Tag Archives: Baking

Two Cookies!

27 Monday Dec 2010

Posted by in Baking, Cookies, Dessert, Recipes

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An annual Christmas tradition that my kids count on every year is baking and decorating cookies for Christmas with thier cousins. This year was no exception. Except for the fact that the kids decorated all but two cookies before I could get to them, I would say that decorating was a success. Our “artists” ranged in age from 9 to 17 years old. While they decorated, my sister in law and I prepared our Angel Wings (see this post, they are awesome!).

I tried another new sugar cookie recipe this holiday. They were excellent for keeping their shape when baking and the taste was mild enough that being loaded with frosting didn’t give you an overwelming sugar rush. I’m not sure I will ever settle on a rolled sugar cookie recipe, but this one has made it’s way to the top of my list. It is very easy to prepare and rolled well. It was rather sticky when first being rolled, but what sugar cookie is not? With the right amount of flour added it rolled easily. I found the recipe from a third party link here, at Tidy Mom (and I believe she got it from Bake at 350).

Here is the recipe:

Vanilla Almond Butter Cookies

yields approx 30-35 large cookies or 60 smaller cookies 

  • 6 Cups Flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 Cup butter
  • 1½ Cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 Tbsp milk
  • 3 tsp vanilla
  • ½ tsp pure almond extract

 Directions:

Combine flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. Cream sugar and butter, then add eggs and extracts. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat until combined. Refrigerate for at least an hour to ease rolling and cutting. Bake in preheated oven at 350° for 10-12 mins. Remove and once completely cooled, decorate with royal icing or fondant.

Now, the title of this post is “Two Cookies”, so here is the second one. It is a very, very common recipe found at probably most blogs and recipe sites. My oldest daughter really wanted to make these and we literally started them about an hour before we were scheduled to meet for Christmas dinner. They are really easy and the ingredients are common pantry staples.

No-Bake PB Choc-Oat Cookies

  • ½ cup peanut butter
  • 3 cup oatmeal
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup butter
  • 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Directions:

 Measure peanut butter and oats, set aside.

Combine all other ingredients in medium saucepan over med-high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add peanut butter and oats. Quickly drop cookies onto wax paper and let cool. (I use a tablespoon size cookie scoop).

Our Holiday Table

27 Monday Dec 2010

Posted by in Cakes & Pies, Cookies, Dessert, Entree', Muffins & Quick Breads, Recipes, Sides, Sweet Breads

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Christmas in our family is quite traditional, as far as dinner is concerned. Only one of the recipes in this post are new to us and our table. Even though any of our kids could recite what will be on the table, and who will be preparing it, it just wouldn’t be the same if we switched things up. We talk about it every year, but never do.

For the main courses are ham and turkey. My sister-in-law cooks the ham, and we grill the turkey at our house. I began grilling the turkey several years ago when I ran out of oven room. Grilling the turkey, I have found, yields the most moist white meat of any cooking method. It is very simple, a little butter, salt and pepper on and under the skin along with about 3/4 of an inch of stock in the pan. Covered then slow cooked with only the outside two burners on and in about 3 hours, a beautiful golden brown bird emerges!

Cinnamon Kissed Cranberry Sauce

For the Cranberry Sauce, I prepared a recipe first used at Thanksgiving. I found the recipe over at Recipe Girl and it is not only easy but blows the canned stuff out of the water. It is also great with a little butter on a biscuit or toast in the morning. I highly encourage trying this recipe.

Now, for the best part. Dessert. I made the Browned Butter Pecan Pie (that I made last month) from Cookie Madness, No Bake PB Oatmeal Cookies from well, anywhere, but I have my own recipe, a great sugar cookie (that I will post later), and our family tradition of “Angel Wings“. The Sour Cream Pound Cake, Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie played an essential part of this holiday meal too. Needless to say, I have a TON of dessert leftover in the freezer.

It was a wonderful holiday but I must say that I am relieved that it is over. The pressure involved in food preparation and making three growing kids happy have worn me out. I am looking forward to having the rest of the week off and doing, well, nothing.

Happy New Year to all!

Chocolate Fix – Fixed

23 Thursday Dec 2010

Posted by in Baking, Dessert, Recipes

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Need a boost this time of year? A chocolate indulgence? This little number here will keep milk farmers in business. It’s the classic sheet cake and it delivers. I’ve made a similar cake before but the base was from a cake mix. I’m really trying to convert to a non-cake mix baker, but often time does not afford me that opportunity. Thankfully, this is a straight forward recipe with ingredients most likely in your pantry. It is Ree Drummond’s, a.k.a. “Pioneer Woman”, recipe which she refers to as “The Best Sheet Cake. Ever.”

Prep. Bake. Enjoy…

Here’s the recipe taken directly from her site. I left out the pecans, I am not a nut lover, sorry. She has some beautiful step by step pictures at the link too…

  • FOR THE CAKE:
  • 2 cups Flour
  • 2 cups Sugar
  • ¼ teaspoons Salt
  • 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
  • 2 sticks Butter
  • 1 cup Boiling Water
  • ½ cups Buttermilk (I used the vinegar/milk method too)
  • 2 whole Beaten Eggs
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla
  • _____
  • FOR FROSTING:
  • ½ cups Finely Chopped Pecans
  • 1-¾ stick Butter
  • 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
  • 6 Tablespoons Milk
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla
  • 1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

    • Preparation Instructions

    In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

    In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.
    Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

    In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

    While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

    Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.

    Bakerella Pays a Visit!

    13 Monday Dec 2010

    Posted by in Baking, Cakes & Pies, Candy, Dessert, Recipes

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    Ok, maybe not in person, but Bakerella’s Cake Pops book made its first, and definitely not last, appearance in the kitchen. I actually received my book the day it was released but had not had a chance to create anything from it. I’ve made cake pops before, but some of her creations are just amazing.

    Well, this past Saturday my daughter and I went looking for Christmas gifts for her friends. You know, even dollar stores will set you back when it comes to presents… then we had this wise idea to prepare sweets for them… namely, cake pops! We were just going to do a “plain old” pop, then I saw how easy the trees would be. Now granted, our last-minute decision didn’t allow me to find all the necessary decor, so we improvised. I still thing they turned out great. My daughter did the majority of the work, I just dipped the pops in the candy coating. We tweaked the shaping slightly too, but without Cake Pops, there wouldn’t have been anything.

    They are just slightly tedious, but we completed 48 of them in about 90 minutes. Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we did seeing the real thing. Check out the link to her site or pick up one of her books, you won’t be bored, I promise!

    Flat Broke Chocolate Cake

    12 Sunday Dec 2010

    Posted by in Baking, Cakes & Pies, Dessert, Recipes

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    Back in September, King Arthur Flour’s baking blog “Baking Banter“, posted this long time favorite recipe… They refer to it as a Cake Pan Cake, but I’ve heard it call Krazy Cake, Emergency Cake, Funny Cake etc… I allude to this being a “Flat Broke” cake because of its origins to the Great Depression, when the price of butter and eggs gave this recipe a boost of popularity.

    Call it what you’d like, it’s really good, and really easy… it’s even allergy friendly because it doesn’t contain eggs. I made the recipe “last-minute” in place of a sour cream pound cake that my husband had requested… seeing as I had no sour cream, eggs or softened butter.

    If you want a moist, chocolate cake that yields “frosting optional” results, this one’s a keeper…

    One Pan Cake ~ A King Arthur Flour Original

    • 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1/4 cup cocoa
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 1 tablespoon vinegar
    • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
    • 1 cup cold milk (other suggestions on their site)

    Pre-heat your oven to 350°F.

    Measure all the dry ingredients into an 8″ or 9″ round or square cake pan; if you use an 8″ pan, make sure it’s at least 2″ deep. Blend the ingredients together thoroughly with a fork or whisk and scoop out three holes, or indentations.

    Pour the vanilla into the first hole, the vinegar into the second, and the vegetable oil into the third.

    Take the cup of cold liquid (water, coffee, milk, etc.) and pour it directly over everything in the pan. Note: If you’ve used espresso powder, adding coffee will make this a mocha cake. Stir all the ingredients together with your fork until they are well blended.

    Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Serve right from the pan; warm from the oven. Yield: 12 to 16 servings.

    I doubled the recipe, making two 8″ rounds, and layering and frosting with a cream cheese frosting. And in preparation, as suggested for “clean release”, I used a mixing bowl and poured the batter into prepared pans.

    Two Bite Pumpkin Pies

    09 Thursday Dec 2010

    Posted by in Baking, Breakfast, Cakes & Pies, Cookies, Dessert, Recipes

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    I’m not sure whether to call these  cookies, pastry, pies, tarts or just plain dessert. Since preparing these for my daughters 4th grade class they have been given all of those titles, and with flying colors. I did give out a few copies of the recipe too.

    Note, I had prepared this post Thanksgiving week and just realized that it was still in my unpublished file! I must have been half asleep when I started it. Anyway, here is the original post link and this is how easy it is to prepare these… Original source: Three Baking Sheets to the Wind

    Pumpkin Pie Pockets, How I prepared them:

    Ingredients:

    •  –       ½ baked Pumpkin Pie (can be crust-less, you only use the filling)
    • –       2 – 3 Pie Crusts (I used Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts)*
    • –       1 egg white, lightly beaten

    Directions:

    Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the crust and cut 2 – 4” circles with a glass or cookie cutter. Place 1 rounded tablespoon (see note) of pie in the center of the circle and fold over. Use a fork to close edges and a small sharp knife to cut a couple of decorative vent holes. Place them on a coated baking sheet then brush the tops with egg white and sprinkle with sugar (if desired).

    Bake for 8 – 10 minutes. Tops of pies will brown slightly. Remove and let cool completely, store in refrigerator.

    *Each crust will make about 17 – 2 inch pies.

    Note: originally I posted to use 1 – 2 teaspoons of filling. A more accurate amount would be a rounded tablespoon. You want to have enough filling to enjoy, but not so much it oozes out when you seal the edges!

     

    Browned Butter Pecan Pie

    29 Monday Nov 2010

    Posted by in Baking, Cakes & Pies, Dessert, Recipes

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    Just before baking – isn’t it a beaut?!

    I have made several variations of Pecan Pie and decided I would try another. This recipe comes from a well known blogger, Anna at Cookie Madness, who has some great recipes and photos. The pie turned out exactly as expected thus surpassing all other recipes I have used. Here is a link to her recipe. It helped also that I was able to use freshly picked Georgia Pecans that were graciously given to me by a friend.

    Note that the top picture is before baking, the below picture is when it was done.

    Browned Butter Pecan Pie

    Pumpkin “Bundt” Bread

    28 Sunday Nov 2010

    Posted by in Baking, Breakfast, Cakes & Pies, Dessert, Muffins & Quick Breads, Recipes, Sweet Breads

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    This is our favorite pumpkin bread recipe. Normally it bakes very well as a quick bread in a loaf pan, but I needed a large brunch size quantity. If you need a large volume of this quick bread, a Bundt pan is a great option for baking. The baking time was of course longer than a regular loaf pan, but it turned out wonderfully.

    Here is the recipe and a link to my previous Pumpkin Bread recipe posts.

    Pumpkin Bread (doubled for three 8″ pans)

    • 3 cups + 4 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
    • 3 cups sugar 
    • 1 1/2 tsp salt
    • 2 tsp baking soda
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 tsp nutmeg
    • 1 cup oil
    • 4 eggs slightly beaten
    • 2 Cups Canned Pumpkin
    • 2/3 Cup Water

    Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three 8″ loaf pans with baking spray.

    Sift together dry ingredients, set aside.

    Beat together eggs, oil, water and pumpkin. Make a well in dry ingredients and add wet mixture. Stir with spoon just until all ingredients are wet. Pour into greased pan(s), fill pan 2/3 full.

    Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. (mine took exactly one hour)

    Makes three 8″ loafs.

    Pillsbury Crescent Layer Bars

    14 Sunday Nov 2010

    Posted by in Baking, Brownies & Bars, Dessert, Recipes

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    Recently, I received the opportunity to participate in a Pillsbury Crescents “Holiday Entertaining” Recipe Swap hosted by Pssst and My Get Together. There were four recipes and many perks to participate. One of the recipes is no stranger to the dessert or blog world. That being said, I wanted to “spiff up” these Crescent Layer Bars. My thought was to thicken the crust a little. Instead of reducing the pan size, I chose to use two rolls of crescents instead of one. That is boring though, so I added a twist of my own. I took 3 ounces of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened) and combined it with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. I followed the initial directions of pre-baking a roll layer, then spread the cream cheese over that, topping with another roll of crescents.

    Don’t be confused, it isn’t as complicated as I just made it sound. These bars are already quite rich and I believe the cream cheese mixture compliments the bars. Also, the cashews were honey roasted… not intentional, just what I had on hand. Here’s the recipe, taken directly from the recipe cards. My changes are listed at the end:

    Crescent Layer Bars

    Prep Time: 25 Min
    Total Time: 2 Hr 20 Min
    Makes: 36 bars

    INGREDIENTS:

    • 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
    • 1 cup white vanilla baking chips
    • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
    • 1 cup slivered almonds
    • 1 cup cashew halves and pieces
    • 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)

    DIRECTIONS:

    1. Heat oven to 375°F (350°F for dark pans). Grease bottom and sides of 13×9-inch pan.

    2. If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough into 2 long rectangles. If using dough sheet: Unroll dough. Place in pan; press over bottom and 1/2 inch up sides to form crust. Bake 5 minutes.

    3. Remove partially baked crust from oven. Sprinkle vanilla chips, chocolate chips, almonds and cashews evenly over crust. Pour condensed milk evenly over top.

    4. Return to oven; bake 20 to 25 minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife around sides of pan. Cool 1 hour. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until chocolate is set. For bars, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows.

    NUTRITION INFORMATION:

    1 Bar: Calories 160 (Calories from Fat 80); Total Fat 8g (Saturated Fat 3 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 75mg; Total Carbohydrate 17g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 13g); Protein 3g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 6%; Iron 4% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1

    © 2010 General Mills.

    *My additions:

    • Combine 3 ounces of softened cream cheese with 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Mix this well, set aside.

    Follow step one and two and remove the first crust from the oven as directed above. Now spread cream cheese layer over the first crust and top that with the other roll (make sure to have that one open, unrolled and seams pressed). Throw that in for another 5 minutes then continue as directed.

    Mini Doughnut Muffins

    06 Saturday Nov 2010

    Posted by in Baking, Breakfast, Muffins & Quick Breads, Recipes, Sweet Breads

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    It’s a good thing the recipe turned out, because the event for which the muffins were made was a flop…today at least. This week some good friends of ours had a dream come to life. Unable (to this point) to have children, they were blessed to adopt a newborn. The entire thing was a miracle.

    Her baby shower was brunch style and I was asked to bring muffins. I narrowed my choices down and settled on a recipe from King Arthur Flour. With over 125 rave reviews, I was sure it would please. The shower began at 10 a.m. and the muffins came out of the oven at 9:45. I rushed to get my teenage daughter (think Saturday morning sleep in) out of bed and ready, then we headed out. When we arrived at the shower location no one was there. We searched around… nothing. I started calling friends and of course no one answered. Finally, on about the 5th call I reached someone. I was in the right spot for the shower and at the correct time… just a week early. Fail. LOL So my grouchy teenager and I headed home, warm muffins in hand. I still can’t believe I went through the whole morning, baking and all, and had the wrong day. I’m still laughing over this one.

    So to the recipe. It was quite easy to prepare and the ingredients are a regular staple in most pantries. They live up to thier name too – very doughnut like. Without even knowing the name of the recipe, my husband said “these are almost like doughnuts”. The KA recipe is for 12 regular size muffins, but on thier blog, “Baker’s Banter“, they prepare the mini’s. They are the perfect two bite size, quite reminiscent of the classic “munchkin” or donut hole.

    Mini Doughnut Muffins (from King Arthur Flour)

    Batter 

    • ¼ cup butter, softened
    • ¼ cup vegetable oil
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • 1/3 cup brown sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
    • 1¼ teaspoons ground nutmeg
    • 3/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 2/3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
    • 1 cup milk

     Topping

    • 3 tablespoons melted butter
    • 3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar

     Directions

    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.

    In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth. Add the eggs, beating to combine. Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla. Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.

    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. 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. 

    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. 

    Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight at room temperature. 

     Yield: 12 muffins. (* I prepared mini muffins and got about 32. I didn’t use muffin liners, just well greased the pan.)