with a special treat that’s both fun to bake and delicious to eat. The signature triangle pastries of Purim are called Hamantaschen. The triangle shape is said to match the three-cornered hat that Haman (the villain in the Purim story) wore. I must say, they’re best when made with Tillamook Butter and a great baking project to get the kids involved with!

Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
½ cup Tillamook Unsalted Butter
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 cups fine sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Prune, poppy seed or other fruit preserves (I used marionberry)*

*You can also make your own filling from scratch; there are tons of great recipes online!

Preparation
Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, thoroughly mix butter, shortening, and sugar, then beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla. Gradually sift and mix the flour mixture into the wet mixture. Once combined, take the dough out on a flat surface and knead until smooth. If the dough sticks to the surface, add some more flour. Wrap the dough and place in the fridge for at least three hours.

Preheat oven to 350ºF and then roll the dough on a floured surface to about ⅛ inch thick. Cut into circles using a round cookie-cutter. Place a dollop of fruit preserves in the center and pinch three sides of the dough together to form a triangle shape leaving the center exposed. Bake for 15-20 minutes until edges turn golden brown.

Tillamook Cheese might make for a tasty filling to try! What will you fill your Hamantaschen with!?

By Amalya

It’s (almost) a shame to eat these pretty cookies!

Decorating sugar cookies has long been a tradition in my family. I enjoy getting a little artistic with my decorating (making cookies look like family members or celebrities is my favorite), while my brother seems to think that the more frosting on a cookie, the better. This recipe makes the best sugar cookies I’ve ever tasted; the sour cream keeps them fluffy and flavorful, and the frosting is creamy and oh-so delicious.

SUGAR COOKIES

1 cup Tillamook Unsalted Butter, softened
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup Tillamook Premium Sour Cream or Tillamook Natural Sour Cream
5 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

FROSTING

1-8oz package cream cheese
2 tablespoons evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
Food coloring (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, cream together softened butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs. Add the sour cream. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda, and gradually add to egg-sugar mixture. Cover and chill dough for 1 hour.

Roll the dough on a floured surface to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Cookies should be lightly browned at the edges. Remove from the baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

While cookies cool, beat together cream cheese and evaporated mix milk until smooth. Mix in vanilla extract, salt, and confectioners’ sugar, and beat until well blended. To color frosting, divide into separate bowls and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Use a knife to frost cookies, and add sprinkles or other decorations as desired.

Yields about 5 dozen cookies

Tip: if you feel like you’re adding a lot of flower to make the dough un-sticky, try using confectioners’ sugar instead to keep the cookies sweet.

Do you have any fun sugar cookie decorating traditions? Why not be the first to make a Baby Loaf sugar cookie?!

~ Katie of the Tillamook Team

Image: Flickr/OakleyOriginals (Creative Commons)

By Katie

I’m so excited about today’s blog, and I’m not even on a gluten-free diet! Not only am I thrilled to be able to bring a bounty of gluten-free recipes to you today, I had so much fun working with Bob’s Red Mill, one of our consumer partners based right here in the Pacific Northwest, to gather them up. If you’re not familiar with Bob’s Red Mill, browse their website, check out their products and read about the company. You’ll be glad you did.

Making one dinner, for a large group of people with different dietary restrictions and preferences, can be tough. And Thanksgiving definitely features a lof gluten-FULL dishes. If you’ve been hoping, or needing, to incorporate some gluten-free dishes into your holiday dinner but can’t seem to track any down (or are just looking for a change from the usuals), I’ve got a few to share that should put smiles on everyone’s faces!

GLUTEN-FREE BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
Contributed by Carol Fenster, Ph.D. and Bob’s Red Mill

1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill® Sorghum Flour
1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill® Potato Starch
1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill® Tapioca Flour
1 tsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Tillamook Butter
1/2 cup Buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray, set aside. Sift dry ingredients together in medium bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles small peas. Stir in enough buttermilk to form soft dough that holds its shape when pressed together. (You may not need all the buttermilk).

Place the mixture on prepared baking sheet. Lay sheet of waxed paper over biscuit mixture and press to 1” thickness and about 6” x 6” square or circle. Remove sheet of waxed paper and cut into 8 or 9 round biscuit shapes using a 2” biscuit cutter or open end of glass. Remove uncut portions of biscuit dough and gently shape into 2” circles, or simply cut dough into 9 square pieces and spread pieces across baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 9 biscuits.

GLUTEN-FREE EASY AS PIE CRUST
Contributed by Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods

1-1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill® Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup (one stick) Tillamook Butter
4 – 6 Tbsp cold Milk

Combine flour and salt, then cut in margarine using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle milk, one tablespoon at a time, while blending, until all ingredients are moist. Using wax paper, place dough onto one sheet, flatten with palm, place another sheet on top and roll out to desired size. Remove the top sheet and invert into pie pan.

To bake the pie crust alone, bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes.

With pie filling, bake at 400°F for 10 minutes, and then reduce heat to 350°F for an additional 40 minutes. Makes 12 Servings.

GLUTEN-FREE CRISPY GINGER COOKIES
Contributed by Bob’s Red Mill

1/2 cup Tillamook Butter
1 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Molasses
1 tsp Vanilla
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill® Sorghum Flour
3/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill® Tapioca Flour
1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill® Potato Starch
1/2 tsp Guar Gum
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Ginger, ground
1/4 tsp Cloves, ground
1/4 cup Sugar, reserved

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and molasses and mix until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, salt and spices. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet and blend until combined. Place the reserved 1/4 cup of sugar in a bowl. Form the dough into 1-inch balls and drop into sugar cover the outside of the dough. Place on greased baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes.

GLUTEN-FREE QUINOA STUFFING
Contributed by Bob’s Red Mill

1 cup Bob’s Red Mill® Organic Quinoa Grain
1 cup Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1 cup Water
1/4 cup Tillamook Butter
1 Onion, chopped
6 Celery Stalks, diced
1 tsp Sage, dried
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Parsley Flakes

Bring broth and water to boil. Add quinoa and bring back to boil. Cook over medium heat for 12 minutes, or until quinoa has absorbed all the liquid. In a skillet, melt margarine and cook onion and celery on medium heat until translucent, about 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine prepared quinoa, onion mixture and spices. Place in an 8-inch square pan and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Makes 12 Servings.

GLUTEN-FREE HOLIDAY CUT-OUT COOKIES
Contributed by Carol Fenster, “1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes” cookbook author and Bob’s Red Mill

2 1/4 cups Carol’s Sorghum Blend (recipe below)
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Tillamook Unsalted Butter, at room temperature and cut into tablespoons
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1 Tbsp packed Brown Sugar, light
1 large Egg
1 tsp pure Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Almond Extract
White Rice Flour for dusting

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sorghum blend, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the butter pieces until smooth. Beat in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg, vanilla and almond extract until well blended. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and knead it with your hands until very smooth. Divide the dough in half and pat each half into a flat 1-inch disk. Wrap each disk tightly and refrigerate 1 hour.

Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 15 x 10-inch baking sheet (not nonstick) and line with parchment paper and have it ready.

Put half the chilled dough on a 15-inch square piece of parchment paper that is dusted with white rice flour. Cut a piece of plastic wrap the same size as the parchment paper, lay it on top of the dough, sprinkle it with white rice flour, and roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness. Remove the plastic wrap and cut out the desired shapes, reserving the scraps. Arrange the cookies 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Cut the second half of the dough into shapes. Re-roll the scraps from both halves, cut more cookies, and arrange on the baking sheet. If your sheet won’t hold all the shapes, bake two batches.

Bake 10 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet on a wire rack 2 minutes. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and cool completely on the wire rack. Bake the second half of the cookies and cool in the same manner. Store undecorated cookies, tightly covered, for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Decorate as desired with frosting, sprinkles, coconut, raisins, chocolate chips, and so on. Makes about 24 cookies (depending on shapes and sizes of cookies).

Carol’s Sorghum Blend: Whisk together 1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill® Sorghum Flour, 1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill® Potato Starch (or Corn Starch) and 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill® Tapioca Flour. Store, tightly covered, in a dark, dry place.  Makes 4 cups.

Thanks Bob’s for contributing to this blog!

Don’t forget to ‘Like’ Bob’s on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

By Jala