White Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are actually not that bad. They still taste like chocolate chip cookies, but they have white chocolate instead of semi-sweet. I did use wheat flour instead of white for a little difference. You really can’t tell it’s wheat flour, but you can tell there is something off about the cookie. It’s not a bad thing, but it does make it stand out a little more than just having the white chocolate. Overall, very good experiment.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup softened butter or margainr
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 cups wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups white chocolate chips
Directions:
- Heat oven to 375ºF.
- Mix sugars, butter, vanilla and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in chocolate chips. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack. (Total time will vary; cook or bake time is per batch.)
Variation
Feeling a little nutty? Go ahead and add 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts with the chocolate chips.
July 19, 2010
· 
jackie · 
No Comments
Posted in: Cookies & Fudge
Black Forest Trifle
I am always looking for new recipes to try in my trifle bowl and this one sounds like a really great one to do. I manged to snag this one from the Pampered Chef, so something tells me it’s going to be ridiculously easy and tasty as well.
Ingredients:
1 pkg (18-21 oz) brownie mix (plus ingredients to make cake-like brownies)
2 bars (1.55 ounces each) milk chocolate candy, divided
3 cups cherry pie filling
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup cranberry-cherry juice
2 cups cold 2% milk
2 pkg (3.3 oz each) white chocolate instant pudding and pie filling
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for cake-like brownies; spread batter over bottom of large stone bar pan. Bake 18-20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.
- Loosen brownie from sides of bar pan and invert onto a large cutting board. Cut brownie into 1-in. cubes; set aside. Chop 11/2 of the chocolate bars using a food chopper. Reserve remaining chocolate for garnish.
- Combine pie filling and almond extract in a small bowl; set aside 1/2 cup for garnish. Stir juice into bowl.
- Pour milk into a large bowl; add pudding mix and whisk until mixture begins to thicken. Fold in whipped topping.
- To assemble trifle, place half of the brownie cubes into bottom of trifle bowl. Layer with half of the pie filling mixture. Sprinkle with half of the chopped chocolate; top with half of the pudding mixture. Repeat layer one time.
- Make chocolate curls with reserved chocolate using a vegetable peeler (see Cook’s Tip). Garnish top of trifle with reserved pie filling mixture and chocolate curls. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.
Yield: 16 servings
Nutrients per serving: Calories 380, Total Fat 14g, Saturated Fat 5g, Cholesterol 45mg, Carbohydrate 59g, Protein 4g, Sodium 300mg, Fiber 0g
Cook’s Tips: To make chocolate curls, hold the Vegetable Peeler across the short side of the chocolate bar. Using even pressure, push the blade away from you to create curls.
This trifle can be assembled several hours before serving, or even the night before.
July 18, 2010
· jackie · No Comments
Posted in: Dessert
Pizza Sauce
Jesse got in the mood to try making his own pizza sauce and this was the result. It’s still in the developmental stage, meaning we’re still playing with the spices, but overall this wasn’t bad.
Although, I should mention that we haven’t tried this recently. Basically, I’m moving all of our tried recipes from a database to OSC. So I’m not really sure how much onion was actually included in this recipe.
Ingredients:
1 (15oz) can of tomato sauce
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp rosemary
onions
Directions:
In a medium saucepan, mix all ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes or until the onions are tender.
July 17, 2010
· jackie · One Comment
Posted in: Sauce
Sweet Potato Casserole
Jesse really likes this recipe. It tends to be sweet, almost like a dessert, but doesn’t take away from the sweet potatoes. It is recommended that you use either 1 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar or vice versa.
Ingredients:
2 large (about 2lbs) sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 stick (8 tbsp) softened butter or margarine
4 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Peel sweet potatoes and grate coarsely to yield 6 cups.
- Combine granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer set at high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each additions.
- Combine the sweet potatoes, buttermilk, milk, pecans, vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl and mix well. Add butter mixture to sweet potato mixture and mix well.
- Spoon the sweet potato mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake for 1 1/4 hours. Serve Immediately.
July 15, 2010
· jackie · No Comments
Posted in: Side Dish
Zucchini Bread
Yes, I know I already have a Zucchini Bread recipe, but this one was my grandmother’s so I have to add it. I loved this recipe growing up, but it was different enough for Jesse which is why we have two on the site.
It doesn’t take too many zucchinis to get 2 grated cups worth. When I made this, I had 3 good sized zucchinis and it gave me enough to make 4 loaves. So there’s no reason to get the largest veggie out there.
Ingredients:
4 eggs (beat until foamy)
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
3-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking soda
Directions:
Mix together eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, and zucchini until well blended. Add remaining ingredients. Pour batter into 2 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.
July 13, 2010
· jackie · 2 Comments
Posted in: Bread
Death by White Chocolate Brownies
I was curious if I could make white chocolate brownies and after looking at Rayna’s (from the Naughty Editions Book Reviews) recipe for Death by Chocolate Brownies, I thought it would be really easy to switch out her chocolate for white.
The only major change I’m working on is whether I want to add the coffee or not. The original recipe calls for 1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or 2-3 teaspoons instant coffee crystals and I’m not sure if that will work as well with white chocolate as it does with chocolate. However, for this first batch, I added the coffee (1-1/2 tsp coffee grounds) since it would be an easy fix the next time around. Update: Do not use coffee! It was too powerful and totally overwhelmed all of the brownies. A coffee drinker even said it wasn’t tasty.
As for the chocolate, I initially used 8 ounces of white baking chocolate, but while you could tell it was white chocolate, I didn’t think it was strong enough, so I’m adding another 2 ounces to the recipe. Although, I am wondering if the strength of the white chocolate would increase if the coffee is taken out. Coffee is strong after all. Either way, I don’t believe adding more white chocolate would be a bad thing, whether it is 2 ounces or 4.
Something I did unintentionally, and I’m actually happy about, is I reduced the amount of butter that is used. The original recipe calls for 10 tbsp, but for these, I stuck to one stick of butter (8 tbsp) and the chocolate wasn’t as liquidy as the original recipe – at this stage. There was definitely a different look to it and I think adding the extra 2 tbsps would not have made it turn out well. Granted, this may change once I actually taste the brownies, but considering how the chocolate looked when I pulled it from the microwave, I’m not upset I miscalculated that.
Side note: Adding nuts to the top is totally optional. Whenever I include nuts within the recipe, I like to have them on top so it’s easily recognizable that it’s not something for anyone with nut allergies. Also, I’ll get a better picture once I cut.
Ingredients:
10 ounces white chocolate
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1-1/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
tiny drops almond extract
3 large eggs
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (extra half to a full cup for cake-like brownies)
3/4 cup toasted pecans (optional)
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 325F. Adjust an oven rack to a lower-middle position.
- Line an 8 inch square metal baking pan with foil or parchment paper.
- Mix and bake brownies according to type desired – Fudge-like or Cake-like.
- Cool brownies in pan on a wire rack. When cool enough to handle, use the foil or parchment to pull the brownies from pan. Completely cool brownies on rack, at least 3 hours for fugdey and 1 hour for cakey. Be patient, or the brownies won’t cut into nice squares and you’ll have a mess on hand. … Cut and enjoy!!!
Fudge-Like brownies
Put chocolates and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high, stirring every 30 seconds, until chocolate is almost melted. Remove from microwave, and stir to melt remaining bits of chocolate. Alternatively, you can melt the choco/butter/coffee combo over a pan of simmering water: put a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water, and stir until everything is melted. Remove from heat.
Whisk in sugar, salt, baking powder, and extracts into the chocolate mixture. Then whisk in the eggs, one at a time, mixing each one completely before adding the next one. After adding the eggs, whisk the mixture until smooth and glossy. Add flour; whisk until just incorporated. Do not over mix. Stir in the nuts.
Pour batter into the prepared pan; flatten the top with a spatula. Bake until a toothpick poked into the center comes out with wet crumbs, 55 to 65 minutes. Start checking at 40 minutes, oven may vary.
Cake-Like Brownies
Melt chocolate using the above instructions. Let rest. Combine both mixtures together. Sift flour, salt, baking powder together. Then fold in/add that to the choco/butter mix. That should be all the ingredients but the nuts.
Pour batter into the prepared pan; flatten the top with a spatula. Bake until a toothpick poked into the center comes out with clean, 45 to 55 minutes. (If your oven is notorious for overheating, start checking around 35 minutes.)
May 8, 2010
· jackie · 22 Comments
Posted in: Brownies
White Chocolate No Bake Cookies
I don’t know why I haven’t thought of this before, but instead of finding a white chocolate no bake recipe, I’m just revamping this one. Instead of adding the cocoa, I’m throwing in a couple of ounces of white chocolate instead. With the first batch, I only threw in 4oz and they didn’t come out as white chocolaty as I would have liked. They were more peanut butter flavored than anything. So I’m doubling the white chocolate required. Granted, I haven’t tried it with 8oz yet, but I’m not one who’s afraid of too much chocolate, regardless the type. I’ll get a picture added once I find the correct amount of white chocolate.
Ingredients:
2 cups Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup Butter or Margarine
8oz White Chocolate
1/2 cup Peanut butter
1/2 tsp Vanilla
3 cups old fashion Oats, quick cooking (or 4 cups instant)
8 oz pkg Peanuts (optional)
Directions:
Combine sugar, salt, milk, butter and cocoa in saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Mix peanut butter, vanilla, oatmeal and peanuts. Drop onto table – spoon onto wax paper. Cool.
April 27, 2010
· jackie · 27 Comments
Posted in: Cookies & Fudge
Death by Chocolate Brownies
I have to thank Rayna, from the Naughty Editions Book Reviews, for sending me this recipe. I’m making them for a party she’s having and when I first looked at it, I thought it was going to be a little more time-consuming than it ended up being.
Making brownies from scratch hasn’t always worked for me. I’m still trying to find a good recipe and I think this is it. Not only was it ridiculously easy, but I had all the ingredients in my pantry. Well, I didn’t have the two chocolates, but that’s because the last type I used was white, but I do typically have bar chocolate in the cupboards. So this is one I could definitely keep on hand for whenever Jesse or I get the chocolate craving.
Plus, I totally see possibilities for turning these into either Dark Chocolate or White Chocolate brownies. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m thinking if I change the semi-sweet chocolate to dark or white, that it could work. For the white, I may have to change the unsweetened as well, but I’m going to have to try it first. It’s a good thing I’m going to my mother’s soon…now that I found a recipe to play with, I am so totally going to do it.
I may have made one mistake when I made these. I’m not usually a fan of coffee in my baked-goods, but it wasn’t a lot so I gave it a whirl. The mistake may have been how much I put in. I neither have espresso powder or instant coffee crystals. Jesse prefers the ground coffee grounds and that’s what I used for the brownies. Thankfully, I used the smaller measure amount (1-1/2 tsp), so hopefully it won’t come out too strong or weak. We’ll have to see.
Side note: Adding nuts to the top is totally optional. Whenever I include nuts within the recipe, I like to have them on top so it’s easily recognizable that it’s not something for anyone with nut allergies. Also, I’ll get a better picture once I cut.
Ingredients:
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or 2-3 teaspoons instant coffee crystals
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or (Chocolate Extract if you have it)
tiny drops almond extract*
3 large eggs
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (extra half to a full cup for cake-like brownies)
3/4 cup toasted pecans (optional)
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 325F. Adjust an oven rack to a lower-middle position.
- Line an 8 inch square metal baking pan with foil or parchment paper.
- Mix and bake brownies according to type desired – Fudge-like or Cake-like.
- Cool brownies in pan on a wire rack. When cool enough to handle, use the foil or parchment to pull the brownies from pan. Completely cool brownies on rack, at least 3 hours for fugdey and 1 hour for cakey. Be patient, or the brownies won’t cut into nice squares and you’ll have a mess on hand. … Cut and enjoy!!!
Fudge-Like brownies
Put chocolates, butter, and instant coffee/espresso in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high, stirring every 30 seconds, until chocolate is almost melted. Remove from microwave, and stir to melt remaining bits of chocolate. Alternatively, you can melt the choco/butter/coffee combo over a pan of simmering water: put a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water, and stir until everything is melted. Remove from heat.
Whisk in sugar, salt, baking powder, and extracts into the chocolate mixture. Then whisk in the eggs, one at a time, mixing each one completely before adding the next one. After adding the eggs, whisk the mixture until smooth and glossy. Add flour; whisk until just incorporated. Do not over mix. Stir in the nuts.
Pour batter into the prepared pan; flatten the top with a spatula. Bake until a toothpick poked into the center comes out with wet crumbs, 55 to 65 minutes. Start checking at 40 minutes, oven may vary.
Cake-Like Brownies
Melt chocolate and coffee together using the above instructions. Let rest. Combine both mixtures together. Sift flour, salt, baking powder together. Then fold in/add that to the choco/butter mix. That should be all the ingredients but the nuts.
Pour batter into the prepared pan; flatten the top with a spatula. Bake until a toothpick poked into the center comes out with clean, 45 to 55 minutes. (If your oven is notorious for overheating, start checking around 35 minutes.)
April 26, 2010
· jackie · 21 Comments
Posted in: Brownies
Rum Balls
I love this recipe of my grandmother’s. It’s the one holiday treat the I (and the rest of my family) look forward to every year
Since we’re not fans of keeping alcohol in the house, I did attempt to make these with rum extract, but I’ll be honest, it doesn’t come as good. For someone who grew up with these, I could tell the difference in the rum.
Ingredients:
4 cups crushed vanilla wafer cookies (a 12oz box)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 (3.5oz) pkg of coconut
Powdered sugar
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup rum
Directions:
In large bowl, mix crumbs, nuts and coconut. Add milk and rum, mix well. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Dip palms of hands in sugar. Shape dough by teaspoon into 1″ balls, roll in powdered sugar (rechill if mixture becomes to soft). Cover and store in refrigerator. If desired, re roll in powdered sugar before serving.
Tip: The flavor of these cookies improves after 24 hours. They may be made ahead and stored in refrigerator or freezer for several weeks
Rum Conversion
Dark Rum Liquor Conversion: For every tablespoon of dark rum called for in a recipe, you should use 2 tablespoons of rum extract. If the recipe calls for ½ cup of dark rum, it probably makes sense to go out and buy a bottle of rum, since the extra ½ cup of liquid would sink many recipes.
Light Rum Liquor Conversion: For every 5 tablespoons of light rum called for in a recipe, you should use 1 tablespoon of rum extract. If the recipe calls for ½ cup of light rum, you would use 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons rum extract for the equivalent flavor (and depending on the recipe, you would probably need to add 3/8 cup of water to keep the ratio of liquid ingredients right).
—Source: Savory Spice Shop
April 8, 2010
· jackie · 23 Comments
Posted in: Cookies & Fudge
Tortilla Wedges
This was a fun recipe I received from my friend Nikki that seemed to go over well with Jesse. While I’m not usually a fan of many of the ingredients, I did try them and they were pretty good. Myself, I couldn’t eat a lot of them, but that’s mainly because it was a little spicier than what I’m used to. I have to admit, I didn’t try it with the salsa, so there may be a totally different taste once you add that. If you like Mexican and spicy, then definitely try this recipe.
Oh, and the amount of tortillas change depending on how much filling you use. If you like the filing to be thick, then you’ll need fewer tortillas; but if you like the filling to be light, then you’ll need more tortillas.
Ingredients:
1 (8oz) brick cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (4oz) can chopped green chillies
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 tbsp minced jalapeños (about 1 pepper)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
10-20 flour tortillas
Salsa (optional)
Directions:
Combine first seven ingredients in large bowl or food processor and mix well. Spread generously on a tortilla, then cover with another tortilla. Cut into 8 wedge pieces. Serve with salsa.
April 7, 2010
· jackie · 19 Comments
Posted in: Appetizer
