SWEET AS SUGAR COOKIES

Sweets for a Saturday #54

2012-01-27T15:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, this week Sweets for a Saturday is up at its regularly scheduled time. There were lots of awesome treats linked up last week. I honestly think that if there was a cookbook with all those recipes and your mouthwatering pictures in it, it would top the New York Times' bestseller list in an instant. Well, at least you can still enjoy all that sugary goodness here starting with last week's Top 5:

1. Cinnamon Roll Cake - Feeding My Temple

Cinnamon rolls AND cake? Where's my fork???

2. "Homemade" Cookies - Olla-Podrida

These cookies are stamped with love.

3. Corey's Treats - Cooking with K

Chocolate and peanut butter - need I say more?

4. Recession Proof Whipped Cream Frosting - The Traveling Spoon

The secret? No whipped cream required.

5. Cookie Monster Cupcakes - Eat Cake for Dinner

Looks like Cookie Monster has the right idea.

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

Jo's Rosemary Bread

2012-01-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

This bread is so good that I've already made it twice. The olive oil in it gives each bite a silky mouthfeel and the herbs and seasonings make it one of the most flavorful breads ever. It's the perfect addition to any dinner and would make awesome rolls as well. Give it a try!

Jo's Rosemary Bread (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

1 c. warm water (110F)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt (I decreased this to 1 tsp.)
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. dried rosemary
2 1/2 c. bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

Combine the warm water with the sugar and sprinkle in the yeast. Let sit 5-10 min. until foamy. Add the olive oil, Italian seasoning, black pepper, rosemary, and 1 c. flour. Stir to combine.

Add the salt and the rest of the flour, a 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-8 min. until it is elastic and passes the windowpane test (i.e. Pull off a small piece of dough and stretch it with your fingers until it's so thin you can nearly see right through it (like a windowpane). If you can manage to do this, you've kneaded it enough. If not, keep kneading it.) You will probably end up kneading in another 1/4-1/2 cup of flour in the process.

Form the dough into a ball and place in a well-greased bowl. Turn the dough to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. At this point, you can cover it with a towel and place it in a warm place to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Or, you can make the dough the night before and place it in the fridge to rise overnight, which is what I did.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and shape it into a loaf. You can either make a freeform loaf and put it onto a cookie sheet, or you can make one 9x5 loaf pan or three mini loaves. After shaping the loaves, cover with a greased piece of plastic wrap and let rise 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Bake about 20-25 min. (mini loaves) or 30-35 min. (large loaf) or until golden brown.

Sweets for a Saturday #53

2012-01-20T22:00:00.001-08:00

Oh my gosh, I can't believe that I forgot to post Sweets for a Saturday! I have never forgotten, but I guess there has to be a first time for everything. For whatever reason, I kept on thinking that I had another day. That is until about 10PM Friday night when that light bulb went off in my head and I literally freaked. I promise I'll totally remember from now on.

And now, here are your top 5:

1. Valentine's Day Trash - Cooking with K

One man's trash is everyone else's treasure.

2. Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Butter - The Royal Cook

Just when you thought butter couldn't get any better . . .

3. Joyful Almond, Coconut, Milk Chocolate Cookies - Hannah in the Kitchen

These cookies will have you jumping for joy.

4. Mud Hen Bars - Cooking with K

What's in a name? No matter what you call them, these bars are yummy.

5. Chocolate Covered Brownie Bottom Cheesecake - Angie's Sweet Natured Treats

Chocoholics unite for this cheesecake!

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

Lemon Pie Bars

2012-01-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

The first lemon bar received great compliments. However, I still believed that another recipe could be even better and I was sure my family would agree. So, I proceeded on to make Allrecipes' Lemon Pie Bars. Although these use less lemon juice than the Lemon Square Bars, they also have less sugar so I figured they'd be a little more tart. Plus, they have some lemon zest which would brighten up the flavor as well.

Sure enough, my family agreed that the lemon flavor was more pronounced in these bars. Hence, they were better. In addition, I learned my lesson from the first lemon bars and baked these for less time. As a result, the lemon filling was less solid and more gel-like (as my sister puts it), also a good thing. We tried one more lemon bar recipe but it couldn't compare to this one. These are clearly now the favorite in our family.

Lemon Pie Bars (Allrecipes)

2 c. flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. butter, softened

4 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
1/4 c. flour

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine the flour and powdered sugar. Cut in the butter. Mix well until the dough resembles pie dough. Press the dough into a 9x13 pan.

Bake 15-20 min. or until golden brown.

Beat together eggs, sugar, flour, lemon juice, and lemon zest for at least 1 min. Pour the mixture over the baked crust. Bake the bars for another 15-20 min., or until the lemon topping has set (mine took 15 min.). Sprinkle with powdered sugar when cooled.

Sweets for a Saturday #52

2012-01-13T15:00:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh, would you believe that this is the first anniversary for Sweets for a Saturday? I always dreamed this day would come. It's been one fantastic year. I've loved every week of it, meeting so many new amazing bloggers, staring goggle-eyed at the thousands of mouthwatering treats that have been linked up, and reading all your sweet comments. Thank you all for joining in and sharing your talents. Here's to another sugar-high filled year!!!

Last week's Sweets for a Saturday was HUGE!!! There were over 200 treats linked up. Congrats to all those who are in this week's Top 5. Plus, I added another Top 5 to showcase what some newcomers linked up.

1. Hot Chocolate Cookies - Catz in the Kitchen

2. Date Walnut Buttermilk Muffins - SamCyn's Edible Adventures

3. Top 5 Treats from 2011 - Dreaming of White Chocolate

4. Apple Cinnamon Bites - Everyday Insanity

5. Gooey Meyer Lemon Butter Cake - Arctic Garden Studio

1. Melting Snowman Sugar Cookies - Totally Lauren Amber

2. Chocolate Cashew Caramels - Vous Etes Doux

3. S'more Cupcakes - Cupcake Crazy Gem

4. White Chocolate Pumpkin Biscotti - Once in a Lifetime Travel

5. Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars - Everyday Desserts

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

Lemon Square Bars

2012-01-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

According to my family, there is this awesome bakery on Oahu that makes lemon bars. They had tasted some of them and raved about them ever since. They believe that no homemade lemon bar can possibly compare. Oh we'll see about that. Challenge, accepted.

Since I had never tasted one of these lemon bars, I would have to rely on their descriptions to try and find a recipe that might match. All they could tell me was that it had a shortbread crust and a filling that was not too tart and not too sweet. Unfortunately, that basically described every single lemon bar recipe that exists.

I still had no idea of how tart or how sweet. So, I decided to try a couple of recipes and see what they thought. The first recipe I tried was the Lemon Square Bars from Allrecipes. It had a moderate amount of lemon juice so I figured it would be good to start there and then work my way up or down the tartness scale.

The only changes I made was to halve the amount of sugar in the crust (since my family wanted buttery rather than sweet) and to use cold butter instead of melted (me and melted butter just don't mix).

I may have overbaked them just a little too much, but it all turned out okay. The bars had a good crust to filling ratio and the filling had a mild lemon flavor. My family thought they were quite good. But, I'm not quite satisfied so I think I'll try another recipe to see if we can up the tartness just a bit.

Lemon Square Bars (Allrecipes)

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup butter, melted

4 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
5/8 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together 2 cups flour and confectioners' sugar. Blend in the melted butter. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light. Combine the sugar, baking powder and 1/4 cup of flour so there will be no flour lumps. Stir the sugar mixture into the eggs. Finally, stir in the lemon juice. Pour over the prepared crust and return to the oven.

Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until bars are set. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

My Very First Pizza

2012-01-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to try making my own pizza from scratch. So, when my mom asked what we were going to make for dinner tonight, I figured, what better time than now? Let's do it!

The pizza crust is very much like a basic bread recipe. The only problem I ran into was when it came time to stretch it into shape. I tried pulling it, I tried tossing it, I tried letting gravity stretch it down. And, either way, the dough became too thin and I got holes in it. Finally, my dad suggested just laying it down and slowly pushing out from the middle. Voila! It worked.

For toppings, I just used whatever we had in the fridge, which turned out to be tomatoes, spinach, and onions. I did caramelize the onions though for a little extra flavor. We also didn't have any pizza sauce or the ingredients to make any. But, we did have a jar of spaghetti sauce. I cooked it down to reduce it and make it thicker.

The finished pizzas were delicious and the crust was crisp and chewy, just as it should be. The spaghetti sauce gave it a little different flavor, but we didn't mind one bit. Slice after slice disappeared. G'bye store-bought pizza.

Pizza Crust (King Arthur Flour)

2 teaspoons active dry yeast or instant yeast (I used 1 pkg. yeast)
7/8 to 1 1/8 cups lukewarm water (I used 7/8 cup)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt (I decreased this to 1 tsp.)

1) If you're using active dry yeast, dissolve it, with a pinch of sugar, in 2 tablespoons of the lukewarm water. Let the yeast and water sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, until the mixture has bubbled and expanded. If you're using instant yeast, you can skip this step.

2) Combine the dissolved yeast (or the instant yeast) with the remainder of the ingredients. Mix and knead everything together—by hand, mixer or bread machine set on the dough cycle—till you've made a soft, smooth dough. If you're kneading in a stand mixer, it should take 4 to 5 minutes at second speed, and the dough should barely clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps sticking a bit at the bottom. Don't over-knead the dough; it should hold together, but can still look fairly rough on the surface.

3) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow it to rise till it's very puffy. This will take about an hour using instant yeast, or 90 minutes using active dry. If it takes longer, that's OK; just give it some extra time.

4) Decide what size, shape, and thickness of pizza you want to make. This recipe will make one of the following choices:
Two 1/2"-thick 14" round pizzas
Two 3/4"-thick 12" round pizzas;
One 3/4" to 1"-thick 13" x 18" rectangular (Sicilian-style) pizza
One 1 1/2"-thick 9" x 13" rectangular pizza;
One 1"-thick 14" round pizza.

5) Divide the dough in half, for two pizzas; or leave it whole for one pizza.

6) If you're making a rectangular pizza, shape the dough into a rough oval. For a round pizza, shape it into a rough circle. In either case, don't pat it flat; just stretch it briefly into shape. Allow the dough to rest, covered with an overturned bowl or lightly greased plastic wrap, for 15 minutes.

7) Use vegetable oil pan spray to lightly grease the pan(s) of your choice. Drizzle olive oil into the bottom of the pan(s). The pan spray keeps the pizza from sticking; the olive oil gives the crust great flavor and crunch.

8) Place the dough in the prepared pan(s). Press it over the bottom of the pan, stretching it towards the edges. You'll probably get about two-thirds of the way there before the dough starts shrinking back; walk away for 15 minutes. Cover the dough while you're away, so it doesn't dry out.

9) When you come back, you should be able to pat the dough closer to the corners of the pan. Repeat the rest and dough-stretch one more time, if necessary; your goal is to get the dough to fill the pan as fully as possible.

10) Allow the dough to rise, covered, till it's noticeably puffy, about 90 minutes (mine took 30 min.). Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 450°F.

11) Bake the pizza on the lower oven rack till it looks and feels set on top, and is just beginning to brown around the edge of the crust, but is still pale on top. This will take about 8 minutes for thinner crust pizza; about 10 to 12 minutes for medium thickness; and 12 to 14 minutes for thick-crust pizza. If you're baking two pizzas, reverse them in the oven (top to bottom, bottom to top) midway through the baking period.

12) Remove it from the oven, and arrange your toppings of choice on top. Return to the oven, and bake on the upper oven rack for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is nicely browned, both top and bottom, and the cheese is melted. Check it midway through, and move it to the bottom rack if the top is browning too much, or the bottom not enough.

13) Remove the pizza from the oven, and transfer it from the pan to a rack to cool slightly before serving. For easiest serving, cut with a pair of scissors.

Sweets for a Saturday #51

2012-01-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

Sweet as Sugar Cookies has just gone over the 1000 followers mark! I am floored!!! Thank you to all you loyal readers. It simply wouldn't be the same or as much fun without you.

As for last week's Sweets for a Saturday, it was awesome. There were a lot of new people who joined in and I welcome all of you and hope you'll continue to be a part of the party.

And, to top it off, I am now on Pinterest!

Okay, okay, enough talk from me. Here are your spotlighted Top 5 from last week:

1. Top 10 Favorite Desserts of 2011 - Eat Cake for Dinner

This is only a bite of the deliciousness she has to offer.

2. Top 10 Most Viewed Recipes - The Kitchen is My Playground

Nutella French Toast - 'nough said.

3. Best 2011 Desserts - Aunt Nubby's Kitchen

Amazing decorating skills!

4. Zebra Cake - A Little Bit Crunchy, A Little Bit Rock and Roll

Gorgeous effect

5. Cheesecake Filled Carrot Cake - That Skinny Chick Can Bake

The absolute epitome of carrot cake!

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-01-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

I was kind of bummed when I found out that we wouldn't be having a reveal day for the Secret Recipe Club this month. I had been assigned to the Beantown Baker and was totally excited since I've been a longtime follower of her blog. She has so many amazing recipes and I couldn't wait to make one of them and post about it. But, hey who says there needs to be an official reveal day? I decided to go ahead and do the assignment anyway.

I chose her Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies since I had some candy canes lying around the house. As I made them, I was kind of worried that the peppermint flavor would be a little overwhelming. But, to my surprise, I tasted one after they were baked and the flavor of the peppermint and chocolate chips actually blended together perfectly. The cookies were also delightfully chewy. My family enjoyed these every bit as much as I did.

Thanks Beantown Baker for opening my eyes to a new cookie recipe.

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Beantown Baker)

1 c. butter, at room temperature
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. + 2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt (omit if using salted butter)
1 c. crushed candy canes
1 2/3 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or lightly butter them, and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, or a large bowl if mixing by hand, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.

Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture, and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and crushed candy canes.

Using a cookie scoop or two spoons, scoop cookie dough onto prepared pans. Bake 12-15 for smaller cookies, 14-17 for larger ones or until the tops are a light golden brown.

Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

This recipe is linked to:
These Chicks Cooked
Bake with Bizzy
Crazy Sweet Tuesday
Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party

Black Bottomed Pumpkin Cheesecakes

2012-01-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Day. As for me and my family, we all got together for a New Year's Eve lunch filled with tons of delicious food. We made Korean fried chicken, wontons, macaroni salad, and nishime (traditional Japanese stew). My grandma made her special fried shrimp. I also contributed by making these Mini Black Bottomed Pumpkin Cheesecakes for dessert.

They're totally easy to put together and absolutely scrumptious to eat. Plus, their small size makes them the perfect ending after a big meal. The only change I would make next time is to use gingersnaps instead of Oreos for the crust. But, otherwise, everyone loved them.

Mini Black Bottomed Pumpkin Cheesecakes (from Picky Palate)

8 Oreos, finely crushed
1 1/2 Tbsp. melted butter
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine ground Oreos and melted butter into a bowl until wellcombined. Spoon into a 12-cup muffin tin that has been sprayed with cooking spray or lined with muffin cups. Press into the bottom of each cup so the crust is flat. Bake for 10 min. then remove from oven.

In a stand or electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and pumpkin until smooth. Beat in egg, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg until combined. Pour evenly into the 12 cups, filling each about 3/4 full (about 2 Tbsp. per cup). Bake for 25-28 min. or until cheesecake is cooked through. Let cool completely. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

This recipe is linked to:
A Little Birdie Told Me
Full Plate Thursday
Bake with Bizzy
Crazy Sweet Tuesday
Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party

Sweets for a Saturday #50

2011-12-30T15:00:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I know I did. Wishing you all a Happy New Year!!!

And now, here's the Top 3 from last week:

1. Buckeye Bars - A Well Seasoned Life

2. Christmas Cookies - Heidi's Recipes

3. Candy Cane Blossoms - Hannah in the Kitchen

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

Buttery Dill Monkey Bread

2011-12-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

I made this bread for my family and they were blown away (and believe me, they are tough critics when it comes to food). I kept hearing them say . . .

Best bread I have ever eaten!

Mmmmm.

So fluffy.

I could eat this bread forever.

When are you going to make this again?

In fact, I made two mini loaves that night and my dad and sister devoured the first loaf in record time. The second loaf was gone by the next afternoon.

The dill flavor is not at all overpowering and it's just fun to pick off the little buns and eat them one by one. I highly recommend making this and eating it warm right out of the oven. It's the best!

Buttery Dill Monkey Bread (from Confessions of a Bright-Eyed Baker)

2 Tbsp. warm water
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
2 1/4 c. bread flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. milk, lukewarm
1 egg
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 Tbsp. dried dill

Dill Butter:
4 Tbsp. melted butter, divided
1 Tbsp. dried dill

Combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar and let sit for 10 min. until foamy.

Add the milk, egg, butter, and dill to the yeast mixture. Add the salt and the flour gradually until the dough no longer sticks to the bottom of the bowl. Knead lightly by hand and place the ball of dough in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30-60 min.

Meanwhile, combine 2 Tbsp. of melted butter with 1 Tbsp. dill to make the dill butter.

Once the dough is ready, punch it down and shape into 1-inch balls. Dip each ball into the dill butter and place in small greased ramekins or mini loaf pans (I used two mini loaf pans). The dough will rise more, so don't cram too much dough into too small a space.

Cover the loaves with plastic wrap and allow to rise for another 20-25 min. Preheat your oven to 375F. Right before baking, brush some of the remaining 2 Tbsp. of melted butter over the dough. Bake for 15-20 min., brushing again with the butter twice throughout the baking process. Enjoy warm from the oven.

This recipe is linked to:
My Meatless Mondays
Hearth n' Soul Hop
These Chicks Cooked
Made it on Monday
Friday's Potluck

Pumpkin Chai Bubble Bread

2011-12-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

I had previously made a savory monkey bread for my sister. She absolutely loved it. Then, I told her about the buttery, sugary version of it, and well, she begged me to make that too. I agreed.

Since I've had pumpkin yeast bread on my to-do list for practically forever, I knew I wanted to do a pumpkin version of it. I used the pumpkin yeast bread recipe found on Willow Bird Baking, and then took it from there, adding my own twists on it. Instead of rolling the dough in cinnamon-sugar, I rolled them in a mixture of sugar and my chai spice blend. For comparison, I also made one loaf with cinnamon-sugar.

I couldn't wait for the loaves to be done. They smelled so good baking away. Peeking in the oven, I could see a beautiful sugary crust forming on top with little rivulets of butter melted in between the mini buns.

My family eagerly tried the breads. The chai spice version won hands down. My sister said she could taste the pumpkin in it more and that the flavor of the spices really blended well with it. I think the only changes I'd make next time would be to add some spices to the bread itself to pump up the flavor even more and use brown sugar instead of white sugar for rolling the dough. But, other than that, these were fluffy, sweet mouthfuls of bready bliss.

Pumpkin Chai Monkey Bread (adapted from Willow Bird Baking and created by Lisa of Sweet as Sugar Cookies)

1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups bread flour

For rolling:
1 c. sugar (I'd use brown sugar next time)
5-6 tsp. chai spice
2 Tbsp. melted butter

Chai Spice (Sweet as Sugar Cookies blend)

4 tsp. cinnamon
4 tsp. ginger powder
2 tsp. cardamom
2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. white pepper

Grease three mini loaf pans and set aside. Heat the milk to 100-110F and melt the butter in it. Stir in two teaspoons of sugar and the yeast and let sit until foamy, about 5-10 min. Add the pumpkin and salt and gradually add the flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl (it will still be slightly sticky but not tacky). Knead until smooth and elastic.

Put the dough into a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a dishtowel, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. When dough has doubled, punch it down and roll into 1-inch balls, about 40-50 of them.

Roll them in the melted butter and then in the mixture of sugar and chai spice. Stagger the balls of dough in the loaf pans (do not put them in too tightly). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise another 30 min.

Preheat your oven to 375F. Bake the loaves for 20-22 min. until golden brown on top.

This recipe is linked to:
Crazy Sweet Tuesday
A Little Birdie Told Me
These Chicks Cooked
Made it on Monday
Full Plate Thursday
Sweet Tooth Friday
Sweet Indulgences Sunday

Sweets for a Saturday #49

2011-12-23T15:00:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Christmas is already this weekend. Hope you're having a wonderful holiday.

As for me, my quest for The Best Ginger Cookie by Christmas has finally ended! Twelve recipes, tons of taste testing, and cookies galore, and I've finally found some wonderful favorites that will be keepers. Wanna know which recipe won?

The Ginger Cookie Winner:

Now here's your Top 5:

1. Vanilla Crescents - Catalina Bakes

They look like they're covered with lightly fallen snow.

2. Festive Sugar Cookies - The Traveling Spoon

Perfect for any holiday platter

3. Birthday Cake Fudge - The Royal Cook

What a fun, fudgy idea!

4. Fudge Recipe Collection - Dreaming of White Chocolate

Tons of fudge recipes to make your mouth water.

5. Key Lime Fudge - The Royal Cook

So original!

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

Two Last Cookies and the Winner

2011-12-23T02:02:00.000-08:00

The end of the quest at last!!! But, before I announce the winner, here are the final recipes.

The last two cookies out of the dozen recipes I tried were Martha Stewart's Ginger Cookies and the Chewy Gingerbread Cookies from the blog, "Fork Fingers Chopsticks."

The cookies from Fork Fingers Chopsticks had the best texture out of any cookie I tried. They were so rounded and thick and crackled on top to boot. However, the taste was a little milder than I would have liked.

Chewy Gingerbread Cookies (Fork Fingers Chopsticks)

2 1/2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 1/4 c. crystallized ginger, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. ginger powder
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 c. large grain sugar (for rolling)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Adjust racks – one in top 1/3 oven – second in bottom 1/3 oven.

Peel and grate fresh ginger; set aside. Finely chop crystallized ginger; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, flour, baking soda and salt. Add crystallized ginger, separate if it clumps and stir to incorporate. Set aside.

In a medium-size skillet or small pot, over low heat, add butter – when it has melted almost half way. Turn off the heat and add the fresh ginger, brown sugar, molasses. Mixture should be warm to touch not hot. Add beaten egg and stir to incorporate. Pour over flour mixture. Stir until combined – do not overwork the dough.

Shape dough into balls (1/2 tablespoon dough for small cookies – 1 1/2 inch; 1 heaping tablespoon dough for 3 inch). Balls should be placed at least 2 inches apart for smaller cookies/ 3 inches for larger.

*Optional: For a prettier cookie, coat each ball with large granule sugar/sea salt before baking.

Bake for 8 to 9 minutes for small cookies; 10 – 12 for larger. Cookies are done when they have risen and cookies crack. Do not overbake – underbaking is better. Store in airtight container for about 1 week.

On the other hand, the Martha Stewart Ginger Cookies had great flavor to them. But, they came out flatter, though still wonderfully chewy. Flavorwise, my family also preferred Martha Stewart's to the ones from Fork Fingers Chopsticks.

Martha Stewart's Ginger Cookies (from Martha Stewart)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/3 cup for coating
6 tablespoons molasses
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, allspice, and pepper.

With an electric mixer, cream butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. With mixer on low, gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic, and freeze for 20 minutes.

Divide dough into twelve 2-inch balls. Place remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a bowl. Roll balls in sugar to coat; place at least 4 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Flatten into 3-inch rounds. Sprinkle with sugar remaining in bowl.

Bake until brown, rotating sheets halfway through, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

And now . . . the winner and some honorable mentions.

1. Crackly Topped Spice Cookies

These were hands-down the winners in terms of taste. Perfectly spicy without any one spice overpowering the others. One bite will leave you wanting for more.

2. David Lebovitz's Nonfat Gingersnaps

The texture was a little too soft, but my family and I still gave them a thumbs up in terms of taste. Besides, they're fat free. You can't beat that. I'd indulge in these anytime.

3. Martha Stewart's Ginger Cookies

While we wish these would have been thicker, we still couldn't deny that Martha Stewart knows her stuff when it comes to ginger cookies. The flavor was spot-on good.

Well, it's been quite the quest. I don't know if I can look at another ginger cookie, at least anytime soon, but I've still enjoyed myself. More importantly, I've finally found ginger cookie recipes that will be keepers in my book. Thanks so much for following me along on my journey and I hope you'll be able to try some of the winning cookies. Merry Christmas!

Nonfat Gingersnaps

2011-12-22T02:34:00.000-08:00

It's true that the holidays are for indulging. Still, wouldn't it be nice to have your cake and eat it too, or in this case, eat your cookies and NOT have to run yourself ragged at the gym the next day? Enter David Lebovitz's Gingersnaps. They're totally fat free, using applesauce in place of butter and egg whites instead of whole eggs.

His gingersnaps are actually based off of Ina Garten's Ultimate Gingersnaps, which I blogged about earlier in my quest. He changed it up though by adding more ginger and decreasing the cloves. This totally remedied the critiques I had about her recipe - not enough ginger and too much cloves. He also adds a good amount of black pepper. I was curious to see how they would taste with his improvements.

The cookies really were quite good. In fact, we loved how they tasted and you don't miss the fat at all when it comes to flavor. But, apparently, omitting the butter leads to a slight problem in texture. The cookies, though baked through, were a little too soft, and quite gooey on the bottoms. Of course, if you don't mind that sort of thing, then these will definitely be the cookie for you. Besides, the fact that they're fat-free is a big plus and I like that I could indulge on these without the guilt. On that basis alone, I would make these again for sure.

Stay tuned because the last two ginger cookie recipes will be posted later today. Then, the final winner will be announced on Friday morning.

David Lebovitz's Nonfat Gingersnaps (from David Lebovitz)

1 cup, packed (180g) dark brown sugar
1/4 cup (75g) applesauce
1/3 cup (45g) molasses (preferably mild-flavored)
2 1/4 cups (315g) flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground dried ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 cup (50g) finely-chopped candied ginger

additional sugar (about 1/2 cup, 100g) mixed with a big pinch of cinnamon for rolling the cookies

1. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the brown sugar, applesauce, and molasses for five minutes at medium speed, with the paddle attachment.

2. Meanwhile sift together the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.

3. After five minutes, stop the mixer, scrape down the sides, and add the egg whites. Beat another minute.

4. With the mixer at its lowest speed, add the dry ingredients until completely incorporated, and mix on medium for one minute more.

5. Stir in the chopped candied ginger. Chill the batter very well.

6. To bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350F (180C).

7. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

8. Pour some cinnamon-scented granulated sugar in a shallow baking dish. Scoop the cookies into heaping tablespoon-sized balls (about the size of an unshelled walnut) and plunk them down into the sugar.

Afterward, use your hands to form the dough into sugar-coated balls: don’t be shy with the sugar either. It not only helps to shape the sticky dough, but makes a lovely crust for the finished cookies.

9. Put the cookie mounds evenly-spaced on the two baking sheets, leaving room (at least 3-inches, 8cm) between them to spread.

10. Bake for 13 minutes, or until the cookies feel just barely set in the center. Remove from oven and cool.

Note: DL uses 1/2 cup plain applesauce and cooks it down to a thick paste amounting to 1/4 cup. According to him, this makes for a denser, chewier cookie.

Sugar Baby's Ginger Cookies

2011-12-19T15:00:00.000-08:00

These Ginger Cookies by Sugar Baby's Gesine Bullock Prado was also a popular recipe that I found when scouring other food blogs. What caught my eye was that it called for adding some white pepper in addition to the other spices. Since I like a little heat in my cookies, I decided that I had to try this recipe as well.

The baked cookies didn't have that crackled look, but they were still thick and chewy. I could definitely detect the heat from the white pepper and, unlike the Ina Garten Ginger Cookies, this time I could taste the ginger. But, even then, the taste still failed to wow my family and I. Somehow, it just didn't have that flavor that I always think of when I think of ginger cookies. But, there's still three more recipes left to try before this search ends and I have a few frontrunners in mind as well. As to which one will be the winner, all will be revealed by the end of this week.

Ginger Cookies (Gesine Bullock-Prado)

1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. molasses
1 egg
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. ginger powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. white pepper
granulated sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and molasses until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. With the mixer on low speed, gently add the flour mixture until just incorporated. Be very careful not to overmix. Fold in the crystallized ginger and chill the dough, covered, for a few hours or overnight.

Using a large cookie scoop, scoop the cookies and dip them in sanding sugar so that they are completely coated. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.

Bake for about 15 minutes. The cookies will crack a bit but should still be soft in the middle. Place on wire racks to cool. Makes about 30 cookies.

Ina Garten's Ultimate Ginger Cookies

2011-12-19T01:30:00.000-08:00

This recipe had tons of reviews on the Food Network website and many bloggers have raved about it as well. So, I just had to see what everyone was talking about and decided to try Ina Garten's Ultimate Ginger Cookies.

There are several things that set this recipe apart. One is that they are made with oil instead of butter. Secondly, they have very little ginger powder in them. However, they do have a lot of ground cloves. I wondered how all this would affect the taste.

As you can see, the cookies came out beautifully. They have that classic crackled look on the top and they were also thick and chewy, just how I want my ginger cookies to be.

Tastewise, however, they were simply "meh." I couldn't detect any ginger flavor in them, which is not surprising since I mentioned that the amount of ginger powder is clearly outnumbered by the other spices. I could detect the flavor of the cloves which was a bit off-putting. Plus, I think you really do need the flavor that can only come from butter.

No offense to anyone who has tried this recipe and liked it. But, as for my family and I, the search still goes on.

By the way, today will be a double posting day. Look out for Ginger Cookie #9 later this afternoon.

Ina Garten's Ultimate Ginger Cookies (by Ina Garten)

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 c. dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. unsulfured molasses
1 extra-large egg, at room temperature
1 1/4 c. chopped crystallized ginger (I left this out)
sugar for rolling

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and salt and then combine the mixture with your hands. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the brown sugar, oil, and molasses on medium speed for 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low speed, add the egg, and beat for 1 minute. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat for 1 more minute. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the crystallized ginger and mix until combined.

Scoop the dough with 2 spoons or a small ice cream scoop. With your hands, roll each cookie into a 1 3/4-inch ball and then flatten them lightly with your fingers. Press both sides of each cookie in granulated sugar and place them on the sheet pans. Bake for exactly 13 minutes. The cookies will be crackled on the top and soft inside. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Sweets for a Saturday #48

2011-12-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

This week's Top 5 was a pleasant surprise for me. I found out that my treat actually made it to the top #1 spot! But, since the main purpose is to spotlight all of YOU, I'm sharing the Top 6 from this week. Enjoy!

Irish Cream and Pistachio Fudge - I Was Born to Cook

Mud Puddles - Sweet as Sugar Cookies

Root Beer Float Fudge - Making Memories with Your Kids

Rum Balls - The Kitchen is My Playground

Holiday Sugar Cookies - Heidi's Recipes

Eggnog Truffles - Shugary Sweets

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

Eat Healthy Ginger Cookies

2011-12-13T16:08:00.000-08:00

Just when I thought I was doomed to have flat cookies forever, it happened. I got my thick and chewy cookies!

It could be because there's no eggs in this recipe. Instead, an equal volume of milk is substituted, hence there's less fat in these cookies. Less fat means less spreading in the oven, or so I've heard. It could also be because I also increased my baking temperature to 375F in hopes of getting the cookies to set quicker before any spread could occur. But, whatever the reason, these cookies puffed in the oven, stayed puffy even after cooling, and resulted in yummy bites with that cakey chew that I so long for.

Plus, these cookies have a ton of ginger powder in them and very little amounts of other spices, so the ginger flavor really shines through. At the same time, it is not at all overpowering.

I'm glad I got to try these neat little cookies because they turned out great!

Ultimate Ginger Cookies (Eat Healthy Your Way)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1⁄2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cloves
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
1⁄2 cup canola oil (I used butter)
1⁄4 cup molasses
1⁄4 cup soymilk (I used regular milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1⁄4 cup turbinado sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
Sift flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt into a medium bowl. Combine granulated sugar, oil, molasses, soymilk and vanilla in a large bowl with a whisk or electric mixer on medium speed. Stir in crystallized ginger and fresh ginger. Then stir in the dry ingredients until well combined. The dough will be sticky.
damp hands, shape the dough into 30 balls (about 1 tablespoon each). Place about 12 balls on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Press turbinado sugar onto the top of each cookie. (If you don’t have coarse sugar, you can sprinkle the top of each cookie with a little granulated sugar instead.) Bake the cookies, one batch at a time, until slightly puffed and beginning to brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Bon Appetit Ginger Cookies

2011-12-12T13:35:00.000-08:00

These cookies come from Bon Appetit's site and are somewhat similar to the Crackly Topped Spice Cookies I made last week. The difference is that there's no cayenne pepper or nutmeg in them. Based on this, I was curious as to whether they could possibly be as good as the other cookies. After all, I do like my cookies spicy.

But, when all was said and done and cookies were baked, I was pleasantly surprised. These cookies still had a lot of delicious flavor in them. True, they weren't quite as spicy as the other cookies, but they were really very good. Unfortunately, I couldn't get my cookies to be thick, chewy, and puffy like I wanted. I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that until I replace my oven, it'll be flat cookies all the way. But, at least they'll always be tasty either way.

If you're not the kind of person who likes a lot of heat in your cookies, then these would be a great alternative.

Woo-hoo. We're halfway through the quest!

Chewy Ginger Cookies (from Bon Appetit but adapted by A Catalogue Raisonne)

2 c. all-purpose flour
3 tsp. ginger powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. crystallized ginger, minced (optional)
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
3/4 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1/4 c. mild-flavored molasses

Combine first 6 ingredients and whisk to blend. Mix in crystallized ginger if desired.

Beat brown sugar and butter until fluffy. Add egg and molasses and beat until blended. Add flour mixture and mix until just blended. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350F. Spoon sugar in thick layer on small plate. Using wet hands, form dough into 1 1/4" balls. Roll in sugar to coat completely. Place balls on baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.

Bake cookies until cracked on top but still soft to touch, about 12 min. Cool on sheets 1 min. Carefully transfer to racks and cool.

Sweets for a Saturday #47

2011-12-09T15:00:00.000-08:00

Here are your Top 5:

1. Salted Caramel Apple Pie - Piece, Love, & Cooking

2. Mince Pies - Catalina Bakes

3. Candy Cane Snowball Cookies - Arctic Garden Studio

4. Hot Chocolate on a Stick - Lark's Country Heart

5. Caramel Eclair - Girlichef

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

Crackly Topped Spice Cookies

2011-12-08T15:40:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard of Anna's blog, "Cookie Madness"? It is full of treats of all kinds - cakes, pies, and of course, cookies. I've been reading her blog for some time now. In fact, one of the recipes on her site, for the Ultimate Stand Mixer Chocolate Chip Cookies, made my fave list when I went on a search for the best CCC of them all. So, I figured that it was very likely that I might find THE ginger cookie recipe on her site.

After perusing through a bunch of recipes, I settled on the Crackly Top Spice Cookies. Judging from the recipe, these cookies would be anything but mild. They have a whole tablespoonful of ginger powder AND cinnamon in them plus cloves, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper to bring the heat. Sounds like my kind of cookie.

Mine didn't come out with the crackly tops, but appearance is not the most important thing. They were super chewy which is just how I like them. Then, as to their taste. With the first bite straight from the oven, I was speechless. It's like I could taste all the different spices individually as well as blended together into one lovely harmony. Then, there was just the tiniest bit of heat at the back of my throat from the cayenne pepper. It was surreal. I have no doubt that these would be absolutely sensational drizzled with a little melted white chocolate.

Looks like this is the frontrunner for now.

Crackly Top Spice Cookies (from Cookie Madness)

2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. ginger powder
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. shortening (I used margarine)
1 c. sugar
1 large egg
1/4 c. mild molasses (Grandma's)

First, mix together all the dry ingredients - flour through nutmeg. Set aside.

Beat together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and mix well.

Stir the flour mixture into the sugar mixture. Cover the dough and chill for an hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Shape dough into one inch balls. Roll dough in crystal or coarse sugar. Place 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 min. or until the cookies are crackly looking and crispy around the edges.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Alice Medrich's Triple Ginger Cookies

2011-12-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

Woohoo, it's Week 11 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies!

Yes, believe it or not, it's another Triple Ginger Cookies, this time from Alice Medrich. But, just because the name is the same as the other cookie, does not mean that the recipe is also identical.

Alice's recipe differs from Emily's in a number of ways. First of all, there's a higher flour to butter ratio. Secondly, the butter is to be melted rather than simply softened. Third, this cookie has ginger powder (naturally) but it also has cinnamon and a little allspice. Fourth, unlike Emily's recipe which used only white sugar, Alice's recipe uses a combo of both white and brown sugar. Finally, there are 2 tablespoons of fresh grated ginger in these cookies as opposed to Emily's cookies which only had half that. This led me to believe that her cookie would be spicier and more flavorful than the one I posted yesterday and I just had to try it out and see if that was true.

Well, as it turns out, these were the most flavorful out of all the ginger cookies I've made so far. They came out a little crisper than the others, but that might have been because I baked them a tad too long. Of course, there's no way to tell whether these will be THE best, especially since I've still got another spicy one to post today and a third batch of cookie dough sitting in my fridge. The search must go on!

Triple Ginger Cookies (from The Dogs Eat the Crumbs)
by Alice Medrich - Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy

2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ginger powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick melted butter
1/4 c. molasses
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger
1 large egg
3/4 c. chopped candied ginger

Preheat the oven to 350F

Position the oven racks in the top third and lower third of the oven.

Line the baking sheets with parchment paper, or leave sheet unlined.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a medium bowl and mix thoroughly with a whisk or fork.

Combine the warm butter, molasses, both sugars, fresh ginger, and egg in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the flour mixture and chopped candied ginger and stir until incorporated. The dough will be soft.

Form the dough into 1-inch balls (1/2 oz of dough for each). Roll the balls in the Demerara or raw sugar and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake, in batches (form the rest of the balls while the first batch is baking ), for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they puff up and crack on the surface and then begin to deflate in the oven. Rotate and turn the sheets about halfway through the baking time. For chewier cookies, remove them from the oven when at least half or more of the cookies have begun to deflate; for crunchier edges with chewy centers, bake a minute or so longer.

Cool the cookies completely before storing.

Triple Ginger Cookies

2011-12-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

Today's ginger cookie of choice comes from Emily Luchetti's book, "The Fearless Baker." The one thing that sets her cookie recipe apart from all others is that they are flavored with ginger, ginger, and only ginger. Well, I was looking for the ideal "ginger" cookie, wasn't I? I just had to see how a pure, unadulterated ginger cookie would stack up to all the others with their combos of spices.

And the verdict? They were wonderfully chewy and soft, which I liked. As for how flat they are, well, my oven flattens everything so I'm sure you could get much thicker cookies than I. But, as for the taste (cause that's what really matters), I think all those years of eating ginger cookies made with ginger and other spices has made my tastebuds biased. In comparison to the other cookies I've tried so far, this one was really mild.

I was rather surprised, especially since the recipe uses a whole tablespoonful of fresh ginger. Shouldn't that have given it some major kick? Well, I did a little research to find the answer.
According to Wikipedia, the ratio of fresh ginger to dried ginger (aka ginger powder), when substituted for one another, is 6:1. So, in essence, the amount of fresh ginger I used would only equal an extra 1/2 teaspoonful of ginger powder. There's my answer. That small amount added to the ginger powder (4 1/2 teaspoons total) in a recipe this large would certainly not give me the spicy punch I was looking for.

However, that does not mean that only dried spices will do for the ideal ginger cookie. I still have some other recipes to try that use fresh ginger and I'm eager to see how the hypothesis plays out. Who knew I could learn so much from a ginger cookie?

Triple Ginger Cookies (from "The Fearless Baker" by Emily Luchetti)

1 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger
14 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 large egg
1/4 c. molasses
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. finely chopped candied ginger
4 tsp. ginger powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the candied ginger.

Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy. Add the egg. Beat in the molasses and grated fresh ginger. Add the flour mixture and mix until everything is combined.

Place a rounded tablespoonful of dough, spaced a few inches apart on the cookie sheet. You may want to rotate the cookie sheets halfway through to make sure the cookies bake evenly. Bake for about 14 min. until browned. Wait until they cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Aunt Helen's Gingersnaps

2011-12-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

No, I don't have an Aunt Helen. Rather, this recipe came from a book I read called, "Fleece Navidad" in which one of the characters has an Aunt Helen who supposedly makes really good gingersnaps.

The recipe calls for more ginger powder than most recipes and has some cinnamon in it as well. It also uses dark brown sugar to add to the rich molasses flavor.

My finished cookies weren't very thick, but at least they weren't super flat. Since they were thicker than Alton's cookies, this meant that they also had a softer chew which I liked. Plus, they had a nice spicy flavor too which will probably deepen over the next couple of days (if they last that long before getting eaten).

After tasting these, I agree with the character in the book. Aunt Helen does make good gingersnaps.

Aunt Helen's Gingersnaps (from Fleece Navidad)

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 c. molasses
1/4 - 1/2 c. white sugar, for rolling (I used turbinado sugar)

Heat oven to 350F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a small mixing bowl. Cream butter and brown sugar together in a medium bowl, mixing well. Add the molasses and mix until blended. Add in the flour mixture.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 15 min. Then take out and roll into 1 1/4-inch balls. Roll balls in sugar and place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake just until puffed and cookies look dry - anywhere from 9-14 min. Do not over-bake or cookies will become hard. Carefully remove with metal spatula to wire rack to cool.

Makes approximately 32-40 cookies

Mud Puddles

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

It's time once again for the Secret Recipe Club's Reveal Day. This time, I was assigned to the blog, Mrs. Happy Homemaker. She has so much good stuff going on and I had a little trouble narrowing down the recipes to just one. I finally ended up choosing her recipe for Mud Puddles. It worked out perfectly since I had to bring a dessert to a Christmas party and I know no one can resist the peanut butter-chocolate combo of these yummy treats.

Making the cookie cups was super easy. However, patience is a virtue as I learned when I tried to remove one of the cookie cups from the muffin tin without letting it cool first. Yeah, totally broke apart. But, oh what a difference 20 minutes makes. Once they had cooled, they popped out perfectly.

Then, you fill them with a dark, fudgy concoction that is so rich and dreamy. The recipe called for using half milk chocolate chips and half semisweet. I found the fudge filling to be a little too sweet for me (I'm a big dark chocolate fan), so I would probably use all semisweet chocolate chips next time.

I also decided to dress them up by sprinkling some crushed Butterfingers on half of them and drizzling the rest with melted white chocolate.

I loved these Mud Puddles and so did the people at the Christmas party because all four dozen of these little babies were gone in a flash. Thanks Mrs. Happy Homemaker for such a crowd-pleasing recipe.

Mud Puddles (Mrs. Happy Homemaker)

1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. milk chocolate chips
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325F. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.

Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars together. Mix in egg and vanilla. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Shape the dough into 48 balls (I had to chill the dough first), 1 inch each. Place each ball in one compartment of a mini muffin tin sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake for 14-16 min. or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and immediately make wells in the center of each using a small spoon, melon baller, or your thumb. Cool in pan for 5 min. (I let them cool for 20 min.). Then, carefully remove to wire racks.

For the filling, put the chocolate chips (I would use all semisweet for a darker flavor) in a double boiler over simmering water. Stir in the condensed milk and vanilla and mix well until it all melts into creamy fudgy goodness.

Spoon the fudge into the cookies (about a couple teaspoonfuls in each). You can leave them as is or decorate them as you wish (I used crushed Butterfingers and melted white chocolate).

This recipe is linked to:
My Meatless Mondays
Crazy Sweet Tuesday
Cookie Blog Hop
Hearth n' Soul
A Little Birdie Told Me
Mrs. Fox's Sweets Party
What's Cooking Wednesday
Full Plate Thursday
These Chicks Cooked
Bake with Bizzy
Sweet Tooth Friday
Sweet Indulgences Sunday

Sweets for a Saturday #46

2011-12-02T15:00:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it's December already? If you're like me, you're already thinking of all the Christmas cookies that need to be baked. As it is, I'm on a quest this month to find the best ginger cookie by Christmas and will be posting at least four recipes each week before announcing the winner at the end. It's gonna be . . . interesting (nah, it's gonna be totally fun).

Here are your Top 5:

1. Pumpkin Pecan Pie Cheesecake - Piece, Love, & Cooking

All the best desserts combined into one.

2. No-Roll Sugar Cookies - Eat Cake for Dinner

Sugar cookie perfection

3. Peppermint Pigs - Happier Than a Pig in Mud

Adorable to the max!

4. Layered Maple Pecan Fudge Cups - Purple Chocolat Home

Totally gourmet!

5. Christmas Cherry Cookies - No Empty Chairs

Bejweled beauties!

And, here's my contribution for the week: What do you do when a batch of Magic Bars doesn't turn out perfectly? You turn them into Magic Bar Truffles!

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

Magic Bar Truffles

2011-12-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, things don't turn out quite the way you planned. But, that's okay because occasionally, they turn into something even better.

That was the case when I went to visit a good friend of mine. She was baking up a batch of Martha Stewart's Chocolate Coconut Bars (also known as Hello Dollies or Magic Bars) for a family dinner the next night. One look at all the assembled ingredients - Oreo cookies, graham crackers, condensed milk, pecans, coconut, chocolate chips AND butterscotch chips - and there was no doubt that this was going to be tastetastic.

Everything came together beautifully and the finished bars looked just like the ones in this picture.

(picture taken from Martha Stewart)

Then, we ran into a problem. Instead of using parchment paper, she had used waxed paper, and so the bars had completely stuck to the paper underneath and couldn't be removed intact at all. The best we could do was scrape as much as we could off of the paper, but that just left us with a bowlful of scraps and not a sign of the beautiful bars remained.

Are you kidding me? All that hard work for nothing? Besides, the scraps still tasted oh so good and it seemed a shame to have to waste them. Then, I got an idea. If people could turn a less than perfect cake into cake balls, why couldn't we do the same with this? I suggested that we form spoonfuls of the scraps into balls, roll them in our leftover graham cracker crumbs, and voila - Magic Bar Truffles were born.

We served them alongside a bowlful of Cool Whip for dipping and they were a hit! People loved how easy they were to eat and commented on how delicious they were. By the end of the night, they were all gone.

Yup, sometimes you gotta love it when things go "wrong" because the solution can be so right!

Magic Bar Truffles (adapted from Martha Stewart and created by Lisa of Sweet as Sugar Cookies)

3 cups finely ground cookies (12 ounces), such as graham crackers or chocolate wafers, or a combination (we used half graham crackers and half Oreo cookies)

1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup pecan pieces
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 c. butterscotch chips (my friend added these)

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly splash a 15-by-10-inch rimmed baking sheet evenly with water, then line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter until combined. Evenly press onto bottom and up sides of prepared baking sheet. Bake, rotating halfway through, until firm, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; cool, about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle cooled crust evenly with pecans, chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips. Pour condensed milk over the top, spreading to cover completely (do not let it drip over the edges). Sprinkle with coconut.

Bake until coconut is toasted, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely.

Crumble everything up. Mold into small 1-inch balls and roll in graham cracker crumbs. Serve alongside some Cool Whip for dipping.

Makes 32 truffles

Alton Brown's Gingersnaps

2011-12-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

It's Week 10 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies and today also kicks off my quest for The Best Ginger Cookie by Christmas.

To me, the epitome of a ginger cookie is thick, soft, and chewy and bursting with full-on spiciness in every bite. So, when I saw that Alton Brown's Gingersnap recipe calls for triple ginger goodness - fresh, candied, and powdered, I knew that I absolutely had to include his recipe as one of my twelve. Besides, the man totally rocks and his recipes are always a success.

The one thing that makes his recipe different from all others I've seen is that it doesn't use any cinnamon at all. It does, however, have a little cardamom.

The cookies, once baked, were totally flat. I even chilled the dough and tried again, but they still turned into cookie pancakes. I wondered if my oven was to blame, but then I saw a picture of Alton Brown holding these cookies and his were flat too. So, I guess that's just the way these are meant to be (granted, they are supposed to be "snaps" after all). Despite the lack of thickness, these cookies were still nice and chewy with crisp edges and they stayed chewy for days after too.

They had a good gingery flavor that wasn't too strong. I kind of like my cookies with a little more kick to them but still found these to be quite tasty. My biggest recommendation regarding these cookies would be to let them sit for at least a day before you eat them, because the flavors do deepen with time.

Will these be the "best" cookie? It's too soon to tell. But, the quest is off to a yummy start. One down and eleven more to go!

Alton Brown's Gingersnaps (Food Network)

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. ginger powder
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
10 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. dark brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. molasses
2 tsp. grated ginger
1/2 c. candied ginger

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cardamom, clove and salt.

Place the brown sugar and butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on low speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the molasses, egg and fresh ginger and beat on medium for 1 minute. Add the crystallized ginger and using a rubber spatula, stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until well combined.

With a 2-teaspoon sized scoop, drop the dough onto a parchment lined half sheet pan approximately 2-inches apart. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 12 minutes for slightly chewy cookies or 15 minutes for more crisp cookies. Rotate the pan halfway through cooking.

Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to stay on the sheet pan for 30 seconds before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with all of the dough. Store in an airtight container for up 10 days. If desired, you may scoop and freeze the cookie dough on a sheet pan and once frozen, place in a resealable bag to store. Bake directly from the freezer as above.

The Best Ginger Cookie by Christmas

2011-11-30T00:00:00.000-08:00

If you've been following my blog for awhile, then you probably remember the summer madness that was "The Great Chocolate Chip Cookie Quest of 2011." After going through thirteen recipes, dozens of cookies, and hundreds of chocolate chips, I finally discovered the BEST chocolate chip cookies ever. So, it was totally worth it in the end. That said, I wasn't sure if I'd want to go through such an experience again anytime soon.

But, that was then and this is now. Six months have passed and I've regained my cookie mojo. This time, I'm on the search to find the perfect recipe for one of my favorite cookies of all time - the ginger cookie. Somehow, the ones I've tried up till now, while being good, just weren't great. That's gotta change.

Thus begins my new quest - "The Best Ginger Cookie by Christmas (for short, the BGCBC)." That's right, starting tomorrow and every Monday-Thursday thereafter for the next three weeks of December, I will be posting a new ginger cookie recipe and hope to announce the ultimate ginger cookie before Christmas arrives. That should give plenty of time so you can make it for your own holiday platters, if you so desire.

So, the question is, what makes the ultimate ginger cookie? Is it a combo of dry spices only or does fresh ginger add more of a zing? Speaking of spices, just which spices should you use? There's the traditional combo of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves/allspice. But, what about cardamom, nutmeg, or a dash of black/white/cayenne pepper? And would the cookie be better off with some crystallized ginger?

I've been scouring food blogs for weeks and finally compiled a master list of 12 ginger cookie recipes, each one different in some way. By the end of this quest, I hope to have all the answers and be able to choose one recipe and say that THIS IS IT. It's gonna be one sweet and spicy ride and I hope you'll follow along.

Let the cookie madness begin!!!

Sweets for a Saturday #45

2011-11-25T15:00:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'm sure it was filled with plenty of good food and, knowing all of you, I also have no doubt that your guests were treated to some fantastic desserts that they'll rave about till next Thanksgiving.

And now, here are your Top 5 from last week:

1. Coconut and Lemon Mini Bundts - Catalina Bakes

They're like a bite of sunshine.

2. Pumpkin Spice Syrup - Piece Love & Cooking

On ice cream, on cake, on pancakes . . .

3. Cinnamon Streusel Banana Bread - Nancy Creative

This banana bread is tops!

4. Whopper Cookies - Shugary Sweets

What a whopper of a cookie!

5. Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake - Cupcakes with Sprinkles

Triple the layers = three times the yum

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
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Lebkuchen

2011-11-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

It's Week 9 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies and we're moving right along. I decided to go a little international with my cookie choice this week and picked Lebkuchen for this week's spicy treat. Lebkuchen are a type of German Christmas cookie very similar to gingerbread since it contains molasses and spices. However, it differs in that there's also some honey added in which gives these cookies a little something extra in flavor.

I'm so glad I finally got to try these cookies. They may not look like anything special, but they pack a spicy punch. They're typically made with a powdered sugar glaze, but I was planning to take my cookies traveling so I left the glaze off. I'm sure they'd also be good drizzled with some melted chocolate too.

I'm sure you'll enjoy these cookies too. Frohe Weihnachten (Merry Christmas)!

Lebkuchen (French for Foodies)

1 cup honey
1 cup molasses/treacle
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoon lemon juice
4 tbsps candied orange finely chopped (optional)
5 1/2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 teaspoon ground ginger

In a medium saucepan, stir together the honey and molasses. Bring the mixture to a boil, remove from heat for 10 mins and stir in the brown sugar, egg, lemon juice and candied citron. In a large bowl, sift and stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger.

Add the molasses mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. You may need to gradually add extra flour until it makes a moist cookie dough as the consistency will depend on the flour, humidity etc.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or baking trays.

Once combined, put bowl of cookie mix in the refrigerator until it has cooled to room temperature or lower.

Knead a few handfuls of dough at a time on a floured flat surface/bench and roll out the dough ready for the cookie cutters. Alternatively, Using a small amount of dough at a time, roll into small balls and press down to about 4cm diameter, OR roll out dough and place the mix into a rectangular baking tray with dough at approx 1 cm depth.

Cut out cookies using desired shapes and moulds and place onto greased trays.

Bake for 10-15 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown and fragrant. Be careful not to overcook the lebkuchen as the sugars will go too hard when they cool and the biscuits will lose the desired soft center.

Allow to cool completely before icing and decorating.

Sweets for a Saturday #44

2011-11-18T15:00:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving and then Christmas. Time's really flying by. If you're like me, you're already planning all the delicious desserts and treats for the holidays. If so, then you've come to the right place because you'll certainly find some great ideas here. Like these Top 5 from last week:

1. Butterfingers - The Royal Cook

These are on my must-make list.

2. Oreo Turkeys - The Sweet Swiper

I could "gobble" these right up.

3. Pumpkin Pie Delight - Let's Get Cookin'

Oh how I love pumpkin!

4. Oreo Cake - Goddess of Baking

This cake is a cookies n' cream delight.

5. Red Velvet Cookies - Eat Cake for Dinner

Red velvet + cream cheese = dream come true

The Rules:

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Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
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Our Family's Gingerbread Cookies

2011-11-17T00:00:00.000-08:00

What with Christmas getting closer (after all, this is Week 8 already of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies), I just had to share my family's recipe for gingerbread cookies. Making these cookies during the holidays has been a long cherished tradition. Every year, we come up with a different decorating theme. One year, it was cartoon characters. Another year, we decided to dress them in hula skirts and aloha shirts (since we're from Hawaii). It's always a fun time and we love showing off our artistic skills (though my youngest sister surpasses us all with her cookies). Of course, the best part is eating them.

Gingerbread Cookies

2/3 c. light brown sugar, packed
2/3 c. dark corn syrup
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2/3 c. butter or margarine
1 egg
4 c. flour

Put sugar, syrup, spices, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add the baking soda and butter and stir until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool a little. Stir in the egg and then the flour. Mix well.

Form the dough into disks, wrap them in waxed paper, and chill until they are firm enough to roll. Roll out on a floured surface to about 1/4" thickness. Cut in shapes and bake at 350F for about 12-15 min. Decorate with icing as desired.

Sweets for a Saturday #43

2011-11-11T15:00:00.000-08:00

Are you ready for a sugar coma? Here are your Top 5 from last week:

1. Biscoff Truffles - Shugary Sweets

2. Chocolate Fudge Pie - Flour Me With Love

3. Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies - That Skinny Chick Can Bake

4. Triple Chocolate Scones - Shugary Sweets

5. Classic Chocolate Fudge - The Kitchen is My Playground

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
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Two Yummy Treats

2011-11-10T00:11:00.001-08:00

Woo-hoo. It's Week 7 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies. This time, I bring you two treats - Chai Spiced Zucchini Bread and Cinnamon Banana Bread. Both of them would make wonderful Christmas breakfasts.

The Chai Spiced Zucchini Bread was so moist, not to mention flavorful with all the spices added into it and you don't even taste the zucchini at all.

Chai Spiced Zucchini Bread (from Del Sisters Kitchen)

3 1/2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger powder
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cardamom
1 1/2 tsp. orange zest
2 c. grated zucchini
3 eggs
3/4 c. oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. hot water

Combine the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and stir to mix. Divide into two large greased bread pans and bake at 350F for 60 min. or till center is clean when tested. Remove and cool.

As for the Cinnamon Banana Bread, it's also nice and healthy since it's made with oats, bananas, and hardly any butter/oil at all. That means you won't feel guilty from eating all the molten cinnamon chips that are also added into it. The bread comes out a little dense, but full of delicious cinnamony banana-y flavor that is sure to please.

Cinnamon Banana Bread (from the Beantown Baker)

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (I'd double this next time)
1 c. uncooked old fashioned oats
1/2 c. cinnamon chips
1 Tbsp. canola oil (I used melted butter)
2 eggs, beaten
3 large bananas, ripe (1 cup)
cinnamon-sugar (for sprinkling)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a loaf pan. Stir together the first 8 ingredients. Mash the bananas then add the oil and eggs and mix thoroughly. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour the batter into the pan and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake until top of loaf is firm to touch, 45-50 min. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 min. Flip out and cool on a wire rack for another 10 min.

Blueberry White Chocolate Blondies

2011-11-07T04:00:00.000-08:00

It's Reveal Day once again for the Secret Recipe Club. This month, I was assigned to Heather's blog, Eggs Cream and Honey. In case you didn't know, Heather lives in England. How cool is that! She has so many neat recipes on her site and I finally decided to go with the Chewy Chunky Blondies. The great thing about these bars is that you can add whatever you want to them and it's sure to be good - chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, toffee, etc. I decided to go with a combo of white chocolate chips and dried blueberries.

The blondies were super delicious. They were definitely chewy and had an awesome caramelly flavor from the brown sugar infused into every bite. Plus, the white chocolate blueberry combo is simply marvelous. I ate some of the edge (my favorite part) right after it came out of the oven. Sure, it was hot, but oh so gooey . . .

I am in love with these blondies and will never look for another recipe for them again. I'm thinking I might like to try them with orange, ginger, and dried cranberries or some chai spice or cherries and dark chocolate. The possibilities are endless. Thanks Heather for one sweet recipe!

Chewy Chunky Blondies
(adapted from Dorie Greenspan's "Baking From My Home to Yours")

2 c. flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs
1 c. white chocolate chips
2/3 c. dried blueberries

Preheat the oven to 325F. Butter a 9x13" baking pan.

Cream the butter and sugars until until well incorporated. Add the eggs one by one, beating for 1 min. after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips and blueberries. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top as best as you can.

Bake for about 40 min., or until a knife inserted into the center of the blondies comes out clean. The blondies should pull away from the sides of the pan a little and the top should be a nice honey brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool completely.

Sweets for a Saturday #42

2011-11-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hope you all had a sweet Halloween. As for me, I made sure to snag a bag of candy corn the day after so that I can make some of those homemade Butterfingers that everyone is posting.

And now, here are your top 5 from last week:

1. White Chocolate Blondies - Catalina Bakes

Ooey gooey dense and chewy.

2. Pumpkin Doughnut French Toast Casserole - Piece Love & Cooking

Glorious, simply glorious.

3. Candy Corn Cupcakes - Cupcakes with Sprinkles

Perfect for Halloween!

4. Spooky Halloween Bundt Cake - Let's Get Cookin'

Love the color on this one.

5. Homemade Tootsie Rolls Candy - Baking and Boys

A great treat from the queen of all things chocolate.

The Rules:

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Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
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Citrus Ginger Blondies

2011-11-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it's already November? We're already halfway through the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies and time is flying by. I'm still sticking with my spice theme and so this week, I chose to make these Citrus Ginger Blondies that I saw on Redpath Acts of Sweetness.

Imagine, chewy bars with three kinds of zest, three kinds of juice, and a combo of four spices. Really, you can't go wrong with that. One taste of the batter (before adding the eggs of course) and I had a feeling these were going to be something special. Then, one whiff of that glorious aroma when they came out of the oven and I couldn't wait try them. The blondies are a little on the cakey side, but I think chilling them would make them more blondie-like. Not that I'm complaining because the taste is out of this world. The flavors combine beautifully and the candied ginger is definitely a must. I also sprinkled a little raw sugar on top which gave it a yummy, crisp crust.

The creators of these blondies suggested topping them with cream cheese icing but it's not necessary cause they are plenty good without it. Of course, a little extra indulgence never hurt anyone, especially during the holidays, so frost away if you want. Tis the season after all.

Citrus Ginger Blondies (Redpath Acts of Sweetness)

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour(
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used vanilla powder)
1/4 cup candied ginger, chopped
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Juice and zest of 1 lemon, 1 lime, and 1 orange
2 eggs
1/2 - 1 Tbsp. raw sugar (for sprinkling)

Preheat over to 350F.

Cream butter in a mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugars and beat until well combined. Add eggs one at a time and beat until fluffy. Add the vanilla.

Add the candied ginger, zest, and juices from the lemon, lime, and orange. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until just combined. Spread the batter into a greased 8x8" pan. Bake for 25 min. (mine took 40 min.).

Note: If you want, you can sprinkle the top with the raw sugar about halfway through the baking time (i.e. when the batter is about halfway set).

Sweets for a Saturday #41

2011-10-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

Last week's Sweets for a Saturday was spook-tastic. The Halloween treats were so cute and so creative and I just had to feature them this week. Here were my favorites:

1. Frankie Frankenstein Cupcakes - Purple Chocolat Home

Frankenstein never looked so lovable.

2. Oreo Mummy Pops - The Sweet Swiper

Simple to make and super fun to eat.

3. Scaredy Cats - The Seven Year Cottage

What darling little kitties.

4. Jack-O-Lantern Smile Cookies - Munchkin Munchies

These smile cookies will put a smile on your face too.

5. Icing Spiders and Sugar Webs - Sugar Beams and Other Half-Baked Adventures

Oohhh, creepy.

The Rules:

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Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
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Chili Chocolate Cookies

2011-10-27T00:35:00.000-07:00

The idea of combining chocolate and chili pepper has always intrigued me. When I lived in Brazil, there was a very popular soap opera on tv called "Chocolate e Pimenta" (Chocolate and Chili Pepper). As a result of this, at least I'm guessing, there was a chocolate and chili pepper cake mix being sold in the grocery stores. Unfortunately, I forgot to buy a package of it and never did get to try it. Which brings me to today's 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies and these treats that combine, what else, chocolate and chili pepper.

The cookies baked up like little chocolate pillows, soft and cakey. Unfortunately, the taste wasn't everything I had hoped for. I would have liked them to be more chocolatey for one thing. Also, the tiny bit of heat at the back of my throat just doesn't suffice for someone like me who usually thinks that "five-alarm" is just right.

I haven't given up on the chocolate-chili combo, though. I'll just have to find another chocolate cookie to try it with.

Chili Chocolate Cookies (Splendid Things)

2 sticks butter
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground chili peppers

Cream butter and sugars. Mix in vanilla and eggs one at a time. In another bowl, combine cocoa, salt, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and chili pepper powder. Mix this flour mixture into the creamed mixture until just barely incorporated. You should still see some streaks of flour in the dough. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350F until just barely set, about 12-15 min. Allow to cool on pan for one minute and then remove to plate to cool completely.

Notes:
1. The original recipe did us a chopped up Chili Chocolate Bar, which I did not add. Perhaps if I did, the cookie might have been spicier.

2. I used New Mexico Ground chili peppers like Splendid Things did, but I'd probably use chipotle pepper with a dash of cayenne next time.

Apple Crumble Loaf

2011-10-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Now that autumn is here, apples are on sale all the time and you know what that means - it's time to bake some apple-y goodies. I've had this Apple Crumble Loaf from Sweet Twist of Blogging bookmarked for practically forever and now was definitely the time to make it.

This bread was different from other apple ones I've made before because it not only has streusel on top, but it also has a layer of it running through the middle. Plus, it also has the apples in layers rather than mixed throughout the loaf itself.

I did run into one problem while making these. The recipe says to use melted butter when making the streusel. Against my better judgment, I did so and ended up with streusel goop, not at all the "crumbly" texture I was going for. Now is it just me or does this happen to you too?

I didn't want to waste it after I'd made it, but I also still really wanted that crumbly look, at least on the top of my loaves. So, I made another half batch of the streusel using chilled butter, and voila! I think this is more what it was supposed to be like.

Now you put it all together - batter, apples, streusel, more batter, more apples, and more streusel. We're talking six layers of goodness here.

Into the oven they went and baked up beautifully.

Well, okay, there was one casualty. I may have put a little too much batter into one of the pans and it overflowed. No worries though, since I had put all the pans onto a cookie sheet. This just meant that I got to eat the scraps which is always a good thing.

Now, slice these up and look how pretty it is.

And it tastes as good as it looks too.

Apple Crumble Loaf (Sweet Twist of Blogging)

Streusel:
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. butter (softened, not melted)
2 tsp. cinnamon

Apples:
2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2" pieces (I used Fuji apples)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. sugar

Cake:
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (I'd double this next time)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1/2 c. butter, melted and cooled
1/2 c. skim milk

Heat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x5x3" loaf pan or three mini loaf pans.

For the streusel: Put all dry ingredients into a medium bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.

Toss the apples with the cinnamon and sugar.

For the cake: Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir together. Beat the eggs and whisk in the butter and milk. Add to the flour mixture and fold just till ingredients are moistened. Spoon half into prepared pan; spread to cover bottom. Sprinkle with half the apples, then top with half the streusel. Add remaining batter on top of the streusel and spread to cover. Sprinkle with the remaining apples, then the rest of the streusel. (Note: If you're doing this in mini loaf pans, use about 6 Tbsp. of batter + 1/3 c. apples + 1/4 c. streusel for each layer.)

Bake for 1 hour, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 min. Run a knife around the sides; invert the loaf onto a rack and then revert side up. Let cool completely.

Sweets for a Saturday #40

2011-10-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

Here are your Top 5 from last week:

1. Pumpkin Pie Spice Graham Crackers - Piece, Love & Cooking

Pumpkin AND spice - my favorites!

2. Autumn S'mores - Piece, Love & Cooking

I'll have some more of these s'mores!

3. Nutella Scones - Cats and Casseroles

Breakfast will never be the same again.

4. Fudge Candy Corn - Something Swanky

Gorgeous treat!

5. Candy Corn Parfaits - Home is Where the Boat Is

The cutest Halloween idea ever.

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

Iced Hermits

2011-10-19T23:14:00.000-07:00

It seems like Christmas comes earlier and earlier each year. The other day, I was at Macy's and was shocked to see that the Christmas trees were already up and they were selling Christmas decorations. I mean, come on, it's not even Halloween yet. That said, treats are a year-round thing, so I see nothing wrong with trying out recipes in preparation for those Christmas platters and gift baskets.

For this week's 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies, I decided to make Martha Stewart's Iced Hermits. They are loaded with a triple ginger kick - ginger powder, candied ginger in the bars themselves, AND a sprinkling of more candied ginger on top.

The final result is oh so good. Chewy, spicy bars and the icing is not to be skipped, it is literally the icing on the cake. It all made for a delicious experience. Plus, the candied ginger on top makes them look all sparkly, almost like Christmas ornaments themselves. Yes, Christmas in the stores can wait, but as for the Christmas treats, I say bring them on!

Iced Hermits (Martha Stewart)

1/2 c. butter

1 3/4 c. flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp. ginger powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper

pinch cloves

1 1/4 c. dark brown sugar (I used light brown)

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1/4 c. molasses

1 c. candied ginger, chopped

Icing:

1/4 c. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. milk

2 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. powdered sugar

Butter a 10x15" baking sheet. Combine the dry ingredients. Cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the molasses, then the egg and egg yolk. Stir in 1/2 c. candied ginger, then mix in the flour mixture. Spread in the baking sheet and bake at 350F for 18-22 min.

For the icing: Combine the brown sugar, milk, and butter over medium heat. Cook till the butter melts and sugar dissolves. (I just did this in the microwave) Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and powdered sugar.

Drizzle the bars with the icing and sprinkle with the rest of the candied ginger. Let sit 15 min. to let icing set then cut into bars.

Makes 36 squares

Breadsticks

2011-10-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

It was 8:00 one night and, although the past few nights had been cold, this particular night was quite warm. That gave me an idea and I thought, I just have to take advantage of the higher temperature. I'm going to bake some bread. Apparently, the fact that it wouldn't be done until almost 11pm didn't faze me. I wanted bread and by golly, I was going to have it.

But, I didn't feel like making a loaf. No, instead, I had breadsticks on the brain. I used a recipe I found on Our Best Bites and it did not disappoint. The breadsticks were perfectly chewy with a nice crust. They would probably be delicious dipped into some marinara sauce, or brushed with some garlic butter, or, Our Best Bites suggested also sprinkling them with cinnamon-sugar for a sweet treat. However way you make them, they're sure to please.

Breadsticks (Our Best Bites)

1 1/2 c. warm (105-115 degrees) water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 c. flour

In a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer, if you have one), combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.

Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape over your forefinger and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to space them evenly, but it’s okay if they’re close; pulling apart hot bread is one of life’s greatest pleasures!

Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes.

When there’s about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425F. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Sweets for a Saturday #39

2011-10-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

Here are your Top 4 from last week:

1. Caramel Bits Cookies - Dreaming of White Chocolate

What a delight to bite into!

2. NY Times Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookie - The Farm Girl Recipes

Chocolate chip cookies are a classic.

3. Apple Pie Cinnamon Roll - Alli n' Son

These take cinnamon rolls to a whole new level.

4. Yummy Pumpkin Bread - Just Everyday Me

Oh how I love pumpkin time!

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

Triple Cinnamon Crunch Biscotti

2011-10-12T23:32:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's already week three of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies. The past two weeks I shared recipes that featured the chai spices. This week, it's cinnamon front and center.

I started with Martha Stewart's biscotti recipe as a base then added cinnamon, crushed cinnamon cornflakes for crunch, and finished them off with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar on both sides for one last cinnamony touch. The final biscotti were packed with flavor and would be perfect with a cup of hot spice tea. The only problem I had was that the cinnamon cornflakes didn't have as much crunch as I would have liked; maybe Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal would be better. I think once I've honed this one it will definitely make an appearance on my Christmas platters.

Triple Cinnamon Crunch Biscotti (created by Lisa of Sweet as Sugar Cookies)

3 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. crushed cinnamon cornflakes

Cinnamon sugar:
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix till well blended. Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the crushed cornflakes.

Sprinkle some flour on a baking sheet. Form the dough into two 14x2 inch logs on the baking sheet. Bake at 350F for 20-25 min. Remove from the oven and slice immediately with a serrated knife into 1/2" thick slices. Lower the temperature to 325F. Lay the biscotti cut side down on the baking sheet and sprinkle the top side with half the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake for 15 min. Flip the biscotti over, sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon-sugar mixture, and bake for another 15 min. until crunchy.

Cranberry Orange Ginger Bread

2011-10-12T00:35:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, I remember how I only liked bread if it was white, and, of course, that meant the squishy, air-filled, breads you find in the supermarket aisle. Thank goodness my palate has since changed and I've grown to love breads of all kinds and flavors and textures. Yup, those supermarket breads no longer have a presence in my home.

Now only fresh, homemade bread appears on my table and it's anything but plain white. I specifically search for recipes that are full of something special that will wow the tastebuds, and boy do I ever have a lot of recipes all queued up just waiting to be made.

This time, since dried cranberries were super cheap, I decided to make this Cranberry Bread found on The Avid Baker. It's got that delicious combo of cranberries and orange, but this time in a yeast bread instead of a quick bread. Naturally, I couldn't resist dressing it up just a little with some candied ginger. I just knew it would pair well with the flavors.

I just loved how this bread was studded with fruit in every bite and the orange was not at all overpowering. That's just how I like it and the ginger also added a yummy touch. Not to mention that the egg glaze turns the crust into something truly superb (I could nibble on that alone and be happy). The bread is a little denser than others which probably means that it would make one fantastic french toast too. With breads like this, who needs storebought? I definitely can't wait to bake bread again.

Cranberry Orange Ginger Bread (adapted from The Avid Baker)

1 1/2 c. bread flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/4 tsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. milk, warmed to 110F (I used skim milk)
1 large egg
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1-2 Tbsp. orange juice
2 tsp. orange zest
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/4 c. chopped crystallized ginger
1 egg yolk mixed w/ a little water (for glazing)

Combine the milk and the yeast with a pinch of sugar and let sit till foamy, about 5 min. Add the melted butter, egg, orange juice, and orange zest and stir until well blended.

Add the flour a half cup at a time until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the bowl (you may need to add a little more - the dough will still be tacky though). Transfer to a floured work surface and knead the dough until smooth and slightly tacky, but not sticky, adding more flour if necessary, about 7 min. Knead in the dried cranberries a little at a time. You can also knead in the ginger now or see below for what I did. Form the dough into a ball.

Oil a large bowl. Add the dough to the bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.

Grease two mini loaf pans. Punch down the dough. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and divide into two pieces. Roll each piece out into a small rectangle. At this point, you can sprinkle the ginger on top and then roll it up jelly roll style and put it into a mini loaf pan. Repeat with the other piece of dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise about 1 hour until doubled in size. You can sprinkle more ginger on top if you wish. Glaze with the egg yolk + water. Bake at 350F for 25-30 min. Let cool in pans for a few minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool.

Notes:

I put my dough into the fridge overnight for the first rising.
The original recipe called for 1/2 Tbsp. orange extract, but the orange zest + juice works just as well.
The recipe above is half the original recipe which gave me two mini loaves.

Dutch Apple Pie Puffins

2011-10-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

For this month's Secret Recipe Club, I was assigned to Judee's Gluten Free A-Z Blog. Since apples have been on sale lately, I decided to make her Dutch Apple Pie Pancake.

I did make the following changes to it. Since I don't have almond flour, I substituted in all-purpose flour. I also chose not to cook the apples so that they would retain their crunch and add some contrast in texture. Finally, since I don't have a big family to help me eat this, I scaled the recipe down and made it in mini muffin form, hence the new name "Puffins" (pancake muffins).

The little Puffins had a creamy, custardy texture to them, akin to clafoutis. The apples added a nice bit of crunch and, since the puffins weren't too sweet, it made them perfect for enjoying with a little maple syrup to dip them in. Thanks for the recipe Judee!

Duch Apple Pie Puffins (adapted from Gluten Free A-Z Blog)

1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 apple, diced

3/4 tsp. vanilla
1 medium egg (equivalent to 3 Tbsp. egg)
dash of salt
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. skim milk

Preheat oven to 425F. Dice the apple and mix it with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Combine the egg, vanilla, and milk and whisk well. Whisk in the salt and flour.

Grease a mini muffin tin. Put a teaspoonful of apples into each cup. Pour a tablespoonful of the egg mixture over the apples. Bake for 15 min. or until set.

Makes 12 puffins

Sweets for a Saturday #38

2011-10-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

Here are your Top 4 from last week:

1. Cinnamon Bun Layer Cake - My Little Alberta Family

2. Sweets for the Cure - Sweet Nothings

3. Halloween Trash Candy - Shugary Sweets

4. Melting Wicked Witch Cookies - Purple Chocolat Home

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

Chai Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2011-10-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's time for the second installment of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies. True to form, I bring you another spice cookie.

I used the chai spices once again, but this time in an oatmeal raisin cookie. The recipe comes from Amandeleine and it is awesome. The wonderful blend of spiciness shines through these cookies and the golden raisins I used melded really nicely with it. Plus, with all those oats in them, these cookies are super healthy which makes them the perfect treat for balancing out all the yummy indulging that goes on during the holidays.

Chai Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (adapted from Amandeleine)

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 c. dark brown sugar (I used light brown sugar)
1/3 c. white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda (I forgot to put this in)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cardamom
1 tsp. cinnamon (I increased this to 1 1/2 tsp.)
1/2 tsp. ginger powder (I increased this to 3/4 tsp.)
1 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper (I'd increase this next time)
1/4 tsp. white pepper
3 1/2 c. old fashioned oats
1 c. golden raisins

Cream together butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture in two additions, beating until just combined. Stir in oats and raisins.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop dough in rounded tablespoons onto baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 10-12 min.

Notes:
1. I completely forgot to add in the baking soda. The cookies still turned out deliciously chewy and yummy.

2. Amandeleine says that you can chill the dough before baking it. I omitted this step and they still baked up perfectly.

Chocolate Cardamom Zucchini Bread

2011-10-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Would you believe that I've never eaten zucchini bread before in my life? For some reason or other, we just never made it at our house. Pumpkin bread, banana bread, and even mango bread appeared on our kitchen table, but not a single zucchini bread. Well, I simply had to remedy that especially since I keep seeing one tempting blog picture after another and hearing everyone shout its praises. Plus, it didn't hurt that I had a couple bags of zucchini that I wanted to use up.

So, I got out my ingredients and went to work. Since I wasn't sure if I would like the taste of zucchini bread, I decided that I would go with a chocolate version of it. After all, you can't go wrong with chocolate. The recipe I chose also had cardamom in it, which I absolutely love. I couldn't wait to see how it would turn out.

I halved the recipe and it made enough for one mini loaf, just perfect for me. It baked up into one beautifully dark chocolaty bread that was so fudgy and so rich that you'd never even guess it was also chock full of healthy, nutritious zucchini. So go ahead and indulge and call this your serving of veggies for the day.

Chocolate Cardamom Zucchini Bread (adapted from Vanilla Basil)

2 eggs
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cardamom (this amount is appropriate if you freshly grind the cardamom - if not, go ahead and use 1 full teaspoon)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. grated zucchini

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease one large loaf pan or two mini loaf pans. Beat the eggs. Add the oil, sugars, and vanilla and mix well. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Toss in zucchini and stir to combine.

Pour into the pan(s) and bake 55-60 min. (large) or 40-45 min. (minis), or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 min. then run a knife around the edges and invert to remove. Let cool completely on a rack before slicing.

Note: You can also add chocolate chunks, macadamia nuts, and espresso powder to this like Vanilla Basil did, but I opted to leave them out.

Finnish Coffee Braid

2011-10-02T23:24:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, I decided that I wanted to make some sweet bread and this Finnish Coffee Braid has been on my radar for some time. It's made special by the additions of orange and cardamom as well as the fact that it's formed into a pretty braided ring and bakes up all golden and shiny. Who wouldn't like to wake up to this in the morning?

To save time, I always start the dough the night before and leave it in the fridge to cold rise until the next morning. Yup, extra sleep on a Sunday morning is always a welcome thing. That way, the only thing left to do is set it up for a second rise and then bake it.

Lately, the mornings have been getting colder making it more difficult to get bread to rise in the house. So, I've come up with a couple of tricks. One way is to preheat your oven on the lowest temperature and then put the dough in there. You can choose to either turn the oven off or keep it on. Either way will be alright. The other method I use is to put it into my car. I kid you not. Since the car is parked outside, the sun heats up the inside and makes a perfect place for the dough to rise.

Once it gets all nice and puffy, simply glaze it with some egg yolk and milk and pop it into your oven. Yeah, about that glazing step . . . after it had already been baking in the oven for 10 min., I suddenly remembered that I hadn't glazed it. So, I quickly rushed to the oven and pulled it out. Memo to me: panicking while holding a 350F metal cookie sheet is NOT a good idea. Without thinking, my unprotected hand touched the sheet resulting in a small burn. That'll teach me to calm down next time.

Glaze - check. Back into the oven where it turned a lovely shiny golden brown and this incredible orange-y smell began to permeate the kitchen. The finished bread was wonderful. My braid didn't exactly come out perfect (it kinda became misshapen as it baked), but that didn't affect the taste one bit. All that yummy orange flavor in every bite of soft, sweet bread was simply delicious. This bread is a feast for the eyes and for the palate.

Finnish Coffee Braid (Sweet Jumbles)

2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
3 Tbsp. warm water
1 c. milk
6 Tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. sugar (I increased this to 2/3 cup)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cardamom (I doubled this to 1 tsp.)
grated peel of one orange (I doubled the amount of zest)
5 c. all-purpose flour

Glaze: 1 egg yolk + 1 Tbsp. milk (or water)

Combine yeast and warm water with a pinch of sugar and let sit 5 min. until foamy.

Place milk and butter in a saucepan (or microwave safe bowl) and heat until butter is melted and milk is hot but does not boil. Cool to lukewarm.

Add eggs and milk/butter mixture to the yeast. Add sugar, salt, cardamom, and orange zest, stirring to combine. Gradually add the flour to make a stiff dough (I probably used 4-4 1/2 cups).

Turn dough out to a well-floured surface and knead until smooth.

Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1-2 hours.

Punch down and divide into two portions, then divide each portion into three pieces. Form each third into a rope about 18-24 inches long. Braid the ropes, pinching the ends to form them into rings.

Place each ring onto a greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350F. Brush each loaf with the glaze and bake 35 min. or until golden. Cool on wire racks.

Notes:

I didn't have any milk so I used 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt mixed with 1/4 c. water to make it into a liquid.
I increased the sugar and doubled the cardamom and orange zest in the recipe. I highly recommend doing so as it made for a very flavorful bread.

This recipe is linked to:

My Meatless Monday
A Little Birdie Told Me
This Chick Cooks
Recipes I Can't Wait to Try
Cast Party Wednesday
Whisking Wednesday
Full Plate Thursday
Friday's Potluck

Sweets for a Saturday #37

2011-09-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

Speaking of sweet, there's a new baking group going on called the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies. Each week, we all make and post about a Christmas treat of our choice. This was my contribution for the week:

Chai Bars with Honey Ginger Icing

If any of you are interested in joining in, just let me know and I'll send you the contact info. It's a ton of fun.

And now, without further adieu, here are your Top 5 from last week:

1. Homemade Rainbow Chip Birthday Layer Cake - Piece Love & Cooking

This looks like one fun cake!!!

2. Flower Cupcakes - My Little Alberta Family

The sweetest garden I've ever seen.

3. Candy Corn Cheesecake - Munchkin Munchies

You'll have a Happy Halloween with this cheesecake.

4. Oatmeal Cream Pies - Cats and Casseroles

I'd love a couple of these inside my lunchbox.

5. Chocolate Covered Pumpkin Twinkies - Inside Bru Crew Life

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE pumpkin?

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

Honey Ginger Chai Bars - 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies

2011-09-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

What!!! Christmas already??? Okay, maybe not yet, but that doesn't mean we can't start baking Christmas cookies, right? After all, the season is short enough as it is, might as well draw it out.

Yup, it's time once again for the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies. I had the pleasure of joining this group last year and had so much fun. Not to mention, I made so many new blogger friends and got recipe ideas galore. So, when I received an e-mail from Brenda, of Meal Planning Magic, saying that she was hosting it this year, I jumped at the chance to bake along with everyone once again.

For my first pick, I chose a spice cookie. Yeah, big surprise there considering my love affair with all things spicy. In fact, I'm quite tempted to make every weekly cookie post about a different spice cookie (there's that many that I want to try).

These Honey Ginger Bars were so good. They were almost like a blondie, dense and chewy, and with lovely spiciness in every bite. The icing really took it to the top and I could definitely see sprinkling this with a little candied ginger for an extra punch. The only change I would make is to add more black and white pepper next time, but that's just my personal preference. They're delicious either way.

So, what are you waiting for? Crank up that Christmas music, make some yummy cookies, and get this season started. If you want to join in too, just drop a line to Brenda and she'll send you all the info. Hope you'll bake along.

Chai Bars with Honey Ginger Icing (from Brooklyn Limestone)

1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1 c. butter, softened
1 egg
2 c. flour
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 tsp. ginger powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. cloves
3/4 tsp. cardamom
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground star anise (I used white pepper instead)

Mix butter and sugars in a mixing bowl until thoroughly combined. Add egg and mix well. Add flour, spices, and salt, and stir until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Press into a 9x12 baking pan that has been greased and floured and smooth with a spatula until the dough is even and flat. Bake at 350F for 20-25 min. until the cookies are a pale golden brown. Let cool.

For the icing:

2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. ginger powder
1 c. powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and add water until the icing is at a spreadable consistency, and spread over the cookies. Cut into squares.

Sweet Cherry Wheat Rolls

2011-09-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

I think I've found a new love - baking bread. Not only is bread pure comfort food to me, but there's something about the making of it that's comforting as well. The constant rhythm as you knead it, the warmth in your kitchen as the loaves bake, and that yeasty aroma that surrounds you and is better than any perfume in my opinion. Consequently, I've been baking bread once a week. I search through countless blogs, looking for that one recipe that will catch my eye and tantalize my tastebuds. White bread, as good as it is, just won't do. No, I need something with a bit of a twist to it.

This time, I found myself browsing through Monet's blog, Anecdotes and Apple Cores. She has so many wonderful bread recipes, all of her own creation (talk about talent), and she accompanies each recipe with a beautiful story about her life. Her blog never fails to nourish you in more ways than one.

I chose to make her Sweet Cherry Wheat Rolls since I had some dried cherries on hand and I love the idea of having bits of fruit bursting with sweetness in every bite. The only change I made was to add some dried blueberries as well.

The finished rolls were HUGE!!! Each one was super soft and fluffy to the max. They were oh so good straight from the oven. The only thing I'd change next time is to add more fruit (because I can never have too much fruit). But, otherwise, one bite and I just wanted to keep eating more and more. I've heard of wedded bliss before . . . this was true bread-ed bliss.

Sweet Cherry Wheat Rolls (adapted from Anecdotes and Apple Cores)

1/2 c. warm water
1/2 c. milk
1 pkg. active dry yeast
2 Tbsp. honey
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. butter (softened to room temperature)
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. dried cherries (I increased this to 1/2 cup)
1/3 c. dried blueberries (I added this)

In a small bowl, activate your yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water and 1 tsp. of sugar. Wait until yeast is foamy (about 10 min.).

Combine your milk, honey, egg, sugar, butter, and yeast mixture. Stir until mixed. Stir in flour gradually until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the bowl. Knead in the cherries and blueberries and continue kneading for 8 min. until a smooth and elastic dough forms.

Place your dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 1 hour.

Punch down the dough, divide into sixteen equal pieces, shape into rolls and allow to rise again on a parchment lined cookie sheet (about 40 min.).

Bake at 350F for 15-20 min. or until just lightly golden. Remove to rack to cool slightly before serving.

Sweets for a Saturday #36

2011-09-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for a yummy indulgence? It's time for another Sweets for a Saturday and here are you top picks from last week:

1. Cinnamon Roll Cookies - The Kitchen Is My Playground

That glaze really sets these off.

2. Blue Ombre Cake - Bronnie Bakes

This cake is a work of art!

3. Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies - Hannah in the Kitchen

This looks like the ultimate PB chocolate indulgence.

4. Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake - Adventures of Valley Writer

Totally tempting!

Chocolate Mint Crackle Cookies

2011-09-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

I think one of the best parts about blogging is that it gives you the opportunity to be introduced to so many other amazing and delicious food blogs. In my opinion, it's better than a library of cookbooks because you have a real live person telling you about the recipes, whether it was good or bad, what problems they ran into, and they provide you with stunning pictures so you can see exactly what you're supposed to end up with. That just can't be beat.

One of the newest blogs I just discovered was Crumb, simply named but full of mouthwatering recipes and accompanying beautiful posts. The recipe that caught my eye this time around was her Chocolate Mint Crackle Cookies. What with my sister coming to visit, and her love of all things chocolate, I just knew I had to make these for her.

As you can see, there is just one lone cookie remaining. They were so yummy, wonderfully chocolaty with that cool hint of mint, and delightfully chewy. My sister loved them so much that she started packing up the entire batch to take back with her. At that moment, I had to quickly say, "Wait, leave me ONE cookie. I need to take a picture of it!!!" As for the rest of the cookies, I suspect they'll be eaten up in no time at all.

Chocolate Mint Crackle Cookies (Crumb)

1 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter, slightly softened
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 tsp. peppermint extract
1/4 c. powdered sugar

In a large metal mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Using fingers, rub in the butter until evenly distributed throughout. Add eggs and peppermint extract, and stir until a thick dough comes together. Chill dough in the refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a spoon or a melon baller, scoop out teaspoon-sized balls of dough. Pour the icing sugar into a small mixing bowl and add the dough balls, 2-3 at a time, rolling around to coat evenly with sugar.
Arrange the icing-sugar coated balls 2″ apart on the prepared baking sheets and bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until cookies are just set and have evenly crackled tops.

Sweets for a Saturday #35

2011-09-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for some sugar-coated fun? Here are you Top 5 from last week:

1. Eclair Cake - Let's Get Cookin'

2. Snickerdoodle Brownies - A Well-Seasoned Life

3. Apple Picking Cookies - Red Couch Recipes

4. Truffles au Chocolat - Catalina Bakes

5. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies - That Skinny Chick Can Bake

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

Buttermilk Spice Cake

2011-09-14T23:37:00.000-07:00

What with autumn being upon us, I find myself wanting to make all sorts of recipes with warm, spicy flavors. And what better to fit the bill than a nice spice cake. I found this recipe on the blog, The Hungry Mouse, and couldn't wait to try it out. It's absolutely full of all the best spices in the world, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and a heaping amount of ginger. Together, they give this cake a delicious flavor that will keep you warm on those chilly fall evenings. I ate mine plain, but you can also top this with a cream cheese frosting like The Hungry Mouse did. Either way, it's a plateful of goodness.

Buttermilk Spice Cake (The Hungry Mouse)

2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
2 Tbsp. ground ginger
3/4 tsp. salt
1 stick butter, softened
3/4 c. buttermilk
2 eggs

Combine the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Cream the butter and sugars. Add the eggs and mix well. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. Pour into a greased and floured 8x8 pan or three mini loaf pans. Bake at 350F for 50-55 min. (8x8 pan) or 45-50 min. (mini pans) until a toothpick comes out clean. Frost with cream cheese frosting if desired, or just enjoy plain.

Peanut Butter Choc Chip Blondies

2011-09-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

When I was assigned to Lesa's blog, Edesia's Notebook for this month's Secret Recipe Club, I immediately knew which recipe I wanted to make - Peanut Butter Blondies. So far, I had never been ever to find a recipe for it that suited me. The ones I made previously just weren't peanut buttery enough.

From the looks of her post, it looked like Edesia had encountered the same problem. Her solution? She took this recipe, decreased the butter and increased the peanut butter. Now we're talking! How does 3/4 cup of peanut butter to 1 cup of flour sound to you? It sounded like a winner to me, so I eagerly went to my kitchen to try this recipe for myself. The only changes I made were to use crunchy peanut butter and semisweet chocolate chips instead of white chocolate chips.

Memo to me: peanut butter + butter + brown sugar = pure heaven in a bowl. That beginning mixture alone was tempting; I literally wanted to spread it on everything. But, with extreme will power, I pressed on. The resulting blondies were everything I could ever want. The peanut butter taste was front and center. Each bite was chewy and dense and the semisweet chocolate chips I sprinkled on top added the perfect touch.

Thank you Lesa for helping me to finally find that perfect peanut butter blondie recipe!

Peanut Butter Choc Chip Blondies (Edesia's Notebook)

6 Tbsp. butter, softened
3/4 c. peanut butter (I used crunchy)
1 c. light brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
semisweet chocolate chips (for sprinkling)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8 pan.

Cream the butter and peanut butter together until very soft. Add the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract, and beat until combined. Add the flour and baking powder; mix to form a dough.

Spread the dough in the prepared pan and bake in the oven for 25-30 min., or until golden brown and almost firm in the center.

Allow the brownies to cool in the pan before removing and cutting into squares.

Sweets for a Saturday #34

2011-09-09T15:00:00.000-07:00

My how the week flies. It's already time for another Sweets for a Saturday party. To kick it off, here are your Top 5 from last week:

1. Raspberry Hoecakes w/ Lemon Curd - Piece Love & Cooking

Breakfast never looked so good

2. Monkey Bread Muffins - Goddess of Baking

Ooey gooey deliciousness

3. Corn on the Cob Cupcakes - Home is Where the Boat Is

These are so cute and crafty.

4. Cake for One (or Two) - Happier than a Pig in Mud

I could eat the whole thing!

5. Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies - Let's Get Cookin'

These cookies have such a gorgeous color.

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

Honey Yogurt Bread

2011-09-07T22:35:00.000-07:00

Do you ever find yourself craving bread? At times like that, sweets just won't cut it for me. I need carbs, lots of them.

This bread is just the thing to satisfy that craving. It's not sweet at all, even with the honey in it, and it is so soft and so chewy, almost reminiscent of a potato bread. There's just nothing like it when you remove it from the oven with its crackly crust, tear off a hunk, spread it with butter, take a warm bite, and ooohhhhhh.

I made the bread into mini loaves, but I know without a doubt that it would be awesome made into dinner rolls. This bread recipe is going into my "favorites" list for sure.

Honey Yogurt Bread (adapted from I Like Lemons)

1 1/2 Tbsp. honey (I doubled it to 3 Tbsp.)
1/2 c. warm water (110F)
1 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 c. plain yogurt (I used nonfat Greek yogurt)
1 1/2 tsp. salt (I decreased this to 1 tsp. salt)
3 c. all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, combine warm water and 1/2 Tbsp. honey. Add the yeast and let sit for 5 min. until foamy.

Stir in 1 cup of flour and mix well. Allow to sit for 5 min. so that the flour can absorb the liquid. Then, add in the remaining honey, yogurt, and salt. (Note: It will look like a lump of dough and it'll be a little difficult to beat the yogurt into it. Just beat it with all your might and the dough will even out into a thick, smooth batter.) Add the rest of the flour a half cup at a time until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the bowl (I used about 1 cup of flour).

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for 8-10 min. (During the process, I kneaded in about 1/2 cup more of flour.) You'll know you've kneaded it enough when it passes the windowpane test.

Lightly grease a clean bowl with oil. Place dough in bowl, turning to coat the surface with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Turn risen dough onto a floured surface and knead for about a minute to remove air bubbles. Form dough into a ball and allow to rest, covered for 15 min. (Note: I missed this step but the bread still turned out great.) Grease two mini loaf pans.

Divide the dough in half and roll or pat each one into about a 9x7 inch rectangle. Starting at the shorter edge, tightly roll dough up, jelly roll style, pressing the seam and the ends well to seal. Place loaves seam side down in the prepared pans. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, about 1-1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Slash the top of each loaf lengthwise. Bake for 20-25 min., until loaves are golden brown. Remove from pans and allow to cool on wire racks.

Katrina's Divine Carrot Cake

2011-09-06T23:15:00.000-07:00

Katrina calls this "Divine Carrot Cake." I now call it, "The Cake That Saved Me From Disaster."

I had plans to surprise someone with a birthday cake made from scratch. I had the recipe all picked out and was so sure that it was going to turn out perfectly. That night, I mixed it up, baked it up, and . . . was stunned in disappointment. The cake was flat, lacked flavor, and had an odd texture. Worse still, it STUCK to my pans!!! I chalked part of the failure to the recipe and the rest to human error, fate, incompetence, whatever you want to call it. But, regardless of where to put the blame, it was a definite no-go. Into the trash it went.

I just couldn't understand it. How is it that I can make cookies, brownies, breads even and yet, cakes seem to give me trouble. I was almost ready to throw in the towel and just go get a boxed mix (egads, the horror!!!). But, then I decided to give things one more try and use a different recipe. Carrot cake seemed like a good idea, and, although Bill's Big Carrot Cake was delicious, I wanted to try something different. I remembered that Katrina had a carrot cake recipe on her blog that she raved about, so I immediately went to check it out. It's a lot healthier than other carrot cake recipes since it uses pineapple for moisture, which allows you to cut back on the sugar and oil.

I did make a few changes to the recipe. I used all-purpose flour, omitted the nuts and coconut, and added some ginger powder. I also subbed in 1/2 cup of brown sugar because I realized while I was making the cake that I was running super low on granulated sugar (are you kidding me??!!). This time around, I meticulously greased the pans, then put down a wax paper circle, then greased and floured the wax paper as well before pouring the batter in. I made sure to beat the batter good and hard and crossed my fingers.

Oh my gosh!!! This cake did NOT let me down. It baked up beautifully, came out of the pans without a hitch, was super moist, and tasted like a dream come true. I frosted it with a lemon cream cheese frosting adapted from the one on Cinnamon, Spice, and Everything Nice and it was carrot cake perfection. The birthday surprise was a hit! The cake was proclaimed a keeper and I had redeemed myself completely.

Thank you Katrina for saving my birthday surprise. And THAT is why I am nicknaming this cake, "The Cake That Saved Me From Disaster."

Divine Carrot Cake (adapted from Baking and Boys)

2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger powder
3 eggs
1 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla
4 Tbsp. pineapple juice, reserved from canned pineapple
16 oz. canned crushed pineapple, drained-juice reserved
2 c. grated carrots

Grease two 9" round cake pans. Cut out a circle of waxed paper or parchment paper to fit inside and grease the paper as well. Flour the pans.

Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger powder in a medium sized bowl. In another bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, brown sugar, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and reserved pineapple juice until blended. Stir in pineapple and carrots. Add the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until blended. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and spread evenly. Bake for 30-40 min. or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 min. before removing to cool completely on wire rack. Frost with lemon cream cheese frosting when completely cool.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting (adapted from Cinnamon, Spice, and Everything Nice)

8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. Neufchatel cheese
4 Tbsp. butter
2 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. lemon zest

In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, butter, lemon juice and zest until light and fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar until fluffy and of a good spreading consistency.

Sweets for a Saturday #33

2011-09-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

Are you as excited for the holiday weekend as I am? I've already got tons of lovely summer treats planned - Honeydew Melon Sorbet, Reeni's Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, and of course, another big batch of Peach BBQ Sauce. What are you making this weekend? Link 'em up. But first, here are your Top 4 from last week:

1. Red Hot Velvet Whoopie Pies & Cinnamon Frosting - Piece, Love & Cooking

Ooohh, these are sizzling!

2. Thrifty Iced Coffee - Our Life in a Click

3. Cinnamon Breakfast Muffins - Shugary Sweets

My family is crazy for these muffins.

4. The Best Blondies - A Well-Seasoned Life

With a name like that, how can you resist?

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

Ultimate Cinnamon Bread

2011-09-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever made something so good that you just had to give it away because it was too dangerous to keep in the house? Well, that's how I'd describe this Cinnamon Bread that I found on the blog, Closet Cooking. It is the absolute epitome of cinnamon breads and I don't think I'll ever try any other recipe because THIS IS IT!!!

It uses a whopping TWO tablespoons of cinnamon. That sounds like a lot, but believe me, this is not the time to get timid and skimp on it. To use anything less would defeat the purpose of making this bread.

Just imagine it - a dense, tightly crumbed cake . . .

with ribbons of ooey gooey cinnamon sugar filling running through . . .

and a crackly cinnamon sugar crust to top the whole thing off.

Is your mouth watering yet?

One bite and I was in cinnamon heaven. I'd eat (or inhale) all three mini loaves if I could, without hesitation. But, I'm trying to be "healthy," so I kept one loaf and found good homes for the other two loaves as fast as I could. I'll leave it to the lucky recipients to exercise self-control as they see fit. But, one look at this bread and I think all their will power will fade in an instant . . .

Cinnamon Bread (from Closet Cooking and A Year from Oak Cottage)

4 Tbsp. softened butter
1 c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. lemon extract (I left this out)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 c. flour
1 c. buttermilk (or you can use 1 Tbsp. vinegar + 15 Tbsp. milk)

Filling and Topping:
1 c. light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. cinnamon

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, salt, and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Add alternately to the creamed mixture along with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon together until well mixed. Spoon 1/3 of the batter into a greased 9x5 loaf pan or three mini loaf pans. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cinnamon mixture. Repeat the layers twice more, ending with cinnamon on top.

Bake at 350F for 1 hour (large loaf) or 40-50 min. (mini loaves) or until it tests done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let rest in the pan 10 minutes before removing from the pan to cool completely.

Note: If making mini loaves like I did, use the batter in 1/3 cup increments and top each layer with 2 Tbsp. of the sugar-cinnamon mixture.

Spicy Peach BBQ Sauce Chicken

2011-08-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's almost the end of summer. My biggest lament is that peach season will soon end. Please tell me that you still have peaches in your kitchen. If not, then I hope your nearest grocery store is still having some incredible sale on them. The reason I say this is because once you see this peach BBQ sauce, you're gonna feel the urge to grab any and all peaches you have and make it as soon as possible.

The Hungry Homebody linked this recipe up to my Sweets for a Saturday linky party several weeks ago. The moment I saw it, I knew this was the recipe for me, especially since I had a fridge bin full of ripe, sweet peaches all ready to be used. But, wouldn't you know it. I got all geared up to make this sauce one weekend and then realized that I only had peaches and NONE of the other ingredients. Apparently, my stomach was running ahead of my brain.

Not to worry. This past week, I made sure to put every one of those things on my shopping list and returned home full of anticipation. The sauce is super easy to make since all it requires is throwing everything into a pot and letting it cook down. Naturally, I spiced things up quite a bit with more red pepper flakes, a dose of my beloved sriracha sauce, and some chipotle chili powder. The heat goes really well with the peaches, but if heat's not your thing, you can leave it out and you'll still have a pot of deliciousness.

This sauce blew my tastebuds away. I put some onto chicken breasts and had one divine dinner. I think this would also be fantastic with meatballs (that's the next thing on my menu) and just as good with fish. Now I know why Hungry Homebody made so much of it. You'll definitely want some jars packed away to use throughout the year until peach season comes around again. Speaking of which, I think I'm gonna have to go buy myself a bushel of peaches because I need more of this sauce ASAP.

Spicy Peach BBQ Sauce (adapted from The Hungry Homebody)

4 c. peaches, chopped, pitted, and peeled
2/3 c. red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2/3 c. finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
3/4 c. + 1 Tbsp. honey
1/2 c. vinegar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp. sriracha sauce
1 1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil then reduce to medium high heat and cook for 25 min. Puree with a handstick blender to your desired consistency.

Sweets for a Saturday #32

2011-08-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for some sweet luvin'? Here are your Top 5 from last week:

1. Secretly Healthy Chocolate Cake - Yammie's Noshery

This cake cuts the fat, but not the taste. Sounds good to me.

2. Baked Doughnuts - Cats and Casseroles

Sweet and simple is sometimes the best.

3. Mini Cinnabon Bites - Lark's Country Heart

Ooey gooey goodness.

4. Almond Joy Brownie Bites - Flour Me With Love

These are brownie bliss!

5. Funfetti Cake Balls - The Kitchen is My Playground

These just make me wanna shout YAY!!!

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

POM Wonderful Sorbet and WINNER

2011-08-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

A while back, POM Wonderful contacted me and asked if I'd like to receive a case of their pomegranate juice to use in a recipe. Would I ever!!! I had eaten pomegranate seeds before but never tried the juice. I couldn't wait for it to arrive.

They sent me all these little bottles of beautiful ruby red juice. I decided there was no better way to use it than to make a cool, refreshing sorbet. I got the recipe from the POM website and it was fantastic. I loved the flavor of the pomegrante juice and the color of the sorbet is simply stunning! If you haven't tried pomegranate juice yet, you should because it is awesome.

WINNER: Congratulations to Mrs. Fox's Sweets!!! She was the winner of my jewelry giveaway. I'm so happy for her.

POM Sorbetto (from POM Wonderful)

2 c. POM Wonderful juice
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. water

Combine water and sugar in saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat and allow it to cool down in the refrigerator. Once chilled, add pomegranate juice. Pour the mixture into the can of an ice cream maker; process according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Banana Gingerbread

2011-08-22T03:00:00.000-07:00

Banana bread seems to be one of those ubiquitous treats that everyone has baked at some time in their life. Yet, it's incredible how many variations one little recipe can have. Some add spices, others use sour cream, then there's the ones that make the banana bread extra special by putting in peanut butter, Nutella, chocolate chips, or even butterscotch chips. But, this time, I wanted a banana bread that was different from any other I had ever seen, and that's when I found this recipe for Banana Gingerbread on the blog, Vittles for the Voracious.

The recipe uses a multitude of spices and it even has a healthy helping of molasses. Seriously, how could I resist making this. The best part is that there are no eggs in it so you can taste the batter as you go and decide if you want to add a little something extra.

I increased the spices and added a tablespoon of grated ginger for extra oomph. I also added a teaspoon of vanilla, because vanilla just always seems to belong in a banana bread. Finally, I substituted melted butter for the oil to give a little more richness in flavor. Then, I tasted the batter, yes I did, and boy was it ever good. If the batter was that yummy, then the bread was sure to be a sweet success.

One thing to note is that a little patience will be required before you dig into it. I tried eating it right after it came out of the oven and found that it had a gummy texture. At that point, I thought the recipe was a flop, but after letting it cool completely, everything evened out and it had a delightfully dense crumb. You definitely will taste the banana and the molasses and it's one delicious combination. The only thing I'd do differently is to add another tablespoon of grated ginger to really make that flavor pop. Otherwise, this was a great change from the usual banana bread.

Banana Gingerbread (adapted from Vittles for the Voracious)

2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. molasses
1 c. banana, mashed
1/2 c. buttermilk (I used half milk and half yogurt and increased it to 3/4 c.)
4 Tbsp. oil (I used melted butter)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. grated ginger
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 tsp. ginger powder
1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Grease three mini loaf pans or one 9x5 loaf pan. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

Combine the sugar, banana, molasses, milk, yogurt, and melted butter. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour into the pans and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.

Bake at 350F for 45 min. (9x5) or 40-50 min. (mini loaves) until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Sweets for a Saturday #31

2011-08-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

Sweets for a Saturday has always made my weekend a sweet one. But, now that I've started working, my weekends are sweeter than ever because that's when I go absolutely crazy in the kitchen and bake and make ice cream/sherbet/sorbet like there's no tomorrow. On an average weekend, I'll try at least 5-6 new recipes. This past week, I've made Black Pepper Ice Cream, Peach Sorbet, Molasses Bread, Triple Cinnamon Crunch Biscotti, and more, all of which I'll be posting later on.

What about all of you? Do you go kitchen crazy on the weekends too?

By the way, my giveaway for this beautiful necklace is still open and there are low entries. It's open till August 22, so make sure you go over and enter.

Finally, here's your Top 5 from last week:

1. Southern Classics Cheesecake Layer Cake - Piece, Love, & Cooking

2. Homemade Twix Bars - Cooking with Karyn

3. Pecan Pie Chocolate Cheesecake Bars - Piece, Love, & Cooking

4. Oreo Cheesecake Popsicles - Cats and Casseroles

5. Cotton Candy Cupcakes - Mrs. Fox's Sweets

The Rules:

Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

Spiced Lemon Kool-Aid Sherbet

2011-08-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Yup, I've got another spiced up recipe to share with you. This time, it's a Lemon Sherbet with ginger and cardamom to kick things up. But, there are NO lemons in this. Say what???!!! All the lemon flavor comes from . . . lemon Kool-Aid. Believe it or not, those little packets you see in the juice aisle aren't just for drinking anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I love fresh lemons and am more than willing to use them in recipes. But, sometimes they just aren't on sale. So, I came up with this nice alternative and was totally pleased to find out that it worked so well. Just add a little to some milk, spice it up as you please, and churn baby churn in your ice cream maker. Then, voila! You've got yourself one delicious batch of Lemon Sherbet that's sure to please this summer.

Lemon Ginger Kool-Aid Sherbet (created by Lisa of Sweet as Sugar Cookies)

2 c. milk (I used skim, but use whatever you like)
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. no-sugar added lemon Kool-Aid powder
1 - 1 1/2 tsp. ginger powder
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. gelatin

Sprinkle the gelatin over 2 Tbsp. of the milk and let stand 5 min. Combine the rest of the milk with the other ingredients. Add the gelatin milk mixture back in and whisk to combine. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions. Scoop into a freezer safe covered container and put in the freezer for several hours.