This one is a request from Laura Kate. I made these a lot at Grove City because they are ridiculously easy. Once, I baked them a few at a time in a dorm room microwave! (The microwave could bake, though. Don't actually microwave them!!) The nice thing about this recipe is that you can use what it calls for or substitute hot chocolate for the coffee, toffee or butterscotch chips for the chocolate chips, almond extract for vanilla, etc. The possibilities are endless! These scones have a softer texture than most and are amazing with coffee. You can substitute coffee creamer or half & half for the heavy cream, which I do every time to lighten them up a bit. (I love using flavored creamer for an added kick.) Enjoy!
Easy Mocha Chip Scones
(makes 12 scones)
1/4 cup brewed coffee double strength
2 T. heavy cream (or coffee creamer)
2 eggs, beaten separately
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 T. heavy cream (or coffee creamer)
sanding sugar (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine coffee, cream, 1 egg, and vanilla extract; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine baking mix, sugar, and chocolate chips.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and work into a crumbly dough.
On a lightly floured surface, form dough into a 9-inch disk (approximately 1/2 inch thick). Cut into 12 wedges and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon cream and remaining beaten egg.
Brush tops of scones with egg mixture and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
Bake 18-20 minutes until lightly golden.
I figured it was about time I posted this one. I actually haven't made this recipe in awhile, but I have used it several times in the past and let me tell you...if you want a crowd-pleasing cookie, this is definitely it! I took a recipe I found on allrecipes.com and simplified it a little bit. Even people who hate coconut seem to love these! The best part is, it only takes a few ingredients and one batch makes a pretty decent number of cookies. Happy baking!
Coconut Chocolate Chip Macaroons
(makes about 2 to 3 dozen)
5 cups flaked coconut
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, stir together the coconut, flour and salt. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until everything is well blended. Mix in chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared pan.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until coconut is sufficiently toasted. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.
For some reason, my friends (mainly Chase) think of me when they have naan--the delightful Indian flat bread. So this recipe is for Chase and the Philly crowd. You can either make your own naan from scratch (which I've done and it's totally worth it) or if you're pressed for time, most grocery stores carry flat bread, if not authentic naan. These burgers remind me of falafel--sort of the same flavor combination. They're also easy to make! (Just a bit messy, so maybe not the best dinner for a first date.)
Chicken Curry Burgers
(serves 4)
1 lb. ground chicken breast (you could use turkey or beef, too)
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 TB fresh ginger, minced
1 TB fresh lemon juice
2 ts paprika
1 ts ground cumin
1 ts curry powder
¼ ts cayenne pepper
A dash of salt & pepper
Tzatziki Sauce:
16 oz. Greek style yogurt (get this kind if you can--it's thicker and better than plain!)
1 cucumber, washed, peeled, and chopped
3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 to 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1/2 tsp salt
A pinch or two of cayenne pepper (optional, but wonderful)
Red onions, sliced thin
Spinach or lettuce leaves
Tomatoes, thinly sliced (optional)
4 pieces of Naan (or flat bread), warmed
In a bowl, gently combine the first 9 ingredients.
Form into mini burgers or meatballs and grill or fry the patties until cooked through. Remember, chicken burgers cook a lot faster than beef.
Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients together and set aside.
Warm Naan for a few seconds in the microwave or in the oven on low heat.
Place onions & tomatoes on warmed Naan, followed by the chicken patties. Drizzle, no, smother with the tzatziki sauce.
While these look deceivingly like cookies, they honestly are healthy enough to eat as a breakfast item. They're chewy, soft, and dense...almost like a granola bar. I made a batch of these and they were gone before the day's end. They have a nice cinnamon spice flavor and are a perfect compliment to a cup of tea. Give these a try!
Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies
(makes about 1 dozen)
1 cup white whole wheat or all purpose flour (4 ½ oz)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup vegetable oil (you can also use half applesauce/half oil)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg (I used Egg Beaters)
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 cup oats, old fashioned or quick (not instant)
2/3 cup shredded or grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup toasted, chopped pecans or walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, thoroughly mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; set aside
In a large bowl, mix together the oil, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar and vanilla. When well mixed, add the egg and orange zest and beat for another 20-30 seconds. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and stir until flour is absorbed. Stir in oats, carrots, raisins and nuts.
Using a ¼ cup measure, scoop up big mounds of dough. Place on ungreased parchment-lined cookie sheets and bake for 20 minutes.
Today I'm posting lots of recipes since I want to get the ball rolling for this blog. I'm a lover of dark chocolate, and ever since I've been to "Baked" bakery in Charleston, I've been trying to find a recipe that closely resembles their Chocolate Cloud cookies. This one comes pretty close. The recipe comes from a great blog called Cookiemadness.net. Get your glass of milk ready for these, and you can die happy and intoxicated by chocolate.
Death by Chocolate Cookies
(makes about 2 dozen cookies)
1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 oz chopped semi-sweet chocolate (62%)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large eggs
2 packed tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
2/3 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped and toasted (optional)
Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, melt chocolate with butter. Cool slightly (about 3 minutes). (You can melt in the microwave, but it's easier to burn the chocolate this way, so I recommend the stove method.)
Beat eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl using high speed of an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes. Beat the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and stir it gently into the batter. Make sure the batter is cool, then add the chocolate chips and walnuts.
Chill dough for at least one hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop up rounded tablespoons of dough and set dough balls on parchment paper spacing about 2 ½ inches apart. Bake for 11-13 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheet for about 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Okay, I know the idea of cinnamon and pasta together sounds like the scene from "Elf" where Buddy eats syrup and spaghetti together. But honestly, this was amazing. Credit goes to Caroline because if it wasn't for her taking me to Cleveland's West Market, I would never have discovered this treasure. The pasta itself has cinnamon in it, so if you can find some, make this recipe! I suppose regular pasta would work, but you'd want to add a dose of cinnamon to give it a kick. Caroline, this one's for you.
Cinnamon Pasta with Butternut Squash
(serves 4)
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
8 oz. cinnamon pasta (or plain pasta if you can't find it)
2 cups cubed butternut squash
1 T. olive oil
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut up into chunks
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon (only if NOT using cinnamon pasta)
dash salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream (i used fat-free half & half)
1/2 cup sweet white wine
a few chopped sage leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and toast chopped walnuts for about 5 minutes, or until browned.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add pasta. Bring back to a boil and cook according to package directions. (If it's fresh, cook for only a few minutes.) Drain and set aside.
Microwave butternut squash until softened (about 5 to 7 minutes.)
Heat oil in skillet and add chicken. Cook until no longer pink.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the heavy cream and wine. Cook for a few minutes on high heat until the sauce reduces and thickens. Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper, and sage. Take off the heat and add parmesan cheese.
Add sauce, squash, and chicken to the pot of pasta and stir to mix. Top each serving with chopped walnuts.
So I had almost a whole container of ricotta cheese leftover from a recipe and I knew if I didn't use it, it was going to expire and be thrown away. And who wants to waste perfectly good ricotta? Not this girl. I did a little searching and found a recipe for muffins that use almost a whole container of ricotta. Sounds strange, but trust me...these are wonderful and fairly healthy. I baked some regular shaped muffins and some heart muffins for Valentine's Day. Definitely a hit with family & friends!
Chocolate Ricotta Muffins
(makes about 12-16 muffins)
2 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
6 to 8 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup ricotta
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (you can also substitute 4 T. canola oil)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray 12 standard-sized muffin cups with nonstick spray.
Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, cocoa, and sugar in a medium-sized bowl.
Place the ricotta in a second medium-sized bowl, and add the eggs one at a time, beating well with a medium-sized whisk after each addition. Add the milk and vanilla, and whisk until thoroughly blended.
Pour the ricotta mixture, along with the melted butter, into the dry ingredients. Using a spoon or a rubber spatula, stir from the bottom of the bowl until the dry ingredients are all moistened. Add chocolate chips. Don't overmix; a few lumps are okay.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. For smaller muffins, fill the cups about 4/5 of the way. For larger muffins, fill them even with the top of the pan. If you have extra batter, spray one or two additional muffin cups with nonstick spray and put in as much batter as you have.
Bake in the middle of the oven for to 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly browned on top, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven, then remove the muffins from the pan and place them on a rack to cool. Wait at least 30 minutes before serving.
This is a fusion of a peanut noodle dish and a recipe I found for pad thai in a Thai cookbook. I found that combining the two recipes together makes a fantastic pad thai. Today's post is for Silas and Paul, who prefer cooking to baking. I'm happy to share this one. It's great, too, because you don't have to make it with all the ingredients listed. It's fine without pork or eggs and if you don't have cilantro, chile sauce, or fish sauce on hand, no big deal. It's a fun recipe to experiment with different flavor combinations. Best served with a side of edamame or seaweed salad. Enjoy!
Pad Thai
(serves 4)
8 oz. thick rice stick noodles or Udon noodles
2 T. peanut or vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
6 oz. pork fillet, sliced thinly
4 oz. uncooked shrimp, shelled and chopped
2 T. fish sauce
juice of 1 lime
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup bean sprouts
4 T. fresh chopped cilantro
Sauce:
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons hot chile paste (optional)
3 cloves garlic, minced
Garnish: (optional)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup grated carrots
3/4 cup chopped peanuts
Soak noodles in warm water for 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
Combine chicken broth, ginger, soy sauce, peanut butter, honey, chili paste, and garlic in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until peanut butter melts and is heated through. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a wok and stir-fry garlic and pork for 2-3 minutes then add shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add noodles and cover for 1-2 minutes. Add lime juice, fish sauce, and eggs and cook, stirring and tossing constantly to mix the eggs.
Combine sauce with noodles & meat and stir in bean sprouts and cilantro.
Garnish with green onions, carrots, and peanuts.
This recipe came from "Cheesecake Extraordinaire" cookbook and I took a chance on it, having made baklava so many times in the past. It turned out quite well and I took liberty of garnishing it with baked strips of phyllo dough. Suggestions would be to put more layers of phyllo on the bottom or do an almond cookie crust instead since the phyllo gets a bit soggy on the bottom. Also, go easy on the rose water! All in all, this was an impressive crowd-pleaser!
Baklava Cheesecake
(serves 12 to 18)
Crust:
3 sheets frozen phyllo dough (thawed)
3 T. butter or margarine (melted)
Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough on bottom of cheesecake pan, folding to fit. Brush with some melted butter. Repeat layering and brushing with remaining dough. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
Filling:
24 oz. cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
5 tsp. cornstarch
4 eggs
1/4 cup (or less) rose water
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup flaked coconut
2 T. chopped toasted almonds
Combine cream cheese, sugar, honey, & cornstarch in large bowl. Beat w/ electric mixer until smooth then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. Beat in rose water and lemon peel. Stir in walnuts, coconut, and almonds. Pour mixture over crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 min. Lower temp to 225 degrees and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or till center no longer looks wet or shiny. Remove cake from oven, run a knife around the inside edge of pan. Turn over off and return cake to the oven for an additional hour. (This prevents cracking.) Chill uncovered, overnight.
Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 T. honey
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. rose water
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 T. chopped toasted almonds
a few sheets of baked phyllo (optional)
In a small saucepan, stir sugar, water, honey, cornstarch, and rose water together. Cook and stir till thick and bubbly. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in coconut and nuts. Spread warm mixture over the cake and garnish with crumbled pieces of baked phyllo dough, if desired. Chill until serving time.
This first post marks a new phase in my life. As a recently unemployed college student who is trying to find a job in the worst job market ever, I had some time on my hands and decided to put it to use. Hello, new website.
I'm trying this out as an experiment. I have a lot of "loves" in my life...art, cooking, music, traveling, etc. Since I'm a huge fan of cooking/baking, I thought I would start a blog for the purpose of sharing my favorite recipes and cooking adventures with friends, family, and whoever else stumbles upon this page.
I'm not much of a writer, so don't expect poetic eloquence. Just simple, and hopefully creative, entries on successes and failures in cooking...with a goal of turning my passion for cooking and art into a business someday!
