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 may be time to put the grill away and bundle up a little bit but, fortunately, Tillamook Cheese tastes just as good when it’s cooked in an oven! I made this dish for a family gathering over a year ago, and my family is still talking about it! In fact, just last week my mother was reminding me that it was time for me to make this very recipe for her again. I hope your family enjoys it just as much as mine did!

Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese and Butter make this dish a family favorite.

Butternut Squash and Cheddar Gratin

Ingredients:

¾ cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or coarse dry bread crumbs
1¾ cups (7 ounces) shredded Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese, divided
1 tablespoon Tillamook Butter, melted
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 cups sliced onions
1½ teaspoons salt, divided
½ teaspoon dried thyme
black pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic
6 cups (approx 2 ½ pounds) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ½ – inch cubes
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
½ cup chicken stock

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 2 quart (7 x 11 inch) baking dish.

In a small bowl combine bread crumbs, ¾ cup cheese and melted butter. Set aside.

In a medium frying pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add onions, ½ teaspoon salt, thyme and black pepper. Cook about 15 minutes until onions are lightly browned. Stir in garlic and cook another minute. Spread mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish. Set aside frying pan for later use.

In a medium bowl toss squash with flour to evenly coat. Stir in remaining teaspoon of salt, parsley and remaining cup of cheese. Spread squash mixture evenly over onions.

Set frying pan over low heat and add chicken stock to deglaze, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan, about 2 minutes. Pour over squash mixture. Cover with lightly buttered foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil, top with cheese mixture and bake an additional 25 minutes, until bubbly and top is lightly browned. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

By Laura

Breakfast in bed is romantic. Valentine’s Day is romantic. A combination of the two for your favorite loved one… super romantic! There is something incredible about the combination of almond, orange, and cherry that makes Tillamook Cherry Almond Scones taste so amazing. Add a pat of  Tillamook Butter and some orange marmalade to the side of your plate, and serve with Tillamook Yogurt… breakfast in bed is served! You could even add a rose to the tray for a bit more romance. Happy Valentine’s Day!   

Cherry Almond SconesIngredients:         
2 cups all purpose flour        
2 teaspoons baking powder        
¾ teaspoon salt        
¼ cup sugar        
½ cup Tillamook® Unsalted Butter, chilled and cut into ½ inch pieces      ¼ cup dried cherries, chopped        
¼ cup almonds, coarsely chopped        
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest        
¾ cup whole milk        
¼ teaspoon almond extract        

Directions:         
Preheat oven to 450°         
         
In large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.  Add butter pieces and work with fingertips or cut with a pastry knife until mixture resembles very coarse meal.  Stir in cherries, almonds and orange peel.  Make a well in the center and pour in milk and almond extract.  With a rubber spatula, quickly blend ingredients into soft, slightly wet dough.               
Turn dough onto a well-floured work surface.  Lightly sprinkle dough with flour.  Pat into a 7-inch circle.  Cut into 8 wedges.         
      
Place wedges 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet.  Bake 12-14 minutes until lightly browned.         
Serve warm from the oven.         
         
Makes 8 scones

Photo courtesy of Jessica.Tam

By Jennifer

I’m definitely in the mood for chocolate this month. The thought of Valentine’s Day makes me want something sweet! This recipe for Tillamook Ultimate Chocolate Cake used to be on the back of the Tillamook Butter box. It was really popular, and when we changed the recipe on the box to a different recipe, many people sent me requests asking for this particular recipe. It’s amazing – rich, creamy, perfect!

Here’s a little tip: You may want to dust the cake with confectioner’s sugar while it’s still warm. It melts a bit and tastes so very good! Share with your Valentine… or eat it all yourself!

Tillamook Ultimate Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
12 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
¾ cup Tillamook® Salted Butter, plus 2 teaspoons to grease pan
¾ cup sugar
5 eggs, yolks and whites separated
⅓ cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Confectioners’ sugar
Prepared Whipped cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan.  Line bottom with parchment paper, butter paper and sides of pan.

Melt chocolate, butter, and sugar in a large double boiler placed over simmering water. Stir until smooth. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Let cool 10 minutes.

Beat yolks until blended. Whisk into chocolate mixture until smooth. Combine flour and cinnamon; whisk into chocolate mixture until blended.

Beat whites until stiff peaks form. Stir one third of whites into chocolate mixture to lighten. Gently fold in remaining whites until completely blended.

Pour batter into pan and bake 25 min.

Cool pan on wire rack. Turn cake out onto a plate. Dust with confectioner’s sugar. Cut and serve with whipped cream.

Serves 10

By Jennifer