We Will Return, but Until Then {Recipe: Peppermint Bark Ice Cream}

This recipe is inspired by my daughter's favorite ice cream sundae from Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop in Monterey, CA. For years we spent the holidays in Monterey and the one request she had was for us to go Ghirardelli's for their Peppermint Bark Ice Cream Sundae. Now the kids are "grown and flown" it has become more difficult to get us all to the California Central Coast. While we still hope to spend more holidays in Monterey, here is a homemade version for the years we don't make it. 

Peppermint Bark Ice Cream

For the ice cream recipes here on this blog I use the Cuisinart Flavor Duo ™Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker, but they should work well with any one quart electric ice cream maker. 

3/4 cup milk, well chilled

2/3 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 cups heavy cream, well chilled

1 teaspoon peppermint extract 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, to taste*

1/4 cup crushed peppermint candy, plus a little more for sprinkling on top

1/3 cup dark or milk chocolate chocolate chips or chopped bar, plus a bit more for drizzling on top, melted 

In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or a whisk to combine the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes on low speed. Stir in the heavy cream, peppermint extract, and vanilla . Turn the machine ON, pour the mixture into the freezer bowl of the ice cream maker, and let mix until thickens, about 20 minutes. Add in crushed peppermint, then drizzle in melted chocolate (I did have to stop drizzling periodically and, using small spatula, push the chocolate down into the ice cream and help break up the chocolate a bit). Continue to mix until the mixture resembles soft serve ice cream (a soft creamy texture). Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container, drizzle with a bit more melted chocolate and top with more crushed peppermint; place in freezer until firm, about 2 hours. 

Makes 1 quart

Happy Holidays!

Grandma Ruth's Thanksgiving Tradition {Recipe: Elegant Apricot Sweet Potatoes}

 

This is dish was always my mother-in-laws contribution to our Thanksgiving table. My husband remembers having it since he was a kid. Honestly, my kids never liked it much, but I told them that they were to eat a little to be polite (it is the only thing I ever did this with). I'm banking on when they get a little older they will start reminiscing about their grandmother and will want to make it. I know I have been this way about dishes I didn't care for when I was younger. 

Elegant Apricot Sweet Potatoes

In a medium size saucepan place:

1/2 pound (1-1/2 cups) dried apricots

2 cups hot water

Allow apricots to soak, covered,  for 1 hour.  Then simmer the covered apricots for 1 hour, or until the apricots are plump and tender when pierced. Remove from heat, drain and reserve liquid; set apricots and liquid aside. 

In a large stockpot place:

6 medium size (about 2 pounds) sweet potatoes, scrubbed, washed, and pierced with a fork

Cover sweet potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Continue to boil potatoes until fork tender. Drain, cool a bit, then peel and set aside. 

In a small bowl combine:

1/4 cup reserved apricot liquid

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 teaspoons orange juice

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

Additional ingredients:

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup whole pecans

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease a shallow 1 quart baking dish with butter. Cut the the sweet potatoes in 1/2 lengthwise, then cut each half into 1/2" slices. To assemble, arrange 1/2 of the sweet pototoes in a layer at the bottom of the prepared baking dish, top with 1/2 of the apricots, then sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar; repeat. Pour the apricot liquid mixture over the top of the layers. Bake for 45 minutes, basting occasionally. Sprinkle the pecans on top for the last 5 minutes of baking. 

Serves 6-8

Note: the photo is of 1/3 of the recipe and it turned out great! We are having a small Thanksgiving dinner this year. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Frighteningly Easy! {Recipe: Mummy Pumpkin Muffins}

 

This is a fun, quick little recipe that is easy to make with kids for Halloween. The muffin recipe originally came from my daughter's kindergarten class. I volunteered to help the kids make these and it's a great, easy recipe for them to whisk up with a bit of help. 

Making these muffins into Mummy Pumpkin Muffins is also a great beginner recipe. The icing is easy to whip up and the decorating is even easier!

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

These are a family favorite! Recently we have been making them with less sugar and like them even better. The original with the full amount of sugar is here:  http://motheralwaystoldme.blogspot.com/2019/10/so-easy-even-kindergartener-can-make.html

2 tablespoons flax seed meal
6 tablespoons water
1 cups sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup applesauce
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.
2. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flax seed meal and water. Mix in sugar, pumpkin, and applesauce: set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda cinnamon, salt baking powder, nutmeg, and cloves.  Add pumpkin mixture and stir until well combined, but be careful not to over mix. Pour batter into prepared muffin tin.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one muffin and comes out clean. 

Makes 12 muffins.

Small Batch Cream Cheese Icing

Once this icing is added, the muffins are no longer vegan. There are vegan cream cheese and butter substitutes that should work as well. 

2 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

Pinch of salt

Place cream cheese, butter, vanilla into a medium-size mixing bowl and beat until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and salt, beat until desired consistency is reached. If icing is too stiff, add a little milk 1/2 teaspoon at a time. If icing is not stiff enough, add a bit more powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. 

Makes enough to ice 8-9 muffins. 

To make Mummy Pumpkin Muffins:

You need a piping bag, coupler, flat petal tip, and candy eyeball sprinkles. Fill piping bag with Cream Cheese Icing from above. Make an couple of overlapping criss-cross line at the top of the muffin, place candy eye balls, then continue to add criss-cross icing lines across the top to look like mummy bandages. 

Note: the muffin recipe makes 12 and the icing only covers only about 8-9. There always seems be someone who requests these without icing. 

Happy Halloween!

Soup's On! {Recipe: Loaded Potato Soup}

We are just a few days from the first day of fall. This time of year always puts me in the mood for soup. Here is a nice hearty soup to start off the season!

Loaded Potato Soup 

2 pounds Yukon gold potato, peeled and cubed in 1/2 inch pieces

1 medium onion, diced

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

6 tablespoons butter, divided

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon Chicken or Vegetable Base, optional*

1/2 teaspoons thyme

1/4 cup flour

2 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 finely ground pepper

1 cup grated cheddar cheese, plus more for topping

1/2 cup sour cream, plus more for topping

6-8 slices of cooked bacon, chopped

Chopped green onions or chives for garnish, optional

In a 5 quart dutch oven or heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat, add onion and cook until tender. Add garlic and sauté quickly until garlic is just fragrant. Add potato to pot and pour in broth; stir in bouillon, if using, and thyme. Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil. Cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 10 minutes. While potatoes are cooking, make a roux by melting remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat in a separate small saucepan, whisk in flour and cook for about a minute. Whisk in roux to soup and reduce heat to medium. At this point, you can use a potato masher or immersion blender to mash a bit of the potatoes (about 1/3-1/2 of the potatoes). Stir in milk, garlic salt, onion powder, pepper and stir until starts to thicken. Add bacon (you can add all of the bacon or 1/2, reserving the other half for topping), cheese, and sour cream; simmer for 15 minutes. Serve soup with grated cheese, sour cream, chopped bacon, and green onion or chives on top.

Yields 8-10 servings 

*Note: The bouillon gives a bit of a flavor boost, but is not necessary. I like the Better than Bouillon brand (not an ad, just a fan), but other brands would work as well.

Happy Fall!

A Well Loved Cookbook {Recipe: Shirred Eggs}

 

Shirred Eggs served with toasted focaccia strips.

While my mother's go to cookbook seems to be Craig Claiborne's NYT Cook Book, my mother-in-law's was The French Chef Cookbook by Julia Child. The fun thing about the Julia Child's cookbook is it follows the recipes she demonstrated on her PBS cooking show of the same name. Episodes of The French Chef can be viewed on YouTube. 

My mother-in-law's well loved cookbook

Shirred Eggs

This recipe is adapted from my mother-in-law's The French Chef Cookbook by Julia Child.

For each serving:

1 teaspoon butter, softened

2 eggs

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1 to 2 tablespoons Gruyère cheese, grated

1/2 teaspoon chopped chives, optional

Flaky sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Place 6-ounce size ramekin (or ramekins, if making more than one) on a baking sheet and bush bottom and sides of ramekin with softened butter. Carefully break the 2 eggs into the prepared ramekin. Spoon heavy whipping cream around the eggs, trying to keep yolks towards the center. Sprinkle top of eggs with salt and pepper, then cheese. Top with chopped chives, if using. Place baking sheet in preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until yolks reach desired doneness. Serve with toasted bread cut into strips for dipping into the egg yolk.

Bon Appétit!

More Sweet Summer Memories {Recipes: Berry Ice Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream, and Red White and Blueberry Terrine}

 

Both my husband and I have happy memories of enjoying slices of Neapolitan ice cream with it's layers of strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate on hot summer days. For me, it was always a treat my grandmother served. I imagine she did so because it is a quick treat to keep a house full of grandchildren (there were 14 of us!) who would all come and visit during the summer, happy. By serving the layered ice cream, at least one layer of flavor would be each grandchild's favorite. I didn't really care for the artificial tasting strawberry flavored layer, so I'd eat that one first. Never did any of us say we didn't like any part of it!

Unlike the strawberry ice cream I had as a child, I love homemade strawberry ice cream made from fresh strawberries. Someday I will make a Neapolitan ice cream with homemade strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate ice cream, but for the Fourth of July, I think strawberry, vanilla, and blueberry are fitting. 

Berry Ice Cream

This recipe can be used for a single berry ice cream or a mixed berry ice cream

1 cup (4 ounces) chopped strawberries, blueberries*, raspberries and/or blackberries 

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2/3 cup sugar, divided

3/4 cup whole milk

1-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Red and/or blue food coloring(optional)

In a small bowl, gently stir together berries, lemon juice, and 1/3 cup sugar. Cover and allow the berries to macerate in the juices for 2 hours. 

In a medium bowl, stir together milk and remaining sugar. Continue stirring until sugar is dissolved, about 2-3 minutes. Add berry mixture, juices and all, and vanilla and stir, making sure all sugar is dissolved. Sparingly use food coloring for deeper colors. Natural berries make for very pale colored ice cream. 

Process ice cream according to your ice makers instructions. For mine, the ice cream is processed in the maker for 20-25 minutes, or until it becomes very thick. Transfer to a quart size airtight container and freeze until firm, about 2 hours. 

*Note: Frozen wild blueberries are perfect for this ice cream and not chopping is needed, as there are very small. 

Vanilla Ice Cream

3/4 cup whole milk

2/3 cup sugar

1-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoon vanilla

In a medium bowl, stir together milk and sugar. Continue stirring until sugar is dissolved, about 2-3 minute. Add vanilla and stir well.  

Process ice cream according to your ice makers instructions. For mine, the ice cream is processed in the maker for 20-25 minutes, or until it becomes very thick. Transfer to a quart size airtight container and freeze until firm, about 2 hours. 

Both ice cream make about 1 quart of ice cream each. 

For Red, White and Blueberry Ice Cream Terrine

Although time consuming to make, this makes for a very pretty dessert for Fourth of July!

Line an 9"x5" loaf pan with plastic wrap or parchment.  Start by making blueberry ice cream from above recipe. Spread all but about 1/2-3/4 cup (left over ice cream can be used for taste testing:) of the blueberry ice cream into the bottom of the prepared loaf pan,  allow to freeze until firm-about 2 hours. Next, prepare vanilla ice cream from above and spread all but 1/2-3/4 cup on top of the blueberry ice cream and freeze again until firm. Repeat one more time, using strawberry ice cream from above on top of the vanilla ice cream.  After terrine is frozen solid, cover top well with plastic wrap or foil, turn over and run bottom of loaf pan under hot water for 3-4 seconds to loosen (you can actually feel it loosen). Turn back over, remove plastic wrap or foil covering the top, then turn out onto a tray or platter. Remove parchment or plastic wrap, slice and serve. 

Happy Fourth!

Keeping it Simple {Recipes: Simple Syrup and Strawberry Simple Syrup}

Simple syrups are great to have on hand for lemonade, iced tea, mixed drinks, and more! They are so easy to make and fun to experiment with. Below are the recipes for basic Simple Syrup and Strawberry Simple Syrup, but other flavors can be made with with the basic syrup. 

Simple Syrup

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1. Combine water and sugar into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil. 

2. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all of the sugar is dissolved. 

3. Remove syrup from heat and cool completely. 

4. Store syrup in a airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month. Syrup can be frozen if need to store longer. 

Strawberry Simple Syrup

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1-1/2 cups strawberries with stems removed and cut into quarters

1. Combine water, sugar, and strawberries into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil. 

2. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until strawberries are faded, the syrup is a nice ruby red color, and sugar is completely dissolved.

3. Remove syrup from heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer. Resist the urge to press the strawberries into the strainer, doing so will result in a cloudy syrup. Discard strawberries or save to stir into plain yogurt or cottage cheese. 

4. Store syrup in a airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month. Syrup can be frozen if need to store longer. 

Suggestions for other simple syrup flavors:

1. Blackberry, raspberries, or blueberries can be substituted for strawberries.

2. Vanilla bean, split lengthwise, can be added to Simple Syrup after pulling from heat. Let the vanilla bean steep for a few hours, then strain. 

3. Herbs, such as rosemary or tarragon, can be steeped in Simple Syrup, then strained, to add an interesting flavor to drinks. 

Enjoy!

Great Start to the Day! (Recipe: Homemade Turkey Sausage Breakfast Sandwiches}

My son is discovering that gets expensive to eat out all of the time, so he is looking for some easy to prepare, healthy meals that he can meal prep for the work week. This recipe post is inspired by a recipe he found on TikTok. He called and asked a few questions about ingredients, so I thought I'd come up with a recipe with the ingredients my son said he preferred and has available. I also added a few more spices to the sausage I thought would be a good addition.

Homemade Turkey Sausage Sandwiches

These are a healthy meal prep breakfast to make ahead and freeze for the week. 

Homemade Turkey Sausage:

1 lb. lean ground turkey

3/4 teaspoon sage

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon garlic salt*

1/2 teaspoon onion powder*

1/4 teaspoon white pepper (black pepper will do)

Pinch of crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients above, except the olive oil. Divide the sausage mixture into 6 equal parts, roll in a ball, and place on a plate; set aside. In a large nonstick frypan, heat a tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Place a sausage ball in the frypan and, using a spatula, flatten the ball into a patty; repeat until all sausage patties are in the pan (if they don't all fit into the pan, cook in 2 batches). Cook patties until browned on one side, flip and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.  Remove sausages to a plate and set aside. 

*Note: 1 teaspoon onion salt and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt can be used in place of the 1 teaspoon garlic salt and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder. 

Baked Scrambled Eggs

6 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1-2 green onions, sliced, or 1-2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9"x13" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or about a bit of olive oil; set aside. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt until well combined. Pour into prepared baking dish, sprinkle with green onion or chives,  and bake for about 10 minutes, or until eggs are set. Let eggs cool a bit, then cut into 6 equal squares. 

For Breakfast Sandwiches:

6 English muffins, toasted if desired

6 slices of cheddar cheese

Prepared sausage patties and eggs from above

To assemble breakfast sandwiches, split English muffins, place a square of eggs (you may have to cut the square of eggs in half and overlap for it to fit on the English muffin) on the bottom half of the English muffin, place a sausage patty onto of egg, then a slice of cheese, and add top half of English muffin; repeat until all sandwiches are complete. Individually wrap sandwiches in foil and freeze. 

To Heat Breakfast Sandwiches:

Place sandwich on a microwave safe plate and loosely cover with a paper towel. Microwave on high for 1-1/2 minutes, turn, and microwave for another minute. 

Serve sandwiches as is or add a favorite aioli. Trader Joe's Aioli Garlic Mustard Sauce is very good on these. 

Enjoy!

Newly Discovered Family Recipes {Recipe: Roslyn's Banana Bread Cake}

 

I recently discovered my mother-in-law's recipe file and decided to try a few recipes from it. She already made me a lovely hand written and illustrated family cook book of her favorite recipes (I've shared a few recipes from this here), so I don't know how much she used the recipes in the file. 

The first one I thought I'd try is this "banana bread cake". My husband thinks that Roslyn was a neighbor of theirs. The ingredients are similar to a cake batter, but baked in a loaf pan.

One of the issues with trying to recreate recipes from old recipe files is the recipes were always copied carefully. This goes for my mother's and my mother-in-law's hand written recipes. So, I sometimes I have to guess what they meant. For this recipe, I had to guess the amount of baking powder and size of loaf pan. There is "tsp", then ditto marks for the 2 measurements above the baking powder, and "4 tablespoons" for the sour cream measure after it. The baking powder just has a "1 t" next to it.  Another banana bread recipe in the file that is similar has 2 teaspoons of baking powder, so a tablespoon seems a reasonable guess. I used the 1.5 quart Pyrex loaf pan I inherited from my mother that is, according to my husband, the same type loaf pan my mother-in-law had. 

Roslyn's Banana Bread Cake

This is a very sweet, tender cake like banana bread. 

1/2 cup shortening*

1 cup sugar (original recipe stated "+one spoonful sugar", but I left out-one cup is plenty of sugar.)

2 eggs

1-1/2 cup cake flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup mashed bananas (about 2-3 ripe bananas, depending on size)

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease an 1.5 quart loaf pan; set aside. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder into a medium mixing bowl; set aside. In another medium mixing bowl, cream together shortening, sugar, and eggs. until light yellow. Add sour cream, bananas, and vanilla to egg mixture, and beat until well combined. Add flour mixture and, with mixer set on low, mix until just combined-being careful not to over mix. 

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 10-15 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely. 

*I can never use shortening up before it goes bad to justify buying it, so I used vegetable oil as a substitute.

Enjoy!

Perfect Baking Weather{Recipe: Small Batch Chocolate Pecan Biscotti}

We had a bit of snow here in the desert, which is a rare site indeed! It put me in the mood for baking, but I wanted to make just a little something. So, I altered the Vanilla Biscotti from this site to make a half batch of chocolate biscotti. It turned out great and made just enough for just my husband and I. 

Small Batch Chocolate Pecan Biscotti

3 tablespoon butter*

1/3 cup sugar

1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt 

1 large eggs*

1/4 cup cocoa powder

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1/4 cup semi-sweet, milk, and/or white chocolate chips, melted

*Note: Let butter and eggs stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before starting baking prep. Butter should not be completely softened. 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 18"x 13" baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. 

2. In a medium-size mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla, baking powder, and salt until smooth and creamy.

3. Beat egg into the butter mixture, the batter may look a but curdled. Add cocoa powder and beat until combined. Add flour and, with mixer set on low, mix until smooth. Fold in chopped pecans. The dough will be a little sticky. 

4. Place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and shape into a 9 1/2"x2" log about 3/4" high. If dough is too sticky to work with, dampen fingers to help prevent sticking. Smooth the top and side of the log with a wet spatula or bowl scraper. 

5. Bake the dough in preheated oven for 25 minutes; remove from oven.

6. Using a spray bottle filled with room temperature water*, lightly spray the top and sides of the log. This will make slicing the biscotti easier and less crumbling. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 325ºF

7. Let the baked log sit for 5 minutes, then using a serrated knife, cut the log crosswise into 3/4" slices. Alternatively, the log can be cut diagonally for longer, but fewer, biscotti. Be careful to cut straight down, or else you will have uneven slices that may topple while baking. 

8. Return the biscotti flat edge down onto the prepared baking sheet. Return the biscotti to the oven and bake 20-25 minutes, or until they feel very dry. They may feel slightly soft and moist in the very center if breaking one open for testing, but they will continue to dry out while cooling. 

9. Transfer biscotti from baking sheet to cooling rack; cool completely. When completely cooled, drizzle with chocolate of choice. For biscotti shown, 1/4 cup semi-sweet and 1/4 cup white chocolate was used. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Makes about 10-12 biscotti

*For the biscotti pictured I could not find my spray bottle, so I dampened a paper towel, squeezed out excess water, then laid it over the biscotti log and pressed lightly. This worked just as well as spraying the biscotti log. 

Pour a cup of hot cocoa or coffee and enjoy!

Cookies Made for Sharing {Recipe: Small Batch Super Thick Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies}

These cookies are a combination of 2 of my favorite cookies: Levain Chocolate Chip Cookies and Oreo chocolate chip cookies I used to purchase from Nordstrom Cafe. Levain cookies are readily available, in fact I think you can get ready to bake ones at Whole Food. In addition, there are all sorts of copy cat recipes on the internet. But, I haven't seen the Oreo chocolate chip cookies at Nordstrom Cafe in years. I used to get them when we lived near a Nordstrom about 20 years ago. Lately I've been craving them, so here is my take. One cookie big enough to share-perfect for Valentine's Day!<3

Small Batch Super Thick Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is adapted from one found at https://buttermilkbysam.com/thick-chunky-chocolate-chip-cookies/. 

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

6 Oreo Cookies, chopped

Instructions:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat; set aside. 

2. In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter and sugars until light and creamy. This takes about 30 seconds of whisking. 

3. Add egg, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to butter/sugar mixture and whisk until well combined. 

4. Stir in flour until just about combined, then add chocolate chips and Oreos.  Note: a few pieces of chopped Oreo can be set aside and pushed into the top immediately after pulling the cookies from the oven. This is optional and just for decoration and making the Oreos a little more visible.

5. Cover dough and let it stand at room temperature for one hour. 

6. Preheat oven to 375ºF.

7. Divide dough into quarters by eyeing or weighing. If weighing, it's about 158g per quarter. Place them on the prepared baking sheet far enough apart to allow for spreading while baking, at least 2 inches.

 

6. Bake at 375ºF for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350ºF and bake for 10-12 more minutes, or until golden brown on top. Leave on the pan to cool completely. 

Makes 4 large cookies

Enjoy!

It Keeps Getting Better! {Recipe: Gingerbread Biscotti}

I mentioned in the previous post with the recipe for Vanilla Biscotti that I had not made biscotti 20+ years. The reason I didn't make biscotti for so long is because it was my one few baking failures that I could not save. It was a frustrating experience, but finally gave it another go and now wonder what took me so long. After the success with the Vanilla Biscotti, I now have the confidence to try other variations. First up, Gingerbread Biscotti. I think this one turned out even better than the Vanilla Biscotti!

Gingerbread Biscotti

6 tablespoon butter*

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons molasses 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs*

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt 

2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup Ghirardelli White Vanilla Flavored Melting Wafers or white chocolate chips, melted

*Note: Let butter and eggs stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before starting baking prep. Butter should not be completely softened. 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 18"x 13" baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

2. In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices; set aside.  

3. In a medium-size mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, molasses, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.

4. Beat eggs into the butter mixture, the batter may look a but curdled. Add flour  mixture and, with mixer set on low, mix until smooth. The dough will be a little sticky. 

5. Place the dough onto a kitchen scale and divide the dough in half or place the prepared baking sheet and divide the dough in half just by eyeing it. Shape dough into two 9 1/2"x2" logs about 3/4" high. Smooth the top and side of the logs with a wet spatula or bowl scraper. 

6. Bake the dough in preheated oven for 25 minutes; remove from oven.

7. Using a spray bottle filled with room temperature water*, lightly spray the tops and sides of the logs. This will make slicing the biscotti easier and less crumbling. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 325ºF

8. Let the baked logs sit for 5 minutes, then using a serrated knife, cut the logs crosswise into 3/4" slices. Alternatively, the logs can be cut diagonally for longer, but fewer, biscotti. Be careful to cut straight down, or else you will have uneven slices that may topple while baking. 

9. Return the biscotti flat edge down onto the prepared baking sheet. Return the biscotti to the oven and bake 20-25 minutes, or until they feel very dry and start turning light golden brown. They may feel slightly soft and moist in the very center if breaking one open for testing, but they will continue to dry out while cooling. 

10. Transfer biscotti from baking sheet to cooling rack; cool completely. When completely cooled, drizzle with melted vanilla wafers or white chocolate. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

*For the biscotti pictured I could not find my spray bottle, so I dampened a paper towel, squeezed out excess water, then laid it over the biscotti logs and pressed lightly. This worked just as well as spraying the biscotti logs. 

Pour a cup of hot cocoa or coffee and enjoy!