White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Okay, so my first thought about this...YUCK! But I copied the recipe and figured it would just be one more cookie that I would not eat. I am sure that someone somewhere would like it. Now, I don't like mint in any way shape or form, so please understand that it is not the cookie....it is my dislike for mint. hehehehe

I decided to make these for singing Christmas Tree...or for Yuletide festival, still not sure which one they will end up at. :) All in all they were fairly easy. I am pleased with the results and the family tells me that they are pretty good. I did have a bite of one and they are not overly pepperminty, if that is even a word.

So, will I make these again?? Probably. I think that it is something that my brother would really like as well. I did go away from the recipe a little bit, but it all worked out fine. And perhaps, if I had followed the recipe, they may have been more minty, but I do not know....

Recipe adapted from: Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients

* 8 ounces white chocolate baking squares with cocoa butter (Like Bakers)
* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup finely crushed chocolate-filled peppermint candy canes

****** use peppermint crunch that you can find at christmas time instead of the candy canes and chopped whited chocolate. I found them in by the chocolate chips and things. :)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Chop 4 ounces of the white chocolate; set aside. In a small saucepan, cook and stir the remaining 4 ounces white chocolate over low heat until melted. Set saucepan aside to cool chocolate slightly.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in melted white chocolate. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Stir in the chopped white chocolate and crushed candy canes.

3. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned around edges. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Makes about 50 cookies.

TO STORE: Layer cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.


*** I did not use parchment paper, I used my baking stone. Also, I melted the chocolate in the microwave. I am all about quick and easy!

What to do on Thanksgiving morning....

BAKE of course!!

Today started with my first yeast fail. I attempted to make monkey bread. It did not rise. :( I was disappointed, but at least I did not have a house full of people waiting for it! So instead, I decided to start a little bit more Christmas baking. This morning was a recipe that I have used before. The recipe that I got from my Chicago friend Samantha....I made it for the wizard of Oz using Chocolate chips...today something a bit more festive!

1 3/4 c rolled oats
3/4 c flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c packed light brown sugar
1/3 c sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp orange extract
Orange flavored Cranberries to taste
White Chocolate chips to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Grease baking sheets. Stir together oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Beat together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined well. Add oat mixture and beat until just combined.

Drop dough by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets and flatten mounds slightly with moistened fingers. (I did not do this) Bake cookies in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden, about 12 mins total (did not do this either!!) I baked them on my pampered chef pizza stone.


It is possible that this may be my new favorite cookie. Still not a huge fan of white chocolate but it does go well with the cranberry. :)


So, after the cookies came out of the oven and filled the house with that yummy cinnamon smell....I decided to make another batch of biscotti because my husband....yea, there was ONE left when he read the blog begging that he bring one home...and you know what...the snot ate it! I really think that he just wanted me to make another batch. Well, that backfired because I made 2 MORE!!! The first being exactly what I made for him to take to work. The other using what was left of the orange flavored cranberries. I like the orange option the best....but here they are with a little bit of Mickey. Only 61 days until we are hangin' with the mouse....not that I am counting....

Cranberry Almond Biscotti
Ingredients

* 1/4 cup light olive oil
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
* 2 eggs
* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 cup dried cranberries
* 1 cup almonds

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together oil and sugar until well blended. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts, then beat in the eggs. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder; gradually stir into egg mixture. Mix in cranberries and nuts by hand.
3. Divide dough in half. Form two logs (12x2 inches) on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Dough may be sticky; wet hands with cool water to handle dough more easily.
4. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until logs are light brown. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
5. Cut logs on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides on parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until dry; cool.






ORANGE CRANBERRY ALMOND BISCOTTI
Ingredients

* 1/4 cup light olive oil
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
* 1/8 teaspoon orange extract
* 2 eggs
* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 cup dried orange flavored cranberries
* 1 cup sliced almonds


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together oil and sugar until well blended. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts, then beat in the eggs. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder; gradually stir into egg mixture. Mix in cranberries and nuts by hand.
3. Divide dough in half. Form two logs (12x2 inches) on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Dough may be sticky; wet hands with cool water to handle dough more easily.
4. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until logs are light brown. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
5. Cut logs on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides on parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until dry; cool.

What do you do with leftover devils food crumbles?

Make pudding of course! As per my daughter's request I made Dorie Greenspan's devils food white out cake...for Thanksgiving....after covering the cake in devils food cake crumbles, I had about 3/4 of a cup of crumbles left. So what to do with them??? I decided on making white chocolate pudding, which I learned AFTER the fact my oldest will not eat. I layered the "crumbles" into the pudding. Very pretty. The little one is THRILLED and is asking for more. :)

Now, I did have a real recipe to post today...but managed to NOT take pictures because I packed everything up for Calvin so he could take it to work. So, Calvin, if you are reading this....please save 1 biscotti for me to take a picture of. Otherwise, I will be forced to make more. :)

Today...I decided to bake...IMAGINE THAT! The intention was to do Cranberry biscotti...may get to that yet, we shall see. And to make the Devils Food White Out Cake for Thanksgiving because it is what my 6 year old asked for. Instead...I made these yummy cranberry bars for my Octochicks rehearsal tonight. :) Not that they will get eaten there....but at least they are available, and the rest will go to work with my husband tomorrow.

TO-DIE-FOR CRANBERRY- COCONUT SQUARES
www.RecipeGirl.com

BASE:
¼ cup butter, softened
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 cup flour
pinch of salt

TOPPING:
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs flour
½ tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 large egg
1 large egg white
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1½ cups fresh or frozen (unthawed) cranberries
½ cup shredded coconut
powdered sugar for sprinkling (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 8×8-inch pan with nonstick spray.

2. Prepare base: In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Stir in flour and salt until well combined and crumbly. Press into the bottom of prepared pan. Bake about 12 minutes until just barely golden around the edges.

3. Prepare topping: In the same bowl (no need to wash it) combine sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Add egg and egg white, lemon juice and stir until well-blended and smooth.

4. Smooth cranberries and coconut evenly over the base. Pour lemon filling over top. Bake 40 to 45 minutes until golden and set. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

5. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if using, before cutting into squares.

Servings: 16
Yield: 16 squares
Recipe Source: One Smart Cookie

Its beginning to smell a lot like Christmas

So today was the first day of the deer hunting season. While NO ONE in my house hunts, and no one in my house ever will, it always seems that it is the start of the baking season. Now, I remember throughout the years it being very cold at this time of the year. I know that hunters like to have snow on the ground to track the deer. Well, today was nearly 60 degrees. So while it did not at all FEEL like Christmas, it sure smelled like it in my house!

The day started early, I was hoping for a little bit of quiet time, and yet 5 minutes after walking into the living room, I was joined by my 4 year old...which was followed about 10 minutes later by my 6 year old. UGH. So much for quiet time! Off I went to the kitchen. I mixed up gingerbread cookies which will be baked tomorrow, cut out cookies, which will be posted soon...after a few are decorated. After baking a double batch of cut outs, I decided to make peanut butter cup cookies. I knew that I was going to make them because I bought the peanut butter cups, but today happened to be the day!

While on my chocolate adventures....around halloween time.....I found dark chocolate peanut butter cups, white chocolate peanut butter cups...and of course milk chocolate peanut butter cups. Now, I have several things that I am baking for. Singing Christmas Tree is only 2 weeks away....must have cookies. Kylie will be arriving soon, and it is always fun to share....and getting ready for Christmas parties, Santa and Christmas itself! So.....I made a double batch of theses as well. :)

REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER CUP COOKIES
1/2 c. butter or margarine (room temp.)
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 bag mini Reese's peanut butter cups
Cream butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Add flour and baking soda. Roll into small balls and place in ungreased mini muffin pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes (look for cracks on top). Immediately press Reese's PB cups into the center of each cookie. Let cool for 10 minutes in pan. Remove carefully (do NOT flip pan over...chocolate will still be melty) and let cool completely on a wire rack. Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen.

I am THRILLED with how these turned out. Calvin says that he liked the white chocolate ones. I myself prefer dark chocolate to white chocolate, but I did not eat any of these today....rest assured....I will be eating them soon enough!

Tomorrow I will post the gingerbread men and women....provided Miss B does not eat them all first!!

Back at it....

So after a little break, and I use that term lightly...I have made something new. Well, new to my husband and my children, but something that I grew up on. My day started with Apple granola bake. YUM. After that I decided to make chocolate chip cookies to share with a piano student who brings be goodies on a regular basis, last week it was puppy chow. Yummy! Then I made another batch of pecan balls, which will be posted as soon as I can take pictures of them. :) And THEN, I made dessert for my girls. And truth be told....I did have a piece. Of course I think I ate everything that I made today, the scale is not going to like me tomorrow!!!

The week has been hectic for all of us. Running here and there....and I am sooooo looking forward to a night on the couch with Greys anatomy and Private Practice. But first I must share....a chocolaty yummy sort of childhood concoction that could easily be one of the easiest things to make. A Chocolate mousse pie.

1 Package (4 ounces) Bakers German Sweet Chocolate
1/3 cup milk
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Package (3 ounces) of cream cheese
1 Container (8 ounces) of Cool Whip
1 8 inch graham cracker crust

Heat chocolate and 2 Tablespoons of the milk in a saucepan over lowe heat stirring until Chocolate is melted. (I did it in the microwave with no isses). Beat sugar into cream cheese then add the remaining milk and the chocolate mixture. Beat until smooth. Fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped topping blending until smooth. Pour into graham craker crust. Refridgerate.

Baking for others

So this is weekend number 2 in which I was baking to sell versus baking to send to work with Calvin...all of it is for others, but if I send something to work with Calvin that is not pretty...they don't care as long as it tastes good....at least that is what I am telling myself!

So...I made several new things for this bake sale....a chocolate cake with peanut butter filling which fell apart of my kitchen counter, the coconut cake from the previous post...mint chocolate brownies and Cranberry coconut squares. I am posting the Mint Brownie recipe. The Cranberry coconut squares are to die for, but I was not able to take pictures. I had to have my mom package them because I made them at 5am and they were not cool when I left for the bake sale at 7:30. But I did buy something of my own....and tried it. YUM!!! I will be making it again and posting this recipe. This is a GO MAKE THIS NOW recipe!!!

So...here is the Mint Chocolate Brownie Recipe....
www.joyofbaking.com
Preheat oven
to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Have ready a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) square baking pan that has been lined with aluminum foil across the bottom and up two opposite sides of the pan. Set aside.

Brownies: In a stainless steel (heatproof) bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (with a wooden spoon) after each addition. Stir in the flour and salt and beat, with a wooden spoon, until the batter is smooth and glossy and comes away from the sides of the pan (about one minute). Pour the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan and the edges of the brownies are just beginning to brown. A toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies will come out almost clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to completely cool.

Mint Layer: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat all the ingredients until smooth. Add a few drops of green food coloring if you want the frosting green. If the frosting is too thick, add a little extra cream. (The frosting should be just thin enough to spread.) Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled brownie layer. Place in the refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes or until firm.

Chocolate Glaze: In a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Spread over the mint filling and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until the chocolate glaze starts to dull.

To Serve: Remove the brownies from the pan by lifting with the ends of the foil and transfer to a cutting board. With a sharp knife, cut into 30 squares. It is a good idea to wipe your knife between cuts with a damp cloth. These brownies can be stored in the refrigerator for several days or else frozen.

Makes about 30 1-inch (2.5 cm) squares.

Brownie Layer:

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

4 ounces (114 grams) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1/2 cup (70 grams) all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Mint Layer:

2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup (115 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract or 1-2 tablespoons cr?e de menthe

green food coloring (optional)

Chocolate Glaze:

3 ounces (90 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter

coconut coconut coconut!

I am a true coconut lover through and through. It is by far one of my favorite things. It started a long time ago when my mom used to bring home coconut macaroon cookies from the hospital. Wrapped in a little white napkin....oh I miss those. Anyway, that is where my coconut love began. Over time I have found many coconut things that I enjoy including but not limited to the girl scout cookies with chocolate and caramel, and mounds bars, coconut macaroons and the cake that I made today. I do not know WHEN I will make this again, especially since I can't seem to leave it alone!!! It has now been wrapped up and is ready to go to work with Calvin in the morning, or I will consume the rest of the cake. Which I do not need!!!

My first intention for this cake was for the bakesale for the preschool on Saturday. I started making the cake and THEN read the list of ingredients...I decided that it was too expensive of a cake to just let walk out the door, so I decided that it was going to be a cake consumed by my family. My children hate it. I love it...that is a problem!! I did pass some along to my mother, and I am sure that she will love it as well. I was not going to try it. I have had pretty good will power, and I should have stuck with not trying it. Once I did...oh my.....

So, here you go...the recipe.

Coconut Bundt Cake
courtesy of :
www.foodlibrarian.blogspot.com
Ingredients

* 3 cups cake flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 2 1/2 cups sugar
* 6 large eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
* 1 1/4 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk (I used light coconut milk)
* 2 cups (packed) sweetened flaked coconut (about 7 ounces)


* 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
* Additional sweetened flaked coconut (optional)


Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 12-cup Bundt pan; dust pan with flour. Stir 3 cups cake flour and salt in medium bowl to blend. Beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 2 1/2 cups sugar, beating until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then both extracts. Beat in flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with 1 cup coconut milk in 3 additions. Fold in 2 cups flaked coconut. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top.

Bake cake until top is golden brown and tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool cake in pan 5 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack; cool completely.

Whisk powdered sugar and remaining 1/4 cup coconut milk in medium bowl to blend. Spoon glaze over cake. Top with additional coconut, if desired.


***** If you do not have cake flour, there is a way to make cake flour out of you all purpose flour, which is what I did here...very easy!!!!!

How to Turn All-Purpose Flour into Cake Flour

Step One: Measure out the all-purpose flour that you’ll need for your recipe.

Step Two: For every cup of flour you use, take out two tablespoons of flour and return it to the flour bin. Throw the cup of flour (minus the two tablespoons) into a sifter set over a bowl.

Step Three: Replace the two tablespoons of flour that your removed with two tablespoons of cornstarch.

Step Four: Sift the flour and cornstarch together. Sift it again, and again and again. The cornstarch and flour need to be well incorporated and the flour aerated. Sift the flour and cornstarch mixture about five times. Look at that! You just made cake flour!

And honestly....I did not sift it 5 times...only once. I just realized NOW that it said multiple times...that is what I get for baking with the 4 year old home!!

Cheese Cheese noodles and Cheese

Okay, so I pulled out the old Manicotti recipe...it has been a long time since I have made it. Thankfully, the girls both ate it and Calvin was in HEAVEN. I do believe that Calvin ate 3/4 of the 9X13 pan. Of course some of it was taken to work as leftovers and I am sure that it was just as good then!

I also included Italian bread and A marble pound cake for dessert...it was a full day of baking!!

Anyway...on to the recipes!

Manicotti
Ingredients

* 1 (8 ounce) package manicotti shells
* 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
* 2 cups ricotta cheese
* 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1 egg
* 2 tablespoons dried basil
* 2 (26 ounce) jars pasta sauce

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add manicotti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. In a bowl, mix 3 cups mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, garlic, egg, and basil. Stuff cooked manicotti with the mixture.
4. Spread about 2 cups pasta sauce over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange stuffed manicotti in the dish, and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan, and continue baking 10 minutes, until mozzarella is melted and bubbly.

The yellowbrook road has come to an end!

Well the crazy week has come to an end and now I can begin to bake for the bake sale this weekend! Whoo hoo!! However, today I am starting with a loaf of Italian Bread to go with our manicotti dinner. YUM! When all was said and done, I baked about 325 cookies and a batch of scotcheroos. It went well. I actually had to make more rainbow cookies Saturday morning, they were all gone by Friday night, and with the kids matanee, I thought they would go over well.

So....onto the next thing. trying to decide what to make for dessert for tonight. Hmmmmm so many decisions, so little time!!!

Now that I have daylight!

I can finally take some pictures of some of the cookies from yesterday! I am struggling with day light savings time and the fact that yesterday at 5:15 it was DARK. ugh. I baked the last of the cookies for Wizard last night...I baked for almost 5 hours. But they are done. And in the freezer and waiting to be pulled out on Thursday to be put into cute little bags with cute little ribbons and cute little tags. :)

So...here are the last of them. THEN, onto baking for Saturday since I will then have room in the freezer to keep things! Whooo hoooo!!

We are going to start with Chocolate Chip cookies. I have been searching through chocolate chip cookie recipes...I LOVE the one that I have and have used for years, but I am attempting to branch out a little but. I liked the look of this one because it uses no white sugar!! These are not my new favorite chocolate chip cookies, they are good. And actually rather soft and chewy. I guess I miss the little bit of crunch.

Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies
mybakingadventures.com

Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies - adapted from a recipe by Nick Malgieri

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
10 tbs. unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
12 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Sift together the flour and baking soda. Beat together the butter and brown sugar just until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla, beating until blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated, then add the chocolate chips.

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and chill for an hour (this will help them keep their shape – I always chill cookie dough before baking).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake cookies until just set in the center, 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Yield – 2 dozen.
While driving the 7 miles up the road to pick Miss B up from Munchkin rehearsal something dawned on me....Why not use M&Ms....I have had some issues with my M&M cookies. They all seem to come out FLAT. I mean, they tasted fine, but very crumbly! Makes for a not very good cookie to package. Soooo, I dug back into the pudding cookie recipe. This worked out very very well and tastes even better!

White Chocolate Pudding M&M cookies (this needs a shorter title!)
Ingredients

* 1 cup butter or margarine (2 sticks softened)
* 3/4 cup brown sugar
* 1/4 white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 1/4 cups flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda

* 1 (4 ounce) package jell-o instant pudding mix (I used White Chocolate)

* 1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used about 8 ounces of chocolate chips)
* 1/2 bag of M&Ms.

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350º F. with mixer beat wet ingredients until light and fluffy. In separate bowl stir together by hand flour, baking soda and Jell-O. Gradually add flour mix to wet ingredients mixing until smooth scraping bowl often. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

2. Drop dough with a tablespoon on baking sheets coated with non-stick spray or parchment paper.
3. Bake in pre-heated oven 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 1 minute on baking sheets, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.


I really like the recipe for the pudding cookies because the possibilities are ENDLESS. After doing the M&M cookies and having them turn out, I decided to give Chocolate another try. I don't really like the chocolate pudding...don't know why, although I am not a huge chocolate fan to begin with! Maybe that is the issue. Anyway, this time around I cut up some Reeses peanut butter cups that are around my house. It seems that they were cheapest this year as my kids each got 10 - 15 in their halloween pumpkins, and I had also bough a bag...so into the cookies they went!!



Ingredients

* 1 cup butter or margarine (2 sticks softened)
* 3/4 cup brown sugar
* 1/4 white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 1/4 cups flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda

* 1 (4 ounce) package jell-o instant pudding mix (I used Chocolate pudding)

* 1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips (again about 6 - 8 ounces)
* chopped up peanut butter cups. I used the regular size PB cups and chopped up about 8 of them.

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350º F. with mixer beat wet ingredients until light and fluffy. In separate bowl stir together by hand flour, baking soda and Jell-O. Gradually add flour mix to wet ingredients mixing until smooth scraping bowl often. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

2. Drop dough with a tablespoon on baking sheets coated with non-stick spray or parchment paper.
3. Bake in pre-heated oven 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 1 minute on baking sheets, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Still marching down the yellow brick road

As this week begins I am still working on the last of the cookies for the Wizard of Oz Bake sale. Today's cookies....Oatmeal chocolate chip. I got this recipe from my friend Samantha who happened to have recently received the rum drenched vanilla cake. I decided to use chocolate chips since this is geared towards kids. I thought that Chocolate would go over better than the orange flavored cranberries that she suggested. Although, I am REALLY looking forward to making them that way!

The dough for these cookies is wonderful. I prefer dough over the actual baked cookies....but these were good both ways!

Recipe from: Samantha Andriacchi Johnson
1 3/4 c rolled oats
3/4 c flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c packed light brown sugar
1/3 c sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375. Grease baking sheets. Stir together oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Beat together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined well. Add oat mixture and beat until just combined.

Drop dough by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets and flatten mounds slightly with moistened fingers. Bake cookies in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden, about 12 mins total.

Italian Night in our house....

So Friday night was Italian night in my house. It happens often since my husband is 100% Italian. Most things I can't eat, but I had decided that it was going to be Chicken Alfredo. So I made Italian Bread to go with it. Next time I will fully read the instructions before baking. It went fine, but does not look like Italian bread since I did not slice it correctly. It was supposed to be a slice from end to end...I slashed the top like French bread would be sliced. Does not matter, still tasted the same...just looked a little funny!!

Italian Bread

Italian Bread
(Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)

Makes 1 large ginormous loaf

Ingredients:
2 cups lukewarm water (~100°F)
1 package active dry yeast
5 to 5¾ cups bread flour
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2½ teaspoons salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions:
Stir the yeast into ½ cup of the warm water. Let proof as you measure out the dry ingredients.

Combine 5 cups flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the yeast mixture, remaining water and olive oil. Using a dough hook attachment, mix on lowest speed of electric mixer (stir setting on a KitchenAid) until a dough starts to form, adding more flour as needed. Knead on low speed (2 on a KitchenAid) for 7 minutes. Transfer dough to lightly floured surface and need by hand for 1 to 2 minutes, or until a smooth, firm, elastic dough is formed.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and spray the dough with a thin coating of cooking spray. Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to proof in a warm, draft-free place for 1½ hours or until doubled in size.

Remove the plastic wrap, punch down and flatten the rounded dough with the heel of your hand. Roll the dough up tightly, sealing the seam well after each roll. The dough should be elongated and oval-shaped, with tapered and rounded (not pointed) ends.

Preheat the oven lined with a baking stone or unglazed quarry tiles to 425°F.

Place the dough on a baker’s peel heavily dusted with flour, or alternately on an inverted baking sheet. Allow the dough to proof, loosely covered with a floured canvas cloth, for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Brush the dough with the egg white and sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top. Using a razor blade or sharp knife, slash the dough lengthwise about 1/4-inch deep, keeping the blade at a 45 degree angle.

Spray the dough generously with water from a water bottle and place in the oven on the baking stone. Immediately close the oven and bake for 3 minutes. Open the oven door and spray the dough again with the water bottle. Close the oven door and bake for an additional 3 minutes before spraying the dough for a third time (the spraying of the dough will ensure a crisp golden brown crust).

Bake the dough for a total of 45 minutes, or until a hollow thud is heard when tapping the bottom of the bread. Allow the bread to cool before slicing.