Granola Cookies

I was inspired during our hiking trip to Arizona last week, to creat a yummy granola-type of cookie that would combine my soul mate’s love of oatmeal cookies, with my need for chocolate inclusion to make the calories worth it. I think I’ve struck the mother lode. For realz.

Ingredients

• 3 cups uncooked Irish-style oatmeal
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 3/4 cup softened salted butter
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 11 oz bag of white chocolate chips
• 1 cup toasted or roasted almonds, roughly chopped
• 3/4 cups dried cranberries

Directions

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together butter and sugar until creamy, then add egg, and dry ingredients … add the chips, nuts and dried cranberries at the very end to make sure the “cookie” part of the recipe is well-mixed.
3. Line your cookie sheets with parchment, or prepare them however you normally do.
4. Drop cookies 1/2-inch apart–they don’t really spread too much–and pop in the oven.
5. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, then let cool and enjoy!

I’m not really sure how many cookies it would make if you used tablespoon-sized scoops because I make about a dozen larger cookies, then scoop the rest of the batter in tablespoon-sized balls. Let’s say it’ll make 35 – 50 cookies, depending on how big you want them.

YUM-OLA.

Make it with a fireman?

Tags

make it with a fireman, margaritas, sauza tequila

So I was searching around on YouTube this morning, looking for Tesla’s video for Signs, and ran across my new favorite margarita commercial.

Oui, oui, I’d like to make it with a fireman. Wouldn’t you?

(I’m talking about margaritas, of course. Geesh!)

The Perfect Parfait

Tags

activia, maple view farms, parfait, raspberries

I am not a dairy person.

There, I said it. In all of my life, I know one other person who doesn’t eat cheese, and she’s one of my best friends. Perhaps it’s the weirdness that brought us together. Who knows. My two main sources of dairy-based calcium, though, are skim milk and yogurt. I try to have both each day, though I’m very particular about the yogurt. I can’t just put a spoonful of yogurt in my mouth … yuck!

So I like to make parfaits. And I think I’ve perfected them, from simple, healthy ingredients, to fresh seasonal fruit, to cost efficient efforts, I think I have crafted the perfect parfait.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 ounces vanilla yogurt (I like Vanilla Activia)
• 1 Tbsp granola (I make mine homemade; keep on reading for my EASY method)
• Fresh fruit (today we’re using about 9 fresh raspberries)

To make the granola:
I’ve tried several different recipes for homemade granola, but in the end have come to the conculsion that this basic method is the most tasty and holds up to being mixed in with the granola. The oatmeal plumps up after a minute or two and offers a satisfying texture (while helping to keep your cholesterol low), and the toasted almonds are so yummy.

Spread your plain quick oats onto a baking sheet no more than 1/4 inch (‘ish) thick. Add in a handful of plain sliced or slivered almonds. My typical ratio is for 1/2 cup of oats, I use about 1 Tbsp of almonds. I like it nutty.

~ ~ ~

Easy assembly:

Spoon your yogurt into a bowl deep enough that you can use a spoon to mix it around. Shallow cereal bowls = fail. Sprinkle about 1 Tbsp of your cooled granola into the bowl and stir it in.

~ ~ ~

Add your fresh fruit. When I use raspberries, I like to mash them with my spoon so they break apart and the sweet juice helps to flavor the parfait.

My very favorite fruit to add is white peaches during the summertime, but fresh blueberries are also divine!

~ ~ ~

And Wa-la! The Perfect Parfait.

 

High 5: Christmas Cooking

Tags

hot chocolate, pancakes, recipes, snickerdoodle cookies, spiced pumpkin bread, sugar cookies

I’m a baker. But I’m not really a huge consumer. That is to say … I love baking over the holidays, but after having one piece or serving of a recipe, I wind up giving most of it as gifts to friends and neighbors. My boys are appalled that I have this inclination because they’d rather be goodie hoarders, but ultimately they get that the baking is cathartic and let me share. Check out this recipe redux from the blog (Becky Moore and Dolly Sickles). They’re good to share or have on hand when unexpected company drops in:

1. Snickerdoodles
2. Pancakes
3. Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
4. Spiced Pumpkin Bread
5. Bunny Cookies

Got any great recipes to share?

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

There is no better smell filling our home than spiced pumpkin bread. At breakfast yesterday, my son asked if I’d make some and I thought: why not? Seriously, this is like manna from heaven.

Ingredients

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 16-oz can solid pack pumpkin
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp hazlenut extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 Tbsp ground golden flaxseed
• 1/4-cup brown sugar (optional, for sprinkling on top)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour your pans (I like to make 6 muffins and 2 medium-sized loaves of bread). Beat together the sugar and oil in a large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs, pumpkin and your extracts. Sift in the dry ingredients (flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, salt) and blend well. I typically use a large whisk and mix it all by hand. My arm’s killing me by the time it’s done, but I enjoy the process.

Scoop the mixture by 1/3-cup measurements into the six muffin cups, and then divide the remaining batter into the two loaf pans. Sprinkle plain brown sugar on the top of the batter (streusel-style). Bake until your cake tester comes out clean when you insert it into the center … about an hour and a couple extra minutes. Transfer to racks and cool completely.

Cookie Days 2012: Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

So, as it turns out, when a recipe calls for using a Cuisinart, it’s most likely correct. Most likely. I got a Cuisinart seventeen years ago for a wedding present, but it gave out around 2008. For the most part, I’ve been able to do all of my food processing activities in other ways … but tonight, in making these rosemary shortbread cookies, I came to the realization that I need to add a new food processor to my list.

But I digress. This is a YUMMY recipe that’s really different, and one I think our friends and family will rave about during our Christmas party tonight. I’m putting them on a tray with herbed goat cheese, salted pecans, and raisin-pistachio crackers. It’s our 18th annual, and a definite highlight of the holiday season. I think this is an old Southern Living recipe, but I’m not sure … it’s the first time I’ve made it in a couple of years. Post-Cuisinart.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chilled butter
• 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced

1. Process the flour, butter, powdered sugar, and rosemary until the mixture forms a ball.
2. Roll the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface, then cut out cookies using whatever cutter floats your boat. I used snowflakes and round ornament (read: circles) shapes this year.
3. Bake at 325 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes.
4. You can sprinkle them with granulated sugar when they come out of the oven, but are still hot, if you like. It’s pretty, and adds a nice little kick.

PS. Did I mention that I’d like a new Cuisinart this year? If you’ve got an in with the Big Guy, I’d appreciate a shout-out.

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

Tags

hot chocolate

When I used to work in pharmaceutical advertising, the editorial director brought in this hot chocolate mix during the cold, winter months. We practically fought over it, and finally one day she shared the recipe so we would act (more) like adults and share. Plus, she was pretty wise to get us to share the costs.

Last week on Friday, I came home to a bag on the kitchen counter with a note from my mom: “Here are all of the ingredients for your hot chocolate! You can keep some for yourself, too. “

Geesh … moms.

• 1 box of Carnation Nonfat Dry Milk
• 1-1/2 (1-1/2 lb) boxes of Nestle’s Quick
• 1 jar (11 oz) Coffeemate
• 1 box (1 lb) 10x powdered sugar

Whisk all of the ingredients together until it’s thoroughly combined. Mix 1/3 cup of mix with 1 cup hot water. It’s heavenly! This makes about 28 cups of hot chocolate.

Bunny Cookies

I’m typically of the opinion that sweets without chocolate are simply not worth the calories. But years ago I started making an easy, basic–but very yummy–sugar cookie for my son. The recipe originally came with a bunny-shaped cookie cutter, and since my husband’s mother has collected bunnies for him since he was born decades ago, I knew this would be the recipe for us. I’ve altered it slightly through time, and rarely cut them in the shape of bunnies anymore, but they will always live on in infamy as our “Bunny Cookies.”

Ingredients
1 c salted butter
2/3 c sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp salt
2-1/2 c all-purpose flour

1. Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth; add the beaten egg. Once combined, add in the vanilla, salt and flour; mix until everything’s smooth (this is a THICK batter). You may need to add a splash of milk to bind everything … that’s okay, too.
2. Chill the dough for 2 – 3 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
4. Roll out the dough to the thickness you prefer (we roll it to about 1/8″), then cut out your fun shapes. (In honor of Halloween, we cut out cat heads, and my son topped them with purple icing.)
5. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes.
6. Let cool, then ice and decorate.

Frosting
3/4 c sifted confectioner’s sugar (10x)
1 T melted butter
1 T skim milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp lemon juice

1. Whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Ice your cookies!

PS. These freeze really well, and friends and family who receive them as gifts will bestow upon you great accolades and gratitude.

Divine Chocolate Cake

Tags

birthday, chocolate cake, hershey's

We celebrated my husband’s birthday yesterday, and my son always loves to help choose what kind of cake we’re going to make. This year, for the big four-oh, we went with my classic chocolate cake. Of the “so good it’ll make ya wanna slap ya mama” variety. Really.

Ingredients
- 1 c water
- 2 sticks salted butter (equal to 1 cup)
- 1/2 c Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder

- 2 c sugar
- 1-3/4 c all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp hazlenut extract
- 3/4 c sour cream (don’t use the low-fat variety … ick)
- Icing (see recipe below)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees; prepare cake pans (this makes one sheet cake in a jellyroll pan, or two round layers).
2. Heat the first three ingredients (water, butter, cocoa) in a saucepan on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the butter melts, heat to boiling for about a minute, then remove from heat.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the remainder of the ingredients (sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, eggs, sour cream, and the extracts). Mix in the chocolate mixture from your saucepan, beating just until blended (I mix this all by hand using a whisk). Pour into your prepared pans.
4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted comes out clean. Cool it on a wire rack and go ahead and prepare your icing.

Icing
- 1 stick salted butter
- 3 Tbsp Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder
- 6 Tbsp skim milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 box 10x powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1. Heat the butter in a saucepan over low heat until it melts–do not let it boil–then remove it from the heat.
2. Add in the cocoa, milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar, whisking until the icing is smooth. Add the pecans if you’re a nut person. (This is not a thick icing.)

Cooking Days | Cracker Dressing

One of my favorite recipes over the holidays is an old family favorite: cracker dressing. It’s not the most elegantly titled or looking dressing in the world, but I would lay odds that it’s one of the most comforting, and best tasting that you’ve ever had.

It’s an old fashioned recipe with simple ingredients, from the making to the tasting, but it’s worth a try.  At least once.

(My family fights over it.)

• 1 box salted saltine crackers
  (I use the blue Premium box … do NOT use Ritz; this should not be sweet)
• 10 oz evaporated fat free milk
• 1 stick of butter
• 16 oz low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, crumble all four sleeves of crackers from the box of saltines.

In a tall saucepan over medium heat, combine the broth, milk, butter, paprika, and pepper. Stir regularly until the butter has melted, then remove the pan from heat. Pour the liquid mixture over the crackers and fold it together. Make sure all of the crackers are moistened; if  the mixture is too dry, you can add a little extra chicken broth. Remember, you want everything moist, not soupy.

Pour the mixture into a prepared rectangular glass dish. Bake it covered for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 15 minutes or until golden brown on the top. This is not an overly dry dish.

We can eat cracker dressing cold out of the refrigerator, but it tastes best hot out of the oven with roasted meats … turkey or pork loin. It’s also really good with gravy. Mmm …