Category: Cooking and Baking

I found this cookie recipe in Matthew Mead’s Christmas publication and intended to make it but didn’t get to it until January.  These cookies are amazing!  They’re different, not overly sweet, chewy and have great flavor.


The method of preparation is unlike any cookie I’ve made, which intrigued me.   It might intrigue you, too.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup granulated sugar 4 Tb. butter, divided 1 cup sliced almonds 1/2 cup dried cranberries 2 Tb. chopped candied orange peel (optional) 1/3 cup flour 1/4 cup chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a saucepan, combine the cream, sugar and 3 Tb. butter.  Bring to a boil.  Add almonds, cranberries, orange peel and flour.  Stir to combine.  Remove from heat.

Drop cookies by the teaspoon at least 2-3 inches apart on baking sheet.  These cookies spread during baking, so space them well.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are brown and crisp.  Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then remove to cooling racks.

Melt chocolate chips with remaining 1 Tb. butter.  Drizzle chocolate over cookies.  Serve and enjoy!


A few notes:

I’ve made this recipe twice, once with candied orange peel and once without.  I was the only person who could taste a difference.  It doesn’t make or break the recipe.

I dropped my batter by the tablespoon.  I got 2 1/2 dozen cookies by this measure.

The first time I made them I drizzled chocolate on them.  The second time I didn’t.  They’re delicious both ways.  I liked them so much that I skipped the chocolate on the second batch.


I’m happy to add this recipe to my cookie recipe file.  It’s unlike any other cookie I’ve tried.  I hope you try them!


Jennifer

After my little comparison between cakes and life yesterday I figure the least I could do is share with you the recipe.  It’s one of those cake-mix-gone-gourmet recipes and we won’t even talk about how fattening it is.  We’ll just talk about how incredibly moist and flavorful it is and you can just file it away in your mind as an easy, sure-win Valentines Day dessert in the next few weeks.  It’s really good.  {And I’m lucky we have ten people to share with in my house; it means I can’t eat too much.}

I got the recipe from Bonnie at Cotton Way , but I did make a small change, which I’ll tell you about.


Here’s what you need to make this luscious cake.

Chocolate Fudge Cake 1 fudge cake mix 4 eggs 1/2 cup oil 1/2 cup water 1 large box instant vanilla pudding 1 cup sour cream 1 3/4  cup milk chocolate chips, divided 1/4 cup butter 3/4 cup whipping cream If you’re like me you got to the pudding and sour cream and in your mind you said, “Yep, moist!”  Oh yes, very moist.

In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, oil, water, pudding and sour cream.  Mix together for 5 minutes.  Add one cup chocolate chips and stir in.  Grease a bundt pan and spoon batter into pan.  Bake at 350 for 55 minutes.  Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then invert.  Cool completely (at least another 30 minutes).


Here is where I diverted from the recipe.  It calls for a can of store bought chocolate frosting, and without offending any store bought frosting fans, I’ll just say that I don’t buy it.  Period.  So we needed another alternative.  I had some whipping cream in the refrigerator that needed to be used, so I whipped up some chocolate ganache.  It was fabulous, a great pairing with this cake.

For the ganache:

3/4 cup whipping cream 1/4 cup butter 3/4 cup chocolate chips  (I usually use semi-sweet, but since I had just opened a bag of milk chocolate chips for the cake I used them instead, and surprisingly, it didn’t taste too sweet.)

In a small saucepan, heat cream and butter until just before it boils.  Remove from heat.  Place chocolate chips in a bowl and pour hot cream mixture over the chocolate chips.  Whisk until chocolate is completely melted and the ganache is smooth.  Let sit, stirring occasionally, while it cools.  You want it to cool to a good drizzling consistency, still warm enough to meander down the sides of the cake, but cool enough that it goes very slowly and doesn’t puddle.  It takes a little while, but it’s worth waiting.

Let the ganache set and serve that cake!  I hope you love it.  And here’s just one more picture of an incredibly moist cake with ganache on top.  I love the way it shines slightly in the light.  YUM!


Oh, we’ve been embellishing some mini notebooks this week over at Sisterview .  It’s a fun way to get the creative juices flowing, and would be a fun activity with the kids too. You could turn it into a Valentine as well.  Check them out!

Have a great weekend!

Hopeful Homemaker

True story:

She came home from school wanting to bake cookies for a friend.  After perusing the cookbook, she settled on peanut butter cookies and got started.  Part way through the recipe she inadvertently began following the cookie recipe on the adjacent page for chocolate cherry cookies.  She figured it out when her Mom asked why she was opening a can of sweetened condensed milk.   “Oh!”  was her first thought, and “Oh well!” was her second.

She finished mixing the ingredients she had in the bowl and baked them.  She worried that the dough was too dry.  The first pan came out of the oven and some taste testing began.  They were delicious!  Thus E-Doodles were born.  (The name is of her choosing.)   Slightly hard on the outside but amazingly soft and chewy in the middle.  The flavor was great and every one of us was disappointed that there weren’t more.

Want to try them?

Here’s the recipe:

E-Doodles Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter 1 cup granulated sugar 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1 egg 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1 1/2 cups flour 1/4 cup chocolate chips 1/4 cup granulated sugar, reserved Beat together butter and peanut butter until smooth and well-incorporated.  Add 1 cup sugar, vanilla and 1 egg.  Mix well.  Add cocoa powder and mix to combine.  Beat in flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Mix in chocolate chips.

Roll cookies into 1 1/2 inch balls and roll in reserved sugar.  Place on baking sheet and press the center of each ball down with the prongs of a fork.  Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.  Cool slightly and enjoy!  *Note:  these were SO yummy warm, and the middles were still really soft and chewy the next day.


This recipe is proof positive that sometimes our mistakes turn out great.  Of course, sometimes they don’t, but generally if we press on there is a way to make things work.  This was a reminder I needed this week.

Oh, and if you try them, please let us know.  It would really be good for my daughter to hear what you think.

Jennifer