January 3, 2014

Winter break is drawing to a close...I hope you all had a happy holiday season!  Here's to a fantastic New Year ahead for all of us!!!  We were busy with family and friends, and tested out very few new recipes and only two earned keeper status.  Of the few recipes we tried I made 2 different versions of English Muffins and I am almost satisfied and ready to give them keeper status.  Maybe next week!

One of the recipes we did find and was voted a keeper was inspired by my sister's cookie exchange party.  A cookie that we simply fell in love with was a caramel-filled sea-salt topped snickerdoodle.  DELICIOUS!!!  Although the ones we made didn't look like the ones I received as part of the cookie exchange, they were still fabulous so I have included the recipe here.  You know they must be good when even Ryan wants to eat them!

The other keeper recipe technically falls under the "tried and true" category, but I haven't made them in years and years.  It is a recipe that my grandmother used to make - crab toasts! I think the recipe is from the 1950's! These are an easy appetizer that I am sure your guests will gobble up.  Maybe make them for this weekend while you watch the football playoff games!

Can you believe it is January 2014?  The last year flew by in a flash (at least for me) and I imagine the same for the year ahead.  Lots of plans already on the calendar; it was a good thing we had 2 weeks to relax and decompress.  We better gear up for what lies ahead!   

Happy Cooking!

New Recipes
Crab Toasts
Caramel-Filled Sea-Salt Topped Snickerdoodles

Crab Toasts

Ingredients
* 1 stick butter, softened
* 1 jar (5 oz) Old English cheese spread
* 1 1/2 tsp mayonnaise
* 1/2 tsp garlic powder
* 1/2 tsp seasoned salt (optional)
* 1 6z can good quality crab meat (not imitation)
* 6 English Muffins, split

Directions
1. Mix all the ingredients (except the English muffins!).
2. Spread the mixture on the raw English muffins. 
3. Place the English muffins on a cookie sheet and freeze until hard.
4. When the muffins are hard, cut each into 4 pieces.  Place all the pieces in a freezer bag until you are ready to make and serve them.
5. When ready to make the crab toasts, place the sections on a cookie sheet and toast under the broiler in the oven until the cheese is melted and the toasts are lightly golden brown.

Notes
This is an oldie but a goodie!  My grandmother used to make these!  For the seasoned salt, I used Lawry's because I had that on hand, but you could also use Old Bay or something similar.  When I mixed this together, I found that 8 split English muffins worked well for me, but I suppose I could have simply added a bit more mix to each muffin if I only had 6.  Also, instead of a freezer bag I placed the crab toasts after I cut them back in the plastic bag of the English Muffins.  If you are going to make these well ahead of when you are going to use them and anticipate they will be in the freezer for a long time then definitely use a freezer bag.

Caramel-Filled Sea-Salt Topped Snickerdoodles

Ingredients
* 2 1/2 cups AP flour
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 2 tsp cream of tartar
* 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp sea salt
* 1 cup unsalted butter
* 1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1 large egg
* 1 egg yolk
* 1 tbsp vanilla extract
* 1 tbsp plain or vanilla yogurt
* caramel bits, or caramels unwrapped and cut into quarters
* 1/4 cup granulated sugar
* 2 tsp ground cinnamon
* course sea salt for sprinkling on cookies

Directions
1. In a medium sized bowl mix the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon and sea salt. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter, whisking frequently.  The butter should begin to become frothy on top with brown specks starting to form on the bottom.  When you begin to see this and smell a nutty aroma, remove it from the heat and let it cool.
3. In a stand mixer combine the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar.  Mix until blended and smooth.
4. Beat in the egg, yolk, vanilla and yogurt and mix until well combined.  Slowly add the dry ingredients until fully incorporated.  Put the cookie dough in a container with a lid, or as a ball in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight.
5. When you are ready to make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350.  Mix the 1/4 cup sugar with 2 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl.
6. Take about 1-2 tbsp of dough and flatten slightly.  Place 4-5 caramel bits (or 1/4 of a caramel) in the center, and wrap with the dough. Roll the cookie in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place on a parchment- or silpat- lined cookie sheet.  Sprinkle the cookies with sea salt prior to cooking.
7. Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes.  The edges should be set but the centers still soft.  Cool on the pan for 3-4 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to allow the cookies to fully cool.

Notes
I sometimes forgot to sprinkle the sea salt on the cookies before baking, and in those cases I sprinkled them right when they came out of the oven.  Both methods worked well, so don't fret if you forget to add the finishing salt!

December 20, 2013

Another week behind us, and not many days left in 2013.  This week we didn't make any new dinner, breakfast or side-dish recipes.  We did make some new cookie recipes, and we whipped up a few batches of hot chocolate to give to teachers and friends.  I was invited to a cookie exchange and in preparation I made a 4 different types of cookies and prepared plates for some of our friends.  They ate them and voted on taste, appearance, and best overall.  2 cookies were the favorites, Peppermint Snickerdoodles and Peppermint-filled Chocolate cookies.  I ended up making the peppermint-filled ones for the cookie exchange, but don't ask me about exchange itself unless you want to hear a tale of flat tires and tow trucks! 

All 5 of us are now on vacation for the remainder of the year!  Hooray!  This time together could lead to trying lots of new recipes, or just lazing around together and making old favorites.  We will have to see how it pans out!

Happy Cooking!

New Recipes
Hot Cocoa
Peppermint-filled Chocolate Cookies
Peppermint Snickerdoodles

Hot Cocoa Mix (from Alton Brown)

Ingredients
* 2 cups powdered sugar
* 1 cup cocoa powder (dutch process if possible)
* 2 1/2 cups powdered milk
* 1 tsp salt (popcorn salt, pickling salt, or table salt)
* 2 tsp cornstarch
* pinch cayenne pepper

Directions
1. Combine all the ingredients in the work bowl of your food processor.  Process for 1-2 minutes or until very well mixed.
2. Store in an airtight canister or glass mason jar in the pantry.
3. Use as you would use store bought hot cocoa mix.  Add enough mix to hot water until you reach your taste preference level.

Notes
Owen said this was the best hot chocolate he'd ever had!!!  We made a few batches to give to teachers for the holiday break, and we tried it ourselves to make sure it was delicious.  It is!  We did have popcorn salt on hand so we used it.  The recipe just wants to make sure you use the finest salt possible in the mix.  The pinch of cayenne was not noticeable because the recipe makes 5.5 cups of mix.  I imagine it just added a hint of complexity in the overall flavor, and since we didn't find it overpowering, we will continue to make this hot chocolate as Alton Brown directed. 

Peppermint- filled Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup light brown sugar
* 6 oz butter, softened
* 1 egg
* 1 1/2 cups AP flour
* 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (dutch process if available)
* 1 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp of baking soda
* 24 miniature peppermint patties, unwrapped and chilled
* 6 oz white chocolate, melted
* peppermint candy or candy cane dust

Directions
1. In an electric mixer cream the butter and sugars for 4 minutes.  Then add the egg and beat for another 2 minutes.
2. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda), and then incorporate into the butter mixture.
3. Lay dough on plastic wrap, wrap up and chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
4. Preheat the over to 350 F. Line the baking sheets with parchment.
5. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces, and then each piece into 2 pieces.  Flatten each portion, and then place a peppermint patty on one of the flattened pieces.  Cover the patty with the second portion of the dough.  Mold the dough around the candy, seal and smooth the edges making sure there are no holes.  Place the cookie dough on the baking sheet.
6. Cook for 11 - 12 minutes, remove from the oven and cool on wire rack.
7.  When the cookies are cooled drizzle with the white chocolate and then sprinkle on the peppermint dust.

Notes
I used my kitchen scale to ensure each amount of cookie dough was the same.  This helped ensure that the cookies baked uniformly and that I was able to get 24 cookies out of each batch.  Although these cookies were more work then your typical cookies, it is the holiday season!  I made these for an annual Christmas cookie exchange. 

Peppermint Snickerdoodles

Ingredients
* 2 cups sugar, divided
* 2 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1/2 cup finely crushed candy canes or peppermint candies
* 1 cup butter, softened
* 2 eggs
* 2 tsp vanilla extract
* 2 3/4 cups AP flour
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 2 tsp cream of tartar
* 1 tsp baking soda

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, the cinnamon and the crushed peppermint candy.  Combine well and set aside.
3. In a large bowl cream the butter and remaining sugar for 4 minutes.  Scrape down the sides, and cream one more minute.  Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing for 1 minute after each addition.  Then add in the vanilla.  Scrape down the sides.
4. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, cream or tartar and baking soda.  Add to the butter sugar mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
5. Shape the dough into 1 inch balls and roll in the sugar mixture.  Place on the baking sheet.
6. Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are set and they begin to turn very lightly brown.  Cool for 3 - 4 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to completely cool.

Notes
Very festive for the holidays!  Not overwhelmingly minty, just a hint.  Delicious!