After being sick for 2 weeks, what better way to come back to baking than use the miracle root Ginger. Ginger has helped me through many a cold and stomach ailment. I am paying homage to it in what I would call a cookie that is "good" for you.
2 1/4 Cups Flour
2 tsps Baking Soda
2 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsps Ground Ginger
**Sift and Set aside**
1 stick Melted Butter
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Molasses
1 Egg
2 Tbsp Grated FRESH Ginger
**Mix in mixer until well incorporated** Add dry ingredients to the butter/ginger mixture**
3/4 Diced CRYSTALIZED Ginger - I found mine at Trader Joes. Penzy's also carries it.
**Add diced ginger to the dough mixture**
Scoop into 1 inch balls and roll each ball in either white sugar or raw sugar for more texture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
January 23, 2011
January 11, 2011
Vanilla Cream Caramels
It's candy thermometer time! This is one piece of equipment that you cannot do without if you are making candy. A couple other pieces for caramel (in my opinion) is a good enamel cast iron pot and a heat proof spatula that can withstand high temps. The pot helps dispurse hot spots and having a silicone spatula prevents you from having melted plastic in your caramel.
Caramel ingredients are pretty basic. Key here is TEMPERATURE! Too cool and you get a caramel sauce, too hot and you get English toffee.
1 Cup Heavy Cream
2 Sticks Butter
2 Cups Sugar
2 Cups Light Corn Syrup
• Combine in a heavy bottomed pan and stir constantly until it reaches 244 degrees
• Remove from heat
Slowly stir in 1 cup of Heavy Cream
• Return to heat and bring to 244 degrees
• Pour into parchment lined sheet pan.
• Allow to set for 4 hours at room temperature
• Cut and wrap. Sometimes I get lazy and just give people slabs of the stuff so they can cut their own chunks off.
Makes 3 pounds of caramels
 |
| Careful! Stir carefully! |
1 Cup Heavy Cream
2 Sticks Butter
2 Cups Sugar
2 Cups Light Corn Syrup
• Combine in a heavy bottomed pan and stir constantly until it reaches 244 degrees
• Remove from heat
Slowly stir in 1 cup of Heavy Cream
• Return to heat and bring to 244 degrees
• Pour into parchment lined sheet pan.
• Allow to set for 4 hours at room temperature
• Cut and wrap. Sometimes I get lazy and just give people slabs of the stuff so they can cut their own chunks off.
Makes 3 pounds of caramels
December 2, 2010
Flexible Biscotti
I know Biscotti is not flexible...but this recipe sure is. This is another one of those recipes where you add what ever you want to the dough and suddenly, it's a different cookie.
I know not everyone is a biscotti fan. But after seeing Byerly's selling 1 cookie for $2.95. I couldn't help but feel ripped off.
2 Cups Flour
1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
**Sift together**
1 stick softened butter
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla
**Cream**
2 Eggs
*Add to the butter mixture. Add Flour mixture to egg mixture and mix until incorporated.
Suggested Mix-ins:
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup candied ginger (add 1 tsp powdered ginger to flour if you do this) + 2 tsp orange zest
1/2 cup dried cranberries with 1/2 cup pistachios
2 tsp lemon zest + 1 Tblsp Poppy Seeds
Form dough into a 12 inch log and flatten slightly.
Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.
With a serrated knife, cut baked log at an angle into 1 inch slices and flip them onto their sides on the baking sheet. Bake at 350 for another 15 minutes (biscotti = twice baked).
If you are feeling adventurous. Dip one side of the cookie into melted chocolate.
My friends know what they are getting for Christmas!
I know not everyone is a biscotti fan. But after seeing Byerly's selling 1 cookie for $2.95. I couldn't help but feel ripped off.
 |
| Boys requested chocolate chip + Heath Bar |
2 Cups Flour
1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
**Sift together**
1 stick softened butter
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla
**Cream**
2 Eggs
*Add to the butter mixture. Add Flour mixture to egg mixture and mix until incorporated.
Suggested Mix-ins:
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup candied ginger (add 1 tsp powdered ginger to flour if you do this) + 2 tsp orange zest
1/2 cup dried cranberries with 1/2 cup pistachios
2 tsp lemon zest + 1 Tblsp Poppy Seeds
Form dough into a 12 inch log and flatten slightly.
Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.
With a serrated knife, cut baked log at an angle into 1 inch slices and flip them onto their sides on the baking sheet. Bake at 350 for another 15 minutes (biscotti = twice baked).
If you are feeling adventurous. Dip one side of the cookie into melted chocolate.
My friends know what they are getting for Christmas!
English Cream Scones
Ever have a cup of heavy cream left over from another recipe? I had a cup left over from making mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving. It just sat there looking at me, begging to be used in something other than being whipped into pie topping. AH HA! Scones!
Many people think of scones as these dry pucks of bread. Something cross between a muffin and a saltine. Not these! I would go to Bread and Chocolate on Grand and Victoria and fork over $3 for these English Currant Scones. Fluffy, moist, not too sweet.
Time to get out the food processor. I'm not a fan of using it because they are a pain to clean. But this recipe...you need it.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2 Cups Flour
1 Tblsp Baking Powder
3 Tblsp Sugar
**Pulse in food processor fitted with a metal blade 4-5 times**
Add 5 Tblsp cold butter cut into small cubes
**Pulse until mixture looks like sand**
Slowly pour in 1 Cup Heavy Cream.
**Pulse until mixture comes together. It will be sticky.
Add in what ever you like to the mixture. Suggestions:
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Dried Cranberries
White Chocolate
Lemon Zest
After adding your mix-in, plop dough on a floured surface and form in to a 1 inch thick, 12 inch long flattened rectangle. Transport yourself back to 5th grade geometry...cut dough into equal sized triangles.
Take your scone triangles and brush with heavy cream and sprinkle raw sugar over the top.
Bake at 425 degrees for about 14 minutes or until browned. Eat warm!
Many people think of scones as these dry pucks of bread. Something cross between a muffin and a saltine. Not these! I would go to Bread and Chocolate on Grand and Victoria and fork over $3 for these English Currant Scones. Fluffy, moist, not too sweet.
 |
| Milk Chocolate Chip Scones |
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2 Cups Flour
1 Tblsp Baking Powder
3 Tblsp Sugar
**Pulse in food processor fitted with a metal blade 4-5 times**
Add 5 Tblsp cold butter cut into small cubes
**Pulse until mixture looks like sand**
Slowly pour in 1 Cup Heavy Cream.
**Pulse until mixture comes together. It will be sticky.
Add in what ever you like to the mixture. Suggestions:
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Dried Cranberries
White Chocolate
Lemon Zest
After adding your mix-in, plop dough on a floured surface and form in to a 1 inch thick, 12 inch long flattened rectangle. Transport yourself back to 5th grade geometry...cut dough into equal sized triangles.
Take your scone triangles and brush with heavy cream and sprinkle raw sugar over the top.
Bake at 425 degrees for about 14 minutes or until browned. Eat warm!
November 15, 2010
Almond Bark - The White Canvas
Ever have one of those moments when you get a little tiny thought in your brain and it won't go away? My little thought was Almond Bark. I had a pound of Almond Bark in my pantry that was calling my name.
As I stood in front of my pantry with block of said Almond Bark in hand, I thought of the various goodies I could put throw in. I grabbed some roasted salted almonds and some dried cranberries!
Here's the steps...it's so easy even guys could make it!
Just a few other things I thought could be sprinkled on top:
As I stood in front of my pantry with block of said Almond Bark in hand, I thought of the various goodies I could put throw in. I grabbed some roasted salted almonds and some dried cranberries!
 |
| Sweet Art! |
- Chop Almonds into small pieces - no measuring, just as much or as little as you like - I used 2 cups
- Chop Almond Bark into small pieces into a glass microwave safe bowl
- Melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between intervals
- Pour melted Almond Bark over a sheet of parchment inside a cookie sheet
- Sprinkle with chopped almonds
- Sprinkle with dried cranberries
- Allow to set and cool and break into small pieces
TA DA!
Just a few other things I thought could be sprinkled on top:
- Peppermint candies
- Peanuts - I'm in a peanut free house...but that would be great!
- Dried Cherries with Dark Chocolate Chips
- Gummy Bears
- Heath Bar pieces
- The list is endless!
Go forth and create your own little gem of goodness!
November 13, 2010
Chocolate Chocolate Chewy Cookie - C^4
It's no secret, when I'm bored, I bake. Tonight I was bored. So I took my old standby chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe and doctored it up. Let's see, let's add some Milk Chocolate...oh...let's see what some cocoa powder does to it. Turned out pretty good (according to my kids and husband)!
-Mix together well in a mixer:
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3 melted sticks of butter
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
-Sift
4 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cups good quality cocoa powder
1 box vanilla pudding
1 tsp baking soda
Add flour mixture into the butter/sugar mixture and mix. Add 2 cups of milk chocolate chips.
Drop by the spoonfuls (I made these big because I was lazy) on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.
 |
| The pile o'cookies! |
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3 melted sticks of butter
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
-Sift
4 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cups good quality cocoa powder
1 box vanilla pudding
1 tsp baking soda
Add flour mixture into the butter/sugar mixture and mix. Add 2 cups of milk chocolate chips.
Drop by the spoonfuls (I made these big because I was lazy) on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.
The Coconut Macaroon!
I have eaten all the Mounds Bars from the pile of Halloween candy. As I wandered aimlessly through the kitchen, it hit me...I can make my own! They are called Coconut Macaroons!
Ina Garten always comes through for me. So I did a quick search and found this easy recipe:
14 ounce can of condensed milk
14 ounces of shredded coconut
1 tsp vanilla
-Mix in a bowl
2 egg whites room temp
-Beat into stiff peaks
Fold egg whites into the coconut/milk mixture. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets.
Bake for 25 minutes at 325 degrees.
To make them "Mounds Bars" I'm going to dip the bottoms after they've baked and cooled into melted dark chocolate.
Ina Garten always comes through for me. So I did a quick search and found this easy recipe:
 |
| Action Shot as they bake |
14 ounces of shredded coconut
1 tsp vanilla
-Mix in a bowl
2 egg whites room temp
-Beat into stiff peaks
Fold egg whites into the coconut/milk mixture. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets.
Bake for 25 minutes at 325 degrees.
To make them "Mounds Bars" I'm going to dip the bottoms after they've baked and cooled into melted dark chocolate.
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