I’ve never tried topping a cookie before baking, but after sampling these Chocolate Orange Pecan Cookies last night, I have a feeling you may be seeing a lot of “cookie crust” variations in the months to come! Brainstorming has consumed my thoughts and I have some great ideas, though I’ll try to intersperse the cookie recipes with other genres of baking so I don’t make you crazy, too. They won’t win any awards for beauty, and I’m doubtful they will go viral on Pinterest, but hey…looks aren’t everything, right? So here’s what we have: A deep chocolate cookie covered with a pecan, sugar, orange zest and egg mixture – basically a chewy meringue. The topping bakes along with the cookie, and turns into a dense, flavorful crust that hardens just enough to make them easy to store without fear of mushing the cookie tops.
The story here isn’t about the cookie; I used my cookie dough recipe for Nonpareil Cookies, which worked nicely. The story is about the topping, and how it complements the cookie’s flavor and texture. Here’s the recipe for the topping:
Finely chop the pecans (a food processor works best).
In a medium bowl, beat the egg and egg whites until foamy. Add the sugar gradually, beating continuously until all sugar is added. Beat about 3 minutes, until the mixture lightens in color.
Add the orange zest, vanilla, and salt and mix well.
Stir in the pecans.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Drop by small spoonfuls onto thin unbaked cookies and bake following the cookie recipe instructions.
Instead of rolling out the cookie dough, I rolled the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and went the lazy efficient route and used a cookie stamp (or you can crisscross it with a fork, like a peanut butter cookie) to flatten it to about 1/4-inch thick.
Flatten with a cookie stamp or fork.
Add topping.
I baked them at 350F for about 12 minutes. If you want a crispier cookie, try stamping (or rolling) the dough thinner or cooking them for another minute or two.
After being sealed in a plastic bag overnight they actually had a fairly soft texture, more like a brownie. Yum. Perfect with a hot cup of coffee.
For the record, I’m really not fond of coconut, but tried a few cookies rolled in coconut and a few with chopped coconut added to the topping. Both were excellent – if you like coconut!
I’ll be back with more. Chocolate topping, streusel topping, berry topping…you can’t stem the flow of this tide! If you’re looking for me, I’ll be in the kitchen.
Welcome to our Fly on the Wall group post. Today 12 bloggers are inviting you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes. Come on in and buzz around my house,and then check out the other houses too! Links to all of the crazy bloggers are at the bottom of this post.
April finds me whirling around like a Dervish. I usually thrive on multi-tasking, but you may have noticed that my personality has suffered a bit. In other words, do NOT come in my kitchen! Or talk to me. Or expect me to feed you. Several deadlines are all looming, and I’ve actually had to resort to putting a priority list down on paper instead of juggling things around in my head. You’ve been pretty good about staying on the ceiling, out of my way, but the other occupants of this house haven’t been as helpful.
And how those occupants have multiplied!
We had decided NO MORE DOGS after we lost our German Shorthair last fall. We had Otis, our yellow lab, and that was enough; he seemed happy to be an “only child.” Oh, occasionally a box of puppies at the feed store would tempt me, and The Man and Lord Voldemort were lobbying for a dog that was trained to hunt for antlers that the deer, elk, and moose shed every year. I made myself walk away from the box-o’-pups, and a shed-hunting dog was out of our budget completely, so we had no plans for another dog.
You hear it coming, don’t you?
My husband booted up a hunting site he chats in, and there was a 2 year old black lab, a trained shed dog, free to a good home. Her owners had to move to an apartment, and she was miserable there. I can’t say I was consulted; by the time I realized what was going on, The Man was already on the phone, saying “We’ll take her”, but I was wholeheartedly in favor. So Daisy joined the family, and she has stolen all of our hearts. Otis loves having her to play with, and even the cats like her. Of course, she went into heat right after we got her, so there has been a lot of yelling, screaming, and shooting of BB guns going on to ward off the neighbor dogs. And Miss Daisy went right to the vet to avoid eight or ten more little family members!
Silver Laced Wyandotte chicks
I also brought home some chicks on my last run to town. I got out of the car holding a white cardboard box that look very much like a pastry box. If The Man could hear better, he would have known immediately what was in the box. Six chicks can make an awful lot of noise! But he can’t hear well (don’t get me started) and for a brief moment he looked excited and hopeful, thinking I’d brought him home a treat. The guilty look on my face must have given me away, because the first thing he said was: “that had better not be chicks”. Oops.
We needed them (the old girls are about to go to freezer boot camp) but we weren’t ready. He spent the next hour fixing up the brooder box while I scurried around trying to keep them warm enough. A heating pad under the box and one over the top, and they were just fine. Now they’re all cozy in their home for the next six weeks. This means the pressure is on my husband, because he is the one who will have to dispatch Laverne, Shirley, Thelma, Louise, Lucy, Ethel, Betty, Wilma, Rachel, Phoebe, Monica, Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, Sophia, Kendra, and Holly. I will be gone that day – guaranteed!
And I’ve learned my lesson…I won’t be naming these young ladies!
Starched doilies, drying.
My Homemaker’s Club Spring Tea is coming up next week, and I am making nut cups for 80 women. The theme this year is “Elegance and Old Lace” so I bought lace and tried starching circles of it to go around the little cups. I was fussing over them, weaving a little ribbon through the lace (not sure I liked the way they looked) and The Man was hovering over my shoulder giving me a headache guidance. Finally I cut, colored and starched little doilies out of a tablecloth I had, and asked him what he thought. Helpfully, he said “if you put the doily on the cup, and the drawstring, you can call it a nutsack.
Yeah, that would go over real well. He’s a charmer.
I had to laugh later, though, when I heard him singing from the other room. It was the Mr. Rogers tune, and he was crooning: “I’m a beautiful guy in the neighborhood.” Really? I started snickering and he assured me ““You got the whole package, Lor. Cute, funny, playful.” I could add to that list. I could! But I’ll take the high road…this time.
Eeeuw.
When I try a recipe and it fails, I don’t usually post pictures for everyone to see. But a monumental fail calls for documentation, so here’s my attempt at an “heirloom” Easter recipe. It was supposed to be a beautiful Kulich, but the recipe had me pouring oil over the dough and trying to work it in with my hands. It was a fairly expensive recipe to make, so I didn’t give up…just kept trying to “fix” it. Huh. The only word for this big, sloppy mess is FAIL. We did get a good laugh out of it though. You can find this (and my ham fail) in my April Yummy Northwest column. There are some good recipes on there, too!
Dough, basting itself in oozing oil.
Do you have one of these? I do. The Man gave it to me for Christmas a few years back. I usually try to be polite and appreciative; it’s the thought that counts, right? But I couldn’t. I just couldn’t! I looked at him slack-jawed and waited for an explanation. He said, and I quote: “I thought you’d like it. It’s for our diet.”
I can see every woman’s eyes roll back in their head right now. If there are any men reading this, they’re probably looking around, shaking their heads, going “Whaaaa?” Just for the record, never, NEVER give your wife a gift with a cord on it unless she specifically tells you that’s what she wants. And even then, get something personal to go along with it. And never ever EVER give her something that has the words “Fat Reducing” on it. Trust me!
But I digress.
I used this machine exactly twice. I mean, I cook with butter and cream for heaven’s sake. I really don’t think that squeezing a few drops of fat out of a piece of meat is going to make a huge impact on my diet. And it’s just another hard-to-clean appliance. The darn thing was taking up shelf space in my fruit room, so after brainstorming with The Man, we came up with some other uses for it. Here are a few:
Mean Green Chicken Shit Scraping Machine. (Boot scraper)
The Queen Preen Crimping Machine (for those of us lost in the 80’s)
The House Isn’t Clean but Come in Machine (Door stop)
Reach the Latrine Step-Up Machine (for youngsters)
I even tried a recipe in it, doing my best to thwart the healthy vibes it was emitting. It isn’t a thing of beauty, but it’s easy and tasty. It would have been really good with a dollop of whipped cream on top, but I didn’t think of it at the time. The other possibility would be marshmallow cream (or a leftover Peep?) on the inside of the cake. I used a few marshmallows, and they added sweetness but disappeared as the cakes grilled.
In case your mind works anything like mine, don’t even consider dipping it in an egg mixture. It doesn’t come out like French toast…it turns into a soggy mess. You’re welcome!
You know I rarely make a single batch of anything. When I make a cake, I make extra and freeze a layer or two. It comes in very handy when you have to produce a dessert quickly (trifle) or want to take something special to a friend (petits fours) or get a sudden craving for Grilled Pineapple Cakewiches.
Each month a fun group of bloggers shares recipes that represent a theme that one of us picks. This month that theme is “Celebrating Chocolate” and I have the pressure honor of being first up to bat.
I’m sure the other gals will take it much easier on you, but I brought a recipe that is a wee bit challenging and (oh, please don’t run away) time-consuming. It is also worth every minute spent in the kitchen!
When the Cronut excitement hit last year, my daughter immediately challenged me to create my own recipe for these flaky little fried pastries. She loves my croissants and assumed Cronuts would be a simple transition. Do you know what? She was right! They came out just as I had envisioned them – a rarity, for sure.
This slightly sweetened croissant dough takes time to do properly, but it’s one of those processes that is spread out over two days. The dough can be started in the afternoon, turned and rolled several times over the course of the evening, and then put in the refrigerator until the next day (or even the day after!) when the shapes are then cut out, allowed to rise, and then fried, rolled in sugar, filled, and frosted.
I know, I know. It sounds complicated, but if you follow the instructions one simple step at a time, you will be rewarded with this:
So…here is my recipe for Chocolaty Croissant Puffs. Don’t let the length of it intimidate you; I get a little wordy when I’m trying to explain how to do something. Just be glad I’m not standing behind you in the kitchen, micromanaging you! Not that I ever do that, of course. Ahem.
Also, for some helpful hints you might want to check out my CROISSANT blog
Flaky layered doughnuts filled with chocolate pastry cream and iced with a ganache glaze. Makes12-14
Ingredients
1 package active-dry yeast
1⅓ cups warm milk
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold butter
A shallow bowl of sugar for rolling pastry in
oil for frying, enough to fill pot 3" (I prefer peanut oil)
......
Pastry Cream:
¼ cup cornstarch
⅓ cup sugar
⅓ cup water
3 egg yolks
1 cup half & half
¼-1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
..........
Chocolate Glaze
6 ounces dark chocolate (or 1 cup chocolate chips)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
½ cup half & half
1 teaspoon powdered egg whites or meringue powder (optional)
Instructions
In a large bowl (a stand mixer is best) combine the yeast and warm milk. Let it sit until dissolved - about 10 minutes.
Add the butter, vanilla, sugar, salt, and 1 cup of the flour and stir until combined.
Switch to a dough hook and slowly add 2 cups of the remaining flour. Knead with the dough hook for 3-4 minutes. Add the remaining ½ cup of flour if needed to make the dough come away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
Cover with a towel and let the dough rise until doubled - about 1 hour.
Drop the dough on a lightly floured surface. Turn it over to coat, and knead a few times. Place the dough in a large plastic zipper bag, or wrap loosely in plastic wrap. Put in the refrigerator.
Working with one stick of butter, pound and roll the butter between two pieces of waxed paper or parchment, making a 6½-inch by 4-inch rectangle. If necessary, trim the butter to get reasonably straight edges and use a knife or spatula to spread the trimmed butter back onto the rectangle. Place in the refrigerator. Repeat with the other stick of butter.
Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
Place chilled dough on floured surface and roll it out to approximately 12x8 inches, with the long side towards you.
Put one piece of chilled butter in the middle of the dough, with the butter's short edge towards you. Fold the dough from the right, over the butter, pressing down gently. Place the other piece of butter on the dough that is covering the first piece of butter and fold the left side over, pressing the seam to close. (It is like a book, with the "open" edge on the right and the short edge facing you.
Roll out gently to measure 12x8 inches. Fold into thirds again, press the edges to seal, and put the dough back into the plastic bag. Refrigerate for 45 minutes.
With the long sealed edge on the right, roll out again to 12x8 inches. Fold into thirds and place back in the bag in the refrigerator for 45 minutes
Repeat one more time and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, roll the dough out to measure 12x8 inches. Fold into thirds. Roll it out again, to approximately ½-inch thick. Cut shapes out with a flower-shaped cookie cutter or a round biscuit cutter. Lift the cutter straight up - don't twist it. Use a small round cutter (a bottle cap works in a pinch) to cut a circle out of the center of each pastry. These doughnut holes are wonderful when fried! Cover with a towel and let rise until almost double, about 1 hour.
Heat oil to 370 degrees in a deep pot, with the oil about 3 inches deep. Keep a close watch on the temperature, as it will change quickly as dough is added and removed. It is important to keep the temperature near 370 degrees to keep the pastry from absorbing oil.
Slide a few pieces of dough into the pan, leaving enough room for them to move around. Cook for approximately 1 minute on each side, or until a light golden brown. Remove with a "spider" or slotted spoon. Place on paper towels to drain, with more paper towels over the top. When cool enough to handle, roll the bottom and sides in sugar. Repeat until all of the doughnuts and the holes have been fried and sugared.
MAKE THE PASTRY CREAM:
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, sugar, water, and egg yolks. Beat or whisk well.
In a medium saucepan on medium heat, heat the half & half until it's hot and bubbly. Pour half of it over the egg mixture, whisking briskly. Pour the egg mixture back into the hot half & half. Whisk continuously on medium heat until thick, about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Whisk until incorporated. Cover and let it cool, stirring occasionally. When completely cool, put the pastry cream into a pastry bag with a bismark tip or a medium round tube tip.
With a skewer, poke a hole in one side of a pastry. Insert the skewer to the left as far as you can without poking it through the side of the pastry, then to the right. Put the tube into the hole you just created and squeeze filling in each direction. Repeat on the other side of the pastry. Each doughnut should have two holes. NOTE: If you prefer, you can cut each pastry across the equator, add filling and replace top. OR you can "plug" the bottom with a small piece of one of the doughnut holes and fill the core from the top.
MAKE THE GLAZE:
Melt the chocolate in a small saucepan over the lowest heat setting. Add the butter, corn syrup, and vanilla. Stir. Add the powdered sugar alternately with the half and half until the mixture is fairly thin. Adjust the amount of liquid as necessary. If you want a firm glaze, add the powdered egg whites or meringue powder and stir well.
Dip the top of each pastry and decorate with candy flowers or sprinkles if desired.
Cut out the shapes (save the “holes”…they’re the best part!)
Risen – look at those layers!
Ready to fry.
Fry for 1 minute, flip, and fry for another minute.
roll in sugar
Options, left to right: plug bottom and fill the core, slice horizontally and fill, or fill using pastry tip.
Insert skewer to the left, then the right on both sides.
Pipe in the pastry cream.
Like croissants, these are best eaten the same day they are made. With a little planning, there would be plenty of time to fry them in the morning for a brunch, because the pastry cream and glaze can be made the day before, just like the dough. (They are both fine in the refrigerator for several days…just let the cream soften at room temperature and re-heat the glaze gently.) You could also save time by using instant pudding for the filling.
A little chewy, a little flaky, and sinfully rich, these sweet puffs taste as beautiful as they look.
Be sure to come back to see what the other bloggers bring. I can assure you there will be some absolute recipe gems! Links to their posts will be added each day. Enjoy!
What’s pink and purple and yellow and white and green and covered in roses and violas and miscellaneous unidentifiable flowers and filled with bunnies and chickens and baskets of eggs and more flowers and bees and rainbows and clouds….
Gasp. Coming up for air, here.
Panoramic sugar eggs, of course!
For the last week my kitchen and dining room table have been taken over by these eggs. Here’s what happens: I make up a couple of bowls of colored sugar to fill my egg molds with. Then, when they’ve dried for a few hours I turn the molds over and scrape out the soft sugar, which goes back into the bowl. Do you see what happens here? There isn’t quite enough for another whole egg, so I add more sugar and fill more eggs, then scoop the extra back into the bowl. And….repeat.
Somehow I just don’t have it in me to throw away the extra sugar.
The smart thing would be to start with a light color (like pink) and when the pink egg is filled and scooped, add a little extra sugar and a couple of drops of food coloring and turn it into something darker, like purple. At some point, though, you will have to throw away a little sugar. After a week of this madness, I finally reach the point where I can cheerfully do that.
Rather than give you instructions on this blog, here’s the link to a Yummy Northwest column I did a couple of years ago that shows you the basics of making SUGAR EGGS
I made some cute bunnies, carrots, and bees using gum paste. If you’ve never tried working with gum paste, you’re missing out on a lot of creative fun. It’s like playing with clay, only it hardens into something resembling tooth-breaking porcelain. Once made and dried it will last and last. I like to use the powdered gum paste; that way I can just make as much as I want. Keep it in a heavy plastic bag when you’re not using it, because it will dry faster than you’d ever believe.
For my bee I just made a little body, painted it with yellow food coloring, painted on stripes and eyes with black food coloring, and stuck two slices of jelly bean on it for wings.
Gum paste bee on a royal icing flower.
For the bunny, begin with the head. Make a small ball. Give it a small triangular nose and press a mouth (shaped sort of like a soft “W”) under it with a toothpick. Poke two holes in the top for ears. Make ears, dampen the base of them slightly, and stick them in the holes. Poke a toothpick in the bottom of the head where it will connect with the body and let the it dry until the ears are stable. Meanwhile, you can paint the inside of the ears, the nose, and the cheeks with a little pink food coloring or petal dust.
For the bunny’s body, make a ball of gum paste slightly larger than the head. Make two flat feet (press lines with a toothpick for toes) and set the body on top of them. Any time you put two pieces of gum paste together, it helps to dampen the place where they connect. A damp washcloth works perfectly for this. Add a fluffy tail. Add the head, poking the toothpick into the top of the body. If the toothpick is too long, shorten it with a pair of scissors. Add arms, either individual paws or one long piece that stretches all the way around. You can have it hold a candy egg, flower, or carrot if you’d like.
Cute little guys.
Speaking of carrots, I’m SURE I don’t have to explain how to make one, right? But for the record, adding a little food color to the gum paste is simple, but it will get your hands messy. Plastic gloves might be a good option if that kind of thing bugs you. Also, powdered food coloring is easier to work with. If you use liquid, you may have to add a little more powdered sugar to the gum paste too.
Have fun with these! Go to your favorite search engine and find articles on shaping royal icing flowers and little critters – ducks, chickens, lambs, etc. I covered pieces of spaghetti with green gum paste for flower stems and made a basket with gum paste and then brushed it with dry cocoa to give it a light brown color. Use your imagination…or better yet, ask a child for advice! Go through your favorite candy store to find all kinds of potential decorations.
An upright egg with a peep hole.
This one lays flat with a peep hole in the pointy end.
Half an egg on a sugar stand.
Beware. Sugar eggs are addictive to make. Oh, and though everything is edible (well, except for that toothpick) I really don’t recommend gnawing on these. They’re just to look at, okay?
Welcome to a Fly on the Wall group post. Today 14 bloggers are inviting you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes. Come on in and buzz around my house.
Let’s see, my buzzy friend. You hitched a ride in my car with me to California last month, survived a blizzard, had fun at Disneyland with my daughter and her family, and then you hung around with me while I was sick and being a most unpleasant house guest. That’s where we left the story last month.
We traveled to Modesto, you and I, to visit my oldest son and his wife. I spent a few days recuperating, dozing and reading, while you explored their back yard. (They have 2 dogs, so I KNOW what you were doing out there. Gross.)
In the evenings we talked, ate, and drank wine, and I learned things about my kids’ teenage years that I’m probably glad I didn’t know at the time. If any of you readers have young children, your day will come! Usually when I hear these stories I nod wisely and say “We knew more than you think we did” which makes us look omniscient and makes them think they never really got away with anything. You might save that little gem for later when they tell you stuff that makes your hair stand on end.
From there I made my way north again. Since my poor grandchildren had been stuck with “Gross Grandma” for two weeks while I was sick and crabby, I had to try a little damage control. I was heading to my cousin’s in Oregon, but had enough time to put on makeup and curl my hair and sweep through Redding with a gift for each child. See? I can be “Fun Grandma!” I brought Taunee the Ken doll she wanted badly. I was there less than two hours, but by the time I left Ken had hooked up with Barbie, was sweet talking her, and they’d produced a baby. That guy works fast!!
I was off and running again, north to Oregon.
More good food, wine, and a comfy bed at Cousin John and his lovely wife Kathy’s home. I could really get used to having others cook for me! After a couple of days of pampering, I felt good enough to head home. Luckily, the weather was delightful and I had long (12 hours) but uneventful drive home. Yes! I know I was happy to tumble out of the car at home, and I’m sure my little fly companion was too. I came home to a clean house, dinner in the oven, and a relieved husband. Sweet.
Egg production has been down in the chicken yard, but every time we start talking about…um…eliminating some of the old chickens, they start laying like crazy. Here’s an egg we got recently. I can just see one of the old girls going: “Must.Produce.Egg.Gruuuunt. Nope, that’s the best I can do.”
What the….
Really? That’s all you’ve got?!
Big whoop.
And, while I have eggs on my mind, The Man came up with an idea for little cakes that turned out so cute. Here’s a link to my blog for Deviled Cakes. I’m going to put them on the table during our Ladies Spring Tea next month and see the funny reactions. Maybe I’ll get a couple of good pictures for next month’s Fly on the Wall.
Yes, these really are CAKES!
If you think Caesar had it rough, look at what the Ides of March brought us:
Ugh. Not the day I was hoping for…
I love winter, and I love spring, but I really dread this in-between mess. Beware the Ides of March, indeed!
Easter candy is my most uncontrollable guilty pleasure. When the kids were little I’d buy tons of candy for “decorating” but would put the boring stuff like jelly beans and salt water taffy in the cute little bowls and hide the good stuff for myself. The Reeses peanut butter eggs, Cadbury mini-eggs, Russell Stover marshmallow eggs…all were stashed in closets, or sometimes in the freezer disguised as bags of “broccoli”. I know, I know…I’m unspeakably ashamed. My children will probably end up on an analyst’s couch one day talking about how withholding their mother was.
I admit I had a carton of marshmallow eggs hidden in the baking cabinet this year, but for the most part, I’ve gotten so much better about sharing. I HAVE!
Mine! Mine! Mine!
Speaking of Easter, every year I make sugar eggs. I don’t know why, exactly; it’s just an urge. Bags of icing of every color, sugar eggs in various stages of completion, sugar egg carcasses that bit the dust…my dining room table craft table is covered with debris. Rather than clean it up, I have convinced myself that I must make more sugar eggs. There’s no sense in cleaning it up if I’m going to make more, right??? Um. Anyone want an egg?
Hooooeeeeee. Did I do that?
Right now there is more sugar flying than flour, but still…I love this gift my daughter made me!
Love that girl!
That’s it for me. It’s been a pretty dull month here. My youngest son (aka: Lord Voldemort) will be here next week, so I should have some good stories to tell. Until then, try buzzing around these other homes and see what’s happening!
For a fun spin on traditional Easter food, make these sweet little cakes that look like deviled eggs! The cake is tender and white, and is covered with a light coating of white chocolate, then decorated with yellow whipped buttercream icing. A dash of red sprinkles gives the appearance of paprika. At first glance, they will really fool you!
You can’t fool everyone…
We may have an eensy-weensy problem here, though. The pan I used (Wilton’s Petite Egg Pan) is no longer available. If you are lucky enough to have one, or there is someone you can steal borrow one from, you’re set. OR if you are wealthy and money is no object, there is a similar pan on the market that runs around $100. Such a deal! Worst case scenario, Wilton has a small egg pan that has designs on it. Since you really only see the top of the egg anyhow, I think it would work just fine. Hopefully you’ll figure something out, because these are just so much fun to make!
I’d love to say I thought up this idea, but The Man was the one who came up with it. I guess now he’s the idea man, and I’m the lowly person who does the grunt work. Meh…that’s okay. He deserves his moment in the limelight for this.
I tried to make the whitest cake possible, so used coconut oil instead of butter (it adds a lovely coconut flavor, but you can use shortening if you’d like) and didn’t use vanilla. If you have clear vanilla, go ahead and put a teaspoon in when you cream the oil and sugar together. Also, because I used whipping cream in the frosting to make it look fluffier, these really should be refrigerated.
Makes a LOT. At least 7 dozen, maybe more. You could also make 2 dozen and bake the rest of the batter in a 9" cake pan for another use.
Ingredients
½ cup room temperature coconut oil (or you may substitute shortening)
1½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon clear vanilla (optional)
2¼ cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1½ cup buttermilk
5 egg whites
1 pound white candy melts (get the whitest ones possible. I used Wilton's "Bright White"
½ cup butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
½ cup heavy whipping cream
Yellow and orange food coloring
Instructions
Heat oven to 350 F.
Prepare pan by greasing and flouring, or by spraying with a flour/oil combination spray like Baker's Joy.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
In a large bowl, cream the oil (or shortening), sugar, and clear vanilla. I used less oil than normal, so it won't get fluffy. Just mix it together really well.
Alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk, beginning with the flour and ending with the buttermilk, about a third of each at a time.
Beat for one minute on medium-high speed.
Fold in the egg whites.
Fill each egg cavity almost to the top.
Bake for 8-9 minutes, or until the edges are beginning to turn golden brown and turn out onto racks to cool.
Slice the domed tops off of each egg.
Melt the white chocolate melts in the microwave at 15 second intervals, stirring each time until completely melted.
With a table knife, spread a layer of white chocolate on the flat side (top) of each egg.
In a large bowl, combine the butter and powdered sugar. Mix well.
Add the whipping cream a little at a time until it reaches the desired consistency for piping, adding a little more cream or powdered sugar if necessary.
Add a little yellow coloring and a TINY bit of orange or red. Whip the frosting to combine. Adjust the color to resemble deviled egg filling. Continue to beat the frosting until it is light and fluffy.
With a star tip, pipe the "yolk filling" on each egg. Dust with red sugar sprinkles.
We’re at that awkward time between winter and spring, where I don’t know whether to cook hearty meals or start pretending the weather is nice and the green foods I find at the grocery store are fresh and wholesome. A hearty meal won today!
I’ve given you a link to one of my pot pie recipes before, but I changed it up a little (I try never to use canned soup now) and like this version much, much more. Hope you’ll agree.
If you’ve followed any of my posts, you know that my unofficial motto is: “If it’s worth making, it’s worth doubling.” Seriously – if it’s worth the time to make something, make a LOT of it and freeze it. You’ll be glad when you’re caught with unexpected company or just don’t feel like entering your kitchen.
This pot pie recipe makes two generous pies. Freeze one and inhale the other! Click on this link for my favorite pie crust recipe. You’ll have to double it, of course.
One to eat…
and one for the freezer!
Here’s my version, but as always, feel free to customize it to your tastes. Add mushrooms, celery, herbs, bacon, broccoli, green beans, cheese…well, you get the idea. Anything goes!
A rich chicken pot pie with a flaky crust - a hearty meal that is good enough to serve to company!
Ingredients
4 large chicken breast halves (about 5 pounds)
3 cups sliced carrots
3 cups cubed potatoes
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
½ cup chicken grease
4 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
⅔ cup flour
1½ cup chicken broth
2½ cups milk
salt, pepper to taste
Pie crust - enough for 2 deep-dish shells and 2 top crusts
Instructions
Heat oven to 350 F.
Place chicken breasts in baking dish and bake until done - about 1 hour. Remove from heat and reserve ½ cup of the grease.
While chicken cools, peel carrots and slice. Peel potatoes and cut into small cubes. Cover potatoes with cold water until ready to use.
In large saucepan or deep fry pan on high heat, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add the carrots. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook for 3 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and add them to the carrots. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the chopped onions and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, combine the chicken grease, butter, and garlic. Stir until butter melts and the mixture is bubbly.
Add the flour gradually, stirring constantly. It will turn into a thick ball of dough. Stir and cook for one minute, turning heat down a little if it begins to brown.
Slowly add the chicken broth, stirring well. You may want to switch to a whisk here.
Add the milk gradually, Whisk continuously! The mixture should slowly thicken.
Reduce heat to low and allow the mixture to cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. The goal is to make a design on the top of the sauce with the whisk or spoon, and watch it disappear quickly. In other words, not too thick, not too thin. Add more liquid if it's too thick. You may use cream if you want a richer sauce.
Remove sauce from heat and set aside.
Heat oven to 400 F.
Remove the meat from the chicken and chop into generous bite-size pieces.
Drain the cooked vegetables and add the chicken. Add the frozen peas and stir to combine.
Divide between the two pie crusts, just to the top of the pan. Refrigerate any extra filling for another use.
Pour half of the sauce over the filling in each pie.
Cover with top crust. Cut vent holes in the top crust.
Bake at 400 F. for 45 minutes, or until the crust is a rich light brown.
Allow the pie to sit for 15 minutes before cutting.
Pot pie ingredients. Um…except I forgot garlic, chicken broth, and peas 🙂
Cook carrots 3 minutes (they take longer than potatoes) then add ‘taters.
Cooking the fats and flour.
Pour sauce over meat and veggies.
Dig in!
This is the ultimate comfort food. I remember loving those nasty little frozen pot pies from the grocery store, even though they always were so hot they burned my mouth and accidentally finding meat in them was a real bonus. This pie…THIS PIE…is so much better than those. It’s packed full of chunks of chicken and vegetables that are easily identifiable. No comparison! Make a couple of them this weekend and you will never even pause in the freezer section again.
Do you remember my Brownie Bombe from last December? I thought I’d try a mint version for St. Patrick’s Day, and it turned out yuuuuuuuuumy!
An ice cream bombe is always an impressive dessert, and yet it’s really very simple to make. The trick is to start early – at least a day before you plan to serve it. The bombe must be frozen between layers, then frozen overnight for best results. To make it even simpler you could use boxed brownie mix, jarred hot fudge sauce, and a large tub of non-dairy topping, but making these things from scratch is really easy, I promise.
This mint bombe was made with two ice creams: Mint Brownie and Vanilla. I only used two ice creams this time because I added a core of mint fudge. Feel free to use any ice cream flavor you like; you can’t go wrong with this dessert!
A core of mint fudge sauce, surrounded by ice cream, surrounded by brownies, surrounded by whipping cream. Mmmm.
Ingredients
One batch of brownies (recipe below)
Two cartons (1.5 quarts each) ice cream
Mint Fudge Sauce (recipe below)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2-3 teaspoons creme de menthe (or 2 drops of green food coloring)
Instructions
Prepare a 2-quart bowl by lining with foil. Lightly oil the foil.
Press pieces of brownie against the foil, making a thin brownie shell. Make sure all of the foil is covered, but leave approximately ½ –inch of foil showing at the top of the bowl. Reserve the remaining brownies; these will be used at the end.
Remove your first flavor of ice cream from the freezer to let it soften for 10-15 minutes. Put the brownie-lined bowl in the freezer while the ice cream is softening.
With a spoon or rubber spatula, press a layer of ice cream over the brownie layer. You will use the entire carton of ice cream. Bring it all the way to the top of the brownie, keeping the layer as uniformly thick as possible.
Return to the freezer for at least 2 hours, or until firm.
Remove the second container of ice cream from the freezer and let it soften for 10-15 minutes.
Fill the center with softened ice cream, almost to the top. With a wooden spoon handle, make a hole in the center for the fudge sauce. This should make the layers of ice cream the same height. If not, add a little more of the second flavor to make the top even.
Fill the hole with mint fudge sauce.
Return to the freezer for at least 2 hours, or until firm.
Remove from freezer and crumble the remaining brownies over the top, pressing firmly.
Cover the bombe with foil or plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
Lift the bombe out of the bowl using the foil. Turn flat side down on serving platter and remove the foil.
Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Add in the crème de menthe or food coloring if you are using it, and “frost” the bombe.
Decorate with sprinkles or candy shamrocks. For best results, freeze again until the whipping cream is firm (but it can be cut right away if you’re ready to serve.)
Brownies:
1 cup powdered cocoa
3 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. Grease and flour a 10×10” (or 8×12 or 9×12) pan.
3. In a large bowl, combine the cocoa, sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder.
4. In a small bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Add the melted butter, oil, and vanilla.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
6. Spoon into prepared pan and level with a spatula.
7. Bake for approximately 35 minutes. Don’t overbake.
Mint Fudge Sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup mint chocolate chips (or use semi-sweet chocolate and add a few drops of peppermint extract)
1/2 cup cream
Combine all ingredients in a small pan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently until chips are melted and the sauce is completely smooth. Pour into a small bowl to cool and thicken.
Press brownies into the foil-lined bowl.
Add a layer of mint ice cream. Freeze until firm.
Add vanilla ice cream, make a hole, and pour in mint fudge sauce!
Add a brownie top (which will actually be the bottom…)
“Frost” it with whipped cream.
Freeze, slice, and serve!
St. Patrick’s Day is Monday, so start one of these this weekend! Seriously, if the bombe in-progress sits in the freezer for 4 or 5 hours between steps, that’s perfectly fine. Work it around your schedule! Even if you don’t serve it for a few days, as long as it’s covered up in the freezer, it will come out perfect.
A sweet little Irish wish for you:
Sláinte chuig na fir, agus go mairfidh na mná go deo! (Health to the men and may the women live forever)
Okay, maybe a little nicer: May your home always be too small to hold all of your friends.
When we moved from the city to the country seven years ago we knew we would be making some concessions. There would be no malls, Starbucks, pizza delivery, or ballet. What we didn’t understand, and trust me, we might have reconsidered, was that there would be no Dairy Queen.
We used to live less than ten minutes away from our local DQ and often flipped a coin to see who’d make the drive for Peanut Buster Parfaits or Buster Bars. Every once in a while one of us will suggest that the other “run down” and get one of these treats, and then we laugh like hyenas. After seven years I thought I had successfully managed my addiction.
Then I visited my son in California, and was treated to a Buster Bar. Vanilla ice cream with fudgy, peanutty layers. The longing hasn’t left me since.
So…there I was, sitting in my chair, fantasizing about Buster Bars, when an idea for a cookie came to me. The inspiration may have been from DQ, but the cookie took on a life of its own. And it only took me two tries to get exactly what I imagined: a vanilla dough with swirls of chocolate and peanuts.
Maybe if I put a glob of vanilla ice cream between two of them….
½ cup coconut oil (you may substitute shortening if you prefer)
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons vanilla (yes...you want a LOT of vanilla flavor!)
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
8 ounces chocolate, melted and cooled (chips are fine...semisweet or milk)
1½ cups lightly salted Spanish peanuts
Instructions
Cream together the coconut oil (or shortening) and butter.
Add the brown sugar and white sugar and beat well.
Add the milk, vanilla, and eggs. Beat for one minute.
Add the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir until well combined.
Working with half of the dough at a time, place the dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Dust the top with flour and put another piece of parchment over the dough. Roll out into a 12-inch by 8-inch rectangle, with the long side facing you. Use your hands or a spatula to shape the dough if necessary to get the sides straight.
Spread half of the melted chocolate on the dough, leaving a ½-inch clean edge, and sprinkle with half of the peanuts.
Starting at the edge closest to you, roll up the dough like you would for cinnamon rolls. It may help to use the parchment to lift and help roll the dough. Try to keep it snug, with no air pockets.
Roll up the roll of dough in the parchment and place in the refrigerator. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
Allow the rolls to chill for 2 hours.
Heat oven to 375 F.
Slice the rolls into ½-inch slices and place 1" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 11-12 minutes, or until they begin to brown. For softer cookies, bake them to a golden brown. For crispier cookies, let them get a little darker.
Cool thoroughly on racks until the chocolate is firm.
Put dough on floured parchment and roll it around to coat lightly
Yes, I roasted my own peanuts. I do NOT expect you to do that!
Roll dough out to 8″x12″. Spread with chocolate and peanuts.
Use the parchment to help roll it up
Rolled and ready to wrap in parchment and chill
Chilled and sliced
Ready to bake
Baked to perfection!
These cookies won’t drip down my chin or give me brain freeze, but I guess if I get to hankerin’ (that’s how we talk here in the country) for a DQ fix I could pop a couple of them in the freezer and get my “frozen treat” experience. Sigh.
By now you may have realized that my cohorts (my mental health support group…my partners in crime) and I are on a roll! We had so much fun with our December group post featuring cakes that we decided to create a new series of recipes each month. We brought you dips in January. February was “Love and Food”. Now we are “Celebrating Green and Welcoming Spring” with recipes that include a naturally green ingredient. This was a little challenging for me since I love to make EVERYTHING green on St. Patrick’s Day, using copious quantities of green food coloring…which was not an option.
Zucchini was my “green” of choice, and I added a little spirulina (you can buy a small amount of it in bulk at most natural food stores) to deepen the color of a chocolate swirl zucchini bread. I originally used Irish Cream in the recipe, but even with the spirulina it just wasn’t green enough, and though it was tasty, I really wanted a little more flavor. Chocolate mint is a combination I love, so I swapped out Creme de Menthe for the Irish Cream and was very, very satisfied. Not a natural green source, of course, but I figure the zucchini and spirulina bought me a little leeway.
Either way is good, so I’m leaving the choice up to you. Or, if you really don’t want to use booze, you can always substitute milk and add teaspoon of peppermint extract for flavor.
½ cup buttermilk (or regular milk and a teaspoon of lemon juice)
¼ cup strong coffee, cooled
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
⅓ cup creme de menthe
¼ teaspoon spirulina (optional)
Instructions
Heat oven to 350 F.
Prepare two loaf pans by greasing and flouring, or using an oil/flour spray (like Baker's Joy)
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and walnuts. Add the grated zucchini and toss to coat.
In medium bowl, whisk the eggs well. Add the oil and buttermilk and whisk until combined.
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients (don't put the medium bowl in the sink - you'll use it in a minute) and stir just until most of the flour is incorporated. Put half of the mixture back in the medium bowl.
To one bowl add the coffee and melted chocolate, and stir until it is combined. Don't overstir!
To the other bowl add the creme de menthe and spirulina. Stir until just combined.
Divide the chocolate mixture evenly between the two loaf pans. Pour the green mixture over the chocolate mixture and swirl a little with a rubber spatula or table knife.
Bake for approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Cooking time will depend on the size of your loaf pans. When I used slightly smaller pans the bread took a few more minutes to bake.
Remove pans to a rack and allow them to cool for 10 minutes before turning the bread out. Allow bread to cool completely before cutting.
Here are links to the other recipes this month. Please visit the ones that have already been posted – there are some impressive ideas from some very talented gals – and then check back because I’ll add the new recipe links as they’re presented.
I’ve never tried topping a cookie before baking, but after sampling these Chocolate Orange Pecan Cookies last night, I have a feeling you may be seeing a lot of “cookie crust” variations in the months to come! Brainstorming has consumed my thoughts and I have some great ideas, though I’ll try to intersperse the cookie recipes with other genres of baking so I don’t make you crazy, too. They won’t win any awards for beauty, and I’m doubtful they will go viral on Pinterest, but hey…looks aren’t everything, right? So here’s what we have: A deep chocolate cookie covered with a pecan, sugar, orange zest and egg mixture – basically a chewy meringue. The topping bakes along with the cookie, and turns into a dense, flavorful crust that hardens just enough to make them easy to store without fear of mushing the cookie tops.
