Mint Brownie Batter Cookies

Chewy and chocolatey with a hint of mint.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 oz baking chocolate, melted

3 large eggs, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 1/4 tsps baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp mint extract (or 2 tsps mint and skip the vanilla if you like your cookies mintier!)

1 cup mini white chocolate chips (plus a few extra to top)

1 or 2 candy canes crushed (optional)

Beat the butter, sugar, brown sugar and melted baking chocolate together until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time.

Then sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together and add to the wet ingredients. Add the extract of your choice and fold in the white chocolate chips and crushed candy cane. 

Scoop batter using a small cookie scoop (1 - 1 1/2") onto parchment lined baking sheets 2" apart. Stick a couple of chocolate chips on top.

And bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes.

Makes 82 bite sized cookies

Store in airtight containers.

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Cinnamon Apple Crumb Muffins

These muffins are chock full of juicy apple chunks and fragrant cinnamon and best of all, they are made from pantry staples so you can probably make them right now!

Ingredients:

Crumb:

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tbsps sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup butter, melted

2/3 cup flour

Muffins:

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup yogurt

2 tsps vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cups chopped apples

Icing Drizzle:

1/2 cup icing sugar

3 tbsps milk or cream

1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix the first 4 ingredients for the crumb together then add in the flour and set aside.

For the muffins, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together. In a separate bowl beat the butter, brown sugar and sugar together. Add the eggs, yogurt, vanilla and milk. Now add the dry ingredients to the wet mixing just until combined. Fold in the apples

Spoon batter into muffin cups and sprinkle the crumb mixture on top. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes then reduce heat to 350°F and continue baking for 15-18 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Once cooled mix the icing together. Put it in a little ziplock baggie, snip a corner off and squeeze over the muffins. Let the icing drizzle set 2 hours.

Make 15 medium sized muffins 

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Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Santa will love these on Christmas Eve!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp espresso powder (optional if you want mocha flavour)

3/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1  3/4 cups brown sugar, lightly packed

2 eggs, room temperature

1 - 2 tsps peppermint extract

2 tbsps milk

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted for dipping

1/4 tsp vegetable oil

1 or 2 mini candy canes, crushed for sprinkling

Whisk the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, salt (and mocha if using) together. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl cream the shortening, butter and brown sugar together until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, extract and milk

Add the flour on low speed and mix until just combined.

Pour in the melted chocolate and mix together.

Roll into 1" balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet about 2" apart. This dough handles very well. 

Bake at 350 F for 9-10 minutes then fully cool on racks.

Once cooled melt the chocolate and vegetable oil together and dip the cookies in. Let the excess run off then place on the parchment lined pan again. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.

Place the pan in the fridge a few minutes for the chocolate to set, then store in airtight containers.

Makes 64 cookies

Pie Shells - Blind Bake

Here's a little trick, a lifehack, I wish I'd known about years ago! How to blind bake a pie shell!

It seems so straight forward, like duh, why didn't I think of this myself?!? 

After you roll out the pastry and put it in your pie plate, grease a second pie plate and sit it inside the shell. In later tests I found that using a piece of parchment along with the grease helps tremendously. Chill 30 minutes.

Now this part seemed funny... bake the pie shell in a 375 F oven for 20 minutes upside down on a baking sheet.

After 20 minutes carefully turn the pie plate over with the help of a spatula. Slowly remove the inner pie plate. Prick the crust and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes. 
This one turned out better than...

this one below !!! Oops, forgot to use the parchment paper!!

And after trial and error I found that metal pans work better than glass. 
No more bubbled up and shrunken pie shells!

Information from KingArthurflour.com

Room Temperature Butter

Don't you just hate it when you're about to bake something that calls for softened butter, but you forgot to take it out of the fridge earlier? Ugh!

No worries......just measure off what you need and grate it! Speeds up the process.  

Happy baking : )

One Hour French Bread

What do you mean, you do not have time to make bread? You can make this one while getting other stuff ready for dinner.

1 tbsp honey
1  1/2 tsp salt
1  1/2 cup warm tap water
1 tbsp yeast
4 - 4  1/2 cups flour

Put the honey and salt in the bottom of a very large bowl. Add warm water and sprinkle the yeast on top and leave it for 20 minutes.

Go back to what you were making for supper.

After 20 minutes add the flour to the yeast mixture and knead a few minutes. Don't freak out, it's easy! Once the dough is nice and elasticy cover with a tea towel and walk away for 20 minutes.

Supper must be almost ready by now.

Peek under the tea towel, the dough has risen eh?

So transfer dough to a baking sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal, snip it with scissors a few times.

Put a pan of water on the bottom rack, the bread on the middle rack and bake in a 400 F oven for 20 - 25 minutes.

Now you have time to sit down and have a glass of wine.

Fresh hot bread in just ONE hour!
You're welcome : )

Chocolate and Green Tomato Bread

Did you know that you can use shredded green tomatoes in baked goods just as you would zucchini? And it has more vitamin C.

3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp instant coffee granules
3/4 cup chocolate chips

2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

1  1/2 cups shredded green tomato

Start by shredding the green tomatoes and leave them in a colander for 30 minutes. Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl up to and including the chocolate chips.

In a larger bowl mix the eggs, oil, sugars and vanilla together then fold in the green tomato.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir just until combined. Pour into  prepared 9 X 5" loaf pan.

Bake at 350 F for 55-60 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

And any extra shredded green tomato can be frozen and used later.

A bagged enough for more Chocolate and Green Tomato Bread!

Ice Cream Scoops and Baking ?

Am I the only one who didn't know this??

A few weeks ago we were helping my husband's elderly aunt downsize before moving into a senior's residence.  While going through her stuff we came across this.

Actually there were 5 of them to begin with.  I looked at her and said "really, you need 5 ice cream scoops?"  She had a sheepish grin when she told me "well....yes.  A couple of them are for ice cream, but the others I use for baking."

WHAT?!?!?!?!!

Well, dummy me.  Of course, different sized scoops for different sized cookies, muffins, cupcakes. 
My life just got a little easier. (Thanks Beatrice)

So now I have 1 scoop for ice cream and 3 for baking.  And since she won't be doing any more baking, she has only 1 scoop. For ice cream.