Peanut Butterscotch Chews

I finally got a chance to break in my new copy of the King Arthur Whole Grain Baking Cookbook today. It took me quite a while to decide which recipe to try first. They all sound so great but a lot of them call for flours I don't keep on hand such as spelt, oat or barley flour. So, while I take my time stocking up on new ingredients I decided to try a recipe that would use things I have on hand. I adapted t his recipe by adding the butterscotch chips but feel free to leave them out. Or substitute chocolate chips. Either way, these are amazing! They are dense yet moist, rich, chewy and oh so peanutty good! I would highly suggest baking two batches because I can tell that they are not going to last long around here!

Peanut Butterscotch Chews

(adapted from King Arthur Whole Grain Baking Cookbook)

1 c. smooth peanut butter
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar (I used organic evaporated cane juice sugar)
1 large egg
1/4 c. water
2 Tbsp. dark corn syrup or honey (I used raw honey)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. lightly salted dry roasted peanuts, finely ground in the food processor (I used nuts from a small can of "nut topping" meant to top ice cream which I processed in my mini food chopper)
1/2 pkg. (about 6 oz.) butterscotch chips

Cream together first 8 ingredients. If you have a stand mixer, use that because this batter is quite heavy. Add flour and nuts until well combined. Gently mix in chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Press with a fork to make a criss-cross pattern. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Cool for about 5 minutes on baking sheets then transfer with a spatula to wire racks to continue cooling. Makes about 28 cookies.

Homemade Graham Crackers

Happy Easter everyone! I am not going to be preparing a big holiday meal this year but I do have some of my favorite Easter recipes listed here.

I recently had the chance to pick up a new very cool looking product to try. Have you seen Philly Cream Cheese's new Ready-To-Eat Cheesecake Filling. Awesome idea for people like myself (my whole family actually) that LOVE cheesecake in any form. The tub of filling costs a little under $5 which is comparable to the amount you would probably spend when buying the ingredients to make your own cheesecake filling. I first planned to just purchase (or make) a graham cracker crust to serve this new found confection, but when I remembered a recipe I had seen on The Baking Sheet for Homemade Graham Crackers, I couldn't resist making them. We made "Cheesecake Sandwiches" with them and the new Philly filling and were they good! If your grocer offers this product I highly suggest you give it a try :0)


Here's the Graham Cracker recipe...

Homemade Graham Crackers
(from The Baking Sheet)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups whole-wheat flour (I used Organic Graham Flour from Hodgson Mill)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoon molasses
1/4 cup cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a food processor, mix together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add the cold butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 30 seconds or so. Add the honey, molasses, water, and vanilla. Mix until the dough starts to come together in a ball, another 30 seconds. Scrape dough out of the mixer.

Between 2 sheets of waxed or parchment paper, roll the dough 1/8-inch thick. Chill for at least 1 hour, until firm (I chilled for several hours).

Preheat oven to 350F. Retrieve dough and roll it a bit more if it is not yet 1/8-inch thick. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into 2-inch squares. Arrange the crackers on parchment lined baking sheets. With a toothpick, prick several holes in each cracker.

Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan.

Yield: 48 crackers

Monster Cookies

My girls were in the mood for homemade cookies today. I took a quick inventory of what we had on hand and went to my cookbook pile to find something new to try. I had seen recipes for "Monster Cookies" for a long time, but whenever I wanted to make them we seemed to be missing one ingredient or another. Today was finally our day to try them. I'll be honest, I still prefer plain old oatmeal raisin cookies, but all in all these were very good and not nearly as rich as you'd think by the ingredient list. I got this recipe from Penzeys "ONE" Magazine. The original recipe makes 4 times as many cookies but we had to cut in fourths to make a manageable sized recipe. If you like M & M's this is a must try recipe!

Monster Cookies
(adapted from Penzeys "ONE" Magazine)

3 eggs
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/8 c. peanut butter
2 tsp. baking soda
4 1/2 c. quick oats
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. M&M's

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream together eggs, butter, sugars and vanilla extract. Mix in the other ingredients by hand to form a stiff dough. Make sure the oats are the quick cooking variety, as they make the cookies fluffier than regular oats. Bake tablespoons full of dough on a greased cookie sheet for about 10 - 12 minutes.

Five Spice Cookies

We're participating in a cookie swap with our homeschool group on Friday so today was cookie dough day :) Each family brings 5 dozen of the same cookie and leaves with five dozen different kinds. I wanted to do something full of nice warm spices like cinnamon and ginger... but gingerbread men seemed too "boring". I came up with this recipe based on some ingredients we had on had. One word for these - YUM!

Five Spice Cookies

4 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. Chinese Five Spice Powder (I used Penzey's)
2 cups (4 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cup granulated (white) sugar
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. orange extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 c. raisins

Combine flour, baking soda and salt and five spice powder in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, orange extract and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in raisins. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Bread Crumb Cookies

I posted this recipe in one of my past newsletters and wanted to share it again. I know, it sounds wierd... cookies made with bread crumbs. I thought so too when I found this recipe several years ago. It was one of the many recipes I have found through The Complete Tightwad Gazette. These cookies remind me of chocolate "lace" cookies... kind of thin, delicate (they break very easily) and very delicious. In my opinion they taste best the second day. If I ever make a batch that lasts longer than two days I'll let you know how they are on the third ;)



Bread Crumb Cookies

1 1/4 c flour
1 1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 c cocoa
1/2 c milk
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 c melted shortening
2 c bread crumbs

Sift together dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients and add to dry mixture. Add melted shortening and bread crumbs. Drop by spoonfuls onto an a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until done.

Butterscotch Cookies

Thanks everyone who wished me well yesterday. I do feel much better now, thanks!

With one stray stick of butter in my freezer from holiday cookie baking, I felt it time to bake even MORE cookies. I found this recipe on the recipe message board over at WAHM.com and I knew I had to try it! Anything caramel or butterscotch is always a hit in our house. These are not much to look at but they taste great! I pressed down the second sheet full with a fork to flatten them a bit because they don't seem to flatten out on their own.

Butterscotch Cookies
(from MMM-Cookies)

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Lightly grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. Cut the butter into small pieces.
Put in a large microwave safe bowl and melt for 30 seconds then at 10 second intervals.
Add brown sugar; stir until sugar is dissolved. Let cool for just a few minutes.Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla.Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Drop by the spoonful on to cookie sheets about 2" apart. Bake 12-14 minutes or until edges are browned. Let cool on cookie sheet 1 minute then transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Fusion Recipes and More Christmas Cookies

On a never ending search for fusion recipes, I stumbled across a recipe for Mexican Egg Rolls on Nerissa's blog, Deetsa's Diningroom. What a concept! I can't wait to try this recipe. All the things we love about Mexican and Chineese all rolled into one. Finding this recipe sent of on a journey to find more goodies to add to my list of recipes to try. Here are a few others out in cyber-land that caught my eye.

Chicken Fajita Pasta Toss
Bombay Burrito
Thai Breaded Chicken Fillets

I wanted to share with you yet another of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes. In my house, growing up, we made at least 5 kinds of cookies every Christmas season plus fudge every year. We often tried new recipes and many have become family favorites. Here is one that I always loved. These are so flaky and buttery, you can't eat just one!

Almond Crescents

1 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 3/4 cups sifted flour
3/4 cup finely chopped almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
confectioners' sugar

Cream butter; gradually beat in 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, the flour, almonds, and salt. Blend well. Chill. Shape dough into crescents, using about 1/2 tablespoons for each cookie. Combine 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Roll warm cookies in confectioners' sugar mixture. Makes about 5 to 6 dozen nut crescent cookies.

Cookies And A New Blog

Since I started this blog I have received much positive feedback as well as recipe requests. It seems that the most requested recipes are for those that can be made in the crock pot. So in an effort to inspire crock pot creativity, I started another blog called Crock Pot Adventures. Stay tuned for lots of great recipes for your slow cooker.

Now on to the cookies...

Caramel is a favorite in our house so when I saw this recipe I just had to try it. I found it in a Pillsbury cookbook at the local library. These are fun to make and not overly sweet with a nice caramel flavor. The filling tends to be soft so if you want to make them and package them for gifts keep that in mind when adding milk to the recipe... less is more in that case.

Caramel Creme Sandwich Cookies

Cookies:
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. butter or margarine, softened
1 egg yolk
2 c. flour

Filing:
2 Tbsp. butter (NOT margarine)
1 1/4 c. confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 - 5 Tbsp. milk

In a large bowl beat brown sugar, sugar and 1 c. butter until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and blend well. Stir in flour and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 15 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten to 1 1/2 inch circles with a floured fork (one impression only). Bake 10 - 14 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from sheets immediately. Cool completely.

To make the icing, heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a sauce pan over medium heat until light golden brown. Remove from heat. Stir in rest of ingredients , add enough milk to make spreadable. Blend until smooth. Spread 1 tsp. filling on one cooled cookie and top with a second cooled cookie.

Lemon Butter Cookies

I always love the taste of lemon in cookies. These are wonderfully light with a nice lemon flavor.

Lemon Butter Cookies

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. confectioners sugar
3/4 c. butter
1/4 c. canola oil
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 egg
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, cream sugars, butter and oil. Beat until light and fluffy. Add lemon zest and lemon juice. Add egg. Blend well. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Refrigerate at least one hour. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Form dough into 1-inch balls Bake 7 - 12 minutes. Remove from cookies sheets to cooling racks at once.

Peanut Butter Cookies

I found this recipe for peanut butter cookies on marthastewart.com. These are the best I have ever tasted. So easy to make and prefect with a cold glass of milk!



Peanut Butter Cookies

1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick butter, softened
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 c. peanut butter

Sift together dry ingredients, set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla, beat until combined. Add peanut butter and beat until blended. Cover dough with plastic wrap, chill at least 1 hour. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Form dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Press down with a fork that has been dipped in flour. Dip fork again and press again in opposite direction to form a criss-cross pattern. Bake 10 - 12 minutes. Cook on a rack.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love chocolate chip cookies! This is my version of the classic Nestle Toll House recipe found on the back of their packages of semi-sweet chocolate chips. This photo of from the Nestle website.



Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp mace
1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated (white) sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) NESTLE TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped pecans

Combine flour, baking soda and salt, cinnamon and mace in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Tags: cooking, food, recipes, cookies, dessert, chocolate

Christmas Cookies

Almond Crescents
Auntie Olga's Caramel Toffee from Tummy Rumble
Caramel Cream Sandwich Cookies
Chocolate Chip Blondies
Holiday Fudge
Holiday Snickerdoodles
Lemon Butter Cookies
Nanaimo Bars
Peanut Butter Cookies

Technorati Tags: food recipes cooking Christmas

Newsletter Issue #2 - January 2006

Hi Friend,

I’m sure you’ve noticed that I have been hosting Guest Bloggers starting this month. I thought that it would be a great way to add variety to my blog. I would love to know what you think of the posts they have made. Send me an email with any feedback you have ---> chefmichele@gmail.com. Also, if you are interested in guest blogging for me, email me as well! I am hosting a guest every Monday and you don’t have to be a blogger to participate! If you contact me by email I will send you more information on how to participate. You can email me any comments or suggestions about this newsletter as well. I love getting email :)

If you haven’t dropped by my blog lately, here are a couple posts of interest that I made recently:

* Mango Bars --> http://chefmichele.blogspot.com/2006/01/mango-bars.html
* Butterscotch Cookies --> http://chefmichele.blogspot.com/2006/01/butterscotch-cookies.html
* Cupcakes and Quick Breads ---> http://chefmichele.blogspot.com/2006/01/cupcakes-and-quick-breads.html

I received some very nice emails recently about my last newsletter and I wanted to thank those of you who took the time out to let me know that you enjoyed it. One of my subscribers sent me some information that I felt would really benefit you all so here is what she had to say:

"I wanted to give some info that you can pass on if you like. We don't have a Safeway in my area, but we do have Lowe's Foods.

I love this store because they have S&H points (you use a card to use and redeem them). You earn points off everything you purchase in the store! Then you can use points to get discounts on items (I got a gallon of milk yesterday for FREE), or you can save them and order things from a catalog.

Using the card also gets you certain specials (discounts of anything from produce to potato chips to soda, just depends on the specials that week). And at this store you can use coupons on items, even if they are on sale....and they still do double coupons! Sometimes they even do triple coupons! I save so much money!

When I was on bed rest during my last pregnancy I found out they have an order service. Just go online and order your groceries, then go to a drive up spot and punch in your code....they bring them out and load them up for you. There is a $5 fee, but you save so much by shopping there that it isn't really even noticed.

Maybe this info would be helpful to some of your other readers."


I thought this sounded like a great deal and sure wish we had a Lowe's around here!

Speaking of great deals, I just ran across a really great one today! I have been a member of a website called Club Mom for some time now. It's a really neat site for moms with forums, deals and and other goodies for moms. One neat thing about this site is that when you sign up as a member at their site (no cost to do so), they send you a gift. This month they are offering a coupon for a F R E E cup of coffee and doughnut from Krispy Kream. How cool is that? If you're interested, take a look ---> https://www.clubmom.com/display/219325?p_id=7218

Friend, if you’re fond of sweets like I am, I think you will love the recipe I have for you this time. You may recall I spoke about saving the ends of your loaves of bread to make bread crumbs last time. One great thing you can make with those freshly made crumbs is Breadcrumb Cookies. I know… it sounds like a strange idea, but they really are great! I got this recipe from The Complete Tightwad Gazette. If you are frugal in the kitchen like I am you really should grab a copy of this book, it is full of useful information to help you cut costs in the kitchen and in every other are of your life. You can take a look at it and read excerpts here ---> http://tinyurl.com/c8e9o

Here's the recipe...
Bread Crumb Cookies

1 1/4 c flour
1 1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 c cocoa
1/2 c milk
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 c melted shortening
2 c bread crumbs

Sift together dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients and add to dry mixture. Add melted shortening and bread crumbs. Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until done.

Give this one a try, I’m sure you will enjoy it!

I really enjoyed chatting with you today! If you enjoyed this newsletter, be sure to pass it on to all your friends! If this issue was passed on to you and you’d like to subscribe, visit http://chefmichele.blogspot.com/ and fill out the subscription form right at the top.

Until Next time, Happy Cooking!

Michele

P.S. If you are into healthy breakfasts, I have a little freebie for you next time that I think you will really enjoy. I’ll have that for you next time.