Today I got a baking need and so I thought I would share what I made with you lovely people. Due to a lack of vanilla extract, I had to find some other fragrant potion to make my cookies have a little pizzaz, so I kicked them up a notch by adding ground clove and orange blossom water. These cookies would be great to make with kids because everything is mixed at room temp in bowls and then put in the oven, so they get to work on their math skills and hand-eye coordination. Enjoy.
Chocolate Chip Orange Blossom Clove Cookies
Makes 60 cookies (if you use a perfect Tbs ball for each one and don't eat any dough, but when does that ever happen?)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 9-11 minutes per batch
Level: Easy
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
- 1 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbs honey
- 1 Tbs orange blossom water
- 2 eggs
- 4 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate roughly chopped (I used the whole ar of baking chocolate)
Tools:
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 1 wooden spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 cookie sheet (though more would be quicker)
- 1 oven
- a timer
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cloves. Set aside.
3. In a medium sized bowl, cream together butter, sugars, honey, and orange blossom water with a sturdy spoon (wooden spoons work best for this because butter is stubborn and the whole thing needs to be lump free).
4. To the butter mixture add eggs and mix until combined (be careful to not slosh any of the egg out of the bowl because at first it won't want to mix).
5. Add the dry ingredients into the wet a bit at a time, mixing in between each addition.
6. Once the dry and wet have all been combined, add the chocolate and stir it around until the chocolate is evenly distributed.
7. Use a tablespoon (or just a regular spoon you might eat cereal with) and scoop dollops of dough onto the cookie sheet approximately every 1.5 to 2 inches apart, so that you get individual cookies instead of one large cookie.
8. Bake for 9-11 minutes until golden brown (cooking time will vary depending on altitude, humidity, your stove, and how crispy you like your cookies, so keep an eye on those puppies).
9. Transfer to a plate and wait until cookies are no longer hot like lava before consuming. The waiting will be the most difficult part.
Store any uneaten cookies in a ziplock baggie or tupperware (or cookie jar) on the counter overnight, in the fridge for up to a week, or the freezer for up to 2 months. Uncooked dough can be kept in the freezer for up to 6 months or fridge for up to a week. Raw eggs can cause food poisoning, but cookie dough is amazing, so eat raw cookie dough at your own risk because we both know that it's well worth it.
Showing posts with label baking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baking. Show all posts
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Roast Chicken, Roasted Carrots and Parsnips, Roasted Beets and Fennel, Baked Yams, Sauteed Greens
Baking and roasting are two (of many) very similar techniques for using the oven that I'm utilizing to make the dishes bellow. The original recipes were within 25 degrees Fahrenheit, so I just put them all into the oven together at 400 degrees F because that's close enough. If the temperature had been 50 or more off, then I could not have done this. Also, certain items that cook for short amounts of time or are large and solid have a hard time going to a different temperature. The greens I just sauteed in a pan, though I think that if I do this again in the future that I will make 2 to 3 times as much due to the unexpected amount the greens cooked down. Everything is gluten free and dairy free except for the yams, which are deliciously terrible for you.
Roast Chicken
Serves 12
Ingredients:
6 pound whole chicken with neck and gizzards removed (that's all the bonus stuff inside that can be used, along with the carcass, to make chicken stock)
6 sprigs fresh rosemary to stuff inside of chicken
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, removed from stem and minced (that just means chopped really small)
3 cloves garlic
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Stuff chicken with whole sprigs of rosemary and garlic cloves to add aroma and help keep the chicken moist
3. Run your hand under the skin covering the breast meat to make a pocket for the chopped rosemary and place chopped rosemary evenly under the skin of the breast.
4. Cover all of the skin in olive oil to allow it to crisp nicely without burning.
5. Grind salt and pepper over the skin to taste.
6. Lay on a bed of root veggies, like the carrots and parsnips listed bellow.
7. Roast until the internal temperature of the breast meat reaches 170 degrees F, about 1.5 hours.
8. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before carving to allow juices to settle, this will keep it nice and moist on the inside and the skin will be lovely.
Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Serves 12
Ingredients:
6 large carrots, peeled and chopped into fork size pieces
6 large parsnips, peeled and chopped into fork size pieces
2-3 Tbs olive oil
Fresh tarragon
Preparation:
1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Bake at 400 degrees F in a dish until slightly tender, about 1.5 hours, turning about every fifteen minutes. If making with the rest of the dishes listed here, make sure they still have a bit of texture to them so that not everything is mushy in the meal.
Roasted Beets and Fennel
Serves 12
Ingredients:
3 large beets, peeled and cut into fork size pieces with greens reserved for Sauteed Greens listed bellow.
2 large fennel bulbs, chopped into fork size pieces with stalks and tough parts discarded
2-3 Tbs olive oil
Fresh tarragon
Preparation:
1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Bake at 400 degrees F in a dish until tender, about 1.5 hours, turning about every fifteen minutes. Dish is done when fennel can be easily pierced with a fork.
Baked Yams
Serves 12
Ingredients:
12 lbs sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cubed
12 Tbs butter
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground all spice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 packages marshmallows
Preparation:
1. In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter.
2. Add brown sugar, ginger, all spice, and clove, mix until everything is combined.
3. Pour sugar mixture over yams and toss to coat. (Wash your sauce pan right away, or at least, leave it to soak or it will be impossible to clean later.)
4. Bake at 400 degrees F in a baking dish until tender, about 1 hour, stirring the yams every fifteen minutes to coat with sugar glaze.
5. Cover yams in marshmallows and increase oven to 500 degrees F, bake until marshmallows are golden, about 3 minutes.
Sauteed Greens
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients:
1 huge bag of Power Greens
Leaves from beets, chopped into 1 inch pieces
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. In a skillet over high heat, warm oil until fragrant but not smoking.
2. Add greens, you might need more than one round but they cook really fast so it shouldn't be a problem.
3. Stir constantly until the greens have wilted and turned a deeper green.
4. Put into serving dish. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 12
Ingredients:
6 pound whole chicken with neck and gizzards removed (that's all the bonus stuff inside that can be used, along with the carcass, to make chicken stock)
6 sprigs fresh rosemary to stuff inside of chicken
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, removed from stem and minced (that just means chopped really small)
3 cloves garlic
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Stuff chicken with whole sprigs of rosemary and garlic cloves to add aroma and help keep the chicken moist
3. Run your hand under the skin covering the breast meat to make a pocket for the chopped rosemary and place chopped rosemary evenly under the skin of the breast.
4. Cover all of the skin in olive oil to allow it to crisp nicely without burning.
5. Grind salt and pepper over the skin to taste.
6. Lay on a bed of root veggies, like the carrots and parsnips listed bellow.
7. Roast until the internal temperature of the breast meat reaches 170 degrees F, about 1.5 hours.
8. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before carving to allow juices to settle, this will keep it nice and moist on the inside and the skin will be lovely.
Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Serves 12
Ingredients:
6 large carrots, peeled and chopped into fork size pieces
6 large parsnips, peeled and chopped into fork size pieces
2-3 Tbs olive oil
Fresh tarragon
Preparation:
1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Bake at 400 degrees F in a dish until slightly tender, about 1.5 hours, turning about every fifteen minutes. If making with the rest of the dishes listed here, make sure they still have a bit of texture to them so that not everything is mushy in the meal.
Roasted Beets and Fennel
Serves 12
Ingredients:
3 large beets, peeled and cut into fork size pieces with greens reserved for Sauteed Greens listed bellow.
2 large fennel bulbs, chopped into fork size pieces with stalks and tough parts discarded
2-3 Tbs olive oil
Fresh tarragon
Preparation:
1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Bake at 400 degrees F in a dish until tender, about 1.5 hours, turning about every fifteen minutes. Dish is done when fennel can be easily pierced with a fork.
Baked Yams
Serves 12
Ingredients:
12 lbs sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cubed
12 Tbs butter
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground all spice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 packages marshmallows
Preparation:
1. In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter.
2. Add brown sugar, ginger, all spice, and clove, mix until everything is combined.
3. Pour sugar mixture over yams and toss to coat. (Wash your sauce pan right away, or at least, leave it to soak or it will be impossible to clean later.)
4. Bake at 400 degrees F in a baking dish until tender, about 1 hour, stirring the yams every fifteen minutes to coat with sugar glaze.
5. Cover yams in marshmallows and increase oven to 500 degrees F, bake until marshmallows are golden, about 3 minutes.
Sauteed Greens
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients:
1 huge bag of Power Greens
Leaves from beets, chopped into 1 inch pieces
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. In a skillet over high heat, warm oil until fragrant but not smoking.
2. Add greens, you might need more than one round but they cook really fast so it shouldn't be a problem.
3. Stir constantly until the greens have wilted and turned a deeper green.
4. Put into serving dish. Salt and pepper to taste.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Lasagnas
Hello all. Today I decided to go old-school and make lasagna. Well, not that traditional because I made one of them gluten free, dairy free, used butternut squash sauce instead fo the usual tomato, and included mushrooms, zucchini, and ground beef in the layers. For the second one, I made a vegetarian green and white lasagna with ricotta, mozzarella, alfredo sauce, artichoke hearts, spinach, and green beans. These are two great ways to mix up the usual lasagna and make it something different.Gluten Free, Dairy Free Lasagna
Serves 6
Ingredients:
2 packages of gluten free no boil lasagna noodles (check out gfgrocery.com)
2 packages of dairy free shredded mozzarella substitute (gfgrocery.com)
2 zucchinis sliced
1 package of sliced cremini mushrooms
1 lbs ground beef
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup marsala cooking wine
1 jar of butternut squash pasta sauce (I used Dave's Gourmet)
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add mushrooms, zucchinis, and ground beef. Brown the beef.
3. Add wine and simmer until liquid has reduced and zucchinis are slightly soft.
4. In a large baking dish layer sauce, noodles, meat & veggie mixture, and cheese-like substitute.
5. Repeat step 4 until out of ingredients, ending in a layer of noodles, then sauce, then cheese.
6. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
7. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Vegetarian White and Green Lasagna
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 lbs of lasagna noodles
2 jars of alfredo sauce
2 cans of quartered artichokes, diced
1 bag of baby spinach chopped
1 bag of steamed green beans
1 large carton of ricotta cheese
8 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese (2 large bags)
Preparation:
1. Prepare lasagna noodles according to directions on the box.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. In a large baking pan layer noodles, ricotta cheese, sauce, veggies, and mozzarella cheese.
4. Repeat step 3 until all of the ingredients are used, end with noodles, then sauce, then mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned.
6. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Balsamic Vinegar Date Chicken with Roasted Carrots and Parmesan Brown Rice
Here I go with the baking again, but I just love it for feeding large numbers of people because it requires less unwieldy handling of large hot skillets. Meat and fruit are a combination that make me really happy, stone fruit cooks at the same rate as meat and releases juices that make the meat taste so yummy. Pair a roasted meat with a roasted root vegetable and it is a match made in heaven, all it needs is a carbohydrate and it is a well rounded and seasonal meal that leaves you time to clean up while things cook. Fantastic!
Parmesan Brown Rice
Serves 12
Ingredients:
4 cups long grain brown rice
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. In a large pot combine water and rice; bring to a boil.
2. Cover and reduce heat to low, simmer for 50 minutes.
3. Fluff with a fork and add parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
Balsamic Vinegar Date Chicken
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients:
6 lbs skinless chicken thighs (if you go boneless, you only need 4 lbs)
salt and pepper
3 Tbs white cooking wine
1 Tbs minced fresh peeled ginger
1 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 package dates (about 1 lb), pitted
1 Tbs corn starch
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Wash and pat dry chicken. Place into a deep baking dish and sprinkle the dates on top.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the wine, vinegar, and ginger.
4. Cover the chicken and dates in the liquid, then cover the baking dish with tinfoil.
5. Bake for 45-60 minutes until the juices run clear and there's no pink when the chicken is cut into.
6. Remove the chicken and dates to the serving plate.
7. Cook down remaining liquid in a skillet. Add cornstarch to thicken the gravy. Strain to remove any ginger chunks and unincorporated cornstarch globs.
Roasted Carrots
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 large bag of baby carrots (about 1 lbs)
2 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 Tbs fresh rosemary removed from the stem and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (if you have to, 425 F will work)
2. Open the bag of carrots, pour in the oil, garlic, and rosemary, seal the bag and shake to mix thoroughly. Salt and pepper the carrots while in the pan for an even distribution.
3. Pour carrots into a baking dish and bake for 20-30 minutes until able to pierce easily with a fork, moving the carrots every 10 minutes to prevent them from burning to the bottom.
*Optional: replace garlic and rosemary with 2 Tbs of fresh chopped dill.
*Optional: replace carrots with other root veggie, like potatoes, beets, yams, or parsnips, or a sturdy veggie, like eggplant, zucchini, squash, pumpkin, or asparagus. Cooking times will vary with different veggies, so keep an eye on it.
Parmesan Brown Rice
Serves 12
Ingredients:
4 cups long grain brown rice
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. In a large pot combine water and rice; bring to a boil.
2. Cover and reduce heat to low, simmer for 50 minutes.
3. Fluff with a fork and add parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
Balsamic Vinegar Date Chicken
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients:
6 lbs skinless chicken thighs (if you go boneless, you only need 4 lbs)
salt and pepper
3 Tbs white cooking wine
1 Tbs minced fresh peeled ginger
1 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 package dates (about 1 lb), pitted
1 Tbs corn starch
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Wash and pat dry chicken. Place into a deep baking dish and sprinkle the dates on top.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the wine, vinegar, and ginger.
4. Cover the chicken and dates in the liquid, then cover the baking dish with tinfoil.
5. Bake for 45-60 minutes until the juices run clear and there's no pink when the chicken is cut into.
6. Remove the chicken and dates to the serving plate.
7. Cook down remaining liquid in a skillet. Add cornstarch to thicken the gravy. Strain to remove any ginger chunks and unincorporated cornstarch globs.
Roasted Carrots
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 large bag of baby carrots (about 1 lbs)
2 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 Tbs fresh rosemary removed from the stem and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (if you have to, 425 F will work)
2. Open the bag of carrots, pour in the oil, garlic, and rosemary, seal the bag and shake to mix thoroughly. Salt and pepper the carrots while in the pan for an even distribution.
3. Pour carrots into a baking dish and bake for 20-30 minutes until able to pierce easily with a fork, moving the carrots every 10 minutes to prevent them from burning to the bottom.
*Optional: replace garlic and rosemary with 2 Tbs of fresh chopped dill.
*Optional: replace carrots with other root veggie, like potatoes, beets, yams, or parsnips, or a sturdy veggie, like eggplant, zucchini, squash, pumpkin, or asparagus. Cooking times will vary with different veggies, so keep an eye on it.
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