This is hands down my favorite cookie recipe. These disappear quickly and are great for sharing! This is my own recipe that I've been working on for years off of an old family one.
Ingredients:
1 cup Crisco butter flavored baking sticks (important for the right texture)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbs vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
3 cups oatmeal
1 11-12 oz pkg milk chocolate chips-I use Ghirardelli exclusively.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream crisco and sugars with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and cream until thoroughly mixed. Add salt and baking soda. Slowly and carefully add flour. Add oatmeal, if the batter seems dry add 1/2 cup less oatmeal. Add chocolate chips until just incorporated, do not crush them. Roll into 1&1/2 in balls onto grease baking sheet (or lined with parchment paper or silicone baking sheet). One dozen should fit on each sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just golden on top. These will be dense cookies that don't drop flat, so don't worry if you think at first that they don't look done, they are. This is a large batch of cookie dough and you will have many, many cookies.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Apple Crisp
Being that it's July we're getting into the beginning of prime apple season, and I'm an apple crisp nut. Nothing better than a warm bowl of apple crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert in my book. This is a modification of an old family recipe, and is well known among my friends as the best apple crisp. Now once again, I'm not a nut person so feel free to add your favorite nuts, but even those who can't imagine apple crisp without nuts loved mine... Alter at your own risk!
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Mix together in a large bowl then layer into a 9x13 pan (preferibly glass):
4 heaping cups apples (NOT granny smith, use golden delicious or braeburn or something sweet like that!)
1/2-1 cup sugar, depending on the apple sweetness
2 tbs flour
3. For the topping combine (keep in mind, I always make a double batch of this irresitible topping):
3/4 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter-I use Crisco butter flavored baking sticks, and it's way better for this recipe!!!
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
This should ideally form small clumps to layer over the apple mixture in the pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes, let cool, and enjoy often!
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Mix together in a large bowl then layer into a 9x13 pan (preferibly glass):
4 heaping cups apples (NOT granny smith, use golden delicious or braeburn or something sweet like that!)
1/2-1 cup sugar, depending on the apple sweetness
2 tbs flour
3. For the topping combine (keep in mind, I always make a double batch of this irresitible topping):
3/4 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter-I use Crisco butter flavored baking sticks, and it's way better for this recipe!!!
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
This should ideally form small clumps to layer over the apple mixture in the pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes, let cool, and enjoy often!
Banana Bread
If you're like me, you hate to waste food. We have bananas around the house all the time, but ocassionally we don't get to one before it starts to become too ripe. No problem, put it in the freezer and save it for banana bread (thanks mom for doing this while I was growing up, I get it now!). Now, I'm not a nut person so feel free to add your nut of choice to this. I love to toast it or just heat it up to serve warm with butter for breakfast or a great snack. This always dissappears quickly, so the two loaves this recipe makes is just right.
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs (remember, room temp)
1 cup sugar (white or sugar in the raw)
4 ripe bananas (thawed out and peel removed of course!)
1 tsp vanilla (okay, I admit it, I double the vanilla)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl, set aside. Combine eggs and sugar in a mixer on medium for about 2 minutes. Add bananas and vanilla. Alternate between dry ingredients and vegetable oil until all are added and batter is smooth. Add spices.
Grease 2 9x5 loaf pans well. Fill equally with batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 45 minutes, checking frequently to see if done. Breads are done when you stick a toothpick in and get only a little batter stuck to it. IMPORTANT: if you wait until they come out clean you risk your bread being over cooked and dry.
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs (remember, room temp)
1 cup sugar (white or sugar in the raw)
4 ripe bananas (thawed out and peel removed of course!)
1 tsp vanilla (okay, I admit it, I double the vanilla)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl, set aside. Combine eggs and sugar in a mixer on medium for about 2 minutes. Add bananas and vanilla. Alternate between dry ingredients and vegetable oil until all are added and batter is smooth. Add spices.
Grease 2 9x5 loaf pans well. Fill equally with batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 45 minutes, checking frequently to see if done. Breads are done when you stick a toothpick in and get only a little batter stuck to it. IMPORTANT: if you wait until they come out clean you risk your bread being over cooked and dry.
BBQ Sauce
Now, being summer, BBQ has been on my mind frequently. There is nothing like some BBQ chicken on a hot summer day paired with some sweet corn. In my case it is USDA Step 2 chicken (better living conditions and antibiotic free) from Whole Foods Market and organic sweet corn from Tampa Bay Organics, but that's just me. My boyfriend and I were tired of paying so much for BBQ sauce and felt like shaking things up, so we came up with our own recipe! Keep in mind, we are midwesterners so we crave different flavors from our home region's tastes. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 cups ketsup-I have switched to organic, and yes, there is a HUGE flavor difference and it's a whole lot less sweet, and a darker color
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground mustard
1 tbs ground onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1 tbs maple syrup-I use pure, grade B
1/4 cup honey-I use raw clover honey
5 drops liquid smoke
Mix all ingredients together on the stove and simmer covered 10 minutes on medium heat, and continue to cook 2 minutes on low heat uncovered.
For chicken: 40 minutes at 350 degrees F, turning half way through, if you are going to grill the chicken reduce time to 20-30 minutes and then grill until marks appear on both sides.
Ingredients:
2 cups ketsup-I have switched to organic, and yes, there is a HUGE flavor difference and it's a whole lot less sweet, and a darker color
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground mustard
1 tbs ground onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1 tbs maple syrup-I use pure, grade B
1/4 cup honey-I use raw clover honey
5 drops liquid smoke
Mix all ingredients together on the stove and simmer covered 10 minutes on medium heat, and continue to cook 2 minutes on low heat uncovered.
For chicken: 40 minutes at 350 degrees F, turning half way through, if you are going to grill the chicken reduce time to 20-30 minutes and then grill until marks appear on both sides.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
So for my boyfriend's birthday on the 1st he wanted pineapple upside down cake. I've never made one of these so this first rendition of this recipe is going to be a slightly modified one from Emeril Lagasse. Modifications will be in all caps. We had friends over for dinner with this cake, and it was unbelievable. I'm in love.
Stir together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the remaining 1/2 cup butter and the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing just until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in 3 batches, mixing at low speed after each addition until just combined. Stir in the vanilla and rum.
Spoon the batter evenly over the pineapple slices in the skillet. Bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown and a tester comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
Cool the cake in the skillet on a wire rack for 4 minutes only. Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake and, wearing oven mitts and working quickly, invert the cake onto a cake plate, keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together. Carefully lift the skillet off cake and replace any fruit stuck to the bottom of the skillet, if necessary. Arrange the fresh cherry halves, cut side down, into the top of the cake, in the center of the pineapple rings.
Serve cake warm or at room temperature.
Ingredients
- 1/2 ripe medium pineapple, peeled, cored, eyes removed and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds (about 4 or 5 slices)
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 14 pecan halves (SKIPPED, I'm not a nut person)
- 1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar (SUGAR IN THE RAW, warmer flavor)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon dark rum (SKIPPED)
- 4 fresh cherries, halved and pits removed
Directions
Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet (USED A 9" ROUND PAN, needs to be deep, MADE TOPPING IN POT ON STOVE), over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium high and cook until the sugar mixture is bubbly, about 2 minutes. Arrange pineapple slices in the skillet in a pleasing pattern and continue to cook for 2 minutes, or until the sugar mixture turns an amber color. Turn the pineapple slices over and remove the pan from the heat. (The mixture will continue to cook even though the heat is off.) Arrange the pecan halves in the spaces between the rings. Set aside to cool slightly.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.Stir together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the remaining 1/2 cup butter and the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing just until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately in 3 batches, mixing at low speed after each addition until just combined. Stir in the vanilla and rum.
Spoon the batter evenly over the pineapple slices in the skillet. Bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown and a tester comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
Cool the cake in the skillet on a wire rack for 4 minutes only. Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake and, wearing oven mitts and working quickly, invert the cake onto a cake plate, keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together. Carefully lift the skillet off cake and replace any fruit stuck to the bottom of the skillet, if necessary. Arrange the fresh cherry halves, cut side down, into the top of the cake, in the center of the pineapple rings.
Serve cake warm or at room temperature.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Vegan baking part 2
So I made another trip to the Whole Foods Market. I was of course on a mission to get the ingredients I had forgotten yesterday and might have picked up some rice milk ice cream as my reward. I feel like the gluten eating, meat loving majority of us really don't understand what goes into gluten free (GF) or vegan baking so I'm going to spend this post talking about the most common ingredients. Keep in mind these are in no particular order, and so far all can be found at a Whole Foods Market.
For those of you who happen to have a copy of the awesome book Babycakes by Erin McKenna, start on page 18 for more information and great tips from the baking star herself.
The prices listed next to the items was the cheapest I found locally (Tampa Bay Area) and all came from Whole Foods. Some items were the organic variety and I chose Bob's Red Mill or 365, Whole Foods generic brand, over others. These two brands were typically less expensive than others, but by no means cheap themselves.
1. Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour: This GF flour is the ultimate premix combination of flours for those who are sensitive to gluten. I found this at both Publix in the Greenwise section and at Whole Foods: $4.29 for a 22 oz bag.
2. Garbanzo-fava bean flour: Rises well when mixed with starches to replace wheat flour in GF recipes. Whole Foods: $5.49 for a 22 oz bag.
3. Coconut flour: A great GF thickener for sauces, soups, and frostings. Small amounts used at a time so even though it is a more expensive item, you aren't using too much. Whole Foods: $7.49 for a 16 oz bag.
4. Spelt flour: NOT GLUTEN FREE: Made from a distant cousin of wheat, spelt flour is a great vegan choice for flour and it's proteins are often easier to digest than wheat protein. Whole Foods: $4.29 for a 24 oz bag.
5. Potato starch: A thickener alternative to cornstarch. Whole Foods: $4.49 for a 24 oz bag.
6. Arrowroot: (arrowroot starch/flour) An easy to digest thickener. Really smooth. Small quantities used at a time. Whole Foods: $6.49 for a 20 oz bag.
7. Baking powder: Not all are GF!
8. Kosher salt: Look carefully!
9. Xanthan gum: This is used in very small amounts, like 1 tsp at a time, to make your doughs and batters stick together. Basically it does the job that gluten used to do for you. Whole Foods: $11.99 for a 8 oz bag.
10. Agave nectar: As talked about in my post vegan baking part 1, agave nectar is a great sugar substitute! Found at Publix and Whole Foods: $5.79 for a good size bottle.
11. Coconut oil: There is no good way to say that this is an expensive, completely necessary item for vegan baking. This is the not so dairy friendly person's butter substitute. High omega-3 fatty acids content makes it a healthy fat. Many other great properties and suggest for helping prevent heart attacks when substituted for butter and some other unfriendly oils. Stored as energy in our bodies. It's solid below 67 degrees F so when I bought it, it was solid. The next morning, however, after living in my 75 degrees F apartment it was in it's liquid state, which is what you need to measure it out anyways. Found at Publix and Whole Foods: $6.99 for a 14 oz jar.
12. Vanilla: Not all are GF! Check the labels. I recommend the organic Madagascar varieties. Whole Foods has the cheapest I could find at nearly half the cost of Publix per oz. Whole Foods: $9.99 for a 4 oz bottle.
13. Rice milk: Vegan, soy free alternative to milk.
14. Soy milk: Creamy, vegan alternative to milk.
15. Dry soy milk: Necessary for creamy vegan frosting. Used in relatively small amounts but very expensive and hard to find. Whole Foods: $11.99 for a 32 oz container.
16. Apple cider vinegar: Mix with rice mix to make a buttermilk substitute. Found at Publix or Whole Foods: $3.49 for a large bottle.
17. Unsweetened apple sauce: Used for thickness and texture in baking.
As I write this the carrot cupcakes are cooling on the counter and the vanilla frosting is chilling in the fridge (takes at least 6 hours to set up!).
Once again we will say thank you to Erin McKenna of Babycakes NYC for all her dedication to making cupcakes allergy friendly!
For those of you who happen to have a copy of the awesome book Babycakes by Erin McKenna, start on page 18 for more information and great tips from the baking star herself.
The prices listed next to the items was the cheapest I found locally (Tampa Bay Area) and all came from Whole Foods. Some items were the organic variety and I chose Bob's Red Mill or 365, Whole Foods generic brand, over others. These two brands were typically less expensive than others, but by no means cheap themselves.
1. Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour: This GF flour is the ultimate premix combination of flours for those who are sensitive to gluten. I found this at both Publix in the Greenwise section and at Whole Foods: $4.29 for a 22 oz bag.
2. Garbanzo-fava bean flour: Rises well when mixed with starches to replace wheat flour in GF recipes. Whole Foods: $5.49 for a 22 oz bag.
3. Coconut flour: A great GF thickener for sauces, soups, and frostings. Small amounts used at a time so even though it is a more expensive item, you aren't using too much. Whole Foods: $7.49 for a 16 oz bag.
4. Spelt flour: NOT GLUTEN FREE: Made from a distant cousin of wheat, spelt flour is a great vegan choice for flour and it's proteins are often easier to digest than wheat protein. Whole Foods: $4.29 for a 24 oz bag.
5. Potato starch: A thickener alternative to cornstarch. Whole Foods: $4.49 for a 24 oz bag.
6. Arrowroot: (arrowroot starch/flour) An easy to digest thickener. Really smooth. Small quantities used at a time. Whole Foods: $6.49 for a 20 oz bag.
7. Baking powder: Not all are GF!
8. Kosher salt: Look carefully!
9. Xanthan gum: This is used in very small amounts, like 1 tsp at a time, to make your doughs and batters stick together. Basically it does the job that gluten used to do for you. Whole Foods: $11.99 for a 8 oz bag.
10. Agave nectar: As talked about in my post vegan baking part 1, agave nectar is a great sugar substitute! Found at Publix and Whole Foods: $5.79 for a good size bottle.
11. Coconut oil: There is no good way to say that this is an expensive, completely necessary item for vegan baking. This is the not so dairy friendly person's butter substitute. High omega-3 fatty acids content makes it a healthy fat. Many other great properties and suggest for helping prevent heart attacks when substituted for butter and some other unfriendly oils. Stored as energy in our bodies. It's solid below 67 degrees F so when I bought it, it was solid. The next morning, however, after living in my 75 degrees F apartment it was in it's liquid state, which is what you need to measure it out anyways. Found at Publix and Whole Foods: $6.99 for a 14 oz jar.
12. Vanilla: Not all are GF! Check the labels. I recommend the organic Madagascar varieties. Whole Foods has the cheapest I could find at nearly half the cost of Publix per oz. Whole Foods: $9.99 for a 4 oz bottle.
13. Rice milk: Vegan, soy free alternative to milk.
14. Soy milk: Creamy, vegan alternative to milk.
15. Dry soy milk: Necessary for creamy vegan frosting. Used in relatively small amounts but very expensive and hard to find. Whole Foods: $11.99 for a 32 oz container.
16. Apple cider vinegar: Mix with rice mix to make a buttermilk substitute. Found at Publix or Whole Foods: $3.49 for a large bottle.
17. Unsweetened apple sauce: Used for thickness and texture in baking.
As I write this the carrot cupcakes are cooling on the counter and the vanilla frosting is chilling in the fridge (takes at least 6 hours to set up!).
Once again we will say thank you to Erin McKenna of Babycakes NYC for all her dedication to making cupcakes allergy friendly!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Vegan baking part 1
As many people who know me can attest, I seem to collect allergies. The latest being lactose intolerance (yes, that means I can't over-indulge in my delicious cream cheese icing without problems). So I've started looking at healthier cupcake options. Babycakes NYC (see my cake book list) is a bakery with locations in NYC and LA. It's all natural, vegan, gluten free, and earns rave reviews. Epicurious even just reviewed Babycakes' newest book. They are even super sugar conscious and I'm ready to join them on the agave nectar fan boat.
For those of you who don't know about agave nectar it comes from the agave plant which is best grown in Mexico. Oddly enough this plant is similar to aloe vera and also responsible for my favorite liqueur: tequila. This super concentrated sweetener that comes in a honey-like textured liquid is a great replacement for sugar with a glycemic index of around 40 (sugar is 100ish+ aka good choice for diabetics). So later this week I will be embarking on my agave journey.
Today I ventured to the local Whole Foods Market in Tampa. I had no idea the store was so big but after several friends recommended it and I knew they'd carry the specialty items I was looking for (like coconut flour), I decided it was time to stop by and stock up! Granted, even though I made a list, I forgot an ingredient. You can look forward to me testing out these vegan, sugar-free delights soon.
As for the strange ingredients: look for a future post where I will explain what each ingredient is, and what it is for. Who knows? Maybe vegan or gluten free baking is something someone you know has been waiting for.
For those of you who don't know about agave nectar it comes from the agave plant which is best grown in Mexico. Oddly enough this plant is similar to aloe vera and also responsible for my favorite liqueur: tequila. This super concentrated sweetener that comes in a honey-like textured liquid is a great replacement for sugar with a glycemic index of around 40 (sugar is 100ish+ aka good choice for diabetics). So later this week I will be embarking on my agave journey.
Today I ventured to the local Whole Foods Market in Tampa. I had no idea the store was so big but after several friends recommended it and I knew they'd carry the specialty items I was looking for (like coconut flour), I decided it was time to stop by and stock up! Granted, even though I made a list, I forgot an ingredient. You can look forward to me testing out these vegan, sugar-free delights soon.
As for the strange ingredients: look for a future post where I will explain what each ingredient is, and what it is for. Who knows? Maybe vegan or gluten free baking is something someone you know has been waiting for.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)