Book Basket Ideas

Struggling to come up with a gift idea? Book baskets are the way to go! I have been asked many times if I could make a book basket for fundraising. Our community has many events that bring in donated items and then are auctioned or raffled off for a good cause. At the library, we always try to contribute when we can. I have made so many baskets over the years, but never thought of turning them into gifts until recently. It is so easy and allows you to be as creative as you want.

Here is a most recent idea! 

Willy Wonka! - Chocolates & Chocolate Recipe Books

Amish Butterscotch Cream Pie

Scott and I love to load up and head to Gasthof Amish Village in Montgomery, IN. Make sure you go on an empty stomach! One of Scott's favorite things to get is Butterscotch Cream Pie. I set out to find a similar recipe, and I have to say this one comes close. Let's just say it didn't last a full 2 days at our house. 

Ingredients: 

11/2 cups packed brown sugar 

4 tablespoons cornstarch 

3 tablespoons all purpose flour 

2 cups milk 

3 egg yolks 

2 tablespoons butter 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 9 inch pie shell (I made mine, but store bought is just fine) 

3 egg whites 

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Instructions: 

1. In a double boiler, whisk together brown sugar, cornstarch, and flour. (I don't have a double boiler. I put water in a pot and put a pot the next size down inside it. It worked. Make sure you don't put in so much water that it will push up the sides.) 

2. Add just enough milk to make a paste. 

3. Mix in beaten egg yolks and add remainder of the milk. 

4. Cook slowly and stir constantly until mixture thickens. This process takes a good amount of time. Once thick, remove from heat. 

5. Add butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla. 

6. Pour mixture into baked pie shell.

7. In medium mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. 

8. Beat in cream of tartar, sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

9. Spread meringue over pie filling. 

10. Bake at 375 until the peaks of the meringue are golden brown. It look about 10 minutes for mine to turn. 

Let pie cool. We like ours best when it's chilled. Enjoy! 

Pumpkin Lasagna

I made this a few weeks ago to test possible Thanksgiving desserts. Winner! The girls loved it and so did Scott. No need to wait until Thanksgiving for this treat. 

Ingredients

Crust: 

1 cup flour 

1/2 cup butter softened 

1/2 chopped pecans 

Cheesecake Layer: 

8oz cream cheese- softened 

1 cup powdered sugar 

1 cup whip topping

Pumpkin Layer:

2 1/2 cups milk

3 small pkgs vanilla instant pudding 

15oz can pumpkin purée- Libbys! 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

Topping: 

1 cup whipped topping 

Sprinkled pecans 

Instructions 

Preheat oven to 350 

Spray a 9x9 baking dish 

Mix all crust ingredients and press mixture into 9x9. 

Bake 15 minutes and then let cool completely. 

Mix all cream cheese layer ingredients and spread on cool crust. 

Mix all pumpkin layer ingredients and spread over cream cheese layer. 

Spread remaining whipped topping on the very top. Sprinkle pecans on top. 

Best when chilled all together for at least an hour. 

Enjoy!! 

Cinnamon - Honey Butter

Bonus!! Add this butter to your homemade Amish Bread! Yum! So easy! 

Ingredients 

1 stick butter - room temp

1/4 cup powdered sugar 

1 tablespoon honey 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

Pinch of salt 

Instructions 

Hand mix all ingredients together. Let chill before serving. Enjoy! 

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Scott's favorite cookie! I won't say it is his favorite dessert, but certainly his go to in the cookie department! The kids love them too, and thankfully they love to help unwrap all the kisses!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or shortening, room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Hershey® Kisses® chocolate candies, unwrapped

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a large bowl, cream butter or shortening and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add 1/2 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beating until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla extract; beat well. Add flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into creamed mixture until well mixed.

Roll cookie dough into 1-inch balls; roll balls in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Place balls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet and let cookies cool on wire cooling racks.

Enjoy! 

Perfect Monkey Bread

Another Ellerman Ranch favorite. Easy on the eyes, not on the tummy. Monkey Bread! This reminds me so much of my childhood. My mother would make monkey bread for my friends and I. I was the envy of all the neighborhood kids! Eating this when it first comes out of the oven and has only moments to cool is the only way! It never last long enough to eat it later anyway.

Ingredients

(3) Tubes of buttermilk biscuits (not the “flaky” kind).

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

1 cup sugar

3 teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions 

·        Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

·        Put the butter and brown sugar in a small pan and set it to melt over a low flame. Stir occasionally.

·        Open up the biscuit tubes and cut each biscuit into quarters.

·        I mix the sugar and cinnamon on a paper plate and roll the biscuit pieces on it to coat them. Some people use a zip-lock bag. Whichever you prefer! Just so long as your biscuit quarters are covered in sugar and cinnamon.

·        As they are coated, put the pieces into your Bundt pan. Once you have all of the pieces in the pan, stir the brown sugar and butter mixture and pour the mixture over the pieces. Most of it will sink towards the bottom, but make sure to get an even coat around the top pieces when pouring.  

·        Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes.

·        Once the monkey bread is done, remove it from the oven and let it sit for 15 minutes before inverting it onto a plate.

·        ENJOY!

Caramel Puff Corn

This is an Ellerman Ranch favorite. Scott and the girls love it and its so easy to make. This is a batch I made a while back. However, the plan is to make more in the next few weeks to bring into work for my library ladies. I am not sure if I have met a person yet who doesn't like caramel puff corn.

  Make sure before you start this recipe that you have two roaster pans. Or at least one large one. It makes it so much easier when it comes to stirring!

• 1 8oz bag of puffcorn(this stuff is also delicious on it’s own, but that’s beside the point)
• 1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 tsp baking soda

- Preheat oven to 250 degrees

- Place puff-corn curls in large roaster pan

- Cook butter, corn syrup and brown sugar on the stove on low heat for two minutes, it will turn a brown caramel color

- Add baking soda, this will cause the sauce to foam

- Pour sauce over curls, stir to evenly cover all curls

-Bake for 45 minutes stirring every 10-15 minutes

- After 45 minutes, take out of the oven and pour curls on wax or parchment paper and break apart curls

YUM!