Aaah ’tis the season to run around to 25 different stores spending an arm and a leg looking for that perfect gift for a loved one. WRONG.… Read more “10 affordable gifts for bakers”
Homemade Breadsticks
Do you ever find yourself deep in a binge-session watching those fun baking competitions and think to yourself, “Oh I could totally make that.” Well, just the other day I thought the same thing. Up until this day, breadsticks were just something you get for free at restaurants to gobble down until there is one left in the basket that everyone secretly stares at until the entrees come out. I dug around Pinterest until I found the official Great British Bakeoff breadstick recipe: Olive Breadsticks.
But why bother even making your own breadsticks? Well, if you like playing with dough and getting your countertop full of flour, then stay tuned. (more…)
Spine-Chilling Cherry Cocktail
Have you been invited to a Halloween party and your face turns ghost-white when you realize you have nothing to bring? Or, do you want to celebrate… Read more “Spine-Chilling Cherry Cocktail”
How to Galette
Galette: an incredibly simple pastry yet high probability for error….if you’ve never made pastry before. It is actually a simple pastry bake with endless toppings and fillings… Read more “How to Galette”
Homemade Tortilla Chips
Aaaah here we are. The sun is shining and that summer breeze is splashing your face with the warm sunny air. This kind of weather calls for… Read more “Homemade Tortilla Chips”
Devil’s Food Cookies
Coming off of the holidays there is nothing more fun than whipping together an easy cookie recipe when you don’t have much energy but have an intense addiction to chocolate. I don’t know about you, but after about five holiday parties and eating my weight in cheese the last thing I want to do is spend more hours in the kitchen with the hot oven breathing down my back. Insert this easy bake that requires very few ingredients. These also work very well with a variety of toppings based on what you have leftover in your pantry from the holidays.
Having a few days off from work and wandering around the house I found myself in my natural habitat inside the pantry looking up and down at the rows of flour and chocolate. Since I had an extra hour on my hands I decided to do a swift year-end organization of the pantry. As I was sorting through half empty boxes and containers, I found one lonely box hiding up in the top right corner of a shelf. I could barely reach this shelf but pushed myself on my tiptoes to just reach this delicious looking devils food boxed cake. Flipping it over I wondered what to do with this box of cake. Throw it away? Do we donate it to someone who could find it a loving home? Personally I’m not crazy about basic cakes. However, when you turn that cake into an ooey-gooey ball and form it into a cookie loaded with more chocolate and sugar…I’m in. For these chocolate cookies I jazzed up the first batch with sugar crystals and the second batch with powdered sugar because that is what I had in the pantry. This choc-aholic isn’t going to wait on a trip to the store to make these. So, dig around in your pantry and see what you have to throw into these easy devils food chocolate cookies! Keep on reading to find out out how to turn basic boxed cake mix into delicious chocolate cookies.
Make the dough
First you will need to make the dough by creaming together cream cheese and unsalted butter. Once that is combined, add in the egg. Slowly stir in the cake mix (about 1/2 of the bag at a time so it doesn’t fly all over the kitchen). Last, add in the extra chocolate! I used a mix of dark & milk chocolate but you can use whatever your heart desires. You feeling light and sugary? Use milk chocolate. Feeling bitter and mysterious? Use dark chocolate. I keep an airtight container that is mixed with milk & dark chocolate in my pantry. I never know what to do with the random bits of chocolate leftover in the bottom of chocolate chip bags so I started a miscellaneous chocolate container which I use to add to a variety of recipes that call for chocolate chips. It’s a fun way to add a little mystery when someone asks what’s in the cookies.
1) Sugar Crystals
To make the sparkly cookies of your dreams you first need some sparkles! I used these chunky gold and silver sugar crystals because not only are they super fun but they add a delicious crunch for an extra layer of texture. It’s best to add the sugar crystals or sanding sugar before you bake these so the crystals fully adhere to the cookie. You can add them right after they come out of the oven for a less intense crystal topping (or if you forgot!).
2) Powdered Sugar
For a powdery snowball effect roll the cold dough in powdered sugar before baking. Like the crystals, this makes the powdered sugar adhere much better to the cookie. Adding powdered sugar naturally makes the cookie more messy but by baking it on there there’s a smaller chance of it ending up all over your house….and face. If desired, you can wait to do this step once the cookies are out of the oven and slightly cooled. I personally prefer doing this step before baking so everything is done and baking on the powdered sugar creates an icing-like layer surrounding the cookie in yummy goodness.
Once your cookies are out of the oven, be sure to move them to a cooling rack. I usually leave them on the baking tray for about 3-5 minutes or just cool enough to handle.
Tip: For extra gooey brownie batter-like cookies make sure to just bake these until set and remove them from the baking tray as soon as possible.
Both the sugar crystals and the powdered sugar variety would be welcome on any cookie tray or mixed set. I put these out with some gingerbread for our fourth (yes FOURTH) Christmas get-together. It was a mixed bag between some guests preferring the crunch of the sugar crystals and a few preferred the powdered sugar better.
Recipe
Ingredients:
- 8 oz cream cheese (room temp.)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temp.)
- 1 egg (room temp.)
- 1 box Devil’s food chocolate cake (15.25oz)
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Toppings:
- 1/4 cup sugar crystals or sanding sugar (colors are your choice!)
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Method:
Preheat oven to 350°. Cream together cream cheese and unsalted butter. Once that is combined add in the egg. Slowly stir in the cake mix (about 1/2 of the bag at a time so it doesn’t fly all over the kitchen). Last, stir in the chocolate chips! Wrap the dough in parchment paper and chill for about an hour. Using a cookie scoop, one-by-one shape dough and roll in your choice of toppings. Place cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
Bake:
350° for 8-9 minutes.
Let these just cool on the baking tray. Move these to a cooling rack as soon as possible to avoid these baking longer after they are out of the oven. This is essential to getting that chocolatey melt in your mouth devilish cookie!
Make sure to like, follow & share!
Tag me if you made either of these gooey chocolate cookies:
The Best Carrot Cake
What kicks off the fall transitioning into winter season better than a warm, spicy-full carrot cake? My earliest memories of carrot cake are “EW!”. As a kid… Read more “The Best Carrot Cake”
Oatmeal Streusel Muffins
Oatmeal streusel muffins are a combination of a muffin and a coffee cake all wrapped up in a warm pocket of delicousness. These are made up of cinnamon, butter, nutmeg and oatmeal and taste amazing! They have a soft base and are topped with a soft crumble that is irresistible next to a cup of warm coffee or tea.
Step 1: Make your oatmeal!
No, we are not prepping for breakfast or having brunch before we whip these babies up. This is an important step to having the ingredients prepped and ready to go. Stay focused…put down the mimosa (for like a few minutes at least). Pour boiling water over the dry oatmeal and set this aside to cool – you will want this very cool before adding this into the other ingredients. For me, you and every other person who has better things to do than watch a bowl of oatmeal cool down whack it in the fridge or freezer for a cool blast to speed up the process. Once that is done we are ready to cream together butter and sugars and add in the egg. Then add in that super chill oatmeal with a sprinkle of salt to cut through all the sugary sweetness.
Step 2: Spice it up
In a small bowl stir together the cinnamon, nutmeg and other dry ingredients. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over mix or the baking police will come for you and tell you to put down the spatula and back away from the muffins, Sharon.
Step 3: Shape and top
Finally we are nearing the end and our streusel dreams will come true. Prep large muffin tins and spray them lightly with cooking spray. Use a large spoon or ice cream scoop and fill the tins a little over 1/2 full with the mixture leaving room for streusel and to rise. Next top each with the streusel topping…load it up cause that stuff is delicious! The more crumbly and messy the better.
Once done baking, if you have any self control let these cool for about 10 minutes. Or if you are anything like me grab one and rip it open and slather it with butter and/or honey and have a baking blackout for like 5 minutes. Oh, and now you can finish your mimosa if you haven’t already.
Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cup boiling water
- 1 cup oatmeal
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 Tsp salt
- 1 Tsp soda
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup nuts (optional)
Streusel topping:
- 1/2 cup flour (all purpose)
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter (cold and cubed)
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
To make topping:
- Stir together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
- Add in butter with a fork or pastry blender to cut the butter into the mixture until mixture just comes together and using hands, squeeze tougher the mixture to make large crumbles (look for a crumbly texture)
Note: Streusel topping can be made ahead of time and store in Tupperware in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Method:
Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare the streusel topping and set aside. Pour 1 1/4 cup boiling water over 1 cup oatmeal and set aside to cool. Cream together butter and sugars and add in egg. Once combined add in oatmeal and salt. Add in dry ingredients until just combined with spices. And nuts if desired. Spray large muffin tins with oil and use ice cream scoop (or large spoon) to scoop batter into muffin tins. Top with streusel topping and bake.
Bake:
350° for 22-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Let these mostly cool in the baking tins and move to a cooling rack. These go well with a cup of tea or coffee in the morning.
Make sure to like, follow & share!
Easy homemade biscuits
As we sit inside on these hot summer days with the air conditioning breezing up through the vents and watching that binge-worthy show, why not make something new and exciting?! Crispy and crunchy biscuits are a fun and fairly easy challenge.
These are not your grandma’s fluffy buttery biscuits. Inspired by many years salivating over Paul Hollywood’s recipe for homemade biscuits I had to give these a try. (You know Paul if you binge on any certain well-known British baking shows). These are the type of treat you would eat as an appetizer when you’re looking for a snappy bite with some attitude. What we think of biscuits in the US are quite different from these biscuits we traditionally think of. What is the difference in UK and US biscuits? The next time you have questions like that, ask somebody else.
The real difference is that an American biscuit is a soft and buttery baked good that you can slather with butter and eat with dinner. UK biscuits are mostly crunchy treats you eat with tea, and some are sandwich cookies and other varieties are sweet or savory with a crunchy and thin texture.
This recipe calls for using a 2 3/4 inch round cutter, which I did not have! Perhaps one day if we open a crunchy biscuit bakery I’ll invest in a 2 3/4 inch round cutter. Instead of cutting each shape out individually and lose my mind, I used a cookie cutter. Thankfully it was happily hiding behind the Santa and stars cookie cutter in the pantry.
What savory flavors would be good in biscuits?
- Pesto and garlic
- Tomato and olives
- Cheese, cheese and more chunky cheddar cheese
What should these be served with?
- Preserves, jams and jelly
- Pickles and olives
- Spinach and artichoke dip
Credit:Recipe adapted from Savory Biscuits. See link for original recipe.
Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2.5 Cups flour
- 1 Tsp salt
- 1/2 Cups butter (1 stick, unsalted)
- 2.5 Tbsp water
- 1 egg, beaten a separate bowl
Flavor add-ins:
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp pesto (homemade or store-bought)
- Shredded parmesan cheese (1/2 cup)
Method:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Put the flour, salt, butter, water and 1 beaten egg into a bowl and mix well for 5 minutes to create the dough.
- Once combined mix in flavorings: cheese, minced garlic, and pesto.
- Put down parchment paper or on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/10in thick. Move the dough to a baking tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Lightly flour 2 large baking tray. Use a round cutter (2 3/4 in) to cut out 18 rounds from each dough. Place the discs on the baking trays.
- Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle on more parmesan (this step is optional)
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown, and then transfer onto a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or cold.
Would you try making these? Let me know!
Comment below or find me on the socials:
Quote
I’m just a girl, standing in front of a salad, asking it to be a donut.
Unknown
Gingerbread Cookies
What screams the holidays more than a sugared-up cookie? I stumbled upon these cookies from my family recipe tin (see last week’s post Molasses cookies made simple and easy). I really wanted to create fun and unique Christmas holiday cookies complete with Santa’s sleigh and an abominable snowman. After quickly realizing I was not going to find these shapes easily in any store around town I realized I could just make my own cut-outs! You can use this method for any shape and size you’d like. As a bonus, this recipe comes together perfectly to create gingerbread cookies that don’t spread out in the oven.
All this takes is some Googling and scissor skills. When trying to recreate specific characters I find it best to search for your image by cartoon. For example, search for “cartoon Santa sleigh.” This way there are usually limited details in the image, but enough to capture what you need for shape, size and decoration. Once you find the image you want, print it out and cut out the shape.
Place the printed cutout guide on top of rolled-out dough. With a paring knife carefully cut-out the dough around the shape of the paper guide. Once all of your desired shapes are done use a spatula to transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I kept my dough a little on the thicker side since I wanted these to have a nice snappy bite.
Once baked-off to a perfectly crisp gingerbread, design and decorate to your heart’s content. Royal icing works perfectly to add color and artistic flare to the gingerbread. My royal icing piping skills could use some work but I find that it is very forgiving.
Tip: if you want your gingerbread to stand upright for a display or showstopper, use that same sharp paring knife to carefully cut a straight base to the cookie. I found this works best once they are baked since the edges soften as they are in the oven.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup shortening (or unsalted butter)
- 4 tbsp molasses
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp each: cinnamon, cloves, ginger.
Method:
If this recipe looks familiar you have a keen eye! This is the same recipe from my recent post Molasses cookies, but without the baking soda. Chill the dough and then roll it out on a floured surface. Use cookie cutters or cut your desired shape. Place cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet. You don’t need to worry much how far apart to place these. Since there is no rising agent these will not spread very much.
Bake:
350° for 10-12 minutes. For this display, my intention was to have all of the cookies free standing so I baked them off until they were well done but not burnt. For a softer cookie, stick to around 10 minutes!
Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook & Instagram!
Kate Tries 