The Making of Chocolate Chip Cookies

The younger brother and I made chocolate chip cookies for our trip last weekend. They turned out to be about the best cookies we'd e.v.e.r. had! Here's our recipe...

1 cup butter softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons hot water

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts, optional

(we didn't use any this time)

:: cream butter and sugars ::

:: beat in eggs, one at a time ::

:: stir in vanilla ::

:: dissolve baking soda in hot water. add to batter along with salt ::

:: stir in flour, chocolate chips and nuts ::

:: place balls, about 1 inch in diameter on cookie sheets ::

:: bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes ::

::ENJOY::

:: be sure to try just a pinch of dough and at least 1 cookie as soon as it comes out of the oven! ::

Party Food

  We recently had a picnic birthday party for my sister. It was cold and dark outside so we spread a cheery pink tablecloth on the living room floor and surrounded it with all our potted plants. We made all kinds of treats for dinner - no forks allowed! Some recipes were tried and true, some were new ideas I found in a cookbook I was borrowing from a friend. These little roll-ups I'm sharing will become your new favorite!

Pepperoni Pinwheels

1/2 cup diced pepperoni

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 egg, separated

1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the pepperoni, cheese, oregano, and egg yolk. In another small bowl, whisk egg white until foamy; set aside. Separate crescent roll dough into four rectangles; seal perforations. Spread pepperoni mixture over each rectangle. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; pinch seams to seal. Cut each into six slices. Place on greased baking sheet; brush tops with egg white. Bake for 12 minutes. Serve warm.

Yield: 2 dozen rolls

(Warning: These are very small, so be sure you have plenty!)

And the birthday cake:

I have really become fond of using M&Ms in cake decorating! In keeping with the picnic theme I created a lady bug. :o)

Cinnamon Rolls

6 cups flour

2 packages yeast

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 cup water

1/4 cup butter

2 eggs

For each rectangle:

1/3 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Glaze:

3 tablespoons butter

2 cups powdered sugar

3 - 4 tablespoons hot coffee

1/2 teaspoon maple flavor

In a large mixer bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast, 1/2 cup sugar and salt; mix well. In a saucepan, melt butter, and water and milk. Add to flour mixture. Add eggs. Blend at low speed until moistened; beat 3 minutes at medium speed. By hand, gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place until light and doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down dough. Divide into two parts. On lightly floured surface, roll or pat one half of the dough into a rectangle 12" wide and 15"-18" long. Brush with melted butter. Combine cinnamon, sugar and nuts; sprinkle over butter. Starting with a shorter side, roll up tightly, pressing dough into roll with each turn. Pinch edges to seal. Cut roll in to 12 pieces. Place cut side down in a greased 13"x9" pan. Repeat with other half of dough. Cover; let rise in warm place until almost doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake in preheated 375 degree over for 20 minutes until golden brown. Combine glaze ingredients; blend until smooth. Drizzle over hot rolls. Makes 2 dozen rolls.

To prepare these ahead of time, follow the recipe as written. Once the rolls are in the pans, do not let them rise, but refrigerate over night. The next morning take them out of the refrigerator and let them rise for about 15 minutes, then follow the regular baking instructions.

Birthdays

Saturday was my brother Micah's birthday, so I was extra busy and forgot to post my "Finding Beauty in the Ordinary post.....oops! This is the cake I made for him - an m&m guy!

A Delicious Variation...

... of French Bread. You've got to try it!

French Herb Bread

1 tablespoon yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups flour

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup butter

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup minced onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon dried parsley

2 tablespoons butter

  In a large bowl combine yeast, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 cups of the flour. In a saucepan, combine milk, water and 1/4 cup butter; heat until approximately 110 degrees. Add this milk mixture to the flour mixture along with the the vinegar. Beat dough until silky and smooth (about 3 minutes). Stir in 1 1/2 cups more flour. Knead (adding a little more flour if necessary), about 4 minutes until smooth. Let rise 1 hour, or until doubled. Punch down, and roll dough into a 16"x8" rectangle. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat garlic, onion, salt, parsley, and butter until butter is melted. Spread over dough, and roll up tightly to form a long loaf. Place bread seam-side down on a greased baking sheet and let rise 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slit top of loaf 5 times; bake 20 minutes.

Apple - Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

Cake Batter:

1 cup finely chopped pecans

3 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon allspice

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 canola oil

3/4 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups peeled and finely chopped apples

Cream Cheese Filling:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

Prepare filling: Beat first three ingredients until blended and smooth. Add egg, flour and vanilla; mix in well. Set aside.

Prepare batter: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking soda and spices. Stir in eggs, canola oil, applesauce, and vanilla, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in apples and pecans. Spoon 2/3 of the apple mixture into a greased and floured 14-cup bundt pan. Spoon cream cheese filling over apple mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around edges. Swirl filling through batter a little. Spoon remaining apple mixture over filling. Bake at 350 for one hour, or until done. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 15 minutes; remove cake from pan and cool completely. 

Praline Frosting:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

Bring brown sugar, butter and milk to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth. Stir gently 3-5 minutes, or until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly. Pour immediately over cooled cake.

{my picture from Lens Love this morning}

Gluten-Free Baking Mixes

Basic Gluten-Free Flour Mix

4 cups superfine brown rice flour

1 1/3 cups potato starch

2/3 cup tapioca flour

Combine all flours in a large bowl. Mix well, and store in a ziploc bag or container with a lid. Store in the refrigerator or freezer. Makes 6 cups.

Gluten-Free Bread Flour Mix

1 1/2 cups millet flour

1 1/2 cups sorghum flour

2 cups tapioca flour

1 cup potato starch

Combine all flours in a large bowl. Mix well, and store in a ziploc bag or container with a lid. Store in the refrigerator or freezer. Makes 6 cups.

 Recipes from Cybele Pascal 's "The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook". My sister and friend just bought this book for me and it is the BEST cookbook I have ever seen! *grin* I have so enjoyed looking through it and trying the recipes!