Coffee Cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 16

Ingredients:

• For Cake:
• 1 1/2 stick butter, softened
• 2 cups (scant) sugar
• 3 cups flour, sifted
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cup whole milk
• 3 egg whites, beaten until stiff
• For the Topping:
• 1 1/2 stick butter, softened
• 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat egg whites and set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until combined. Don't overbeat. Fold in beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula. Spread in a well-greased 9x13 (or larger!) baking pan. A cake pan with higher sides would be best.
3. In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle all over the top.
4. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until no longer jiggly. Serve warm.

~Recipe adapted from thepioneerwoman.com

Mango Travel Treats

Yields: ~20

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Macadamia nuts
• 1/2 cup Almonds
• 1 cup dried mango
• 8-10 dates
• 1/3 cup coconut flakes (dried and unsweetened)

Directions:

1. Put nuts into the food processor and grind.
2. Add mango and blend some more, until mango is in smaller chucks.
3. Add dates and blend until the whole mixture is sort of gooey and sticks together well.
4. Form into bite sized bars. I got about 20 bars with this recipe.
5. Roll each bar in coconut to coat.
6. I refrigerated to firm up the bars and enjoy!

~Recipe from nourishpaleofoods.com

Zimtsterne (German Cinnamon stars)

Cook time: 30 minutes
Prep. time: 20 minutes
Yields: 2 dozen

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more for rolling
• 15 oz sliced almonds, with skin (about 4 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 large egg whites, room temperature
• 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

Directions:

1. Sift the confectioners' sugar
2. put 1/2 cup of the sifted confectioners' sugar, 10 oz (3 heaping cups) of the almonds and all the cinnamon in a food processor. Process until the nuts are finely ground, with just a few large pieces.
3. Whip the egg whites in a large, clean bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until they hold soft peaks, about 1 minute. Gradually add the remaining confectioners' sugar while whipping until the whites are thick, creamy and somewhat stiff, about 2 minutes more. Set aside 2/3 cup of this meringue for topping the cookies.
4. Fold the ground almond mixture and the lemon zest into the remaining meringue to make a stiff dough.
5. Preheat the oven to 250°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
6. Lay a sheet of parchment or waxed paper on the work surface and lightly dust with confectioners' sugar. Turn the dough out onto the dusted paper, flatten and dust with moresugar as needed, and then lay another sheet of parchment or waxed paper on top. Roll the dough between the papers until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Flip the dough over and gently peel off a sheet of the paper. For ease when cutting, lay the paper back on the dough, flip again and gently pull off the other side of the paper so that the dough is fully released from it.
7. Cut cookies with a 3-inch star cutter and place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. (excess dough can be re-rolled.) Use a small spoon, brush or offset spatula to spread the reserved meringue over the top of each cookie, taking care not to let the meringue drip over the sides. Press or sprinkle remaining sliced almonds in a decorative pattern into the meringue.
8. Bake cookies until bottoms are light brown and meringue is set and crisp, about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door to release heat and dry cookies out in the oven for 10 more minutes.

*The dough can be frozen between the sheets of paper for up to 2 weeks, Store baked cookies in an airtight container.

~Recipe via foodnetwork.com