Koons Family Recipes

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 15 min.  Bake: 25 min. + cooling  YIELD: 12 servings.  Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour  1 teaspoon salt  1 teaspoon baking powder  2 teaspoons baking soda  3/4 cup baking cocoa  2 cups sugar  1 cup canola oil  1 cup brewed coffee  1 cup whole milk  2 large eggs, room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions  1. Preheat oven to 325°. Sift together dry ingredients in a bowl. Add oil, coffee and milk; mix at medium speed 1 minute. Add eggs and vanilla; beat 2 minutes longer. (Batter will be thin.)  2. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans (or two 8-in. round baking pans and 6 muffin cups).  3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans. Cool on wire racks.  Nutrition Facts Nutrition Facts 1 piece with icing: 636 calories, 37g fat (10g saturated fat), 61mg cholesterol, 549mg sodium...

(Barefoot Contessa with Beth edits) ½ pound large kale leaves, center rib removed (6 to 8 leaves) 6 ounces Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved, and cored ½ small head radicchio, cored ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons) ½ cup good olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 (6-ounce) chunk good Parmesan cheese 1 cup dried cranberries Beth edit: toasted nuts or seeds! With a very sharp chef’s knife, cut the kale, Brussels sprouts, and radicchio crosswise in thin shreds, as you would cut cabbage for coleslaw, and place them in a large bowl. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Pour enough dressing on the salad to just moisten it, reserving the rest. Shave the Parmesan in big shards with a vegetable peeler. Add the cheese and dried cranberries to the salad and toss it carefully to avoid breaking up the cheese. Check for seasonings, add more vinaigrette, if necessary, and serve cold o...

Kiffels (Mom's) This is a double recipe. Dough: 1 pound butter at room temperature 2 packages of 8-ounce cream cheese at room temperature  4 Cups AP flour Mix together by hand, refrigerate overnight. Walnut filling: 2 pounds ground nuts  1 Cup milk 1 1⁄2 Cup sugar Cook on low heat 15-20 minutes. Cool before filling kiffels. (Don’t overcook or filling will be too dry.) Make the cookies: Roll out dough on well-floured board, rolling very thin. Cut dough into 2 inch squares. Fill with teaspoon of filling, fold on point in and roll. Place seam-side-down on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 400 F till light brown – 9-11 minutes. Sprinkle with powder sugar.  Rolling the dough thin is key!

5 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese* 3⁄4 Cup Sugar 3 T Flour 1 T Vanilla 5 eggs + 2 yolks 1⁄2 Cup Heavy Cream 1. Cream sugar and one package cream cheese together. 2. Add 1 egg and alternate the eggs and four remaining cream cheese packages – beat very well after each. 3. Add 2 egg yolks. 4. Add flour and vanilla, then heavy cream. *Make sure cream cheese is at room temperature before you start mixing this cake. Put batter in greased spring form pan. Bake at 400 F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 250 for 1 hour (don’t open the oven!) Cake will be a little wiggly after baking – it’s OK. As it cools it firms. Loosen sides after 10-15 minutes, cool completely.