Mormon Life - Lion House tag

{Food Dish} LDS Living in the Kitchen: Lion House Cookies

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:05:00 -0700

by LDS Living Staff
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: The Lion House is coming out with a new cookie book, and being the people we are (those who like sweets and like cooking), we decided to try a few.

You know we love cookies, so it's easy to understand that the upcoming Lion House cookbook (Lion House Cookies and Sweets) captured our imaginations. We were lucky enough to get our hands on a manuscript to test a few recipes. Some of us had more success than others, with the following recipe being our favorite of the bunch:

Photo courtesy of Deseret Book.

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Oatmeal Fudge Bars

Made by Kaela Worthen, Associate Editor

Her review: Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are one of my most favorite sweet creations on the planet. So putting them in bar form, in which everything that is good about the cookie is multiplied, sounded like a fantastic idea. And it was. The chocolate chips of the traditional cookie are melted into a thick fudge-like layer. I also happen to love fudge. Cookies and fudge in one bar? Awesome. These bars were rich and chewy and all-around delicious. I made only one change: instead of mixing the nuts into the chocolate layer, I sprinkled them on top of half the pan before baking, so those who don’t love nuts could enjoy them and those who do wouldn’t have to suffer the lack of flavor.

Makes 36 bars

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips
¼ cup margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and set aside.

Cream together butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl; add eggs and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a small bowl, and then add to creamed mixture. Mix in oats.

Combine sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and margarine in a heavy saucepan, and heat until chocolate is just melted. Stir in vanilla and nuts.

Spread two-thirds of the dough into prepared baking pan. Spread with chocolate mixture. Drop remaining one-third of dough on top by spoonfuls. Bake 25 minutes. Cool and then cut into bars.

And for a little more of a taste of the upcoming book . . .

Million Dollar Cookies, page 57
Photographed and made by Ashley Evanson, Online Editor
Would you make it again?: Yes, but with a few changes to the recipe.

Black-and-White Biscotti, page 75
Photographed and made by Alexa Justesen, LDS Living Intern
Would you make it again?: Yes.

Almost Oreo Cookies, page 24
Photographed and made by Kate Ensign-Lewis, Online Editor
Would you make it again?: Maybe; I'd undercook the cookies and substitute the frosting for a canister of store-bought cream cheese frosting.

Exclusive Recipes from the Lion House's Cakes and Cupcakes

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:04:00 -0700

by The Lion House
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: The Lion House is releasing a new cookbook dedicated to cakes and cupcakes. Check out this exclusive sneak-peek at some of the recipes!

The upcoming Lion House Cakes and Cupcakes cookbook promises to be full of delicious (and time-saving) dessert recipes. (To learn more about the book, click here.) These are some of the recipes that stuck out to us – so much that we decided to try them out for oursevles. To read our staff reviews of these recipes, click here.

Banana Split Cake
Makes 15 servings

Crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Filling
1/2 cup pasteurized eggs* (enough to equal 2 eggs)
2 cups powedered sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, room temperature

Topping
4 large bananas
1 (20-oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (12-oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 bottle fudge ice cream topping
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup quartered marashcino cherries

For crust: Mix together graham cracker crumbs and butter; press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13-inch cake pan. Refrigerate 10 to 12 minutes.

For filling: In a large bowl, beat together eggs, powdered sugar, and butter until light and fluffy, approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Spread filling on top of crumb mixture.

For topping: Slice bananas on top of the filling; spread crushed pineapple on top of the bananas. Spread whipped topping on top of the pineapple. Warm fudge topping slightly and drizzle on top of the whipped topping. Garnish the top with nuts and cherries.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours. For best results, refrigerate overnight. This dessert is very rich.

*Pasteurized eggs can be found in the supermarket dairy section by the regular eggs.

Cream-Filled Cupcakes
Makes 24 to 30 cupcakes

Cupcakes
1 (18- to 18.5-ounce) package cake mix, any flavor
1 cup hot water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs

Filling
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 plus ¾ cup sugar, divided
1 cup milk
½ cup margarine
½ cup white shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with cupcake papers and set aside.

For cupcakes: In a large bowl, beat together cake mix, water, oil, and eggs until well mixed. Fill cupcake papers one-third to one-half full. Bake 13 to 15 minutes. Cool.

For filling: While cupcakes cool, combine flour, 1/3 cup sugar, and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir out all lumps. Bring to a boil and cook until thick. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool. Add margarine, shortening, remaining ¾ cup sugar, vanilla and salt. Beat with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes until fluffy. Fill a decorating bad that has a number 4 tip attached. Insert tip into center of the cupcakes and squeeze in a small amount of filling. Frost tops of cupcakes with remaining cream filling.

Grasshopper Cheesecake
Makes 16 servings.

Crust
1 ½ cups slivered almonds
¼ cup powdered whey
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup butter, melted

Ganache
4.5 oz bittersweet baking chocolate
¼ cup heavy cream

Filling
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
Green food coloring, as desired
4 eggs
Whipped cream, for garnish
Chocolate sauce, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust: Place almonds in food processor fitted with an S-blade. Process until almonds are a medium-fine texture. Add whey and sugar and pulse once. Place almond meal in a bowl and drizzle melted butter into it. Mix with your hands until it feels slightly squishy. Press into the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and slightly pulling away from the sides of the pan. Remove from oven and let crust cool while you make the ganache.

For ganache: Melt chocolate with cream in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Whisk well to make a smooth, shiny ganache. Spread evenly over the crust and set aside.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Place a pan of water on bottom rack of oven.

For filling: In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Beat in sugar and sour cream and mix well. Add peppermint extract and food coloring. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until very smooth and creamy.

Pour the mixture into the chocolate-coated crust. Place cake in the oven, on the rack above the pan of water. Bake 1 hour. Turn off oven and prop the door open to cool cake slowly for 1 hour so the cake will not crack.

Remove from oven and chill at least 2 hours. Remove sides of pan and slice into 16 even pieces. Garnish with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

Lemon Surprise
Makes 12-14 servings

1 (18.25 oz) package yellow or white cake mix
1 (6 oz) package cook-and-serve lemon pudding and pie mix
1 (8 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Prepare cake mix and bake in a 9x13-inch cake pan. Cool. Prepare lemon pudding according to package directions. Spread warm lemon pudding over top of cooled cake. Refrigerate several hours until chilled. Before serving, spread whipped topping over pudding layer. Store cake in refrigerator.

To read our staff reviews of these recipes, click here.

{Food Dish} LDS Living in the Kitchen: Lion House Cakes and Cupcakes

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:05:00 -0700

by LDS Living Staff
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Lion House desserts are the stuff of legend. When we found out about the upcoming Cakes and Cupcakes cookbook, we had to try a few for ourselves. Read about the results.

Click here for the recipes that go with these reviews.

Banana Split Cake

Kaela Worthen, Associate Editor

The greatest thing about this cake is how unique it is--I've never seen anything remotely like it. If you're aiming for a lot of wow factor with little effort, this is the cake for you. The cake is ridiculously easy (as long as you have a food processor to grind your graham cracker crumbs) and is more assembly than actual baking. I doubled the graham cracker crust because I'm a sucker for those things, and I also added some ground walnuts into the crust to give it a better flavor depth and to help counteract some of the sweetness of the dish. Beware of the filling, though. It said to beat it for 10-12 minutes (the hardest part of the recipe) until light and fluffy. I beat it 12 minutes and saw minimal change. It was nice and light, but it was definitely still liquid and not "fluffy" like whipped topping. But it tasted great anyway.

Lemon Surprise Cake
Jamie Lawson, Managing Editor

I don't love to bake, but there are plenty of times when I need to bring a dessert to some kind of social gathering. The lemon surprise cake is a fabulous option. There are just three simple steps: 1. Bake a cake from a yellow or white cake mix (I chose yellow) 2. Top cake with cook-and-serve lemon pudding 3. Add a layer of whipped cream. The lemon pudding and whipped cream toppings add a great twist to what would otherwise be an ordinary frosted cake, so you're sure to win points for creativity. The cake is light, moist, and tastes delicious. Tip: keep the layer of whipped cream thin so the lemon flavor is sure to come through.

Grasshopper Cheesecake
Ashley Evanson, Online Editor

The first thing I noticed about this recipe is that it calls for powdered whey. I thought that stuff only existed in nursery rhymes, but I guess it does in baking, too. It’s really tough to find in the grocery store, so I recommend skipping it altogether and going for a more traditional crust. The whey is used with almonds to make a graham cracker-like crust, but a real graham cracker crust will work just fine. The cheesecake was pretty good, very basic. Just make sure you give yourself plenty of time to make it—five hours!

Cream-Filled Cupcakes

Kate Ensign-Lewis, Online Editor

Homemade cream-filled cupcakes are a new favorite of mine, so (as usual) I was really excited to make these. The cupcake part was easy enough—just dress up a chocolate box mix cake. The cream filling was . . . not so easy. This is an old-fashioned frosting that starts on the stovetop and ends with lots of whipping in a stand mixer. After following the steps (substituting butter for margarine, since I’m morally opposed to margarine), I realized my filling was WAY too loose to work inside or on top of cupcakes. Even after adding lots of extra powdered sugar, and refrigerating, it was too loose. It was delicious—like custard—but it melted right off the cupcakes (you can see as much in one of the cupcakes in the background of my photo).

What had I done wrong? After re-reading the recipe, I realized it was similar to another I had recently read in a magazine—so I went to read that recipe again. The problem was with how long I had cooked the frosting. The Lion House recipe simply says to cook “until thick,” but “thick” is subjective. My magazine said to cook “until it’s so thick, it’s difficult to whisk.” I had only cooked until it was the consistency of crème pie filling. Oops. So, if you make this frosting (and I suggest you do—like I said, it’s delicious), make sure to cook it until it is really thick (about 6 minutes). And enjoy the fluffy goodness of custardy frosting inside, and on top of, a chocolatey cupcake.

Click here for the recipes that go with these reviews. And, to learn more about the cookbook, Lion House Cakes and Cupcakes, click here.

Video: Lion House Pie Crust Secrets

Sat, 20 Nov 2010 00:04:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Learn how to make Lion House pie crust dough, and learn some helpful tricks for better crust from Brenda Hopkin, head baker at the Lion House.

Gallery: The Life of a Lion House Roll

Sat, 06 Nov 2010 00:56:00 -0600

by Kate Ensign-Lewis
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Discover the story behind the Lion House Roll recipe, and watch how they go from mixer to mouth! The Lion House Roll lives as a legendary thing in the memories of many. Fluffy, buttery, large, and mild—the signature item of the bakery is enough to send anyone into raptures. But it doesn’t come from a long-used family recipe or pioneer cookbook. The current roll is credited to former head baker Bill Ellis and some enterprising Relief Society sisters.

In 1975, at a time when the Relief Society oversaw operations at the Lion House, the Relief Society general presidency came to Bill Ellis and expressed interest in a new roll for the Lion House. Ellis produced several different recipes, and the women chose the current recipe, but requested a few “tweaks” as Ellis said. The rest is history.

Today, 960 rolls are baked at a time, and 4,500 are made daily. Check out our gallery (see the picture box, above) to see how it all works!

And, just for good measure, here's a home-friendly version of the recipe for Lion House rolls. (Don't worry—you won’t be making 960.)

Lion House Dinner Rolls

2 cups warm water (110 to 115° F)

2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup butter, shortening, or margarine
1 egg
5 to 5 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or bread flour
1/2 cup butter, melted

In large bowl of an electric mixer, combine water and dry milk powder, stirring until milk dissolves. Add yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix on low speed until ingredients are wet. Increase mixer speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups flour; mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. (Dough will be getting stiff, and remaining flour may need to be mixed in by hand.) Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix again until dough is soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff. (It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour.)

Scrape dough off sides of bowl and pour about one tablespoon of vegetable oil; work oil all around sides of bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so it is covered with oil. (This helps prevent dough from drying out.) Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Sprinkle cutting board or counter with flour and place dough on floured board. Roll out and shape as desired. Place on greased or parchment-lined baking pans. Cover lightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm place until rolls are doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Bake at 375° F for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned. Brush with melted butter while hot. Serve with honey butter or raspberry honey butter. Makes 1 1/2 to 3 dozen rolls, depending on shape and size of rolls.

Note: You can freeze shaped rolls for later use. Simply double the amount of yeast used when making dough. After the first rise, shape the rolls but do not rise again. Instead, place rolls on a baking sheet and immediately place in freezer. When dough is frozen solid, remove rolls from pan and place in a plastic bag, squeeze excess air out of bag and seal. Rolls can be frozen for 3 weeks.

Recipe from Lion House Bakery, copyright Deseret Book.

Lion House Recipes

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by The Lion House
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: The smell of baked goods is about the homiest scent in the world. And what better way to ring in the school year than giving everyone something to look forward to when they open the door? Try some of the Lion House’s best recipes, including their famous dinner rolls. Lion House Dinner Rolls

2 cups warm water (110 to 115° F)
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup butter, shortening, or margarine
1 egg
5 to 5 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or bread flour
1/2 cup butter, melted

Pumpkin Cake Roll

3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts
powdered sugar
1/4 cup margarine, softened
2 (3-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 10x15-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper, and grease paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer until lemon colored. Gradually add sugar. Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt; fold into egg-pumpkin mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth out top, and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Bake for 15 minutes.

Lay a clean kitchen towel out on the counter. Sprinkle powdered sugar on kitchen towel. Turn the warm cake onto towel and remove parchment paper. Roll up cake and towel lengthwise. Cool in refrigerator or freezer.

While cake cools, beat margarine and cream cheese together until smooth. Beat in 1 cup powdered sugar. Add vanilla. Unroll cake and spread with filling. Roll up again. Cut cake roll in half. Wrap each roll in plastic wrap until served. Store in refrigerator, or freeze for later use. Cut rolls in 1-inch slices to serve.

Picnic Brownies

4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease two 9-inch round pans.

In top of a double boiler or a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate and butter. In medium bowl, mix sugar, vanilla, and salt; add to melted chocolate mixture and blend well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and mix well. Divide batter equally into prepared pans. Spread evenly and sprinkle top of each with chopped nuts and chocolate chips. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Brownies are done when a knife inserted an inch from center comes out clean. (Do not over-bake.) Allow to cool completely before cutting. Run a thin knife between pan and brownies and turn upside down. With knife that is longer than brownies are wide, cut brownies by pressing knife straight down through brownies; cut each round into 8 wedges. Makes 16 brownies. These brownies store and stack well, for easy portability.

Excerpted from Lion House Bakery; Deseret Book. Now available. Click here to buy the book!

Check out more great Lion House recipes!

More Lion House Recipes

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by The Lion House
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Fall is the perfect time to bake something warm and spicy. Check out these recipes in addition to the great Lion House Recipes in LDS Living magazine! Carrot Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
3 cups peeled and grated carrots
1 recipe Cream Cheese Icing (below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour two 9-inch round or square cake pans or a 9x13-inch pan; set aside.

Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl; set aside. Combine coconut, walnuts, and raisins in a food processor or blender and process until very fine (or chop with knife until very, very fine). In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and oil and mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until creamy. Add dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Add ground nut mixture and grated carrots and beat until blended. Divide batter equally into pans and bake 40 to 45 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes before removing from pans and placing on cooling racks. When completely cool, frost with Cream Cheese Icing. Makes 12 servings.

Cream Cheese Icing

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat cream cheese until softened. Add butter and mix until blended. Add 3 cups powdered sugar and beat until blended. Add remaining powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth and fluffy. Do not over mix; icing will be runny.

Whole Wheat Bread

1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
3 cups lukewarm water
1 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup molasses
6 tablespoons nonfat dry milk
6 tablespoons shortening
5 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
2 cups white all-purpose flour

Directions for mixing with electric mixer: Soften yeast in 3 cups lukewarm water in large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and beat until dough forms a ball and leaves sides of bowl (part of flour may need to be mixed in by hand). Remove beaters, cover bowl, and let dough rise for 1 hour in a warm place, away from drafts. Punch down and shape into 2 loaves. Place in 2 well-greased 5 x 9 loaf pans; cover with a clean towel and let rise until almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a deep golden brown. Turn loaves out onto a wire rack to cool. Brush tops with melted butter.

Directions for hand mixing: Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water; set aside. Combine remaining 2 3/4 cups water, oats, molasses, and nonfat dry milk; add half the white flour and half the whole wheat flour, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Add softened yeast, remaining flour, shortening, and salt. Mix well; knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in covered bowl in warm place until doubled in size. Knead 1 minute to force out air bubbles. Shape into two loaves. Place in 2 well-greased 5 x 9 loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from pans to cool. Brush tops of loaves with melted butter.

Honey Butter

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Beat butter until it is broken up. Add the honey and the vanilla. Beat for 10 minutes, scraping mixture to the bottom twice during the mixing. (It is very important that this mix for the entire 10 minutes or it will separate.) Store, refrigerated, in a plastic container.

Raspberry Honey Butter

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup red raspberry preserves
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Beat butter until soft; add honey and preserves while mixer is running. Add vanilla and beat for 10 minutes. Store, refrigerated, in plastic container.

Cinnamon Rolls

2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon salt
7 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 recipe Buttercream Frosting (see below)

Place water, oil, eggs, vanilla, and milk powder in the large bowl of an electric stand mixer and stir vigorously until milk is dissolved. Sprinkle yeast over liquid mixture then add the 1 cup sugar, salt, and flour.

Put dough hook on mixer and mix for 10 to 15 minutes at low speed. The dough will be very sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1-1/2 hours. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll out into rectangle shape. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Roll up rectangle lengthwise and cut into one-inch slices. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. Place rolls on cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise until doubled in size, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Bake t 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes. After baking, let cool slightly before frosting. Frost with Buttercream Frosting. Makes about 18 rolls.

Buttercream Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
6 to 8 tablespoons cream or evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend powdered sugar, butter, and 3 tablespoons of the cream in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until combined well. Slowly add the rest of the cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until creamy and smooth, but not at all runny. Add vanilla and mix again.

Lion House Cheesecake

Crust:

1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Topping:

2 cups sour cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Prepare crust: Thoroughly mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press firmly onto bottom and sides of a 10-inch pie pan or a springform pan; set aside while preparing filling.

Filling: In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth; add sugar a little at a time. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in vanilla and combine thoroughly. Pour into crust; fill to within half an inch of top to allow room for topping. Bake 55 to 60 minutes, until set or when the pan is gently moved, the center does not move.

When cheesecake is almost finished baking, beat sour cream with a wire whisk; add sugar and vanilla and mix well. Pour over cake and bake an additional 10 minutes. Cool completely. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with desired fruit topping or serve plain. Makes about 8 servings.

Caramel Apple Pie

3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus additional for dusting top crust
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus additional for dusting top crust
1 large pinch nutmeg, plus additional for dusting top crust
8 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons cream
Pie crust (enough for double-crust pie)
1 recipe Caramel Sauce (see below)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together sugar, flour, kosher salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss in apples, and stir in vanilla. Set aside. Stir the apple mixture every 15 to 20 minutes while making the crust.

Once pastry dough is prepared, roll out pastry for bottom crust 3 inches larger than the pie tin. Ease pastry into pan and cut away so only half an inch is overlapping the edge of the pie tin.

Pour apple filling into the pie pan. Dot the butter over the apples. Brush cream around edges of pie crust.

Roll out pastry for top crust, fold in half, and cut three 1/2-inch slits through both layers of crust. Unfold crust and place over the apples. Trim away extra crust, leaving 1 inch overlapping. Crimp edges. Brush cream over top and sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg.

Cover the edges of the pie with foil. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove the tin foil from edges after 30 minutes. Cover the whole pie with tin foil for the last 20 minutes. Cool on a rack for 1 hour. While pie is cooking make the caramel sauce. Drizzle warm sauce over pie before serving.

Caramel Sauce

1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, melt butter on high heat. Add brown sugar, heavy cream, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium, until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes. Drizzle over the warm pie.

*Excerpted from Lion House Bakery, Deseret Book. Click here to purchase the book!

A Traditional Holiday Feast from the Lion House

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 14:58:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: This year, bring your family a holiday dinner from Temple Square's Lion House. These recipes carry the legendary taste of a Lion House meal, but also easy enough for just about anyone to tackle.

From a traditional turkey to the Lion House’s famous dinner rolls, we’ve included everything you need for your family’s traditional dinner. Happy Holidays!

Snow-Whipped Potato Boats

6 large baking potatoes

3 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

4 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Wash potatoes and rub skins with vegetable oil. Bake for 1 hour, or until potatoes are fork-tender. Remove potatoes from oven and reduce oven heat to 350ºF. Cut a slice from top of each potato and scoop out pulp. In a medium bowl mash pulp with a fork, then stir in sour cream, milk, salt, pepper, and green onions. Whip until fluffy. Fill potato shells with mixture and sprinkle with grated cheese and crumbled bacon. Bake 10 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Roasted Root Vegetables

1 large onion

2 large carrots

1 large potato

2 large parsnips

2 large turnips

3 tbsp canola oil

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp kosher salt

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Thoroughly clean all vegetables. Peel onion and carrots. Slice or chop all vegetables into bite-sized pieces, keeping each separate. Combine hard root vegetables (carrots, potatoes, parsnips, and turnips) in a large mixing bowl. Add 2 tablespoons oil and 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt. Toss well until vegetables are evenly coated. Spread vegetables out evenly in one layer in a large baking pan and place in oven. Toss remaining vegetables in remaining oil, pepper, and salt. When vegetables in oven are slightly tender, remove from oven and add remaining vegetables to pan. Return to oven and continue roasting until all vegetables are tender and begin to brown. Serve hot, garnished with chopped fresh parsley.

Any combination of vegetables will work well. Other vegetables recommended are zucchini, yellow squash, any hard winter squash, or beets. Beets will tend to color the other vegetables, so keep them separate until served. Remember to add softer vegetables later to avoid overcooking. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Molded Fresh Cranberry Salad

2 cups water

3/4 cup sugar

1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries

1 6-ounce package orange gelatin

1 8.25-ounce can crushed pineapple, with juice

1/2 cup chopped celery

Salad greens, for garnishing

1 8-ounce carton sour cream, for garnishing

8 orange slices, for garnishing

In a medium saucepan, bring water, sugar, and cranberries to a boil. Boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin until dissolved. Add crushed pineapple, including its juice, and celery. Pour into 8 single-serving-sized molds. Refrigerate until firm, at least 6 hours. Unmold on salad greens. Garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream and an orange slice. Makes 8 servings.

Lion House Dinner Rolls

2 cups warm water (110 to 115ºF)

2/3 cup nonfat dry milk (instant or non-instant)

2 tbsp dry yeast

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

1/3 cup butter, shortening, or margarine

1 egg

Up to 5 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour

In large bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine water and milk powder; stir until milk dissolves. Add yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups flour. Mix on low speed until ingredients are moistened, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add 2 cups flour; mix on low speed until ingredients are moistened, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. (Dough will be getting stiff, and remaining flour may need to be mixed in by hand.) Add about 1/2 cup flour and mix again, by hand or mixer. Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff. (It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour.)

Scrape dough off sides of bowl and pour about 1 tablespoon vegetable oil all around sides of bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so it is covered with oil. (This helps prevent dough from drying out.) Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until double in size, about 45 minutes.

Scrape dough out onto floured board. Turn dough over so it is floured on both sides; gently flatten to about 1-inch thick. With rolling pin, roll out to a rectangle about 18 inches long, 8 inches wide, and 1/4-inch thick. Brush with melted butter. With pizza cutter or very sharp knife, cut dough in half to make two strips about 4 inches wide. Make cuts through strips of dough every 2 inches, making about 18 pieces of dough.

Starting with short end, roll up one piece of dough, with butter on the inside. Place roll on parchment-lined pan with other short end down on the paper. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Be sure all rolls face the same direction on baking pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Bake at 375ºF for 15 to 18 minutes, or until light to medium golden brown. Brush tops of rolls with melted butter. Serve with honey butter. Makes 1 to 1 1/2 dozen rolls.

Festive Cheese Ball

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

2 tbsp finely chopped green onion

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp lemon pepper

1 cup finely chopped nuts

1/2 cup chopped parsley

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, pineapple, onions, green pepper, and seasoned salt. Mix well with a wooden spoon and refrigerate for several hours. Once firm and chilled, shape mixture into a log and roll in chopped pecans. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 1 roll.

Lion House Pumpkin Bread

1 1/3 cups vegetable oil

5 eggs

1 16-ounce can pumpkin

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

2 3-ounce packages instant vanilla pudding mix

1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Combine oil, eggs, and pumpkin in a large mixing bowl and beat well. In a separate bowl sift together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix until blended. Stir in pudding mix and nuts. Pour into a greased 4 1/2 x 8-inch loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour. Makes 2 loaves.

Spiced Cranberry Cocktail

4 cups (1 32-ounce bottle) cranberry juice cocktail

2 cups orange juice

1 cup unsweetened grapefruit juice

1/2 cup grenadine syrup

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine ingredients in a large saucepan and heat over medium heat until warm. Makes 15 half-cup servings.

Roast Turkey

To thaw: If the turkey is frozen, leave in original bag and thaw in refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Cook as soon as thawed.

Approximate Cooking Times for Ready-to-Cook Turkey:

8 to 12 pounds: 3 to 4 1/2 hours

12 to 16 pounds: 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours

16 to 20 pounds: 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 hours

20 to 24 pounds: 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 hours

Internal Temperature: 185ºF

To roast: Remove plastic wrap; remove giblets and neck from body cavities. Rinse turkey inside and out and pat dry with paper towel. Stuff turkey just before roasting—not ahead of time. Fill wishbone area first. Fasten neck skin to back with skewer. Fold wings across back with tips touching. Fill body cavity lightly. Tuck drumsticks under band of skin at the tail or tie together with heavy string, then tie tail. Place turkey, breast-side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Roast uncovered at 325ºF. Season turkey with favorite seasonings. When turkey begins to turn golden, cover with tent of foil to prevent over-browning.

To serve: Remove turkey from oven and allow to stand about 20 minutes. Use drippings for gravy. Remove stuffing from turkey. Carve and serve. Refrigerate leftovers as soon as possible after serving.

*For more recipes and products from the Lion House, click here.