Day 11: Outrageous Brownies Revisited

I can't do the '12 Days of Baking' without making this brownie recipe!  I had to make brownies for Annabelle's holiday party and this recipe makes a ton of brownies, so it seemed the obvious choice!  It's baked in a jelly roll pan, so I usually get at least 40 large brownies.  These are SO rich that they almost taste like fudge to me.  I guess I am a fan of the fudgey brownie.  I went through a period in high school where I couldn't get enough of the cake-like brownies, but I have obviously come to my senses and joined the land of fudge-like brownie fans!

Annabelle brought a few packages of these brownies to her 1st and 2nd grade teachers (in addition to her current 3rd grade teacher) this morning.  She told me that when she brought the brownies to her 1st grade teacher, she actually jumped up and down and ran to give her a hug!   Annabelle was thrilled with her response!  ;)

Here's a link to my earlier post on these amazing brownies by Ina Garten.

Day 10: Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a recipe from my sweet SIL, Mary!  She found this recipe on Real Simple a few years back and it's a great standard cookie to make for any occasion!  We always find ourselves making chocolate chip cookies, but it's a special treat to get chocolate-chocolate chip cookies!  I made these today and I had to hide them to save them for teacher gifts!

I've altered the recipe a little.  For some reason the texture of this batter was very dry the last few times I made them, so I added an extra egg to the batter and it seemed to fix my problem.  I've added the extra egg the last 2 times I've made the cookies and they are delectable!  These cookies come out of the oven soft and fluffy every time!  The great thing is that they are still light and fluffy the next day!

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Adapted from Real Simple)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
  1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  1/2 cup dark-chocolate chips
  1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  
  Directions:
• Heat oven to 350°F. Cream the butter and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed. Lower to medium speed and add the egg and vanilla. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. On low speed, add the dry mixture to the butter mixture. Beat until fully incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips. 
•  
• Form the dough into approximately 1 1/2-inch balls. Place on parchment- or foil-lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart.

Bake until the centers are just set, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks.

Day 9: Cracked Sugar Cookies

I'm surprised that I have been running out of things to put on this blog, but I found this recipe from an old cookbook that I got in high school as a gift from my Mom.  I've been baking from it for many years.  I used to make these cookies in high school and they are yummy and super-easy to make!  I'm baking for holiday parties for both Annabelle and Emilie tomorrow.  Of course, there's also teacher gifts, so I have plenty to fill up the few days that I've missed posting on this blog!  ;)

I like making these cookies because it's a sugar cookie, but it's a lot easier than making the rolled out cookies.  It's fun for the kids to watch these crack while they are cooking in the oven and they taste heavenly when they are warm!  The cookies are buttery and delicious!

Cracked Sugar Cookies

(Adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 cup butter
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets.

Cream together sugar and butter. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla.  Add flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Stir.  Form dough into walnut size balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Don't flatten. 

Bake 10 to 11 minutes, until tops are cracked and just turning color.

Day 8 - Beatty's Chocolate Cake Revisited

I know that I just posted about this cake a few weeks ago, but I couldn't help making it again when my pregnant SIL claimed she was hungry for cake yesterday.  I asked her how she felt about mocha chocolate cake and she was thrilled with the prospect of meeting her cake and coffee craving at one time! 

Just as with the baked oatmeal this morning, I replaced milk with coconut milk so that Alain could enjoy the cake.  I was surprised that I barely noticed a difference in the taste of the cake.  It's supposed to be buttermilk, so I added a bit of lemon juice to the coconut milk and it caused it to thicken just as regular milk does when I add lemon juice to replace buttermilk.  

Here's the recipe from my blog: Beatty's Chocolate Cake

Week 37

Tonight was a big meal with family and friends to greet Josh and Mary (my BIL & SIL) visiting from Oregon!  We had a ham with a few fixings and a mocha chocolate cake for dessert.  This ham is amazing!  I use Alton Brown's recipe for City Ham and it turns out so tender and sweet!  It has mustard, dark brown sugar, bourbon and gingersnaps!  It's strange because the recipe calls for an 'uncooked' ham and it's incredibly difficult to find a ham that isn't smoked or precooked in some way!  At the third grocery store, we finally got lucky! 

I thought it would be great to make a ham since we have so many house guests because I assumed we'd have leftovers to eat throughout the week.  However, we invited 16 people over for dinner and barely have enough left for one meal tomorrow.  I wouldn't have it any other way since we had a blast tonight, but it is ironic.  

Here's the menu for the week:

Sunday - City ham, roasted sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, corn casserole
Monday - Seared salmon, roasted cauliflower and carrots, yellow rice
Tuesday -Chicken alla Padulese, pasta, seared asparagus, mixed greens salad
Wednesday - Shrimp scampi, roasted potatoes, broccoli
Thursday - Beef with soy sauce & ginger, blanched spinach, mixed roasted veggies
Friday - My birthday!  I'm not cooking. . .   ;)
Saturday - Assorted appetizers TBD

Happy Cooking!  I'd love to hear what you're cooking for the holiday!  Post your menu and tell us about it!

Sarah

Day 7 - Baked Oatmeal

Baked oatmeal is such a comfort food when it's cold outside!  I've never been a big oatmeal fan, but I ate some of this 7 or 8 years ago at a retreat with some friends and I was amazed at how delicious it was!  I tried for a year to get the recipe from the woman who made it, but she could never remember to send it to me.  After a thorough recipe search online and collaboration with my friend, Jeannie, I finally found the perfect baked oatmeal recipe!

My BIL and SIL are visiting from Oregon, so the kids and I served them breakfast in bed this morning with baked oatmeal and a glass of orange juice!  The time change is always hard for them, so I wanted to make sure that they had something worth waking up to eat.

This recipe usually calls for milk, but I substituted coconut milk and didn't notice a difference at all.  I wanted my hubby to be able to eat breakfast with us, but he's allergic to milk.  There's a ton of butter, but that doesn't seem to have as strong an impact as milk.  Typically, you add a little milk and fruit into this oatmeal when it's warm for a great way to start the day. . .

Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups milk (or coconut milk)
2 eggs
1 tbls. vanilla
2 1/2 cups quick or old fashioned oats
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tbls. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
Cinnamon sugar for topping

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cream brown sugar and butter together in medium bowl.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Add milk slowly.

Combine oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in large bowl.  Add wet ingredients to dry in the large bowl.  Mix well.  Pour into 8x8 greased pan.  Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top of the oatmeal. 

Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned and slightly firm to touch in the middle. 

Note - I always double this recipe for a 9x12 because it goes quickly!  This is a great recipe for Christmas morning because you can bake it the night before and just heat up individual bowls as everyone gets hungry!

Day 6: Three Chocolate Chip Cookies

I can't believe I haven't done a post about these cookies yet, but they are my second favorite cookie next to snickerdoodles!  First place for my favorite goes back and forth between the two depending on my mood and taste buds.  I've been making these cookies for a few years, but I actually didn't follow the recipe the first time I made them.  It was one of those serendipitous mistakes and I couldn't get enough of the cookies. 

They are very moist and cakey, so they appear fluffier than most chocolate chip cookies.  My friend Jeannie was with me at a cookie exchange when I first made them and it's begun an obsession with both of us for these cookies.  Her kids actually refer to the cookies as 'Ms. Sarah Cookies.'  It took my family only a year or so to realize the 'awsomeness' of these cookies, but I've finally got them all hooked!  ;)

This recipe is adapted from a Paula Deen recipe, but I originally forgot to add the white sugar that the recipe called for and I replaced the shortening with butter (I always do that since I'm not a fan of shortening), so I hope you enjoy the recipe!

Three Chocolate Cookies (adapted from Paula Deen's recipe)


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
1 3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or white whole wheat)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup dark, bittersweet chocolate morsels
1 cup Heath chocolate toffee bits (found with chocolate chips in baking isle)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets. 

With an electric mixer, beat butter at medium speed until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well.


In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in chocolate and Heath toffee bits. Drop cookies by 1/4 cupfuls about 3-inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Yields almost 3 dozen for me, but only 2 dozen if I make them really big.