Category: Baking

Spring Cleaning

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As I’ve mentioned before, when I want to bake with the ingredients I already have in my pantry, it usually ends up as shortbread.  I’m heading out of town for summer which means it would be nice use up some ingredients in the cupboard before I leave.  Among these ingredients: a stick of butter, unsweetened cocoa, instant coffee, and powdered sugar.  All leftover from past baking adventures.  What does that equal, you ask?  You guessed it:

Mocha Shortbread

From Martha (who else)

Yields about 8 cookie slices from cake pan

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup plus 3 Tbs AP flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter room temp
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar (plus more for dusting garnish)

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Sift together flour, cocoa, and salt.
  3. Cream butter and sugar together then add flour mixture a little at a time.
  4. Mixture will be crumbly.  Make sure you mix it until it’s relatively uniform and all of the dry ingredients are incorporated.
  5. Press dough into the bottom of a round cake pan (8 or 9 inches).  No need to prepare the pan, cookies with this much butter don’t stick.
  6. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  Allow to cool and slice like a pizza.
    Oops, I broke a couple. I guess I’ll just have to eat the rejects…

    These aren’t super sweet, I would say they’re more of a grown up cookie.  They would be great with some summer berries and a dollop of whipped cream, or paired with some after dinner coffee or tea.  I would even consider using this recipe as a cookie crust for a mousse/cheesecake/pudding type of cake.

    PS- I recently added this song to my workout playlist.  I am obsessed.

I Want Some More

Sadie1 Comment

Do you need to bring some dessert to a pool party or BBQ?  Two words of advice: Marshmallow Treats.  One thing I’ve learned over the past couple years, is that you need to pick recipes to make that align well with the occasion, not just because you want to try something new, or an impressive technique.  It’s like dressing for the occasion, even though it’s probably better to be over dressed than under dressed, I would rather wear a fashion forward casual outfit than be the only tool in a dress and sky high heels.  That might be just me, but I must say, every time I’ve made marshmallow treats to bring to a party, they get raves.  Yes, marshmallow treats, the dessert that has minimal ingredients and doesn’t even have to bake in the oven.  They’re more unique than cookies, take a fraction of the time, do not require climate control, and only get gooier in the warm weather.

Do you want to reap compliments?  Make these:

S’mores Marshmallow Treats

makes about 18 squares (depending on how much you eat while you make it)

Ingredients

  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 bag mini marshmallows (plus an extra handful if you like gooey)
  • 6-7 cups Golden Grahams Cereal
  • 1 bag chocolate chips

Method

  1. Prepare 9 x 13 pan with parchment or non-stick spray.
  2. Warm up a pot on the stove over medium heat.  Melt butter.
  3. Add the bag of marshmallows to the butter and stir until melted.  Add vanilla to mixture and turn down heat to low.
  4. Add cereal to mixture and turn off heat.  Mix well to distribute marshmallow mixture and add an extra handful of marshmallows if you want gooier bars.
  5. Sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips on the bottom of the prepared pan.  Add mixture on top of chocolate chips.  As you spread the mixture out add more chocolate chips so they are incorporated throughout the bars.  Once the mixture is spread evenly, add remaining chocolate chips on top (I try to add them strategically so they don’t all melt right away).
  6. Allow to cool to room temperature then move to fridge or freezer to speed up the cooling process.

Martha Strikes Again!

Sadie2 Comments

That’s right, I own a few books.  Though most of them are presidential biographies, I have a few food/cook books.  I was browsing through the Martha Cookie Cookbook the other day, and I saw a recipe that I’ve been meaning to try: Banana Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

Banana Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies

From Martha 

Yields about 3 dozen (maybe less)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup AP flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp coarse salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1.5 sticks)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1)
  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chunks (or chips if you don’t have chunks)
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Cream together butter and sugars.  Combine flours, salt, baking soda, and oats in separate bowl.
  3. Mix banana, egg, and vanilla into butter and sugar mixture. Then slowly add dry ingredients to wet.
  4. Fold in walnuts and chocolate chips.
  5. Use an ice cream scoop to portion dough out onto parchment lined cookie sheets.  Bake 12-14 minutes.  Remove and all to cool.

    I made two batches at once. It was a good decision.