This time of year is perfect for baking. And, as an added plus, it’ll heat the house! Students from MVHS have shared some of their favorite baked goods. From sweet pies to cute breads, here are four great baking recipes to make during these cold winter months.

Elsie Owen’s Honey Dandelion Shortbread Cookies:

This one may sound a bit strange. It’s just your average shortbread cookie, but with honey and dandelions! However, this is more of a seasonal recipe. So if you’re baking in the winter, maybe skip the dandelions.

Dandelions are abundant between May and July. Also, if you live in town, it may actually be dangerous to eat these yellow flowers, “I live in the country so our grass and weeds aren’t sprayed, so they’re safe to eat.” Owen said. It might be best to check with somebody about if your weeds are sprayed or not.

Now, while these may be cookies, they actually have some health benefits! “Dandelions are actually really good for your heart,” said Owen. Dandelions have a high nutrient content, with a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. The leaves are believed to be good for the heart due to their high potassium content.

Owen likes to clean her flowers before baking. She soaks them in salty water before pulling them apart, “A bunch of bugs float to the top when you soak them, it’s really gross.”

However you don’t need to do that if you don’t want to. “Actually cleaning them is optional, the bugs are super tiny and will disintegrate in the oven anyway so there’s really no need to worry about it. If you decide not to rinse them, you’ll probably get more flavor because rinsing it gets rid of all of the sweet nectar in the flower. It’s just personal preference,” Owen said.

The Recipe:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• Just under 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 heaping tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup loosely packed dandelion petals
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• OPTIONAL: sugar for topping

Directions:

1. Soak dandelion flower heads in salt water and set on a kitchen towel to dry. Then pick the yellow petals off the green flower heads until you have a half cup of petals
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, and honey until light and fluffy. Mix in the dandelions.
3. On low speed, add the salt and vanilla and then slowly add the flour until it is just incorporated into the dough. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Turn the dough out onto a couple large sheets of plastic wrap and roll it into a log that is about 2-2.5 inches in diameter. Wrap the dough and place it in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or overnight.
5. When ready to bake, line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the log into about 1/4-inch slices and place on baking sheets about 1 inch apart. If desired, sprinkle each with a little sugar.
6. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the edges and bottoms are turning gold. Let cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheets, then place the cookies on a cooling rack to fully cool.
7. Store cookies in an airtight container, they are more flavorful a day or two after baking.

Cana Safo’s Mini Pecan Pies:

These little pies would be great as small desserts during the holidays! “I made these miniature pecan pies for thanksgiving once,” said Safo, “My mom helped me too, so that was a fun bonding experience.” If pecan isn’t quite your thing, you can adjust the recipe and add any other kind of filling you want! 

Even though pecan pie isn’t the healthiest thing you could eat, the pecans on their own are very good for you. These tree nuts aid in lowering blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, as well as support your immune system (Sachdev), so feel free to eat a handful as you’re waiting for your pies to cook!

The Recipe:

3 pie crusts worth of dough, homemade or store bought is fine

• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 cups coarsely chopped/crushed pecans
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/3 unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Combine the eggs, pecans, light brown sugar, corn syrups, butter, bourbon, vanilla, and salt in a bowl. Mix until well blended.
3. Spray an entire muffin tin with baking spray. 
4. Roll out your pie crust(s) on a lightly floured surface. Use a four-inch biscuit cutter (or a container lid) to cut out circles of dough. Gently press each small crust into each muffin cavity without leaving any air bubbles. Use excess dough to make a rim around the crust, make sure the dough is pressed together.
5. Fill each crust about 4/5ths of the way full with the pie filling
6. Bake at 375 F for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown with bubbling filling.
7. Pull the pies out of the oven and wait for them to cool completely. Use a small knife to gently remove each pie.
8. Serve warm and enjoy!

Gabriel Portillo’s Hedgehog Bread:

Who doesn’t love animal shaped food? ”It’s simply just bread in the shape of a hedgehog, but I love making it,” said Portillo, “Very simple to get the hang of and it doesn’t take much time.”

These cute, spiky loaves can be made any size you’d like! If you want to make smaller, dinner roll sized hedgehogs, split the dough into multiple balls. If you want to make a larger batch, or two large loaves, just double the ingredients. The recipe is adaptable!

Bread making can be a great bonding experience. “My mom helped me with buying the tools and ingredients,” Portillo said, “We then both spent like three days just making hedgehog bread. It was a lot of fun to be able to spend time with my mom and also have my siblings help out here and there.”

One warning with this recipe: the spikes can be a little hard, especially if the bread gets a little over-baked. If you’re giving a little hedgehog roll to a young child, consider snapping off the spikes so they don’t get hurt.

This recipe is taken from a Youtube video that Portillo followed. If you want to follow along, here is the link!

The Recipe:

• 2 3/4 cups bread flour
• 200 mL lukewarm water
• 1 tablespoon soft butter
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tsp powdered sugar
• Black food coloring
• A couple drops of water

Directions:

1. Add the sugar and yeast to the warm water, mix well and allow the yeast to activate for 10 minutes until it foams up.
2. Mix together flour and salt in a bowl.
3. Blend the softened butter into the flour with your fingers until there are no large chunks left.
4. For hand kneading: Add the yeast mixture to the flour, then mix the ingredients together in the bowl. Dump the contents of the bowl out onto the counter and bring it all together, then hand knead for 10 minutes.
5. If you are using a stand mixer: Add all of the ingredients, including the activated yeast mixture to the mixer bowl, and using the dough hook, knead for 10 minutes.
6. Place the now kneaded dough into a warm greased bowl, cover and allow to proof for 45 minutes, in a warm spot.
7. After the 45 minute proof, turn out the dough and knock it back (force all the built up gas out of it, punch it), then form it into a flat pancake shape.
8. Form the dough into a wedge shape.
9. Place the shape onto a baking tray, sprinkle on a little flour, cover with a light-weight cloth, and get it into a warm spot to proof for 30 minutes.
10. When there is only 10 minutes left on the 30 minute proof, preheat your oven to 355°F 
11. After the 2nd proof, make the hedgehog spikes in the dough by cutting the dough with a pair of scissors.
12. After making the spikes, put the tray into the preheated oven and set a timer for 25 minutes.
13. While the bread is baking, beat the egg, and mix up the eye and nose coloring:
    1. To make the coloring, combine powdered sugar, black food coloring, and a few drops of water.
14. When there is only 5 minutes left on the baking time, stop the timer, take out the Hedgehog bread, and give it a good coat with the egg-wash, then put it back into the oven and restart the timer.
15. Remove from the oven, and transfer it to a wire rack, while it is still hot, dip your finger (or the end of a chopstick, if you don’t want to stain your hand) in the food coloring to make the eyes and nose.
16. Allow to completely cool before slicing and serving.

Xavier Kirton’s Oatmeal Rock Cookies:

Here’s a slightly more traditional recipe. These cookies are probably something you’d see in your grandmother’s cookie jar, but man are they good! This recipe has been in Kirton’s family for generations, “It’s my favorite cookie recipe, especially when we add coconut to it!”

Kirton has some fond memories from making these cookies. “I remember making them for the first time,” said Kirton, “I learned more about my family, how it was my uncle’s favorite recipe, and how alike I am to my Grandma Gloria.”

The Recipe:

• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup raisins
• 5 tablespoons liquid from cooked down raisins
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups oatmeal
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 cups flour

Directions:

1. For raisin liquid: 
   1. Combine raisins and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil
   2. Turn down the heat and let it simmer for a 3-4 minutes
   3. Remove from heat and let cool for a while
   4. Save 5 tablespoons of the liquid, then strain the rest from the pan and save the raisins.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F
3. Combine all ingredients except flour and raisins together in a large mixing bowl
4. Slowly add in flour until it’s fully combined
5. Fold in the raisins
6. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or spray with cooking spray)
7. Scoop small balls of dough with a large spoon. Scrap them onto the pan with a smaller spoon and round them out a bit
8. Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 10 minutes
9. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving or storing

And just for fun, we surveyed students to see what meal of the day they like the most. Out of 24 students, 6 preferred breakfast, 1 liked lunch, 12 enjoyed dinner, and 5 had no preference.