The Sweet Life - Recipes from the Millers Bakery

Blueberry Lemon Pound-cake:
1 cup butter

1¾ cups sugar

Zest of one lemon

3 eggs

½ teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup buttermilk

3 cups fresh blueberries

2½ cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter, sugar, and lemon zest for 3 to 5 minutes in a large bowl.  When creamy, begin adding eggs one at a time until well blended.  (Make sure eggs are well blended before adding the next.)

In a separate large bowl combine dry ingredients.

Alternate dry ingredients and buttermilk to the creamed mixture until well blended. 

Pour 1/3 batter into greased and floured Bundt or tube pan, gently stir 1/3 of blueberries into mix.  Repeat for the remaining batter and blueberries.  (This will distribute blueberries throughout cake instead of ‘clumping’ at the bottom) 

Bake at 350 for 55 to 60 min until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing cake and placing on wire rack.   

Lemon Glaze:

1½ cup confectioner’s sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon milk

¼ teaspoon vanilla

Whisk ingredients together until smooth and drizzle over the cooled cake.

Brownies:

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour a 9 x 9 baking pan.

Melt butter in large bowl.  Add sugar, eggs and vanilla extract, stirring until mixed well.

In second bowl, sift cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder.  Add to butter mixture, and stir until mixed but do not overmix.  Spread into baking pan.

Bake 25 – 30 minutes.  After removing from oven, place on cooling rack. 

Note:  You can add chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or other similar chips to mix.

Cherry Bliss Brownies:

18.25 ounce box brownie mix

      1/2 cup vegetable oil
      3 eggs, lightly beaten
      1/4 cup water

8 oz. package cream cheese, softened 
5 tablespoons butter, softened 
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons All-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla

21 ounce can Lucky Leaf Cherry Pie Filling

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a large bowl prepare brownie mix according to package directions, using oil, eggs, and water. Spread batter in a 13x9-inch greased baking pan. Set aside.

Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add sugar, 2 eggs, flour, and vanilla. Drop spoonfuls over brownie batter in pan. Use a knife to gently cut through batters to create a marble pattern.  Spoon Cherry Pie Filling over top.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool completely before serving.

Note: Nana Ellen would make her brownies from scratch, but I’m not that ambitious, so I use a box mix.

Chocolate cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon espresso powder

1 cup milk

½ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350º F.  Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans, set aside.

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder.

Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture using medium speed until well combined.  Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water slowly.  After it is incorporated then beat on high for 1 minute to add air to the batter.

Pour cake batter evenly between the two cake pans.  Bake 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream frosting:

1½ cups butter (3 sticks), softened

1 cup unsweetened cocoa

5 cups confectioner’s sugar

½ cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon espresso powder

Cream together butter and cocoa powder until well-combined.

Add sugar and milk to mix by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added.

Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.  If frosting is dry, add milk a tablespoon at a time; if it is too moist add confectioner’s sugar a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.

Note:  This recipe is from my grandmother, the only change over the years is the addition of espresso powder.  It is a very moist flavorful cake and really easy to make.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies:

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup softened butter

1 ½ cups sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 room temperature egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.  Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla, and beat until creamy.  Mix in dry ingredients.

Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.  After removing from oven, place on cooling rack. 

Glaze:

2 cups confectioners sugar

2 - 3 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Combine all ingredients, stirring until mixed thoroughly.

To drizzle glaze, add milk until it reaches the desired consistency.  Place glaze in Ziploc bag and cut a small opening in bottom corner and drizzle over cookies.

To frost cookies, add additional confectioners sugar until glaze becomes ‘stiff’.

Nana Ellen's Sugar Cookies:
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt


In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth.  Beat in eggs and vanilla; gradually add flour, baking powder and salt.  Cover and place in refrigerator for an hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  On a floured surface, roll out dough until it is 1/4" to 1/2" thick.  Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter and place cookies 1" apart on ungreased cookie tray or parchment paper.  For uniform size, dough can also be rolled into a log and sliced - similar to the rolled dough they sell.

Bake 6 to 8 minutes, being careful not to overbrown the bottom.  Remove from rack and cool completely before frosting.  


Icing for Sugar cookies:
1 cup powdered sugar (confectioners)
4 teaspoons milk

Place in a small bowl and stir with a fork until smooth.  To add color, put a small amount in a plastic sandwich bag and add food dye, knead until the color is even thoughout.  Cut a small hole in the corner and frost.  I generally outline the cookie, let it harden then fill in the middle, it makes a cleaner looking cookie.

To make a thinner glaze, add a small amount of milk, to make a thicker glaze add more confectioners sugar.
Here are some design ideas:

Raspberry Amaretto Cake:

5 eggs, separated

2 1/2 cups sugar, divided use
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon each vanilla and coconut extracts
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup amaretto
3 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup coconut

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add 1/2 cup of the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Cream butter, the remaining sugar, salt, baking powder, and extracts; add the yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each.

Stir baking soda into buttermilk. Alternately, add buttermilk and amaretto with flour to the creamed butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in egg white mixture, then pecans and coconut.

Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch cake pans. Bake in a 325-degree oven for about 40 minutes or until cakes test done. Remove from oven and cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks. Fill and frost cake. Option – to get a more colorful and flavorful cake, split the three layers to create a six layer cake.

ITALIAN CREAM CHEESE FROSTING – if making a six layer cake, double the amounts shown.
3/4 cup butter, softened
12 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
4-5 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup amaretto
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries – keep some for decoration for top of cake

Cream the butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar, raspberries and amaretto and beat until frosting reaches spreading consistency. Fill and frost cake, and store in refrigerator.

Raspberry filled Shortbread cookies:

2 cups butter, softened (4 sticks)

1 cup powdered sugar
4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Raspberry Jam

Preheat oven 350.

Beat butter and sugar until creamy.  Gradually add flour and salt.

Place dough on wax or parchment paper and cover with another sheet.  Roll out dough and cut into desired shape (hearts, squares, circles).  Cut small holes in half of the cookies with small biscuit cutter.  Place cookies on parchment covered baking sheets and place in refrigerator for an hour.

Bake 10 – 12 minutes until lightly browned then place on cooling rack.

When cookies are cool, top whole cookie with raspberry jam and cover with cookie with hole in it.  Press gently to seal. 

 Strawberry Chip Cookies:

 1 box (18.25 oz) Duncan Hines strawberry cake mix

 1 teaspoon baking powder
 2 large eggs
 1/3 cup vegetable/canola oil
 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
 1 and 1/4 cup chocolate chips or white chocolate chips


 Preheat oven to 350F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

 In a large bowl combine the cake mix and baking powder.  Set aside.

 In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and vanilla.  Add this to the dry mix and stir to form a dough  until the pockets of dry cake mix are  gone.  Gently mix in the chocolate chips.

 Drop rounded balls of dough, about 2 Tablespoons each, onto baking sheet.  (Place a few more chocolate  chips on top of the  cookie dough balls if you want them for looks, if desired.)  Make sure the dough balls  are taller than they are wide.

 Bake for 10 minutes – do not let the cookies get brown.  Cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes; they will be  very soft at first.  As  they cool, the tops may settle down; press them down gently with your fingers if they  are not sinking much. Transfer to a wire  rack to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container for up to one  week.

Strawberry Cream Cookies:
1 cup butter, softened

1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Seedless strawberry jam

In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Add flour and mix well.

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.

Shape dough into 1-in. balls.  Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.  Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make a 1/2-in.-deep indentation in the center of each ball; fill with about 1/4 teaspoon jam.

Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 5 dozen.