Laura's Sweet Treats

White Chocolate Cinnamon Toast Crunchers

2010-09-25T21:07:00.004-05:00

These cookies, which I've had my eye on for quite a while, were good but I would defintely make a couple of changes:

1) Decrease the amount of white chocolate chips from 1 bag (approximately 2 cups) to 1 cup. White chocolate chips are incredibly sweet and, while I normally have quite the sweet tooth, these were too much for me.

2) Add the Cinnamon Toast Crunch whole, rather than cruching it up slightly. When I added my crushed cereal to my stand mixer, the cereal got crushed up even more so that the cereal was barely noticible in the cookie.

3) Increase the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal by about a half a cup.I think the cookies could benefit from a little more Cinnamon Toast Crunch flavor.

Photo Courtesy of Picky Palate

White Chocolate Cinnamon Toast Crunchers
(Source: Picky Palate)

2 sticks softened butter
1 Cup packed brown sugar
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon real vanilla extract
2 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 Cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal, slightly crushed up
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bag white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a stand or electric mixer beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the eggs and vanilla until well combined. In a large bowl combine the flour, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal, baking powder and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with the white chips until just combined. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough and place onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until edges just start to turn golden brown.

2. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Enjoy with a tall glass of milk!

3 dozen cookies

(Not Really) Lofthouse Cookies

2010-09-18T16:23:00.003-05:00

You've heard of Lofthouse Cookies before, right?

Those incredible addictive cookies that are white as snow, soft, almost as crumbly as polvorones, and have a lot of flavor from whatever blend of extracts are used?

Yeah, those.

I tried to recreate them this weekend for a bridal shower I was hosting. I did a lot of internet research before starting. I can't tell you the reasoning behind which recipe I finally chose, other than that it boasted that they tasted "exactly like Lofthouse Cookies."

Well, it wasn't entirely true.

They were not as puffy as Lofthouse Cookies. They were also not as soft, and the edges were almost crunchy and I defintiely didn't overbake them (You know how I am with cookies). You could taste the oil in the cookie, so much so that I had to add extra vanilla to try to balance out the flavor.

So, as of right now, the hunt is still on. Next time I will either be trying the version found on Cookie Maddness or Cooking with Carrie.

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies
(Source: bon appécookie)

Cookies:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cream of tarter
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups all purpose flour

Frosting:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 (1/2 stick) unsalted butter softened
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp half and half (or whole milk)
5 drops food coloring

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Cream together the butter, oil, and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well. In a separate bowl sift together the remaining dry ingredients. Combine with the wet ingredients and mix until fully incorporated.

3. Refrigerate dough or roll into evenly-sized balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Leave on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

4. To make the frosting, beat together all ingredients well, adding milk and food coloring last for desired thickness and color. Frost cooled cookies generously and add decorations as desired.

Cinnamon Ice Cream

2010-09-12T20:55:00.002-05:00

This ice cream is good. Really good. The the clean and light cinnamon flavor made my taste buds dance. I will definitely make this recipe again and again and again and again. And, despite the recent arrival of autumn, I will definitely be trying even more ice cream recipes in the near future.

Cinnamon Ice Cream
(Source: The Perfect Scoop)

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
Ten 3-inch cinnamon sticks, broken up
2 cups heavy cream, divided
5 egg yolks

1. Warm the milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon sticks and 1 cup of the heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Once warm, cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

2. Rewarm the cinnamon-infused milk mixture. Remove the cinnamon sticks with a slotted spoon and discard them. Pour the remaining 1 cup heavy cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.

3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

4. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula (should reach 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). Pour the custard through the strainer and into the cream. Stir until cool over an ice bath.

5. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, preferably overnight, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Cookie Dough Brownies

2010-08-29T20:53:00.003-05:00

If you're a raw cookie dough lover like me, you have to make these brownies. I'm serious. As in, tonight, make these brownies. You won't regret it.

Imagine taking a great chocolatey brownie with chocolate chips and topping it with raw chocolate chip cookie dough. Yeah. they're simply amazing.

And don't worry - the cookie dough topping has no raw eggs in it, so it's completely safe to eat! It's basically like a cookie dough frosting that I could literally eat with a spoon. And I just may have.

For the brownies, I used my signature brownie recipe. The recipe has yet to fail me.

For the frosting, I used the recipe found on Lovin' From the Oven, which is as follows:

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
4 1/2 tbsp milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

1. Combine the butter, sugars, milk and flour until well combined. Stir in the mini chocolate chips.
2. Spread the cookie dough on the cooled brownies.

3. Chill the brownies until the cookie dough is firm. Cut into bars and serve.

Nick's Peanut Butter Dream Bars

2010-08-13T21:50:00.002-05:00

We had a going away party for my coworker Jeff today. He brought ice cream in for all of us, so I (of course) had to bake something. He is as big a peanut butter fan as I am, so I knew this recipe was perfect. The original calls for M&Ms, but I naturally had to use Reese's Pieces to pack in a little more peanut butter.

Nick's Peanut Butter Dream Bars

(Source: Land O Lakes)

2 cups uncooked quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup Butter, melted
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup crunchy or creamy peanut butter
1 cup candy-coated chocolate pieces (I used Reece's Pieces)

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in large bowl; stir until well mixed. Stir in melted butter until moistened.

2. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture; press remaining mixture into greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake 12 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter in small bowl; stir until well mixed. Carefully spread over hot, partially baked crust within 1/4 inch from edge.

4. Combine reserved crumb mixture and candy-coated pieces in small bowl; sprinkle over sweetened condensed milk mixture, pressing down lightly. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

Banana Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

2010-08-08T20:15:00.004-05:00

I got an itch to try making my own ice cream after watching the "Going Bananas" episode of Good Eats. I love eating ice cream in the summer. In fact, our freezer usually has at least one kind of ice cream treat in it at all times during the summer.

The recipe called for 6 bananas, but I used only 4. The ice cream was good – the banana flavor was prominent without being to overpowering. And the chocolate chips added a nice crunch and additional flavor.

Banana Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
(Adapted from Alton Brown at Food Network)

6 (approximately 2 1/4 pounds) ripe bananas (I used 4)
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 - 1 cup chocolate chips

1. Place bananas in freezer and freeze overnight.

2. Remove bananas from freezer and allow to thaw for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

3. Peel bananas and place in bowl of food processor along with the lemon juice. Process for 10 to 15 seconds. Add corn syrup and vanilla bean seeds and turn processor on. Slowly pour in the heavy cream. Process until smooth.

4. Chill mixture in refrigerator until it reaches 40 degrees.

5. Transfer mixture to an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions.
6. Place mixture in an airtight container and freeze for 3 to 6 hours before serving.

Breakfast "Blobs"

2010-08-01T20:10:00.001-05:00

This on-the-go breakfast may sound weird, but it tastes great. Crunchy cereal packed with a peanut butter punch is a delicious and easy snack.

Breakfast "Blobs"
(Source: Nutritionist Alana Unger, R.D.)

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
3 cups flake cereal, crushed (I used Special K)
2 Tbsp honey

1. Mix peanut butter, nonfat dry milk, crushed cereal, and honey.

2. Form into "blobs" (should make 10 blobs).

3.Wrap each blob in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Oatmeal Brownie Bars

2010-07-16T13:20:00.001-05:00

My coworker Alison is not big into cake, so I had to come up with something else to make for her birthday. I settled on this recipe because she like oatmeal, and oatmeal + brownie = delicious. I served these with scoops of vanilla bean ice cream, and the only thing that could have made these bars better would have been if they we were eating them right out of the oven. The crunchy oatmeal paired perfectly with the brownie layer for a fantastic (and easy!) birthday treat.

Oatmeal Brownie Bars
Source: Land O'Lakes

Oatmeal Layer:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup cold Butter, cut into chunks

Brownie Layer:
1/3 cup Butter
3 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 Eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Combine all oatmeal layer ingredients in large bowl except butter. Cut in 2/3 cup butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 1/4 cups crumb mixture for topping. Press remaining crumbs into greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine 1/3 cup butter and chocolate in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH (100% power), stirring twice, until chocolate is melted (30 to 60 seconds). Cool slightly.
3. Combine sugar, eggs, water and vanilla in large bowl; beat at medium speed until well mixed. Add melted chocolate mixture; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add 1 cup flour and baking powder. Beat until well mixed.

4. Drop chocolate mixture by tablespoonfuls over warm, partially baked crust. Carefully spread brownie layer evenly over crust; top with reserved crumb mixture.

5. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are set. (DO NOT OVERBAKE.) Cool completely; cut into bars.

Pretzel M&M Cookie Bars

2010-07-10T14:22:00.006-05:00

I've experimented with M&Ms before. So I obviously had to make something with the newest M&M:

The M&Ms themselves were quite good. They'd be even better with peanut butter, but everything is better to me with peanut butter. :)

I came across BEB's Chocolate Chip & Pretzel Cookie Bars and new the M&Ms would pair well with the bars since they already included pretzels. I didn't do much to adapt the recipe, other than to cut down on the chocolate chips to make way for the M&Ms. And they were fabulous. And, since I didn't snap any pictures, you'll just have to take my word for it. ;)

Pretzel M&M Cookie Bars
(Source: Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup Pretzel M&Ms
1/2 cup pretzels, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chocolate chips, for drizzling (optional)
1/4 cup pretzels, crumbled, for topping (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray.

2. In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt. Using a mixer, beat the butter and both sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla extract. On low speed, beat in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and pretzel pieces.

3. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and press it down evenly with a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool completely.

4. In separate sandwich size baggies, melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Cut off a small corner on each bag and drizzle the chocolate and peanut butter over the top of the bars. Sprinkle the extra crushed pretzels on top. Let set and then cut into squares.

Makes 32 squares

Doughnut Muffins

2010-07-04T09:40:00.003-05:00

I've seen similar muffins floating around on the internet for months, but never got around to making them until now. This basic muffin is a beat-it-up, cake-type muffin, high-crowned and very "vanilla-looking."

I'll admit, I didn't care for these muffins right out of the oven. The nutmeg was very prominent and I didn't think they tasted particularly doughnut-like. However, by the next day the nutmeg flavor had subsided and I was left with a muffin that did indeed taste like a doughnut. And it was delicious.

Doughnut Muffins
(Source: King Arthur Flour)

Batter:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 to 1 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, to taste
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 cup milk

Topping:
3 Tbsp melted butter
3 Tbsp cinnamon sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin. Or line with 12 paper or silicone muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely.

2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth.

3. Add the eggs, beating to combine.

4. Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla.

5. Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.

6. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.

7. Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they're a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.

8. Remove them from the oven, and let them cool for a couple of minutes, or until you can handle them. While they're cooling, melt the butter for the topping (this is easily done in the microwave).

9. Use a pastry brush to paint the top of each muffin with the butter, then sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar. Or simply dip the tops of muffins into the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar.

10. Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Store for a day or so at room temperature.

Frozen Peanut Butter Cups

2010-06-30T21:40:00.003-05:00

I'm a sucker for anything that even remotely involves peanut butter, so when I saw this I knew I had to purchase it:

However, I didn't want to just make the bars and be done with it. Since it is summer (and thus hot out), I decided to turn it into a frozen dessert.

What you need:
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1 1/3 cup milk

1. Place topping pouch in large bowl of boiling water; set aside.

2. Stir crust mix and butter in a bowl until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press into bottoms of 12 paper-lined muffin cups.

3. Pour milk into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add Filling Mix and Peanut Butter. beat with mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. (Do not underbeat.) Spread over crust.

4. Remove topping pouch from water; shake pouch 1 minute or until topping is fluid and smooth. Drizzle over prepared cups.

5. Freeze 2 hours or until firm. (Or wrap tightly and store in freezer up to 2 weeks.)

Reese's Pieces Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-06-16T18:10:00.000-05:00

When I originally picked these out to make for my coworker Jeff, I though they were peanut butter cookies. I'm not sure why, since clearly they're not. Despite that little self-induced letdown, they were still very good.

Photo courtesy of Jenny @ Picky Palate

Reese's Pieces Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Source: Picky Palate)

1 stick real butter, softened
1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp real vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup ground quick oats (in food processor or blender)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 Bag Reeses Pieces mini baking pieces
1/2 Bag Semi-Sweet chocolate chips (I used mini chocolate chips)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Place butter, shortening and sugars in a stand mixer and mix until smooth and creamy. Slowly beat in eggs and vanilla.

2. Place flour, oats, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Slowly pour into wet mixture on very low speed until just combined. Hand stir in Reeses and chocolate chips.

3. Drop onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes until just golden around edges.

3 dozen cookies

X-Rated Goodies

2010-06-07T14:24:00.002-05:00

One of my college roomates, Melanie, is getting married next month. Another one of my other college roomates, Jessica, and I were put in charge of baking some erotic treats for the bachelorette party weekend. Here's just a quick glimpse of our creations:

Penis Cake:

Cupcakes:

Fruity Condoms:

We made these by wrapping gummy Peach O's in fruit roll ups. These were delicious!

Condom Cookies:

We made these by pressing circles of white sugar cookie dough into pink squares of cookie dough. We then wrote on the cookies with icings.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

2010-05-19T20:05:00.000-05:00

Brown Sugar cupcakes...filled with eggless cookie dough...and topped with cookie dough frosting. Need I say more? These cupcakes are to die for and were a big hit at work for Jeff's birthday. Needless to say, eggless cookie dough is my new best friend and I may have to start making batches of it to have on hand for nibbling.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
Source: Annie's Eats

Brown Sugar Cupcakes:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

Eggless Cookie Dough Filling:
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 Tbsp light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
7 oz sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Eggless Cookie Dough Frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp milk
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For decoration:
Tiny chocolate chip cookies
Mini chocolate chips

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, about an hour.

To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

Frost the filled cupcakes as desired, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips and topping with mini chocolate chip cookies for decoration.

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-05-10T08:25:00.007-05:00

These might just be my new favorite cookies. The texture of these cookies is chewy but not thick and the brown sugar and vanilla give these cookies a flavor that is a little ‘deeper’ than most. The cookies were soft right out of the oven. These were easy to make and will not last long around the house (a sign that this recipe is a keeper)

Also, heed the instructions to remove the cookies from the oven as soon as the outsides are set but the centers are still puffy and soft. Doing so plays a large part in the resulting texture. Cooling the cookies on the baking sheets means they will continue to bake after being taken out of the oven, but without the circulating air of a cooling rack, they will retain their soft texture.

Photo courtesy of Bakingblonde

Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
3/4 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup semisweet or milk chocolate chips (I used a mixture of chocolate and peanut butter chips)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

3. Beat the butter and brown sugar until thoroughly blended. Add eggs, and vanilla and mix to combine. Add dry ingredients and mix just to blend. Gently fold in chips.

4. Place dough onto parchment paper-lined cookie sheet using a scooper. Bake 9-12 minutes (depending on the size of your cookies and your oven) or until cookies are pale golden brown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy.

5. Cool cookies on cookie sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack until cooled completely.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-04-20T20:40:00.005-05:00

Get out your hats & noisemakers people, it's my birthday!

I really only bring this up because I am excited to now be the proud owner of this KitchenAid Food Processor:

(I got it in white, of course, to match my KitchenAid Stand Mixer.)

Ever since I saw the episode of Good Eats where Alton Brown makes peanut butter, I have been dying to get one. I set about researching food processors immediately, and I found this article at Consumer Search to be very helpful. I knew I wasn't in the market for a large capacity food processor, so I skipped straight to the compact models. Choosing the KitchenAid one was a no-brainer for me since, well, I already own and adore their Stand Mixer.

I am super excited to try it out and I think one of the first orders of business will be to make the peanut butter that inspired the purchase and that I've been drooling over for the last 2 1/2 months!

Chewy Granola Bars

2010-04-18T12:09:00.004-05:00

Hi, it's me.

With our overabundance of Girl Scout Cookies and Easter candy, I haven't been in my kitchen much lately. We're still recovering from our sugar high so, while I was eager to get back in the kitchen, I wasn't ready for another sweet treat. The solution?

Chewy Granola Bars.

These granola bars are boasted to taste exactly like the Quaker Chewy Granola Bars, and I'll admit they were pretty close. The outside of mine turned out sticky-crunchy (I think that maybe had something to do with the honey?) with a chewy center. They were good, but not as chewy as I would have hoped. At any rate, I will definitely be trying these out again.

Note about Granola: The original recipe recommends this granola, which I had a really hard time finding. I’ve never bought granola before, but I eventually found it in the Organic Foods section at Rainbow.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Chewy Granola Bars
(Source: Adapted from Rachel Ray)

4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 cups plain granola
1 cup rice cereal
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter chips

1. Combine honey and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in brown sugar after butter starts to melt.

2. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

3. Add the granola and rice cereal into the saucepan and fold them into the sauce until evenly coated.

4. Spread the mixture into a 9×13 inch ungreased baking pan and press firmly with a spatula to evenly fill. Sprinkle the chocolate and peanut butter chips onto the top of the granola and gently press them down.

5. Put the pan in the refrigerator until cooled and firm, about 15 minutes, then cut into bars.

18 servings

Reese's Peanut Butter Egg Cookies

2010-03-30T14:11:00.002-05:00

I adore Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and Reese's Eggs are even better because, well, there's even more peanut-buttery goodness packed inside every egg! These cookies were absolutely to die for. My eggs were at room temperature, so they broke up quite a bit when they got mixed in to the cookie dough, so I would recommend popping them in the fridge if you want them to retain their shape in the cookies. Personally, I don't think you can go wrong either way, but to each his own.

I snapped some pictures of the prep (I'll post them later) but totally forgot to take pictures of the final product! Check out Picky Palate for more mouthwatering photos, like the one below, of these awesome cookies! (Looking at her photos makes me realize I need some fun plates and bowls to add some much needed variety to the pictures of my plated my desserts.)

Photo courtesy of Jenny @ Picky Palate

Reese's Peanut Butter Egg Cookies

(Source: Picky Palate)

2 sticks softened butter
1 Cup packed brown sugar
1 Cup granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons corn syrup
2 large eggs plus 1 egg white
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Cups chopped Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs, 12 total eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a stand or electric mixer beat the butter, sugars and corn syrup until well combined….light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined.

2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with the chopped Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs. Mix only until just combined. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes until just turning golden around edges. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Eat with tall glass of milk!!

Make approximately 4 dozen (delicious!) cookies.

Shamrock Cookies

2010-03-17T09:34:00.001-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Another holiday, another opportunity to make themed sugar cookies!

If you haven't noticed, sugar cookies have become my newest obsession. Since discovering how easy it is to use royal icing, I have been making sugar cookies every opportunity I get. Yes they are very time consuming, but the finished cookies are so dang cute! Don't you agree?

I also enjoy trying a new sugar cookie recipe each time. This recipe, from Dorie Greenspan, was wonderfully delicious. The dough itself was very soft, which made it a little more difficult to work with, so I wouldn't recommend this recipe to anyone who is trying out cutout sugar cookies for the first time. The recipe yields 50 2-inch cookies. I doubled it, since i was making 3 inch cookies an wanted to make sure I had enough to share with family and coworkers.

Once again, I did not get the color I was looking for in my royal icing. My colors always seem to turn out lighter than I'd like. For those of you who are pros with icing colors, am I just not using enough of the stuff? I guess I just need to whip up a batch of icing and play around with all of the colors that I have.

All-Occasion Sugar Cookies
(Source: Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, pages 146-147)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder together.

2. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed for a minute or so, until smooth. Beat in the sugar and continue to beat for about 2 minutes, until the mixture is light and pale. Add the egg and yolk and beat for another minute or two; beat in the vanilla.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and steadily add the flour mixture, mixing only until it has been incorporated.

4. Turn the dough out onto a counter and divide it in half. Shape each half into a disk and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 2 hours. (Well wrapped, the dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.)

5. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

6. Working with one packet of dough at a time, roll out the dough between sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper to a thickness of 1/4 inch, lifting the plastic or paper and turning the dough over often so that it rolls evenly. Lift off the top sheet of plastic or paper and cut out the cookies – I like a 2-inch round cookie cutter for these. Pull away the excess dough, saving the scraps for re-rolling, and carefully lift the rounds onto the baking sheets with a spatula, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between the cookies.

7. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 9 to 11 minutes, rotating the sheet at the midpoint. The cookies should feel firm, but they should not color much, if at all. Remove the pan from the oven and dust the cookies with sugar or cinnamon sugar, if you’d like. Let them rest for 1 minute before carefully lifting them onto a rack to cool to room temperature.

Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-03-01T06:40:00.006-06:00

Happy National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day!

Soft and tender from the peanut butter, a slight toasted flavor from the oats and just the right amount of sweetness from the chocolate chips. Definitely not your typical oatmeal cookie, as only 1/2 cup of oats is used in the dough, but they are still amazing!

Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Source: Brown Eyed Baker)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3. On medium speed, cream together the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to combine. On low speed, gradually add the flour until just combined. Stir in the oats, and then the chocolate chips.

4. Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden. Cool completely on the baking sheet and then store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes about 16 cookies

Sugar Cookies a la Martha Stewart

2010-02-14T16:10:00.002-06:00

I made these cookies over the course of a few days last week, but I wanted to wait until today, Valentine's Day, to share them with you. Because my cookie cutouts were smaller than 4-5 inches, I adjusted my baking time to about 14 minutes and they came out perfectly. Once again, I used Royal icing (recipe here) and it was much easier than last time! I think I'm starting to get the hang of it, except for the whole "writing on the cookies" part of it. My handwriting is normally less than stellar and it was just as bad, if not worse, using a decorating bag and tip. Perhaps practice will make perfect...

After using Royal Icing for my Christmas cookies, I knew I wanted to try using gel icing colors instead of food coloring this time around. Gel icing colors are easy to use and give great color, but I was a little disappointed in my red color - I wanted it to be bright red and in complete contrast to my pink color. After doing a little research, it turns out the red color I have, Red (no-taste), is more of a pink-red and I would have gotten the results I wanted with Red-Red or Christmas Red. Better luck next time, I guess.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Martha Stewart's Sugar Cookies
(Source: Smells Like Home)

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Sift flour, baking powder, salt into a bowl.

2. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Divide dough into quarters; flatten each quarter into a disk. Wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Let one disk of dough stand at room temperature just until soft enough to roll, about 10 minutes. Roll out dough between two pieces of plastic wrap to 1/4-inch thickness. Remove top layer of plastic wrap. Cut out cookies with a 4-to-5-inch cookie cutter. Transfer cutouts to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Transfer baking sheet to freezer, and freeze until very firm, about 15 minutes. Roll out scraps, and repeat. Repeat with remaining disk of dough. Remove baking sheet from freezer right before baking

4. Bake, switching positions of sheets and rotating halfway through, until edges are almost golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Poppy Seed Pound Cake Muffins

2010-02-14T11:20:00.003-06:00

These have never been my favorite kind of muffin, but I was craving muffins and wanted to try something new. These poppy seed muffins are buttery yet light and when you combine that with crunchy poppy seeds and the citrus flavor of lemon, you have a muffin that will be sure to please anyone. I omitted the Lemon Glaze, though I am sure that would have made the muffins even tastier.

Poppy Seed Pound Cake Muffins
(Source: Joy of Baking)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp poppy seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
Zest of one lemon
1 cup plain yogurt (do not use non fat yogurt)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and place rack in center of oven. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners or spray with a non stick vegetable spray. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk or stir together the flour, poppy seeds, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the lemon zest, yogurt, and vanilla until well blended. Stir in the flour mixture just until moistened. Do not over mix.

4. Spoon the batter using either two spoons or an ice cream scoop into the prepared muffin tins and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Makes 12 muffins

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

2010-01-31T18:11:00.005-06:00

I'm a big peanut butter-chocolate fiend, so I was really excited to try these muffins. Overall, I was a little disappointed in them. Their big, puffy domes were beautiful, but I just wasn't really impressed by the flavor. Yes, they're peanut buttery and yes, they've got yummy chocolate bits, so by all accounts I should have been wild about them. But I wasn't, and I think maybe it is the texture. Most muffins are light and fluffy. These were dense and I also think the bottoms got a little overdone. Andrew liked them, but I don't know that I'll make them again.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
(Source: Annie's Eats)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup brown sugar
6 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
3/4 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners. (I greased my muffin cups instead)

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, peanut butter, eggs and milk until smooth. Add in the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Divide batter evenly between prepared muffin tins, filling each to the top.

4. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

2010-01-17T10:35:00.003-06:00

I came across a bag of cherry morsels when I was cleaning out the kitchen cabinets and decided it was time to use them or lose them. When I hopped on the internet to look for recipes, there really weren't very many out there. I settled on this one, and I really wasn't sure how they'd turn out. Surprisingly, the cookies were actually quite good. The cinnamon and cherry flavors worked well together, and the oats added a nice texture to the cookie.

Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
(Source: Taste of Home)

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package (10 ounces) cherry chips

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chips and walnuts.

2. Drop by tablespoonfuls 3 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.

Makes about 4 dozen.

Puppy Chow

2010-01-10T15:27:00.003-06:00

I saw this recently on one of the many blogs I follow, and I knew I had to make some immediately. I probably haven't had Puppy Chow since high school, quite possibly since the time I upset my homeroom teacher Freshman year when I got powdered sugar all over the floor of his classroom. Sorry Mr. Erickson!

This recipe needs no tweaking. It is perfect just the way it is. It combines chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar. What more could you ask for? And, as an added bonus, it's so easy to throw together and nobody can keep their hand out of the bowl!

I would, however, make one suggestion. Instead of putting all of the cereal in a large ziploc bag to coat with powdered sugar, I would recommend coating the cereal in smaller batches (1/3 of the cereal with 1/3 of the powdered sugar). I went the large ziploc bag route, and I found it difficult to coat the cereal evenly.

Puppy Chow
(Source: Chex)

9 cups Corn, Rice, Wheat, or Chocolate Chex cereal (or combination)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used Milk chocolate chips)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1. In a large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.

2. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.

3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Funfetti Cake

2010-01-04T20:06:00.005-06:00

Confetti or, as I like to call it, Funfetti cakes get their name from the confetti-like splashes of color throughout. These splashes are produced by stirring rainbow sprinkles into the batter. The sugary jimmies melt as the cake bakes, leaving behind color and no trace of what was once a sprinkle.

This happens to be my coworker Jenny's favorite kind of cake, so I knew that's what I was making for her birthday. My only complaint with this cake in particular was that there wasn't enough "confetti" in the cake, so next time I will add more sprinkles to the batter!

Funfetti Cake
(Source: Annie's Eats)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp rainbow sprinkles

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.

2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir together and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg whites to the bowl and beat until combined. Add in the vanilla and almond extracts and mix until incorporated. Mix in the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until incorporated. Fold in the sprinkles with a spatula.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (about 30-40 minutes). Allow to cool in pans 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost cooled cake as desired.

12 Days of Cookies Conclusion

2009-12-26T11:17:00.001-06:00

So I am sure the question running through your mind right now is something along the lines of "What the heck did she do with all of those cookies?"

By the end of this whole project, we literally had cookies coming out of our ears. Thankfully I threw together goody bags for all my coworkers and some of Andrew’s. By the time we brought some over to our respective family gatherings, they were almost gone. Which means, thankfully, I won’t need to worry about them wreaking havoc on my girlish figure. Or my husband's. :)

Hope y'all had a very Merry Christmas!

On the Twelfth Day of Cookies...

2009-12-20T11:17:00.005-06:00

I am so proud of these bad boys. This was my first time working with royal icing, and it went really well! I found Brown Eyed Baker's guide to decorating cookies extremely helpful through the whole process. Using royal icing, though time consuming, is quite easy and totally worth the extra effort. My only complaint was that my hand started cramping up after using the piping bags for awhile, but it was well worth it to get such professional looking cookies. I think it's safe to say my cookies will never look like this again! And, if you were wondering, the cookies themselves taste amazing! The little bit of cinnamon in the dough is just brilliant and really gives them an added boost of flavor.

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
(Source: Smells Like Home)

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon into a bowl.

2. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Divide dough into quarters; flatten each quarter into a disk. Wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 325°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Let one disk of dough stand at room temperature just until soft enough to roll, about 10 minutes. Roll out dough between two pieces of plastic wrap to 1/4-inch thickness. Remove top layer of plastic wrap. Cut out cookies with a 4-to-5-inch cookie cutter. Transfer cookie dough on plastic wrap to a baking sheet. Transfer baking sheet to freezer, and freeze until very firm, about 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet from freezer, and transfer shapes to baking sheets lined with nonstick baking mats. Roll out scraps, and repeat. Repeat with remaining disk of dough.

4. Bake, switching positions of sheets and rotating halfway through, until edges are almost golden, 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Royal Icing
(Source: Smells Like Home)

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp meringue powder
4 1/2 tbsp water
1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract

1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the sheen has disappeared and the icing has a matte appearance (about 7-10 minutes). Transfer the contents of the mixing bowl to an air-tight container. This will be the stiffest consistency of the icing, and at this point it is still too stiff to use for decorating. Add water a very small amount at a time and stir by hand until fully incorporated. Continue until the icing has reached a consistency appropriate for piping. (Remember, if you are having any difficulty piping, it is still too thick. Add a little more liquid and try again.) Using a pastry bag, pipe around the edges of each cookie. Let stand so the icing will set. Make sure to keep the leftover icing covered at all times when not in use so that it does not begin to harden.

2. Once all the cookies have been edged, transfer some of the remaining icing to a separate air-tight container. Thin out by incorporating a small amount of water at a time, until the icing drips off the spoon easily when lifted and then smooths in with that still in the bowl. If you go too far and the icing is too thin, add more sifted powdered sugar to thicken it again. Once the icing has reached the desired consistency, transfer it to a squeeze bottle (or a plastic bag with a hole in one corner), and flood the area surrounded by the piping on each cookie. If it does not completely spread to the edges, use a toothpick to help it along. Allow to set.

On the Eleventh Day of Cookies...

2009-12-19T14:17:00.003-06:00

I was originally going to make Martha Stewart's Chocolate Gingerbread Bars, but I realized at the last minute that I forgot to buy sour cream and had to quickly come up with something else along the same line. After doing a quick search online, I found this recipe and it was a done deal. These bars are moist with the perfect amount of spiciness.

Gingerbread Bars
(Source: Culinary in the ~~Desert~~ Country)

2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup molasses

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a medium bowl, add flour - scoop out 2 tablespoons of the flour and place into a small bowl to reserve for layer.

3. Into the flour, whisk in ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda and salt.

4. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, brown sugar and 6 tablespoons granulated sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each. Mix in vanilla and molasses. Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

5. Scoop batter into a 10 x 15 baking pan coated with cooking spray, spreading the top smooth with an off-set spatula. Sift reserved 2 tablespoons flour evenly over batter, then sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.

6. Place into the oven and bake until the bars are golden brown and a toothpick placed into the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached, about 20 to 24 minutes. Remove and place pan on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting.

Makes about 24 to 32 bars.

On the Tenth Day of Cookies...

2009-12-18T22:17:00.003-06:00

Peanut Butter Balls are a perfect example of how something that tastes great can also be easy to make. They taste just like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and my mouth waters just thinking about them.

Peanut Butter Balls
(Source: Joy of Baking)

Peanut Butter Balls:
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 - 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Chocolate Coating:
9 ounces semi sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used milk chocolate)
2 tablespoons shortening

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place the peanut butter, unsalted butter, and salt in a microwaveable bowl, and heat in the microwave for about one minute or until just soft (check and stir the ingredients every 20 seconds). Stir in the vanilla extract and confectioners sugar and mix until it has the consistency of a dough (add more sugar if necessary).

3. Roll the dough into 1 inch round balls. Place on the cookie sheet and refrigerate for about one hour, or until firm.

4. Melt the chocolate and shortening in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Dip the balls, one at a time, in the melted chocolate, making sure the entire ball is coated with chocolate. Then, with two spoons or a dipping fork, remove the peanut butter ball from the melted chocolate, allowing any excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl.

5. Place the chocolate covered balls back on the baking sheet. When all the balls have been dipped in the chocolate, place in the refrigerator until the chocolate has set. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. To serve: place in small fluted candy cups.

On the Ninth Day of Cookies...

2009-12-17T20:17:00.004-06:00

My husband loved these cookies (he ate like five of them fresh out of the oven), but I was a little disappointed in how they turned out. They were very crispy around the edges and very, very flat (thin). But I guess appearances aren't everything because they do taste very good and the mint flavor of the Mint Chocolate M&Ms is quite noticeable.

Minty M&M Cookies
(Adapted from Joy of Baking)

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup Mint Chocolate M&M's

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

3. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and egg yolk, beating until well combined. Beat in the vanilla extract.

4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

5. Form dough into balls. Gently flatten each ball of dough. Completely cover the tops of the cookies with the M&M's. Gently press the candies into the dough. Bake the cookies for 7-10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time. The cookies are done when they are light golden brown in color and just set. They will still seem a little soft but they will firm up as they cool. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

On the Eighth Day of Cookies...

2009-12-16T20:32:00.006-06:00

My mother-in-law makes batches of these every year, and this has become one of my favorite holiday treats. This holiday candy is very easy to make, but does take some time. Well worth it for this delicious candy coated sweet and salty pretzel. I definitely think I need to invest in some proper tools for this as most of my pretzels were blobish (but still delicious!).

Almond Bark Pretzels
1 pound white dipping chocolate or almond bark
1 small bag pretzels
Colored Candy Sprinkles

1. Microwave almond bark on high, stirring every minute or so until completely melted (usually 2-3 minutes).

2. Drop a pretzel into melted almond bark. Use a fondue fork to fully submerge and swirl the pretzel to cover all surfaces. Lift the pretzel out with the fondue fork. With the pretzel still on the fork tap the fork against the top of the bowl to shake off the excess coating.

3. Place the coated pretzel on the wax paper. Decorate with color sugar or sprinkles. Allow to cool.

4. Store the finished pretzels in Ziploc bags or other air tight container.

On the Seventh Day of Cookies...

2009-12-15T21:16:00.005-06:00

These cookie tartlets are quick and easy and very tasty. The crushed candy canes give it an extra crunch and a boost of flavor reminiscent of Christmas.

Peppermint Bark Cookie Tartlets
(Source: Nestle Toll House)

1 package Refrigerated Sugar Cookie Dough, slightly softened
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup finely crushed candy canes

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.

2. Combine cookie dough and flour in large mixing bowl. Divide dough into 24, 1 1/4-inch balls. Press dough into mini-muffin cups.

3. Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around edges and puffy.

4. Remove tartlets from oven and immediately fill with morsels and crushed candy canes. Cool for 10 minutes in muffin cups. Carefully remove to wire rack, do not invert; cool completely.

On the Sixth Day of Cookies...

2009-12-13T15:16:00.007-06:00

The recipe is adapted from Jenny's Festive Candy Cane Kiss Centered Brownie Bites. I wanted to make the original recipe, but Target was out of Peppermint Hershey's Kisses and I really didn't want to drive all over the city looking for them. I had grand ambitions of dipping the tops in chocolate and sprinkling them with cut up Mint Truffle Hershey's Kisses but, well, I decided they were good enough as is.

Mint Truffle Brownie Bites
(Adapted from Picky Palate)

1 brownie mix 9×13 inch size
24 Mint Truffle Hershey's Kisses

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and scoop into a mini cheesecake pan or mini muffin tin pan that has been generously sprayed with cooking spray, about 3/4 way full.

3. Press kisses into center of brownie batter, do not push all the way to bottom, some of the tip should stick out the top.

4. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until brownies are cooked through. Let cool completely.

On the Fifth Day of Cookies...

2009-12-12T13:16:00.004-06:00

Another classic cookie recipe that just cannot be left out. Trees, poinsettias, wreaths, and ribbon have been a part of my holiday season for as long as I can remember. Be sure to watch these cookies very carefully while baking as they can go from perfect to burnt in a matter of seconds. The cookies should be removed from the oven as soon as the edges begin to turn a little brown.

Spritz Cookies
(Source: An old family recipe)

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

1. Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla.

2. Add eggs and beat well.

3. Sift flour and salt together; add in three additions, mixing well after each addition.

4. Place dough in cookie press. Form desired shapes on ungreased cookie sheet.

5. Bake at 400°F for 7-8 minutes or until just starting to turn golden brown around the edges, being careful not to over bake.

On the Fourth Day of Cookies...

2009-12-11T22:09:00.005-06:00

By now, most of you know that peanut butter and chocolate are near and dear to my heart, so it should be no surprise that this is one of my favorite cookies. No holiday is complete without this great, easy cookie recipe.

Peanut Butter Blossoms
(Source: Hersheys.com)

1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Granulated Sugar
Hershey's Kisses

1. Preheat oven to 375°degrees. Unwrap Hershey's kisses.

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter until well-blended. Add sugars and beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

3. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a peanut butter cup into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen.

On the Third Day of Cookies...

2009-12-10T20:46:00.006-06:00

Bite-sized bliss! These cake ball bon bons are a snap to make and are sure to be an instant hit on any dessert tray. To make mine more festive, I used red velevet cake with white frosting and vanilla candy coating. I also used way more candy coating than they suggested.

Holiday Cake Bon Bons
(Source: Betty Crocker)

1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist cake mix, (any flavor)
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
1 container Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy frosting
3 oz. vanilla or chocolate-flavored candy coating

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with baking spray with flour. Prepare cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and eggs. Pour into pan. Bake 30-33 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes.

2. In a large mixing bowl, crumble the warm cake; stir in the frosting until well blended. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

3. Drop mixture by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Shape into balls. (If mixture is too sticky, refrigerate until firm enough to shape.) Freeze 30 minutes.

4. In small microwave-safe bowl, microwave candy coating on HIGH for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring until smooth. Dip the balls, one at a time, in candy coating using a wooden skewer or fork to hold them. Place on aluminum foil-covered cookie sheet. Decorate as desired. Refrigerate cake balls about 10 minutes or until coating is set. Serve at room temperature. Store in airtight container.

On the Second Day of Cookies...

2009-12-08T20:38:00.004-06:00

If you are unfamiliar with these cookies, they are of German origin, very spicy, with molasses and black pepper in them. The translation of Pfeffernussen is “pepper nuts”, although my recipe doesn’t call for nuts I understand that some do. The snowy sugar surface of Pfeffernussen contrasts nicely with the spicy, sweet, soft, crisp crust of the cookie. A perfect addition to your holiday spread.

Pfeffernussen
(Source: Martha Stewart)

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the confectioners' sugar in a brown paper bag.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, pepper, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and baking soda. Set aside.

3. Place butter, brown sugar, and molasses in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture; beat until just combined. Pinch off dough in tablespoon amounts; roll into 1 1/4-inch balls. Arrange balls 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. (Dough can be frozen at this point, covered tightly with plastic wrap, up to 1 month.)

4. Bake until cookies are golden and firm to the touch with slight cracking, about 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer sheets to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Working in batches, place cookies in paper bag; shake until well coated. Let cool completely on wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

On the First Day of Cookies...

2009-12-07T13:15:00.003-06:00

Okay, not technically a cookie, but a yummy holiday treat, no? This recipe was easy and I'm sure quite tasty, but I wouldn't know. "Why?" you ask. I hate cream cheese (weird, right?). The stuff makes me gag if I try to eat it (same reaction I have with mashed potatoes, but that's a whole other story) and, while I was beating the cream cheese for these truffles, the smell alone made me queasy. BUT, if you are normal, I am sure you will love these!

Truffles
(Source: Kraft Foods)

2 1/2 pkg BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate (20 squares), divided
1 pkg (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1. Melt 8 chocolate squares. Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy. Blend in melted chocolate. Refrigerate until firm.

2. Shape into 36 balls. Place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet.

3. Melt remaining chocolate. Use fork to dip truffles in chocolate; return to baking sheet. Decorate, then refrigerate 1 hour.

Raspberry Truffle Tart

2009-12-06T10:18:00.006-06:00

We had a few friends over last night to drink a few bottles of wine shipped to us from California. When we were out in California with some friends this summer, we joined a wine club at our favorite winery, August Briggs (Hubby and I visited the winery while on our honeymoon in July 2007 and insisted we make it one of our stops this summer). The dinner menu consisted of steaks, scalloped potatoes, Caesar salad, and, of course, dessert!

When contemplating dessert, we decided that nothing goes better with wine than chocolate. This tart is pure indulgence and paired perfectly with the wine. What could be more enticing than a giant raspberry-flavored truffle set in a biscotti crust? Nothing, I tell you. Nothing. Photo coming soon!

Rasberry Truffle Tart
(Source: Joy of Baking)

Biscotti Crust:

80z biscotti, broken into small pieces
5 -6 Tbsp butter, melted

Filling:
1/3 cup raspberry sauce (recipe follows)
10 oz semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Raspberry Sauce:
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
2 Tbsp sugar, to taste

Garnish:
Fresh Raspberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Have ready a 8 - 9 inch (20 - 23 cm) fluted tart pan.

2. In your food processor, place the biscotti and process until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and add the melted butter. Stir to combine. Press this mixture over the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely before adding the filling.

4. Place 1 cup of fresh or frozen raspberries, that have been thawed, in your food processor and process until the raspberries are broken up. Pour into a strainer, set over a bowl, and press on the raspberries to extract the juice. Add sugar to taste. Set aside.

5. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Stir in 1/3 cup of the raspberry sauce.

6. Pour the chocolate filling into the baked and cooled crust, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

To Serve: Cut into small slices and serve with fresh raspberries and with any of the remaining raspberry sauce.

Makes one - 8 - 9 inch (20 - 23 cm) tart.

12 Days of Cookies

2009-12-01T18:13:00.002-06:00

I'm taking the plunge this year and participating in "12 Days of Cookies."

Well, sort of.

I love the idea (in theory) of trying 12 new cookie recipes (that are almost guaranteed to be delicious) but, to me, Christmas isn't Christmas without my beloved Spritz, Peanut Butter Blossoms, and all of the other goodies I grew up with.

So this year, I will be making 12 different cookies of my own choosing. Some will be the classics I enjoy making every year, while others will be new recipes I want to try. Some won't be Christmas cookies, but they will still be yummy holiday themed treats.

Perhaps next year I will be up for "officially" participating in 12 Days of Cookies, but for now I am content to do it my way. :)

Let's get baking, shall we?!

Libby's Pumpkin Pie

2009-11-26T11:02:00.004-06:00

This is the traditional holiday pumpkin pie. This classic recipe has been on Libby's Pumpkin labels since 1950 and for a very good reason. This pie is easy to prepare and even easier to enjoy. Just mix, pour, and bake for a delicious homemade tradition. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Libby's Pumpkin Pie

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
Whipped cream (optional)

1. Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

2. Pour into pie shell.

3. Bake in preheated 425°F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

2009-11-25T19:58:00.002-06:00

If you love cinnamon rolls, you are gonna love this cake. Tastes exactly like them, only in cake form. Besides being quick and easy (and let's not forget delicious!), it is moist and very cinnamony (yes, I'm making up words here).

Since I made this cake last night, we couldn't eat it warm at work today (damn them for not installing an oven like I requested!), but the cake was still very good. However, when I brought the leftovers home to hubby, I heated up his piece and the cake instantly went from good to FANTASTIC. I will defintiely need to make this again when it can be consumed directly out of the oven.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the cake because my camera battery died and hubby absolutely could not wait any longer to eat the rest of it. Check out Ingrid's site (link is below) for some seriously mouthwatering photos.

Cinnamon Roll Cake
(Source: 3 B's)

Cake:
Yellow Cake Mix
4 eggs
¾ cup oil
1 cup sour cream

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
4 tbsp milk or heavy cream (I used 8 Tbsp of heavy cream to get the consistency I wanted)

1. Mix cake ingredients by hand and pour in 13 x 9 greased baking pan.

2. Mix the filling ingredients together and pour over cake batter. Swirl into batter with knife. (this was not easy to do as the batter is thick)

3. Bake at 325 for 40 minutes. Let cake cool 10 – 15 minutes.

4. Pour icing over warm cake.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

2009-11-22T08:15:00.004-06:00

A lot of pumpkin cookies, while very good, are very cakey. These pumpkin cookies, however, are moist and have the perfect texture. Because of the molasses, the pumpkin flavor isn't as pronounced as I would like it to be, but they are still delicious and very, very addicting.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies
(Source: Beantown Baker)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup for rolling
1/3 canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt

1. Beat the butter in a large bowl. Add 1 cup sugar, pumpkin, molasses, and egg and continue beating until well combined and fluffy.

2. Sift together remaining ingredients and gradually add to wet ingredients, beating on low speed until thoroughly incorporate. Refrigerate for up to one hour or until batter can be handled.

3. Preheat oven to 350F. Place remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a pie dish. Form the batter into walnut-sized balls. Roll in sugar and arrange on cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating pans halfway through.

4. Cool for a few minutes on sheets and then remove to wire racks to continue cooling.

Pumpkin Spice Scones

2009-11-14T11:05:00.006-06:00

I wish I would have baked an additional batch of these, because the first batch was gone in the blink of an eye. I think it's safe to conclude that these scones were pretty good. I opted to only make the cinnamon icing, but I definitely try these again with the ginger molasses icing. Unfortunately, because these disappeared so fast, the only photo I got was with my iPhone. I guess that gives me another reason to make these again!

Pumpkin Spice Scones
(Source: Pinch My Salt)

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup raisins (optional - I omitted)
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup heavy cream
6 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Get out a baking sheet and line with parchment paper (not required but makes cleanup easy!). Cut the butter into small pieces, put it in a small bowl and put it back in the refrigerator. In a medium bowl, combine both flours, baking powder, salt, and all spices. Whisk together well. Place bowl in freezer (refrigerator is fine if you have no room in freezer).

2. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, heavy cream, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk together well. Put this bowl in freezer (or refrigerator) and take the other bowl back out. Get the butter pieces out of the fridge and dump them into the bowl with the flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender or rub it in with your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the raisins if you are using them.

3. Get the liquid mixture out of the freezer and pour into the flour mixture all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon until everything is just moistened. The dough will be very crumbly, this is the way it should be. Turn the mixture out onto the counter and push the pile together with your hands. It should stick together fairly well. Knead it just a couple of times until everything is together. Don’t knead it too much or the dough will get too sticky.

4. Pat the dough out into a rough circle, 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Cut it like a pie into 8 pieces. Place pieces on the baking sheet so that they are not touching. Bake scones for about 15 minutes. They should be light brown on the bottom, the tops will darken as they cool.

Ginger Molasses Icing
1 Tbsp molasses
1-2 Tbsp milk
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ginger (to taste)

Stir ingredients together. Adjust the amount of sugar or milk to make the icing the consistency you want (It should be pretty thick).

Cinnamon Icing

1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk
1/4 – 1/2 tsp cinnamon (to taste)

Mix all ingredients together. Again, adjust amounts to change consistency. Icing can be brushed on or drizzled.

The Mother Load Layered Cookie Bars

2009-11-08T12:56:00.003-06:00

I must admit I was slightly disappointed in the bars at first. I had some girlfriends over last night, so I whipped these bars up in the afternoon. When I cut into them before they arrived, the bars were a mushy mess! They tasted wonderful, but the layers all sort of mushed together into a cookie mess. (Thankfully we also had Chocolate chip cookies and chocolate chocolate chip cookies due to the recipe making extra dough.)

HOWEVER, when I took a look at the remaining bars today (I only plated a handful of bars for my friends since they were so messy), they were perfect. PERFECT! I guess I cut them too soon and they just needed more time to set. These cookie bars really were incredible and very rich. I would recommend cutting them into smaller bars than Jenny originally suggests.

The Mother Load Layered Cookie Bars
(Source: Picky Palate)

Layer 1: Sugar Cookie

1 Roll of Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough

1. Press sugar cookie dough into bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish that’s been lined foil and sprayed with cooking spray.

Layer 2: Double Chocolate Chip Cookie

(the recipe below makes double what you’ll need for the bars, use extra for cookies)

1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cup cocoa powder (I only used 1 cup)
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Slowly add eggs and vanilla until well combined.

2. In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients then stir in chips. Layer 1/2 the recipe over sugar cookie layer, pressing gently.

Layer 3: Peanut Butter Cookie

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg

1. Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix until combined. Press over chocolate cookie dough.

Layer 4: Chocolate Chip Cookie

(the recipe below makes double what you’ll need for the bars, use extra for cookies)

2 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp pure vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 bag chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a stand or electric mixer cream the butter and sugars until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined.

3. Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl; mix to combine. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips.

4. Spoon 1/2 of the dough evenly over peanut butter cookie dough but don’t press, just leave uneven. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until center of dough is cooked mostly through. Edges will be brown. I covered pan with foil during the last 15 minutes of baking.

2. Let cookies cool completely. Lift out of pan with edges of foil. I cut off 1/2 inch edges and just used softer centers, but do as you wish. Edges are crispier. Drizzle top with 1/2 Cup melted chocolate chips if desired.

*Note: You can layer dough and refrigerate until ready to bake.

8 large bars (if you cut off edges), 12 bars (if you keep edges)

Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Cupcakes

2009-10-30T09:22:00.002-05:00

It's safe to say that this will the first of many pumpkin recipes I will be making over the course of the next month or two. I love pumpkin and can eat it any time of year, but it is especially appropriate in the fall. These cupcakes were a must from the first moment I laid eyes on them. And, believe me, they did not disappoint. They were moist and tender with the perfect pumpkin flavor.

While you normally wouldn't necessarily think to pair dulce de leche and pumpkin together, they perfectly complimented each other. While it is relatively easy to make your own dulce de leche, I opted to just buy it and cut out the extra time and energy. At some point I would like to try making my own, since 1) all of the methods of making it are relatively easy, 2) it is difficult to find at stores (I found it at Byerly's), and 3) because it is only found at "high end" grocery stores, it's quite expensive.

I am happy to report that my first attempt at filling cupcakes was a complete success! I was a little nervous going into it, but I studied Nicole's directions for the "Cone Method" very carefully and followed them to a T and I ended up with cupcakes with that little extra oomph. If I would have known that filling cupcakes was so easy, I would have tried it ages ago.

Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Cupcakes
(Source: The Sweetest Kitchen)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
7.5 ounces pureed pumpkin

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.

3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

4. Once cooled, using the cone method, fill each cupcake with a dollop of dulce de leche and frost with dulce de leche buttercream.

Dulce de Leche Buttercream

(Adapted from the Oreo Buttercream recipe)

1 cup shortening (or butter)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp water
4 cups confectioner's sugar
1 Tbsp meringue powder
1/3 cup Dulce de Leche

1. In bowl of stand mixer, cream shortening, vanilla, and water.

2. Add confectioner's sugar, meringue powder, and Dulce de Leche. Mix until well combined.

3. Little by little, add more water until the frosting reaches the right consistency.

Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp

2009-10-18T20:29:00.009-05:00

My husband found this recipe a couple years ago after we made our first trip to the apple orchard. We were crazy about the recipe the first time we made it and, now that I've made it for a third time, it's still just as good. What we like about the recipe is, because of the zest and juices, you can pretty much use any kind of apples you want. Which is really good because, if we are using apples we picked at the orchard, we really have no idea what kind they are.

Some people complain that the citrus kick that all the zest and juice add to this apple crisp cover up the homey, delicious, comforting tastes of the apples and the cinnamon. That may be true, but we love it and it will definitely be a recipe we keep using year after year.

Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp
(Source: Food Network)

5 pounds McIntosh or Macoun apples
Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg

For the topping:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup oatmeal
2 sticks (16 Tbsp) cold unsalted butter, diced

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 by 14 by 2-inch oval baking dish.

2. Peel, core, and cut the apples into large wedges. Combine the apples with the zests, juices, sugar, and spices. Pour into the dish.

3. To make the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. Scatter evenly over the apples.

4. Place the crisp on a sheet pan and bake for 1 hour until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly. Serve warm.

Allspice Crumb Muffins

2009-10-18T11:42:00.009-05:00

Apparently I was way too tired to bake this morning because I almost forgot to add the vanilla and then, as I was finishing scooping the batter into my pan, I realized I forgot to add the lemon zest. I debated about just skipping the zest, but I am very glad that I decided to take the time to scoop all the batter back into the bowl so I could add the zest.

I don't know that I've ever baked anything with allspice in a starring role, but it was a nice treat in these muffins and perfect for this time of year. The muffin itself is very moist, and the streusel topping provides nice slightly crunchy texture contrast. The addition of lemon zest is an optional ingredient in the recipe, but I thought it provided essential flavor to complement the spice.

If you don't want to buy whole milk, you can substitute equal amounts of evaporated milk and water. I mixed 1/2 cup of evaporated milk with 1/2 cup of water, stirred it up really good, and then used a 3/4 cup of it in this recipe. The muffins still turned out really well, and I now I don't have extra whole milk, that I will never use (at least not before it goes bad and has to be thrown out), taking up space in my refrigerator.

Allspice Crumb Muffins
(Source: Sticky, Gooey, Creamy Chewy)

For the Streusel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
5 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

For the Muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 stick (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)

Getting ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

To Make the Streusel:
1. Put the flour, brown sugar and allspice in a small bowl and sift them through your fingers to blend.

2. Add the bits of cold butter and toss to get irregularly shaped crumbs. Set aside in the refrigerator.

To Make the Muffins:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, allspice and salt. Stir in the brown sugar, making certain there are no lumps.

2. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the melted butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract together until well combined. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don't worry about being thorough--the batter will be lumpy, and that is just the way it should be.

3. Stir in the lemon zest, if you're using it.

4. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Sprinkle some streusel over each muffin, then use your fingertips to gently press the crumbs into the batter.

5. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.

King Arthur's Cornbread

2009-10-11T12:37:00.015-05:00

It's been unusually cold here in Minnesota the past few days, which meant I could finally make the chili I had been craving for the last few weeks. And what goes great with chili? Cornbread, of course!

I've never made cornbread from scratch and this was a good recipe to start with. It was tender and moist, but it wasn't quite sweet enough for me. The butter flavor was also a little too strong, which might have been because, when I started making the recipe, I didn't realize the butter needed to be melted AND cooled. I didn't wait for it to cool completely because, well, we were hungry! I definitely will next time and hopefully that will help eliminate some of the butter flavor and, if I'm lucky, will give it the sweetness I am looking for.

King Arthur's Cornbread
(Source: King Arthur Flour)

1 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square or round pan (a cast iron skillet will work fine, too), shallow 1 1/2 quart casserole dish, or 12 muffin cups.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. Stir in any desired herbs, cheese, corn kernels, or other flavorings. (I didn't add anything this time, since this was my first time using the recipe, but I might consider it next time.)

4. In another bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the milk, melted butter, and egg.

5. Pour the liquid all at once into the flour mixture, stirring quickly and gently until just combined.

6. Spread the batter into the prepared pan, or scoop into the muffin tin.

7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges just begin to pull away from the pan and a cake tester or paring knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

8. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 5 minutes before cutting; serve warm.

Snickerdoodle Chex Mix

2009-10-10T10:22:00.001-05:00

As soon as General Mills came out with Cinnamon Chex, I was eager to see what kind of chex mix recipes would be created for it. I've been home with the husband for a much needed long weekend and decided this would make for a yummy snack while we were bumming around the house watching movies and relaxing. It was so good, it was gone before I even got the chance to take photos of it!

Photo courtesy of Chex.com

Snickerdoodle Chex Mix
(Source: Chex)

1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups Cinnamon Chex cereal
2 cups Chocolate Chex cereal
4 cups popped popcorn
1/4 cup butter or margarine

1. In small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon; set aside. In large microwavable bowl, mix cereals and popcorn.

2. In 1-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave butter uncovered on High about 40 seconds or until melted. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated.

3. Microwave uncovered on High 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. Sprinkle half of the sugar mixture evenly over cereal mixture; stir. Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture; stir. Microwave 1 minute longer. Spread on waxed paper or paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-09-27T19:12:00.000-05:00

These are the best chocolate chip cookies I've had in awhile. As the name suggests, they are both thick and chewy like the kind of cookie you'd find at a bakery. After finding this winning recipe, I think it is safe to say I will never have to try another chocolate chip cookie recipe (though, honestly, I probably will, just for the sake of trying something new). If you’re looking for a classic, this is it.

Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Source: Annie's Eats)

2 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1-2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven 325°F.

2. In a bowl, mix dry ingredient. In mixing bowl, combine butter and sugars until well blended. Add egg, yolk, and vanilla. Batter will appear slightly greasy.

3. Add dry ingredients, until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Scoop balls onto cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 min.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Cookies

2009-09-27T16:12:00.000-05:00

These cookies are just like snickerdoodles, but quicker and healthier (if you can even consider a cookie healthy). This recipe uses whole wheat flour and incorporates cinnamon into the batter instead of rolling the dough into balls and then in cinnamon and sugar. A delicious twist on a great cookie.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Cookies
(Source: Lynn's Kitchen Adventures)

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Cream together butter, shortening, sugar, the eggs and the vanilla.

3. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda, salt, and cinnamon.

4. Scoop spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.

5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not overcooked.

Fudge Brownies

2009-09-23T20:42:00.009-05:00

I'm not sure if I have ever made brownies from scratch before. If I have, it wasn't a recipe worth remembering. After making these brownies, I guarantee I will never make brownies from a box ever again. I am quite certain this recipe in particular will become my signature brownie recipe. These brownies are pure heaven.

A few things to note:

1) I didn't have Dutch-process cocoa. After doing some research online, I discovered that you can easily substitute the dutch-process cocoa with regular cocoa plus a little bit of baking soda. For every 3 Tbsp of cocoa you need to add a pinch (1/8 tsp) of baking soda. Since this recipe called for 1 1/4 cups of cocoa (20 Tbsp), I added 3/4 tsp baking soda. The recipe turned out fantastic.

2) According to the King Arthur blog, when you add the chocolate chips to the batter directly effects the texture of the brownies. If you want the chips to retain their shape and add chunkiness, let the batter cool before adding the chips. If you want the chips to melt right into the rich smoothness of the brownie, add them to the hot batter immediately, stirring to combine.

I prefer my chocolate chips to remain evident, so I let the batter cool for about 20 minutes. Because I used mini chocolate chips (it was all I had at home and I didn't feel like running to the store), the chunkiness is not as noticeable as I would have liked it to be. I definitely want to try this recipe again using regular chocolate chips.

3) Line your pan with parchment paper, and then grease the parchment. Seriously. It makes it so much easier to remove the brownies from the pan intact, without sticking and crumbling.

4) Glass of milk not required, but highly recommended.

Fudge Brownies
(Source: King Arthur Flour)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups Dutch-process cocoa (I used regular cocoa + 3/4 tsp baking soda)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp espresso powder, optional (I omitted this)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 cups chocolate chips (I used mini chocolate chips)

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan

2) In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just until it's hot (about 110°F to 120°F), but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it.

3) While the sugar heats a second time, crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla till smooth.

4) Add the hot butter/sugar mixture, stirring until smooth.

5) Add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth. (Note: If you want the chips to remain intact in the baked brownies, rather than melting in, let the batter cool in the bowl for about 20 minutes before stirring in the chips.)

6) Spoon the batter into a lightly greased (and parchment lined) 9" x 13" pan.

7) Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving.

Makes 24 brownies.

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

2009-09-22T18:38:00.025-05:00

We missed Kyle's birthday the last two years and there was no way we were going to miss it a 3rd time. For the celebration, I decided to make Cookies & Cream Cupcakes. These Oreo Cupcakes were my inspiration, however I really didn't want chocolate cupcakes. I was envisioning vanilla cake with cookie chunks and that is exactly what I ended up finding at The Sweetest Kitchen.

I made a slight modification to Jamieanne's recipe by adding instant pudding. I have never done this before, but I have heard that it is supposed to make cakes/cupcakes unbelievably moist and delicious. These cupcakes were moist (and very rich), but the tops were flat and slightly browned (both easily hidden by the frosting). I'm not sure if that is a common occurrence when adding instant pudding, if it was because of the cookie chunks, or if it was just a fluke, so I guess I will just have to experiment a little more. Anyone have any ideas on what might have caused this?

I frosted the cupcakes with Heather's Oreo Buttercream recipe and it was absolutely to die for! This will definitely be my go to frosting recipe (minus the crushed Oreos) from now on. I topped each cupcake with half an Oreo (which, by the way, I would recommend doing right before you serve them, otherwise the cookies get soft).

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes
(Adapted from The Sweetest Kitchen)

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 2/3 cup sugar
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3oz box instant vanilla pudding
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
Oreos, crushed into chunks

1. Count out 12 Oreos and separate bottoms from top, making sure there is frosting on both sides. Place one wafer, icing side up, in bottom of each muffin cup. (This didn't actually end up working for me. Every time I separated my Oreos, the frosting was always on one side and not the other. Not really a big deal, though - I just used the halves without frosting in the cupcake batter and for the buttercream.)

2. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3-5 min.

3. Add the egg whites and beat until incorporated.

4. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, pudding, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, add vanilla extract to milk.

5. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until incorporated. Add 1/2 of the milk mixture and beat again until incorporated. Keep adding flour mixture and milk mixture alternately, being sure that you end with the flour.

6. Gently stir the crushed Oreos into the batter.

7. Fill the cupcake lines three-quarters full. (Mine were actually filled almost to the top because of the cookie on the bottom.) Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cupcakes comes out clean.

Oreo Buttercream
(Source: Heather Drive)

1 cup shortening or butter (I used shortening so it didn't have to be refrigerated)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. water
1 lb. (approx. 4 cups) confectioner's sugar
1 tbsp. meringue powder
12-14 Oreos, finely crushed

1. In bowl of stand mixer, cream shortening, vanilla, and water.

2. Add confectioner's sugar, meringue powder, and crushed Oreos. Mix until well combined.

3. To top cupcakes, it's better to have medium to thin consistency icing, so you'll have to add more water. I probably added another 2-3 tbsp. to get the desired consistency, but you'll want to add the water little by little to make sure you don't add too much. When it's the right consistency, it should be pretty easy to stir by hand (think about whether you'd be able to easily squeeze it out of a piping bag). If you accidentally make it too thin (runny), add more confectioner's sugar.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Quick Cinnamon Biscuits

2009-09-12T11:10:00.005-05:00

I had these ready for immediate consumption when the nurse walked out our front door this morning. You see, we had to fast for 12 hours for a health assessment and I thought this was the perfect way to celebrate.

If you're looking for the real thing, this recipe is probably not for you. However, if you're looking for the delicious goodness of a cinnamon roll without having to wait for the yeast to work it's magic, then this is definitely the recipe for you. This recipe yields a cake-like version of the cinnamon roll that is both quick and simple to make - I even managed to roll the dough without disaster. I can definitely see myself making these on a semi-regular basis.

That said, this recipe confirms my desire to one day make real cinnamon rolls. There is something to be said about warm, flaky cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven, covered in a sweet and sugary icing. Mmmm...

Quick Cinnamon Biscuits

(Source: Ezra Pound Cake)

Cinnamon Sugar Filling:
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Biscuit Dough:
2 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Icing:
6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
4 to 6 teaspoons milk or heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. For the Filling: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. For the Dough: In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups cream, and stir until the dough forms a ball, about 1 minute. With your hands, fold the dough over a few times in the bowl, until the dough is smooth.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour your hands, and pat the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle, about 9 X 13 inches. Brush the surface of the dough with the remaining tablespoon of cream. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar topping.

5. Starting from the long side, roll the dough into a cylinder. Slice into 9 equal rounds. Place the rounds, cut side down, into an ungreased 8-inch square baking dish or a pie plate. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the biscuits are lightly browned.

6. For the Icing: While the biscuits bake, mix together the confectioners’ sugar and milk or cream until smooth. When you remove the biscuits from the oven, immediately drizzle them with icing. Serve warm.

Makes 9 biscuits

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake

2009-09-09T20:36:00.006-05:00

My inspiration for this cake was the Buckeye Peanut Butter-Fudge Cake at King Arthur Flour:

Doesn't that look absolutely heavenly? Unfortunately, my finished product looked nothing like this. Nope, not even close.

Where do I even begin?

All right, I'm just going to say it.

This was a disaster from the very beginning.

Don't get me wrong. The cake was delicious. The peanut butter filling was divine. Even the chocolate frosting was downright tasty.

But the presentation? Seriously needs some work. Let's just say I'm not overly skilled at layer cakes. Granted, I haven't had too much experience - I usually just opt for a simple 13x9 cake topped with frosting (and apparently for a very good reason).

I doubled the cake recipe, but opted to make one cake at a time so I didn't have to worry about making sure the same amount of batter got in each pan. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, I'm 99% positive I forgot to put half a cup of sugar into the first cake. Not really a big deal. It cooked a little faster than the other layer, but otherwise it was fine. It also probably tasted slightly less sweet, but who can really tell with peanut butter filling AND chocolate frosting?

What was supposed to be a four layer cake soon became a three layer cake because the layer with less sugar was not as tall as the other layer and, therefore, could not be cut in half very easily. I completely ruined the thick layer when I attempted to halve it. It was uneven and way too thin in places. I attempted to use the botched layer anyway, but when it started slipping and crumbling off the gooey peanut butter filling onto my kitchen counter (picture lava flowing out of a volcano), I knew I was in trouble. After hiding the evidence of the major disaster (thank God for garbage disposals!), I added more peanut butter filling to the soggy bottom layer, topped it with the sugarless top layer, coated it in frosting, and I was done. All before the clock struck 7 (in the morning, just to clarify).

This experience just confirms my dire need to take a proper cake decorating class.

Chocolate Cake
(Source: Everyday with Rachel Ray)

1 cup flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
7 tablespoons unsweetened (non-Dutch process) natural cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan; line the bottom with parchment paper and grease the paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Make a well in the center, add the eggs and milk and whisk gently to make a thick batter; whisk vigorously 30 to 40 times. Whisk in the melted butter and vanilla just until smooth. Scrape into the prepared pan.

3. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes; invert onto the rack, remove the pan and parchment paper and invert again. Let cool completely.

Peanut Butter Filling
(Source: King Arthur Flour)

4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk

Mix the sugar, peanut butter and vanilla till crumbly. Add the milk and mix till smooth, adding more milk if necessary to make a spreadable filling.

"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting
(Source: Hersheys)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount of additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Sugar Cookie Bars

2009-09-05T15:43:00.006-05:00

I love making sugar cookies, but it takes a lot of time an energy to decorate those oh-so-cute shapes and sometimes you just want something simple. These bars have been making the rounds in the blogging world for a very good reason. These sugar cookie bars (as seen on 3 B's, One Ordinary Day, The Repressed Pastry Chef, and My Baking Addiction) are deliciously addicting and so simple you'll kick yourself for not trying them sooner.

There is one important thing to note before making these bars. They make an entire cookie sheet worth of bars. I guess the 5 cups of flour should have been a dead giveaway, but I didn't really pay attention to what I was doing until after the dough had been made. Thankfully my work buddies were more than happy to consume them. :)

So, word to the wise: half the recipe or make these when you have guests.

Sugar Cookie Bars
(Source: One Ordinary Day)

1 cup butter, room temp.
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soda

1. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.

2. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Add vanilla & mix well.

3. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt & soda & stir with a whisk to combine. Add to wet mixture and mix just until combined.

4. Spread on a greased baking sheet (use a 13 x 18 pan). Bake at 375°F for 10-15 min, until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and frost.

Buttercream Icing
(Source: One Ordinary Day)

1/2 cup butter, room temp
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbsp milk
food coloring (if desired)

1. Combine butter and shortening until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and salt.

2. Add powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments until combined, then add milk & mix until smooth and spreading consistency.

3. Spread over cooled cookie, then cut into bars.

Makes a ridiculously obscene amount of (delicious) bars.

Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies

2009-09-05T11:35:00.005-05:00

Out of nowhere, I got a serious craving for peanut butter cookies this week. I found this recipe over at Brown Eyed Baker and I knew it was the recipe for me. This recipe yielded cookies that reminded me of the peanut butter cookies my great grandma used to make. They were one type of cookie she ALWAYS made and they were so incredibly delicious. I can't remember the last time I had peanut butter cookies - probably not since my days of eating in Stav Hall at St. Olaf (3 years ago, people!). And those weren't even what I would consider a true peanut butter cookie because they lacked the crisscross pattern.

Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies
(Source: Brown Eyed Baker)

1 3/4 all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
3 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 egg
Granulated sugar, for rolling cookies

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment or a silicone baking mat.

2. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Combine the peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add the egg and beat just until blended. Reduce speed to low and add to the creamed mixture gradually, mixing just until combined.

4. Put the granulated sugar in a small bowl. Scoop a tablespoonful of dough and roll into a ball between the palms of your hands. Roll the dough into the sugar and place on the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Dip the tines of a fork into the sugar and make a crisscross patern on the cookies, flattening them slightly.

5. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until set and just beginning to brown. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet before removing to a cooling rack.

Storing: Store these cookies in an airtight container for about a week. You can also freeze these cookies in a freezer bag for approximately 3 months and thaw when you are ready to eat them.

Oatmeal M&M Cookies

2009-08-22T19:55:00.000-05:00

Same great cookie, but with a different spin this time. Instead of raisins, I added mini M&Ms to the cookie dough. Okay, fine. I made another batch of oatmeal raisin cookies for my dad (that's 3 times now, if you're counting) and added mini M&Ms to half of the dough instead of raisins. The recipe can be found here.

O'Henry Bars

2009-08-19T20:36:00.005-05:00

These bars are my coworker Jeff's favorite bars in the world (he starts drooling just thinking about them) and I decided to make these for our department picnic, which ended up being in our building's warehouse because of severe weather (some of the highlights of the picnic included "seeking shelter" in the secret hallway and breaking a fluorescent light bulb playing kickball). The recipe I used warned against over baking the bars, but I would also add that you need to be equally as careful not to under bake them or they will be very gooey. I also took people's suggestions and added 3 tsp vanilla to the oat mixture. The bars are easy, delicious, and very addicting!

O'Henry Bars
(Adapted from Allrecipes)

4 cups rolled oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter
3 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup white corn syrup
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup peanut butter

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180 degrees C).

2. Mix the oats, brown sugar, butter or margarine, and white corn syrup. Pat into a 10 x 15 inch pan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Melt chocolate chips and peanut butter. Spread over baked crust while hot. Cut into bars right away.

Makes 36 bars.

Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

2009-08-17T20:53:00.002-05:00

While most cakes use the 'creaming' method (butter and sugar are creamed together first and then the eggs, followed by the flour and milk, are added), this recipe uses what we call the 'one bowl' or 'quick method'. This means all the dry ingredients are first put into a mixing bowl (sugar included) and then room temperature butter, along with a little milk, are added. These ingredients are beaten together and then the eggs, vanilla extract, and remaining milk are beaten into the batter.

This method produces a cake that literally seems to melt-in-your-mouth and it has a very moist, dense, and velvety texture. The only downside to this method is that you will notice that the cake layers do not have quite the volume of cakes that are made with the creaming method. I think, however, that it is worth sacrificing a little bit of volume to get the outstanding taste and texture this cake had.

Yellow Sheet Cake
(Source: Baking Bites)

2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 inch sheet pan with parchment paper, or lightly grease it with shortening or oil (butter will produce a harder “crust”).

2. Sift cake flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add sugar and, using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed to blend. Cut butter into 4 or 5 chunks and drop into the bowl with the flour. Blend on low speed until mixture looks sandy and no large chunks of butter remain, 1-2 minutes.

3. In a large measuring cup, combine eggs, milk and vanilla. Beat lightly with a fork until combined. With the mixer on low, pour 1 cup of the egg mixture into the bowl. Turn speed up to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes. Reduce speed back to low and pour in the rest of the egg mixture. Continue to beat at low speed for an additional 30 seconds, until liquid is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for a few more seconds, if necessary.

4. Pour into prepared 9×13 pan and spread batter evenly with a spatula. Tap gently a few times to eliminate any bubbles. Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes, until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean.

5. Let cool for 30 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a rack to cool completely. You can leave it in the pan if you’re serving it casually.

Serves 16 - 24

Pumpkin Muffins

2009-08-15T11:13:00.012-05:00

While pumpkin is typically a flavor associated with autumn, the can of pumpkin in my cupboard has been calling to me for quite some time now. These muffins were the perfect way to satisfy my craving. The muffins are a beautiful orange-gold color and have a moist and tender cakey crumb, a gentle spiciness and are not overly sweet. And while they're luscious on their own, I bet they would be even better with a streusel topping, or even some kind of glaze.

Pumpkin Muffins
(Source: Bulbaric Gulp)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of ground allspice
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temp.
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
1/4 cup buttermilk

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter or spray 12 cupcake molds in a regular-size pan or fit with paper cups.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside.

3. Working with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until soft. Add both the sugars and continue to beat until light and smooth.

4. One by one, add the eggs, beating for a minute after they are incorporated, then beat in the vanilla.

5. Lower the mixer speed and mix in the pumpkin and buttermilk. Add the dry ingredients in a steady stream, mixing only until they disappear. To avoid overmixing, you can stop the machine early and stir in any remaining dry ingredients into the batter using a rubber spatula.

6. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. (I took mine out after about 17 minutes.)

7. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the pan, then carefully remove each one from its mold to finish cooling on the rack.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

2009-08-04T20:56:00.007-05:00

Tonight was National Night Out, so I whipped up these awesome bars last night after work. I had completely forgotten I needed to make something for the get together until late Monday morning, so I had to quick scrounge for a recipe that would appeal to people of all ages. I chose these Snickerdoodle Blondies because a) they looked delicious, b) they were super easy (and quick!), and c) I had all of the necessary ingredients on hand (very important since I did not have time to run to the grocery store).

These blondies have made their rounds on the blogosphere and for a very good reason. They are divine, amazing, fantastic, mouth watering.... well, you get the point! If you enjoy snickerdoodles, then you will love these bars. They are soft and chewy on the inside with a crunchy cinnamon-sugar topping. I think I might have under baked them a tad too much because these were a little too chewy for my taste (which is saying a lot since I normally like my cookies and bars very soft and chewy).

I’m going to make these again soon, especially because there are no special ingredients involved, just the basics and some cinnamon and sugar.

Snickerdoodle Blondies
(Source: One Ordinary Day & My Baking Addiction)

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
a pinch nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or line a 9×13″ baking pan.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; set aside.

3. In large bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar for 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Beat until smooth.

4. Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evenly into prepared pan with greased spatula or hands. Combine topping: granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over top of batter.

5. Bake 25 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool.

Makes 24 bars.

Chocolate Chip-Peanut Butter Bars

2009-08-01T17:31:00.020-05:00

My dear college friend Maggie (below, with me) is moving to Connecticut with her fiancé Aaron. She is going to PA school at Yale this fall and will be gone for about 2 years. They had a going away picnic this weekend, which was a lot fun but also very sad.

These Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars were an instant hit at the picnic. The rich flavor belies their simplicity—an oatmeal cookie base, a gooey peanut butter middle sprinkled generously with chocolate chips and peanuts, topped off with more of the oatmeal mixture. I think I softened my butter a bit too much because the oatmeal mixture was more doughy than crumbly, but the overall taste of the bars was not compromised.

Chocolate Chip-Peanut Butter Bars

(Source: Pillsbury Baking)

Base & Topping:
2 1/4 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter, softened

Filling:
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup coarsely chopped salted peanuts

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray. In large bowl, beat base and topping ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until crumbly, scraping bowl occasionally. Reserve 2 cups crumb mixture for topping; press remaining mixture evenly in bottom of pan.

2. In small bowl, mix condensed milk, peanut butter, and vanilla with spoon until well blended. Pour evenly over base. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over top; press down gently.

3. Bake 25 - 30 minutes or until golden brown (center will not be set). Cool completely, about 1 hour 15 minutes, before cutting.

Makes 36 bars.

Betty Crocker Cookie Book

2009-07-28T20:03:00.001-05:00

Out of all the names in cookie books out there, Betty Crocker is one of the most, if not the most, famous. This fame was gained with good reason. Dozens of generations have grown on Betty's goodies and it shows in that she remains hugely popular throughout the years.

This book honors the Betty Crocker good name. Dozens of oh-so-yummy different recipes for everyone to enjoy. The variety is quite astounding as she has more than enough cookies to fill up several chapters ranging from drop cookies, bar cookies, shaped cookies, kids cookies, etc. She even has a special chapter that's bound to become very useful in this day and age, dedicated to cookies for special diets. Here you'll find several treats for people on diets or with conditions such as diabetes or certain food allergies.

Betty's instructions are, as usual, very simple to follow through and not only that, she even makes it easier on you by providing little tips on baking strategies, ingredient substitutions, etc. on almost all of the recipes. This makes it a cinch to turn out perfect cookies every time no matter what your baking skill is like.

Spring Fling Layered White Cake

2009-07-26T20:45:00.025-05:00

My aunt emailed me a couple of weeks ago with this recipe, wondering if I would be willing to make it for my grandma's birthday. My grandma is borderline diabetic, so she tries to avoid sweets as much as possible. I have never worked with Splenda before (or cake flour, for that matter), but I was up for the challenge and dove right in.

The recipe was straightforward and easy to follow. It really was no different than making any other kind of cake. I snitched a tiny taste of the cake as I was slicing the layers (an art I am in dire need of practicing) and was pleasantly surprised by how normal it tasted. I figured you would be able to tell that it wasn't made with real sugar, but I certainly couldn't.

I was not a fan of the frosting, but then again I'm not a cream cheese kind of girl. Unless it is heavily sweetened. Or the cream cheese flavor is barely noticeable. As it was, the frosting was mostly cream cheese (1 whole pound...yikes!) and a fat free cream cheese, which I have to believe takes some of the flavor out of it. I would have much rather seen the cake paired with this pudding-based frosting (or even this pudding/cream cheese/whipped topping frosting probably wouldn't be bad).

But the true test was what all of the guests would think of the cake. I was nervous, of course, and kept my fingers crossed that it would be a hit. The verdict? It was delicious! Grandma even had two pieces. I didn't try the finished product, but all of the guests that tried it raved about how good it was. I would definitely like to try this cake again and experiment more with the filling and the frosting.

Happy 84th, Grandma!

Spring Fling Layered White Cake
(Source: Splenda)

Cake:
1 1/2 cups SPLENDA® Granular
3 3/4 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
7 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Diabetic Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 cup light butter, softened
1 cup SPLENDA Granular
1 pound fat-free cream cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Apricot & Strawberry Filling:
3/4 cup reduced sugar apricot preserves
1 pint strawberries, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray two 9-inch cake pans with baking spray. Set aside.

2. Make cake. Sift flour. Mix SPLENDA, flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar together in a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until ingredients are blended. Add softened butter. Mix on low speed until butter is very finely distributed (about 2 to 3 minutes).

3. Add egg whites. Mix on low speed until incorporated. Scrape sides of bowl. Mix on medium-high speed 1 to 2 minutes or until batter is light and well blended. Scrape sides of bowl. Add buttermilk and extracts. Mix on medium speed until blended.

4. Pour cake batter into prepared pans. Bake in preheated 350°F oven 20 to 25 minutes or until edges of cake appear slightly dry. Allow cake to cool in pans 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks until ready to ice.

5. Prepare Icing. Beat softened butter and SPLENDA briefly in a medium sized mixing bowl (until SPLENDA is just incorporated). Add cream cheese. Mix until lump free (about 1 minutes). Scrape sides of bowl and add vanilla. Mix well.

6. Assemble cake. Slice cooled cake layers in half. Using a serrated knife slice cakes in half horizontally, to create 4 cake layers.

7. Place 1 cake layer on cake stand or plate. Spread 1/3 of the preserves over the cake layer. Top with 1/3 of the strawberries. Repeat process until all layers are assembled.

8. Ice cake.

Makes 18 (1/2-inch thick slice) servings.

Cinnamon Buttermilk Muffins with Struesel Topping

2009-07-26T12:41:00.019-05:00

I've been eying these muffins for quite some time and I finally made them this weekend when I was looking for a way to use up some of the buttermilk I had sitting in my fridge from when I made the Spice Cake for Alison's birthday last week.

The muffin itself has a slightly sweet and subtle cinnamon flavor and bakes up with a moist, tender and fluffy crumb, thanks to the buttermilk. This is a nice contrast to the sweet brown sugar and cinnamon streusel that gives the muffins a crisp and sweet top. Without the topping, the subtle flavor of the muffin would be lost and the muffin might even be considered too plain.

The original recipe for this muffin, from Williams Sonoma, calls for dipping the muffins in melted butter and then in a cinnamon sugar topping. I would be interested in trying it this way, as I imagine both the look and the taste of them would be a lot like those yummy cinnamon sugar doughnuts.

Cinnamon Buttermilk Muffins
(Source: Bakingblonde's Weblog)

For the muffins:
7 Tbsp butter

2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Struesel:
2 Tbsp flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp butter, softened

1. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease 6 jumbo muffin cups with butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray; fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping.

2. To make the muffins, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well until pale and smooth.

3. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Add to the butter mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy.

4. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.

5. To make the topping, in a small bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or forks until mixture resembles cornmeal. Gently sprinkle topping evenly over batter in prepared muffin tin. Gently press down topping slightly.

6. Bake until the muffins are golden, dry and springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25-27 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and let stand until cool enough to handle.

Makes 6 Jumbo Muffins (or 9 regular muffins)

Pillsbury Best Cookies Cookbook: Favorite Recipes from America's Most-Trusted Kitchens

2009-07-21T20:03:00.002-05:00

An Introduction filled with helpful information for successful-every-time cookie baking precedes the chapters that cover every type of cookie. There are Drop Cookies, Hand-Formed Cookies, Refrigerator Cookies, Rolled Cookies, Bars and Brownies, Holiday Cookies, and, of course, Bake-Off(R) Favorites. And with the Pillsbury name behind the recipes, cooks can be assures that they are reliable and delicious.

Each recipe is accompanied by easy-to-read sidebars with headings such as Ingredient Substitution, Make It Special, Storage Tip, and Holiday Fact, which provide all sorts of information for making cookie baking easier and more fun. The recipes are also tagged with bullets: Editor's Favorite, Kid Pleaser, and Chocoholic's Choice, which help readers find exactly the recipe they're looking for.

Dixie Spice Cake with Caramel Frosting

2009-07-20T18:06:00.012-05:00

In case you haven't noticed, we like to celebrate things at the office. We use pretty much anything as an excuse to have cake. This time it was Alison's birthday. She has gotten away with not celebrating her birthday for the last two years. I put a stop to that this year and she was a very good sport about it.

I really like spice cake. I think it has to be one of my favorite kinds of cake. It is also the only kind of cake I actually enjoy eating cream cheese frosting on. This particular spice cake was good, but I have definitely had better and will need to continue my search for the perfect spice cake recipe. The caramel frosting was very rich and was a nice change of pace from the cream cheese frosting you usually find it paired with.

Dixie Spice Cake with Caramel Frosting
(Source: Pillsbury Baking)

Cake:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Caramel Frosting:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Generously grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray; lightly flour.

2. In large bowl, beat all cake ingredients except walnuts with electric mixer on low speed until moistened, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in walnuts. Spread batter evenly in pan.

3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

4. In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar. Cook over low heat 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add milk; cook until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Remove from heat. Gradually beat in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. If needed, add a few drops of milk for desired spreading consistency. Spread over cooled cake.

Serves 24

Fudgy S'mores Bars

2009-07-18T21:33:00.009-05:00

After a much needed vacation, I am back in the kitchen with a recipe that is sure to please any crowd. I brought these over to dinner at the in-laws house tonight and they were a hit.

The bars are very simple and come together really quickly, especially if you have a stash of graham cracker crumbs tucked away in the pantry. The recipe takes no more than 30 minutes from start to finish, even less time if you've got graham cracker crumbs on hand. The bars are best eaten within several hours of coming out of the oven, but will keep for several days in an airtight container.

When it comes to graham cracker crumbs, I have found it's easiest to break the graham crackers into smaller pieces before placing them into a large Ziploc bag. Be sure to let all of the air out of the bag before you close it, otherwise you are liable to pop the bag. :) Once sealed, place the bag on a firm surface and run over the crackers with a rolling pin until they reach your desired consistency. I have found that 12 squares (6 full sheets) equals about one cup of crumbs.

Fudgy S'mores Bars
(Source: Pillsbury Baking)

Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (12 squares)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

Topping:
4 cups miniature marshmallows
3/4 cup M&Ms
1/4 cup hot fudge topping, heated

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x9 inch pan with shortening or cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat crust ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until coarse crumbs form, scraping bowl occasionally. Press mixture evenly in bottom of pan.

2. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle marshmallows evenly over crust; bake 1 to 2 minutes longer or until marshmallows begin to puff.

3. Sprinkly M&Ms evenly over marshmallows; drizzle warm topping over top. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Make 32 bars.

Cinnamon-Oat Scones

2009-07-05T10:09:00.006-05:00

In addition to making another batch of oatmeal raisin cookies for my dad, I decided to be bold and attempt making scones for the very first time. Scones sound hard to make, but I found them surprisingly simple. This particular recipe, I admit, yielded scones that were a little dry and too bland for my taste, but otherwise fine. What little flavor they did have was the result of the cinnamon-sugar topping, which was quite tasty but not enough flavor for me. If I were to make this particular recipe again, I would add more spice to the scone batter itself. However, it's more likely that next time (yes, there will most definitely be a next time) I will try something else. This seems right up my alley. :)

Cinnamon-Oat Scones
(Source: Pillsbury Baking)

Scones:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup milk

Topping:
1 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet with shortening or cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix flour, oats, brow sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. With pastry blender or fork, cut in 1/2 cup butter until mixture is crumbly. Add milk all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.

2. On floured work surface, gently knead dough 5 or 6 times. Place on cookie sheet; press into 6-inch round, about 1 inch thick. Brush top with melted butter.

3. In small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over top. Cut into 8 wedges; separate slightly.

4. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Strawberried Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

2009-06-24T21:14:00.003-05:00

From the moment I first laid my eyes on these M&Ms, I knew I had to make them into a cookie.

But what kind of cookie?
Peanut Butter?
Oatmeal?
Chocolate Chip?

In the end, I settled on a recipe for M&M cookies, which is basically your ordinary chocolate chip cookie. This recipe yields a cookie that is not overly sweet, but just as tasty as any other cookie. At some point I might try an oatmeal or peanut butter (or a combination of both) with the other bag of M&Ms I purchased.

A few things to note:

1. The original recipe is supposed to yield 50 cookies. Mine yielded about 3 dozen average sized cookies. Clearly we have very different ideas of what is meant by "heaping teaspoonfuls." I think I would have ended up with bite-sized cookies if I had followed their idea of "heaping." Quite frankly, I am much happier with my interpretation. :)

2. The recipe calls for the cookies to be baked for 10-13 minutes. I enjoy a softer cookie, so I always go slightly under what they consider to be the minimum baking time. But to each his own.

Strawberried Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

(Source: Adapted from Red's Ultimate M&Ms Cookies)

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups Strawberried Peanut Butter M&M’s
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. In medium bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt; blend into butter/sugar mixture. Stir in M&M’s and chocolate chips. Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and centers are still soft. Do not overbake. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; cool completely on wire racks. Store in tightly covered container.

Make approximately 3 dozen.

Cookbooks

2009-06-18T20:15:00.017-05:00

I have a serious love-hate relationship with cookbooks. I love the idea of them - a bunch of great recipes, all in one place and organized in a way that always makes sense. But the reality of it is, in any given cookbook, there are always only a handful of recipes that make it onto my "must try" list and this frustrates me to no end.

I have finally found the perfect solution to my problem.

The library.

The freaking library.

It's the best solution a baker like me could ask for. You can check out as many books as you want for 3 weeks as many as 3 times in a row (that's 9 whole weeks, providing no one else wants the book during that period), which gives you ample time to try as many or as few recipes as you please. If you're anything like me, you will get a little carried away and wind up with 7 different cookbooks (6 of them baking-related) at once that need to be plowed through.

The best part is this: when I have tried all of the recipes I am interested in, I can simply return the cookbook and pick out a new one. It's no big deal if I only try one or two recipes out of a book because I didn't spend a ridiculous amount of money on it. And, let's face it, cookbooks can be expensive. And of course, if I like the book enough, I can always add it to my personal collection later on.

Below is a helpful list of cookbooks broken into 3 pretty self-explanatory categories: My Personal Collection, Tried-and-True, and Must-Try. At some point I may get into reviewing cookbooks I've used, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

My Personal Collection:
The Essential Wok Cookbook
The Essential Asian Cookbook
The Essential Baking Cookbook
The Newlywed's Cookbook
Betty Crocker's Cooking for Two
Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook 14th edition
Stir Fries: Best-ever Wok & Pan Recipes
If I Gotta Cook Make It Quick!
Fix-it & Forget-it Slow Cookbook: Feasting with Your Slow Cooker
Pancakes & Waffles
Cupcakes!
Recipe File

Tried-and-True:
Betty Crocker Cookie Book
The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion: The Essential Cookie Cookbook
Pillsbury Best Cookies Cookbook: Favorite Recipes from America's Most-Trusted Kitchens
The Candy Bar Cookbook
Pillsbury Baking
Best Ever Cookie Book
Mrs. Fields Best Cookie Book Ever!

Must Try:
Muffin Bible
Baking By Flavor
The Essential Christmas Cookbook
Pillsbury Holiday Baking: Treats Filled With Cheer For A Magical Time of Year
The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook: Recipes from the Classic Cookie to Mocha Chip Meringue Cake
Big Fat Cookies
Big, Soft, Chewy Cookies
KitchenAid Baking Companion
Kitchen Aid Great Baking and More
Ultimate Mixer Cookbook
The Mixer Bible: Over 300 Recipes for Your Stand Mixer
Pillsbury Best of the Bake-Off Cookbook: Recipes from America's Favorite Cooking Contest
The All-American Cookie Book
The Good Cookie: Over 250 Delicious Recipes from Simple to Sublime
Cookies: More Than 70 Inspiring Recipes
Great Cookies: Secrets to Sensational Sweets
Bake Me I'm Yours...Cookie
Field Guide to Cookies: How to Identify & Bake Virtually Every Cookie Imaginable
S'mores: Gourmet Treats For Every Occasion
The Weekend Baker: Irresistible Recipes, Simple Techniques, and Stress Free Strategies for Busy People
How Baking Works: Exploring the Fundamentals of Baking Science
Martha Stewart's Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share
101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes
King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking
King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook
Crazy About Cupcakes
Cookies, Brownies, and Bars
Hello, Cupcake!: Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make
500 Best Muffin Recipes
The Ultimate Muffin Book
Pillsbury Best Muffins & Quick Breads Cookbook
Pillsbury Best Cookies Cookbook
Martha Stewarts Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone's Favorite Treat
Mom's Big Book of Cookies
Coffee Cakes: Simple, Sweet, & Savory
Betty Crocker Cookies Cookies: 100 Recipes for the Way You Really Cook
Betty Crocker Cookies Cookies
Bite-Size Desserts
The Complete Baking Cookbook
500 Cookies
No-Bake Cookies
Betty Crocker Just Cupcakes
Betty Crocker Simply Dessert
Marshmallows: Homemade Gourmet Treats
Cupcakes
Cupcakes, Cupcakes, & More Cupcakes!
The Cake Book

S'mores Cookies

2009-06-13T16:34:00.010-05:00

The key to making these cookies is to omit the marshmallows and Hershey's bars until the cookies are almost done baking. This ensures 1) the marshmallows don't get too chewy and 2) the milk chocolate does not get dried out, resulting in a cookie that tastes just as good as the real thing.

S'mores Cookies
(Source: Cookie Madness)

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate (I used milk chocolate and only 1/2 cup)
1 cup miniature marshmallows (approximately)
2 Hershey Bars, broken into pieces (or other favorite milk chocolate)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Cream butter and both sugars with an electric mixer; beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in salt and baking soda making sure they are well distributed and free of lumps; stir in the flour, followed by graham cracker crumbs. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart. Bake for 9 minutes. Remove and quickly press marshmallows and chocolate into cookies. Return to oven and cook until done (about 3 or 4 more minutes)

Makes about 2 dozen

Cinnamon-Caramel Swirl Shortbread

2009-06-13T13:29:00.010-05:00

You may think pairing cinnamon and caramel is odd, but in reality it is a perfectly matched combination of flavors. I've never made shortbread before, but I found this recipe to be surprisingly easy. The topping was probably the hardest part, mainly because you have to constantly stir the mixture so it doesn't stick in a clump to the bottom of your pan and I had some serious issues with the drizzling. I would have liked to see a little more detail on what they think the best way to drizzle is. Using a spoon to drizzle resulted in blobs of caramel, which was not as aesthetically pleasing but still resulted in a tasty treat.

Cinnamon-Caramel Swirl Shortbread

(Source: The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion)

1/4 cup cinnamon sugar

Dough:

1 cup unsalted butter

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Topping:

14-16 vanilla caramel candies

1 Tbsp cream or milk

1. Preheat the oven to 35o°F. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Sprinkle the bottom of each pan with about 1 Tbsp cinnamon sugar.

2. In a medium sized bowl, cream together the butter, salt, sugar, and vanilla, then beat in the flour. Divide the dough in half, and press it into the prepared pans, smoothing the surface with your fingers. Sprinkle the top of both pans with the remaining cinnamon sugar. Prick the dough with a fork in an attractive pattern.

3. Bake the shortbread for 35-4o minutes, until it's golden brown around the edges. remove from the oven and loosen edges with a knife. Wait 5 minutes, then carefully turn the shortbread out onto a clean work surface, all in one piece.

4. Using a pizza wheel, baker's bench knife, or sharp knife, cut each round into 12 wedges (Do this while the shortbread is still warm; if you wait until it's cool, it won't cut easily). Transfer the wedges to a rack to cool.

5. Heat the caramels and milk in a microwave-safe bowl, or in saucepan set over low heat. Stir until the caramels melt and the mixture is smooth. Drizzle the topping over the cooled shortbread wedges. If it becomes too thick to drizzle, reheat briefly. Allow the caramel to set before wrapping the shortbreads for storage.

Makes 2 dozen wedges.

Great Grandma's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2009-06-10T20:15:00.011-05:00

My Great Grandma loved to bake. Perhaps that's where I got my own love of baking. She made wonderful birthday cakes for all of the kids and would frequently stop by with a fresh batch of cookies.

For my dad's birthday (which is today), I decided to bake him his own personal batch of his all-time favorite cookies, using the same recipe my Great Grandma used. This recipe is from the back of the Quaker Oats box which, my uncle swears, is the recipe she always used.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
(Source: Quaker Oats Box)

1/2 cup + 6 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups Old Fashioned Oats
1 cup raisins

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well.

2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Our Favorite Blueberry Muffins

2009-06-07T15:10:00.010-05:00

I haven't made muffins in practically forever...I think since Christmas. I love them, especially hot out of the oven with a tall glass of cold milk.

Did you know the Blueberry muffin is the official muffin of Minnesota? While that's not the reason I made them, it would certainly be a compelling reason to. I just like them. A lot. Even though I otherwise hate blueberries.

Our Favorite Blueberry Muffins
(Source: King Arthur Flour)

6 tbsp butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups All-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 - 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 tbsp sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease muffin cups.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in milk, vanilla, and almond extract, mixing only until smooth. Quickly stir in the berries.

3. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 to almost full. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar (I used white sparkling sugars). Bake the muffins for 25-30 minutes or until light golden brown. Place the pan on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, run a knife around the edge of one muffin, and try to lift out of the pan. If the muffin lifts out of the pan without crumbling, remove all of the muffins and cool completely on a wire rack. If the muffin sticks or the top peels off, allow them to cool an additional 10 minutes, then try again.

Makes 12 Muffins (or 6 Jumbo Muffins)

Mrs. Fields Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

2009-06-06T21:07:00.017-05:00

You can never go wrong combining peanut butter and chocolate. These bars are much like the peanut butter balls you see at Christmastime, only they have a crunchy cookie layer which, in my opinion, almost makes these bars better. These bars are incredibly rich and oh-so-delicious and you won't want to stop at just one.

Mrs. Fields Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
(Source: Mrs. Fields Best Cookie Book Ever!)

Cookie Base:
8 med Butter Cookies (I used 12 Market Pantry Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies)
1/4 cup salted butter (I used unsalted butter with a pinch of salt)

Chocolate Layers:
2 1/2 cups Milk Chocolate Chips

Peanut Butter Filling:
1 1/2 cups creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
3 cups Confectioners' sugar
2 tsp vanilla

1. Crush cookies until finely ground. Add butter and mix. Press crumb mixture into bottom of 8x8 pan and bake 10 minutes and 325°F. Cool to room temperature.

2. Melt chocolate. Pour half into pan and smooth evenly over cookie crust. Place pan in refrigerator.  Keep remaining chocolate warm.

3. With electric mixer, blend peanut butter and butter together until smooth. Slowly beat in confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Spread mixture over chilled chocolate layer.

4. Pour remaining warm chocolate over top and spread smoothly. Chill in refrigerator 1 hour.

Makes 24-36 bars.

Twix Candy Bar Cookies

2009-05-31T18:55:00.018-05:00

I felt like experimenting this weekend and this is what I came up with.

I decided to try a new chocolate chip cookie recipe, so I picked the King Arthur Flour's Essential Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. This recipe uses vinegar and corn syrup, which are both slightly odd ingredients not normally found in chocolate chip cookies. The corn syrup adds a nice chewiness to the cookies and the vinegar actually works as a leavener to give the cookie a little lift. The resulting cookies had a nice chewiness and were not too sweet, but they were a little on the sticky side due to the caramel in the Twix bar.

Twix Candy Bar Cookie
(Source: The King Arthur Flour's Cookie Companion, adapted from The Essential Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie)

3/4 c softened unsalted butter

2/3 c dark brown sugar (I actually used light brown sugar since that's what I had on hand)

2/3 c granulated sugar

2 tbsp light corn syrup

1 tbsp cider vinegar or white vinegar (I used white vinegar)

2 large eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 1/4 c unbleached all-purpose flour

2 c Twix candy bars, chopped

1 c milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugars, corn syrup, and vinegar, then beat in the eggs. Beat in the vanilla, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir in the flour and Twix bars/chocolate chips.

3. Drop by the tablespoonful onto the baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, until they're just set; the centers may still look underdone. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on a baking rack.

Frosted Jumbo Molasses Cookies

2009-05-25T20:28:00.015-05:00

Truth be told, I was a little disappointed by this recipe. Though I chilled the dough for well over the three hours recommended, I found the dough sticky and extremely difficult to work with. The dough was impossible to roll out and it was even trickier to transfer the cut-out cookies to the baking sheet. I think the dough is much more suited for simply rolling into balls and placing on the cookie sheet

Having said that, the cookies themselves were delicious, especially when topped with the Vanilla Frosting recipe below. They were soft and chewy, and full of yummy molasses flavor.

Jumbo Molasses Cookies
(Source: Betty Crocker Cookie Book)

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening

1 cup dark molasses

1/2 cup water

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1. Beat 1 cup sugar and the shortening in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours until dough is firm.

2. Heat oven to 350°F. Generously grease cookie sheet.

3.Roll dough 1/4 inch thick on generously floured cloth-covered surface. Cut into 3-inch circles.

4.Place about 1 1/2 inches apart on cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains wen touched lightly in center. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Top with Vanilla Frosting recipe below.

Vanilla Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2-3 tbsp milk

Mix all ingredients until smooth and spreadable.

Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Frosting

2009-05-18T21:33:00.019-05:00

I baked this cake for birthday #2 at work this week and oh, man was it delicious.

I was very hesitant to try this recipe because it got such mixed reviews. Some people thought it was the best cake ever, while others complained that it was dry and bland. I am so glad I tried the recipe because it was truly amazing! It might have been a tad on the dry side, but it was dense and full of the rich flavor of peanut butter.

I frosted the cake with my own (store-bought) chocolate frosting and sprinkled it very generously with Reece's Pieces, which added a surprising (and delicious) crunch. I would also seriously consider using a peanut butter frosting with this cake (you can never have too much peanut butter in my book). This cake is a must for anyone who loves the peanut butter-chocolate combination.

Peanut Butter Cake
(Source: Paula Dean over at Food Network)

1 cup All-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Sugar
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup Peanut Butter
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 375°F if baking with a metal dish; 325 degrees F if using a glass dish.

2. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Add graham cracker crumbs, peanut butter, shortening, milk, and vanilla. Beat mixture with electric mixer on low until moistened, and then beat on medium for 2 minutes. Add eggs and beat for 1 minute.

3. Bake in greased 9-inch by 13-inch pan for 30 to 35 minutes. Do not remove from pan to cool.

"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

2009-05-17T16:32:00.012-05:00

I baked this cake for birthday #1 at work this week.

In all honesty, I'm not a big fan of chocolate (except if it's paired with Peanut Butter), but this cake was good. It was light, moist, and not overly rich. I admit I cheated and used store-bought frosting, but I don't think it compromised the deliciousness of the cake. :)

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake
(Source: Hershey's)

2 cups Sugar
1 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cups Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
2 tsp Vanilla
1 cup Boiling Water

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x9 baking pan.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bale 35-4o minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

Scotcheroos

2009-05-16T16:14:00.012-05:00

Simply one of the best (and one of the easiest) recipes ever. Definitely an all-time favorite at my house.

Scotcheroos
(Source: Kellogg's)

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

1. Place sugar and corn syrup into 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and mix well. Add cereal and mix until well coated. Press mixture into a 13x9 pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Spread evenly over cereal mixture. Let stand until firm.

Makes 24 bars.

Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles

2009-05-11T06:41:00.013-05:00

Who doesn't love snickerdoodles? I think that these are always a definite crowd pleaser, no matter what the audience. Kids, Teens, Grown-ups...they all love their rich cinnamon-sugar taste. In my opinion, the cream of tartar/baking soda combination is what gives Snickerdoodles their wonderful texture and their sweet, spicy flavor.

Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles
(Source: Pillsbury Best Cookies Cookbook)

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, combine sugar and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; blend well. Add flours, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; mix well.

2. In small bowl, combine 2 tbsp sugar and cinnamon. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar-cinnamon mixture, Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheets.

Chocolate Chip "Cookie Dough" Cookies

2009-05-03T18:39:00.018-05:00

Well, after a brief baking hiatus, I am back in the kitchen.

I think cookies are my favorite thing to bake. They are quick and easy to make, they come in many varieties, and they are easy to share with others. So, when I saw this recipe over at Picky Palate, I knew I just had to try it. And trust me. These cookies are good. Really good.

Chocolate Chip "Cookie Dough" Cookies
(Source: Picky Palate)

2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In stand or electric mixer, cream the butter and the sugars until well combined. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until well mixed. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add to the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Stir in chocolate chips and cookie dough bites.

2. With a cookie scoop, scoop onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until baked to your liking. (I took mine out just under 8 minutes for a delectably soft cookie). Let cool on baking sheet for 3-5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Makes about 40 cookies.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

2009-04-11T13:56:00.008-05:00

This coffee cake from Baking Bites (can you tell I love Nicole's recipes?) is moist, rich and delicious. It is not a light cake by any means, but it is very tender and does not seem overly heavy or dense. Aside from the hitch with my stupid silicon fluted pan which pulled chunks off of the top, I didn’t have any problems and found the recipe to be fairly simple.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
(Source: Baking Bites)

For the Streusel:

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

3 tsp cinnamon

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened

For the Cake:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
¾ cup unsalted butter, very soft

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups buttermilk (low fat or nonfat)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch tube pan.

Make the streusel:

Place all your streusel ingredients, except for the butter, in a large bowl and stir together. Cut the butter into 10 or 12 large chunks and add them to the bowl. Using your hands, rub the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is crumbly. Some pieces can be large - the size of an almond or pecan - but they shouldn’t all be that big. It may take 4-5 minutes because it is a bit harder to work with soft butter than firm. Set aside.

Make the batter:
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until well combined.In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat eggs in one by one, followed by vanilla extract. Alternately add the buttermilk and the flour mixture, making sure to end with an addition of dry ingredients. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as you mix.

Scrape half of your batter into the greased, 10-inch tube pan that you prepared earlier. Smooth batter with a spatula and top with streusel. Scrape remaining batter into pan, on top of streusel, gently spreading it to the sides of the pan with your spatula.

Bake at 350F for 60-70 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.

Place cake on a wire rack and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the around the outer and inner edges of the pan. Remove tube portion with cake attached. Run knife over the bottom, loosening the cake. Gently replace cake in the pan, which will support it as you turn it upside down. Place a clean dishtowel on top of the pan and a baking sheet on top of that.

Carefully flip pan over, turning cake out onto the baking sheet. Reinvert onto wire rack. Allow to cool completely.

Serves up to 20.

Lemon Buttermilk Cookies

2009-04-10T21:55:00.017-05:00

These Lemon Buttermilk Cutout Cookies, found over at Baking Bites, are soft, but not cakelike, cookies (almost like a shortbread cookie) with a hint of lemon, which adds a nice and springlike flavor to what would otherwise be a relatively plain cookie. The dough comes together very quickly and bakes up in only a few minutes, which means that it doesn’t take too long before you can get to the most important parts of cooking-making: decorating (which I am not so good at) and eating (which I am very good at).

Lemon Buttermilk Easter Cookies
(Source: Baking Bites)

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, very soft

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

1 tbsp lemon zest (from one lemon)
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in buttermilk, egg, zest and extract. Mixture may look a bit curdled if your buttermilk was cold. Don’t worry. With the mixer on low speed or by hand, add in the flour mixture, mixing just until no streaks of flour remain. Dough will be very soft.

3. Divide dough into two pieces. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for about 2 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F.

5. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll out to no more than 1/4-inch thick (slightly less than that is best) on a lightly floured surface and use a floured cookie cutter to make desired shapes. Transfer cookies to a parchment lined baking sheet. Reroll remaining dough, chilling for a few minutes if it becomes too warm to handle easily. Repeat with second piece of dough.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350F, until the edges are slightly firm to the touch but cookies are not browned (they may be slightly gold at the edges). Cool for a few minutes on baking sheet, then cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Makes 3 dozen fairly large cookies.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip & Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies

2009-03-22T12:43:00.012-05:00

I liked this recipe when I used it for Oatmeal Raisin cookies, so I thought I would try it again. While the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies were good, the Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies were better. The cinnamon chips seemed to work really well with the combination of cinnamon and cloves in the batter, really drawing out the cinnamon flavor.

Oatmeal Chocolate/Cinnamon Chip Cookies
(Source: Adapted from the Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook 14th edition)

3/4 cup butter
1 cu brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chocolate or cinnamon chips

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour as you can. Stir in remaining flour and oats. Stir in cinnamon/chocolate chips.

2. Drop dough by rounded teaspoon 2 inches apart onto a ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool on a cookies sheet 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack and let cool.

Irish Chocolate Mint Dessert

2009-03-15T12:45:00.009-05:00

Yet another recipe in honors of St. Patrick's Day.

Irish Chocolate Mint Dessert
(Source: Hershey's)

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) plus 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2-2/3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon mint extract
4 drops green food color
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Place 1 cup (2 sticks) butter in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 2 minutes or until melted. Stir in granulated sugar and vanilla. Add eggs; beat well. Add cocoa, flour and baking powder; beat until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.

4. Prepare Mint Cream Center by combining powdered sugar, 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, water, mint extract and food color. Beat until smooth. Divide and spread evenly on brownies. Cover; refrigerate until cold.

5. Prepare Chocolate Glaze by placing remaining 6 tablespoons butter and chocolate chips in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 1 minute or until mixture is smooth when stirred. Cool slightly; pour over chilled dessert. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Cover; refrigerate leftover dessert.

24 servings.

Minty Irish Chocolate Cream Pie

2009-03-13T12:49:00.008-05:00

My friend Maggie is having a "Poker, Pi and (St.) Patrick's Day" Party tomorrow night and I found this recipe at Hershey's. I liked it because it was easy (I'm not overly experienced at making pies) and it screamed "St. Patrick's Day."

Minty Irish Chocolate Cream Pie
(Source: Hershey's)

1 extra serving-size packaged graham cracker crumb crust (9 oz.)

1-1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup Cocoa
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-3/4 cups milk
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
18 small (1-1/2 inch) York Peppermint Patties, divided
6 drops green food color(optional)

1. Combine sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt in medium saucepan; gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to full rolling boil; boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Pour into prepared crust; carefully press plastic wrap directly onto pie filling. Cool; refrigerate 6 hours or until firm.

2. Shortly before serving, remove wrappers from peppermint patties. Remove plastic wrap from pie. Cut 9 peppermint candies in half; place, cut side down, at outer edge of pie filling, forming a scalloped edge. Finely chop remaining 9 patties; fold into whipped topping with green food color, if desired. Spread peppermint topping on pie. Serve immediately. Cover; refrigerate leftover pie.

10 servings.

Monster Cookies

2009-03-08T12:57:00.015-05:00

Monster cookies, a nice twist on traditional peanut butter or oatmeal cookies, are my favorite cookie to make and eat. Even though there is a long list of ingredients, they are surprisingly simple to make. Everything goes in one bowl, which is especially handy and simple with a stand mixer. The dough has an interesting consistency, unlike standard cookie dough. And any cookie that combines peanut butter, oatmeal, M&Ms, and chocolate chips is a winner in my book.

Monster Cookies
(Source: Family Recipe)

2 eggs

1 1/3 cups brown sugar

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/6 tsp vanilla

1 1/3 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup margarine

1 cup peanut butter

3 1/3 cups oatmeal

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups M&Ms

Mix all ingredients together (add the chocolate chips and M&Ms last) and bake for 12 minutes at 350°F.

Vanilla Brown Butter Cupcakes

2009-03-01T12:48:00.022-06:00

I've never worked with browned butter before, but these cupcakes over at Baking Bites sounded good, so I thought now was as good a time as any to give it a shot. Browned butter is surprisingly easy to make, even though I continuously checked the internet for pictures of what "browned butter" was supposed to look like. :) The toasty flavor of the brown butter was most noticeable in the batter (yes, I enjoy licking the beater), but the resulting cupcakes definitely tasted richer than they normally do.

Vanilla Brown Butter Cupcakes

(Source: Baking Bites)

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Melt butter in a small saucepan and cook over low-medium heat until butter has turned an amber color and smells toasty, but not burnt.

2. Pour from saucepan, scraping all the browned bits from the bottom with a spatula, into a small bowl to cool. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk together cooled butter, eggs, vanilla and milk. Pour into flour mixture and stir until just combined.

3. Distribute batter evenly into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 16-19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Makes 12-cupcakes.

Quick Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

(Source: Baking Bites)

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

approx 3 cups confectioners’ sugar

2-4 tablespoons milk

Cream butter with an electric mixer until soft. Add vanilla and gradually add in sugar until most has been incorporated. Mixture will look a bit sandy. Add in milk as necessary (start with 2 tbsp), along with any remaining sugar, until frosting reaches an easy to work with consistency.

Samoas Bars

2009-02-22T21:22:00.021-06:00

Tagalongs and Do-Si-Dos (known as as Peanut Butter Patties and Peanut Butter Sandwiches when I was a girl scout) were always my favorite girl scout cookies. It wasn't until this time last year that I tasted my first Samoa (Carmel De-Lites) and discovered how amazing they were.

These bars, made in three stages, have a buttery shortbread base topped with caramel-coconut topping and chocolate. Step 1: the shortbread is baked and cooled. Step 2: the coconut topping is applied with a spatula in an even layer. Step 3: Once the topping has set, dip these in chocolate and drizzle some on top.

Samoas Bars
(Source: Baking Bites)

Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepapred pan and press into an even layer.

3. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping:
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

1. Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

2. Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula. Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled. When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).

3. Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 24 bar cookies.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

2009-02-12T20:53:00.011-06:00

Yet another holiday classic with a very delicious twist. Instead of a kiss, a peanut butter heart. These cookies were to die for.

Peanut Butter Blossoms
(Source: Adapted from Hersheys.com)

1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Granulated Sugar
Heart-Shaped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

1. Preheat oven to 375°degrees. Unwrap peanut butter cups.

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter until well-blended. Add sugars and beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

3. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a peanut butter cup into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen.

Spritz Cookies

2009-02-11T08:35:00.014-06:00

This is one of my favorite cookies to make at Christmastime. Trees, poinsettias, wreaths, and ribbons are all common shapes seen on my table in December. But guess what?! It's not strictly a Christmas cookie. Why else would cookie presses include plates with other shapes? So, seeings how I have never made these at a time other than Christmas, I decided to bust out my cookie press and make some heart shaped spritz cookies for Valentine's Day.

Spritz Cookies
(Source: An old family recipe)

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

S'mores Sandwich Bar Cookies

2009-02-08T14:48:00.013-06:00

These bars are as good as they look, probably better. The gooey marshmallow layered with melting milk chocolate on a crunchy graham cracker cookie-esque crust makes for a mouthwatering combination of textures full of rich flavor. These bars are easy to make and arguably even more tasty.

S'mores Sandwich Bar Cookies
(Source: Hershey's)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars (1.55 oz. each), unwrapped
3 cups miniature marshmallows

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 8-inch square baking pan.

2. Beat butter and sugar until well blended in large bowl. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Press half of dough in prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes.

3. Arrange unwrapped chocolate bars over baked layer, breaking as needed to fit. Sprinkle with marshmallows; scatter bits of remaining dough over marshmallows, forming top layer. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or just until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Makes 16 bars.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2009-02-07T12:48:00.022-06:00

I'm going to start off by saying this: I am not particularly fond of Oatmeal Raisin cookies. Raisins and cookies just don't go together for me. However, they are a wildly popular cookie for people, like my dad, and I promised I would make them for him. This recipe was taken from a Better Homes and Garden cookbook I received as a wedding present. The combination of cinnamon and cloves in these cookies gave them just the right amount of spice and I think they turned out well.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
(Source: Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook 14th edition)

3/4 cup butter

1 cu brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. In a mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour as you can. Stir in remaining flour and oats. Stir in raisins.

3. Drop dough by rounded teaspoon 2 inches apart onro a ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool on a cookies sheet 1 minute. Teransfer to wire rack and let cool.