Tag Archives: baking

December 5, 2012 · 5:23 am

Twelve Days of Christmas: Snickerdoodle Bars

DAY 5: Snickerdoodle Bars

A delicious cinnamon layered bar with the tang of snickerdoodles in an easy to prepare bar cookie.

RECIPE:

Snickerdoodle Bars

Servings: Makes 2 dozen bar cookies
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2 1/3 cup flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 ¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cream of tartar
½ tsp salt
¾ cup butter, room temperature
1 ¼ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon Filling:
½ Tbs ground cinnamon
2 Tbs brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

Cream butter, sugar and brown sugar using a mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients. Continue to mix until just combined.

Spray a 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray. Spoon half of the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Mix the cinnamon filling ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the batter. Using a spoon, dollop the remaining batter across the cinnamon filling; do not cover the cinnamon mixture completely.

Bake for 20–25 minutes or until lightly golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

(Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker)

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December 4, 2012 · 5:24 am

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Peanut Butter Snowflake Cookies

DAY 4: Peanut Butter Snowflake Cookies

A Christmas version of the traditional Peanut Butter Kisses cookies. I love the fun molded chocolates for different holidays!

RECIPE:

Peanut Butter Snowflake Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
Dove Snowflake Chocolates

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cream butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda and baking powder.

Roll dough into balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Immediately press one unwrapped snowflake chocolate into each cookie; cool.

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Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: German Chocolate Cake Cookies

DAY 2: German Chocolate Cake Cookies

Soft, chewy cookies with the great flavors of a traditional German chocolate cake covered in coconut pecan icing. All in a compact hand-held package.

RECIPE:

German Chocolate Cake Cookies

Servings: Makes 4 dozen cookies
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2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa
1 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat together butter and both sugars. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans.

Drop tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

(Recipe from Food Network)

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December 1, 2012 · 10:06 am

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Dulce de Leche Ginger Cookies

DAY 1: Welcome to the Fourth Annual Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies. Twelve days of cookies and treats that will fill your home with wonderful smells of Christmas.

First up is a soft ginger cookie filled with dulce de leche, a thick milk caramel. You can spoon it into the center or use a star tip on a pastry bag to pipe the filling.

Dulce de leche is usually sold in the Latin section of the international aisle of most grocery stores, or you can make your own. For six different ways to make dulce de leche (using a can of sweetened condensed milk or from scratch):

How to make your own Dulce de Leche

Dulce de Leche is a sweet rich caramel, so I like to make these cookies small. Use the back of a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to make an indentation in the dough before cooking. As the cookies bake, the depression remains, but will puff up slightly. Immediately after removing cookies from the oven, press with the back of the teaspoon again to make the depression in the cookie slightly deeper. Cool cookies completely before piping in the dulce de leche.

RECIPE:

Dulce de Leche Ginger Cookies

Servings: Makes 2 dozen cookies
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3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¾ cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup molasses
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Granulated sugar
About 2/3 cup dulce de leche

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside.

Using a mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the molasses, egg, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined and a soft dough forms.

Chill dough for at about 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with silicon mats or parchment paper.

Roll the dough into small balls (about 1 scant tablespoon of dough). Roll the balls in granulated sugar and place on baking sheets. Use the back of a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon to make an indentation in the dough.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly firm. Immediately after removing cookies from the oven, press indentation on warm cookies with the back of the teaspoon again to make the depression in the cookie slightly deeper.

Allow cookies to cool completely. Use a star tip attached to a pastry bag to pipe about 1 teaspoon dulce de leche into the center of each cookie (Or just spoon slightly warmed dulce de leche into the centers of cookies).

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

(Recipe adapted from Chocswirl)

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For thirty-six more cookie ideas, click the links below for three previous years of Christmas Cookies:

First Annual Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies

Second Annual Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies

Third Annual Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies

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November 12, 2012 · 10:19 am

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Due to a late Halloween (thanks to Hurricane Sandy) and an earlier than usual Thanksgiving, it is time to do some serious Thanksgiving planning around here!

This is a quick and easy dessert perfect for any fall holiday or for surprising the kids with a mid-week dessert just for the fun of it. It is amazing the bewildered (but joyful) looks on their faces when you produce dessert without any other reason than that you love them.

RECIPE:

Pumpkin Sheet Cake (or Pumpkin Bars) with Cream Cheese Icing

4 eggs
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 16oz can of pumpkin (about 2 cups)
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Using a mixer, beat eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla and pumpkin until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Fold into pumpkin mixture.

Spray a 15x10x1” jelly roll pan to make Pumpkin Bars or a 9×13” pan to make a Pumpkin Sheet Cake with cooking spray (preferably the kind with flour made for baking). Spread batter into prepared pan.

Baking Times: For 15×10” pan: Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until set.
For 9×13” pan: Bake for 35-45 minutes.

Cool in pan; frost in pan.

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CREAM CHEESE ICING:
1 – 8oz package of cream cheese
½ cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
Pumpkin pie spice and/or cinnamon (optional)
Toasted finely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Using a mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar. Optional: beat in about ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon, if desired.

Frost cooled cake. Sprinkle with nuts and/or pumpkin pie spice for garnish.

Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.

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October 18, 2012 · 9:54 pm

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Fall and pumpkin just seem to go hand in hand. Cream cheese, however, that is an all-season ingredient. Paired together you get a moist, delicious muffin perfect for any time of the year.

A crunchy, sugary topping on a pumpkin-pie-spiced-cheesecakey muffin. Now all we need is some hot cocoa.

RECIPE:

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Servings: 15-18
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Muffin Batter:
1 cup pumpkin
¾ cup oil
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
2 Tbs buttermilk powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground allspice

Cream Cheese Swirl:
8 oz (1 pkg) cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbs flour

Topping:
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs flour
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs butter, cold

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line muffin pans with paper liners.

Muffin Batter: Using an electric mixer, beat together the pumpkin, oil, sugars, eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, buttermilk powder, salt, baking soda and spices. Add dry ingredients to mixing bowl and beat until just combined.

Cream Cheese Swirl: With a mixer, beat cream cheese and egg until combined. Beat in powdered sugar and flour.

Topping: Mix the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until crumbly.

Fill each muffin paper about 1/3 full with muffin batter (about 2 Tbs). Add a small spoonful of filling (about 1-2 tsp). Repeat layers in each muffin cup. Using a table knife, gently swirl batters. Sprinkle topping over the swirled muffin batter.

Bake at 350˚ F for 17-20 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing.

Makes 15-18 muffins

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