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By Kim, November 18, 2009 9:41 pm

Two words: chocolate and peanut butter. I do not think that there are two better words when it comes to baking. When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make them! They were very easy to make, but when it came to dipping them into the chocolate I ran into a few problems. I always make a huge mess when I use melted chocolate for dipping. Also the rice krispies kind of fell apart when they were in the chocolate. Other than that, they turned out really good. I was thinking the next time I make them, I would just put the chocolate on the top, sort of like icing.

Recipe from the Brown Eyed Baker.

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By Kim, November 15, 2009 5:25 pm

Ever since I noticed the cooler mornings and evenings, I have been thinking of Fall. Most of the time I am very sad to see summer go, but since this summer has been filled with house projects and work, I am actually ready for some cooler weather and less house work. Some of the trees are just starting to get a little yellow, but I know not before long they will be bright reds, oranges and yellows.

Along with my desire for cooler weather, has been my desire for pumpkin. Don’t ask me why, but the smell of spiced pumpkin makes me long for a cool fall day. So with that, I decided it was time for some pumpkin. But I didn’t want to make a pumpkin recipe that I have already made. That’s when I stumbled on Pumpkin Cookies. They sounded delish and I wanted to make them the instant I found the recipe.

The recipe was so easy and fast and as the cookies were baking my house was filling with the sweet aroma of pumpkin spice. Each cookie was like a little cake. They were soft and moist and full of flavor. They turned out to be a huge success. My husband is already talking about the next time I make them. So I think I will have to make this every year to welcome the changing season. Check out the recipe at Libby’s Pumpkin.

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By Kim, November 15, 2009 5:18 pm

My all time favorite food is peanut butter.  I could eat it everyday, either in a sandwich or just a quick spoonful.  Unfortunately my husband does not share the same passion for peanut butter.  He doesn’t really like peanut butter cookies (which I love), so I never make any desserts with peanut butter because I want him to enjoy it too.  Well I found this recipe for Peanut Butter Blondies and I decided that he was going to have to suck it up and eat a little peanut butter because these sounded too good to pass up!

The recipe was so easy and fast (which I love).  After about 10 minutes in the oven you could smell the sweet aroma of peanut butter throughout the house!  After I took it out, I tried to let it cool before I cut into it, but it just smelled too good.  I was so pleased with the taste, that I thought maybe my husband might even like these.  After he tried my Blondies, I think I may have converted him to the peanut butter side.  He thought they were very good and he has been eating them all week.  I am glad I decided to give peanut butter another try because I sure have been missing it!

Ingredients:

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Grease a 9-inch by 13-inch pan and set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and brown sugar, stirring constantly until smooth.  Remove from the heat, and stir in the peanut butter.  Allow to cool while combining the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt – in a large mixing bowl.

Add the eggs, one at a time, to the brown sugar and peanut butter mixture, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine.  Pour the mixture into the prepared dry ingredients, and stir to create a thick, smooth batter.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spreading the batter evenly to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with the milk chocolate chips and peanuts, lightly pressing them into the batter.

Bake for 25 minutes.  Allow to cool in the pan.  Cut into 1-2 inch squares.

Recipes taken from My Kitchen Addicition

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By Kim, November 15, 2009 5:13 pm

Growing up, I loved Girl Scout thin mints.  They were always my favorite Girl Scout cookie.  So when I found a homemade thin mint recipe, I was super excited to try it.  The recipe was very easy and straight forward, so I figured it would turn out great.  Needless to say I was disappointed by my new baking endeavor.  The cookie itself was good, although in my opinion it could use a little more mint flavoring.  But after I dipped it into the dark chocolate coating, it just lost all appeal to me.  My husband thought they were good and proclaimed he would eat all of them.  I’m glad at least one of us liked them.

I am pretty sure it was my choice it dark chocolate that ruined it for me.  I think it was a little too bitter for the cookie.  It needed a sweeter chocolate.  So if I decide to make them again, I would opt for a milk chocolate or a combination of dark and milk chocolate.

Recipe:

Taken from Bakingbites.com

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup milk (any kind)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp peppermint extract

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. With the mixer on low speed, add in the milk and the extracts. Mixture will look curdled. Gradually, add in the flour mixture until fully incorporated.
Shape dough into two logs, about 1 1/2 inches (or about 4 cm) in diameter, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1-2 hours, until dough is very firm.
Preheat oven to 375F.
Slice dough into rounds not more than 1/4 inch thick – if they are too thick, they will not be as crisp – and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cookies will not spread very much, so you can put them quite close together.
Bake for 13-15 minutes, until cookies are firm at the edges. Cool cookies completely on a wire rack before dipping in chocolate.

Dark Chocolate Coating
10-oz dark or semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup butter, room temperature

In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate and butter. Melt on high power in the microwave, stirring every 45-60 seconds, until chocolate is smooth. Chocolate should have a consistency somewhere between chocolate syrup and fudge for a thin coating.
Dip each cookie in melted chocolate, turn with a fork to coat, then transfer to a piece of parchment paper or wax paper to set up for at least 30 minutes, or until chocolate is cool and firm.
Reheat chocolate as needed to keep it smooth and easy to dip into.

Makes 3 1/2-4 dozen cookies.

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By Kim, November 15, 2009 5:10 pm

I have never made cupcakes from scratch and I have always wanted to. But for my first time, I really didn’t want to make chocolate or vanilla cupcakes. So I searched around and found a recipe for Coconut cupcakes from a Los Angeles Times article that sounded like something a little different, yet good. The recipe seemed fairly easy at first glimpse so I went for it.

Now I have never had to sift flour when I’ve made baked goods, so I went out and bought a pretty cheap one. Well I wish I would have spent a little more money because the thing took forever to sift over 2 cups of flour. In the end, I cheated and just dumped the rest in because my hand was cramping up! Even though I did not sift all my flour (so guilty), the cupcakes turned out very light and almost, dare I say, fluffy. I tried them before I frosted them too because they smelled so good and boy were they.

The next step was frosting. As I’ve already said, I’m a virgin when it comes to making cupcakes from scratch, frosting included. I found a great butter cream recipe from Recipe Girl. I added a little extra butter in it because I didn’t want to save 2 teaspoons of butter. It was seriously the best frosting I have ever had. Maybe I say that because I’m impartial, but why would you ever bother buying packaged frosting, when you can make your own that is ten times better and not nearly as expensive. It was so light and very easy to spread. I put a little bit of blue food coloring in it too because the cupcakes were going to our pregnant friend who just found out they are having a boy. Congrats!

All in all, I am very happy with my first cupcake baking experience. As I try baking more things on my own, I have decided that store bought stuff just is not the same. Our friends reported back that the cupcakes were delicious and that they finished one plate in just one night! I’d have to say these were a success!

Coconut Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

2 1/3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons almond extract

1 1/3 cup sugar

1 3/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut, plus extra for decorating frosted cupcakes

1) Heat the oven to 325 degrees.  In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.  Separately, in a large bowl, combine the oil, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract and sugar.  Using a had mixer, on low speed, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until smooth, careful not to over mix.  Gently fold in the coconut.

2) Place muffin cups into muffin tins.  Fill each cup with a generous 1/4 cup of batter, so that is comes 3/4 up the side of each cup.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before adding frosting.