Snickerdoodles

This recipe comes from the book Great Cookies by Carol Walter. I would highly recommend this cookbook to anyone who loves baking all different kinds of cookies. It includes 200 recipes, accompanied by color photos. It offers a lot of helpful tips and is broken down into 12 chapters ranging from drop cookies to bar cookies to cookies around the world. 

I bought this book last year and used it for all my baking during the holidays. I found some great recipes that I will continue to bake throughout the years to come. I really like this Snickerdoodle recipe because it results in a chewier cookie, which I happen to love and it's simple but delicious. 

I also love the homemade Mallomars recipe in this book, as well as, the lemon bars. I am looking forward to trying many more recipes from this book.  Check out recipe for Homemade Mallomars 



Snickerdoodles
Makes 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour-spooned and leveled
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 sup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-11/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Make the dough: by sifting together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix the butter and vegetable shortening on medium until lightened in color; about 2 minutes. Add in 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a steady stream and mix another 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer to low and add in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl as needed. Stir in vanilla extract.

3. Add the dry ingredients in two additions, mixing just until blended after each addition. Scrape dough into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for 6-8 hours or overnight.

 4. Bake the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Lightly butter cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

5. Divide dough into quarters. With lightly floured hands, shape each quarter into a log. Slice each log into 12 equal pieces and roll into walnut sizes balls.

6. Combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar with cinnamon in a small bowl. Working with one piece at a time, place each ball into the sugar/cinnamon mixture and rotate to coat all sides.

7. Place each ball 3" apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Toward the end of baking time rotate the pans from top to bottom and front to back. ( A shorter baking time with make cookies chewier and a longer baking time with make them crispier.) Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Storage: Store in airtight container between layers of wax paper for up to 3 weeks. These cookies may be frozen.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

I finally found a chocolate muffin recipe that is worth making. I tried this recipe before I knew I had Celiac Disease, so I know just how good these muffins taste. I have tested different recipes and they either come out to dry or not chocolaty enough. These muffins are very moist, a deep chocolate color with melted chocolate chips throughout. They are "chocolaty" without being to rich. I am adding this to my regular muffins recipes for my husband Tom and my daughter Layla to enjoy :)
A plus..they are SO easy to make.

I love making Layla a few mini muffins as a special treat. I use to break them into little pieces for her but now that she is getting good at taking bites she likes to hold the entire muffin and gobble it up :) Don't be fooled by the title chocolate chocolate muffins. In comparison to most muffin recipes, this recipe has very little added fat and only 1/2 cup sugar for the entire recipe. If you would like decrease the sugar content more, you can always skip the extra chocolate chips on top.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins
Makes 12 standard muffins, 6 large or 24 mini muffins

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1/2 cup chocolate chips-divided in 1/4 cups

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add in 1/4 cup of chocolate chips. Mix until distributed evenly.

3. In another bowl (I like to use a large measuring cup) whisk together warm water, canola oil, red wine vinegar, vanilla and egg.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combine. Do not over mix.

5. Prepare muffin pan with paper liners and fill each liner with batter. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips.

6. Bake for 15 minutes until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

(If you are making mini muffins, check them after 8-10 minutes)

Rum Raisin Rice Pudding with Warm Apples and Whipped Cream

There are so many reasons I love making rice pudding for dessert. It's easy, make ahead, gluten free and absolutely delicious. I have tried different recipes for rice pudding, pumpkin spice, vanilla bean, chocolate which were all really great but I think this recipe for Rum Raisin Rice Pudding is my favorite. This recipe is from Ina Garten's cookbook Family Style. They only thing I changed in this recipe was using 5 cups of whole milk instead of half and half. The pudding came out so creamy, it was perfect. 

This rice pudding is great on it's own but I added a few ingredients that I feel make this dessert special. I love adding a warm fruit compote on top of the cold rice pudding and topping it with whipped cream. I used caramelized cinnamon, brown sugar apples because of the season but you can use any fruit you like. I think this recipe would be great in the summer with caramelized pineapple or even bananas. 

As I mentioned before, this is a great make ahead recipe, which makes it perfect to serve for a crowd. You can make this the day before and keep chilled in the refrigerator. If you prefer your rice pudding warm, you can serve it immediately after it is done cooking. 

This is also a great dessert for children. You can always leave the rum out of the recipe, although it stays mostly in the raisins themselves. An added bonus is it's full of calcium from the milk and doesn't have added fat from butter or oil. 

Rum Raisin Rice Pudding

Serves 6-8 

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup raisins

2 tablespoons dark rum

3/4 cup white basmati or arborio rice

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

5 cups half-and-half or whole milk, divided (I used whole milk) 

1/2 cup sugar

1 extra-large egg, beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the toppings:

4 apples-peeled and diced 

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

8 oz heavy cream

1/2 to 1 tbsp powdered sugar 

1 tsp vanilla

Extra cinnamon for garnish 

1. In a small bowl, combine raisins and rum. Set aside. 

2. Combine rice and salt with 1 1/2 cups water in a medium stainless steel saucepan. Bring water to a boil, stir once, and simmer, covered on lowest heat for 8-9 minutes, until most of the water is absorbed. (If the stove is very hot, pull the pan halfway off the burner)

3. Stir in 4 cups if milk and sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, until rice is very soft. Stir often, particularly toward the end. 

4. Slowly stir in beaten egg and cook 1 minute. 

5. Off the heat, add in the vanilla extract and raisins with any additional rum. Stir well. 

6. Pour into a bowl, and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Serve chilled or warm. 

7. To make the toppings, add the diced apple, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Add in a splash of water to prevent sticking and simmer  on low for 10-15 minutes until apples are soft but not mushy. Stir occasionally.  

8. Meanwhile, make the whipped cream by adding the heavy cream in a stand mixer (or use a hand held mixer) with whisk attachment. Whip the cream until it begins to thicken. Add in powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to whip on high until stiff peaks form. 

9. To serve: fill each bowl with rice pudding, top with warm apples and a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with a little cinnamon. 

GF Banana Bread

The store Sur La Table just opened at a mall close to where I live. At this location they offer cooking classes ranging from $60-$120. Take a look at the schedule for Septemper and October below. They have all different classes such as Fall Entertaining, knife skills, fast and easy chicken dinners and many more.

Last week I took their gluten free baking class. It was a hands on class which is hard to find and I had a good time. I felt the class could have been a little better with a teacher that had more experience cooking gluten free. I was assured by my partners, which happened to be chefs from their corporate offices, that their other classes are more organized and offer more helpful information and recipes. Regardless, it was fun and I got to take home a few gluten free baking recipes.

Out of all the recipes, the favorite among the guest was the banana bread. It was extremely moist and I enjoyed the fact it wasn't super sweet. I would definitely try this recipe again.

I was planning on taking a picture of the bread for my blog but.....the slices I brought home that night were eaten by my gluten eating husband and 1 year old daughter at 6:30am the next morning. Never mind the gluten filled pumpkin bread I made for them the day before. Oh well, I guess i'll have the make the recipe again and hide it when it comes out of the oven.






GF Banana Bread
Makes one 9" x 5" loaf

Ingredients: 
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups flour blend (see below)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup bananas, mashed
2 tbsp sour cream
3/4 cup walnuts. chopped

Flour Blend: Makes 5 1/2 cups
3/4 cup white rice flour
4 cups potato starch
3 1/2 tbsp guar gum
1/2 cup albumen (powdered egg whites)
Blend all ingredients together thoroughly and place in air tight container. Store in pantry if using frequently or refrigerator or freezer to keep fresh longer.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9"x x 5" loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper (parchment paper is optional).

2. Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg gradually and scrape down bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add all dry ingredients to wet and mix until combined.

4. Add in mashed bananas and sour cream to batter; mix until combined. Fold in nuts by hand.

5. Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake 55-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Baby and Child Friendly Quesadillas

Now that Layla is old enough I can start to give her more freedom when it comes to finger foods. Even though she only has 4 fully developed teeth and four more on the way, she is getting the hang of taking little bites of her food.

As her taste for different foods develop she is starting to become "picky" about certain foods, mostly vegetables. She tends to pick out the food she does like and tosses the foods she doesn't like on to the floor or feeds it to our dog. Our dog Bela has never eaten so well, you can always find her sitting next to the high chair at lunch and dinner time.

These Quesadillas are a great way to hide some vegetables or other foods such as beans. These quesadillas were full of shredded chicken, black beans, corn and cheddar cheese. She loved holding onto the pieces and taking bites. Just make sure to supervise when your child is eating these, making sure they do not take big bites, or simply cut them up into small pieces.

Makes 1 Quesadilla

Ingredients:
1 medium size flour tortilla
1/3-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/8 cup black beans
1/8 cup corn
1/8-1/4 cup shredded cooked chicken

1. Lay out tortilla and sprinkle cheese to cover half the tortilla, scatter beans, corn and chicken over cheese. Fold the tortilla in half to make a semi-circle.

2. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortilla and cook 2-3 minutes per side until the cheese is melted. You can keep warm in a low oven until ready to eat.

3. Cool the quesadilla down until appropriate temperature for your child. Cut into stripes or small pieces and serve warm. You can always reheat in microwave if it cools off too quickly.