Recipe: Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

I made these for FHE tonight and since I was serving a crowd, I times the recipe by 4.  That's a LOT of cookies.  I specifically made these because I do not like coconut in cookies (and I am trying to de-squishify myself) but the crowd at FHE gobbled them up!  Recipe adapted from this one here.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

Yield: about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

¾ cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. ground cinnamon (I ran out of cinnamon and added some Pumpkin Pie Spice as well)

¼ tsp. salt

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1½ cups old fashioned oats

¾ cup shredded coconut - toasted

½ cup butterscotch chips

¼ cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.  In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.  Stir to blend, and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugars and beat on medium-high speed until light and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.  Beat in the egg until incorporated.  Blend in the vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  With a spatula, fold in the oats, coconut, butterscotch chips and chocolate chips until evenly combined.  

Drop scoops of dough (about 2 tablespoons each - mine were a bit smaller) onto the prepared baking sheets, a few inches apart.  Bake for 12-15 minutes (my oven ran hot and they only needed 9 minutes), until just set and light golden, rotating the pans halfway through baking.  Let cool on the pans about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Orange Cream Cheese Icing

She lives!  She also has a job, but I will get to that soon.  I start on Friday and am both excited and nervous about the whole thing.  We are actively looking for a small place to rent as I will now have four 25-30 minute commutes every day.  Yikes.

Instead of going back, I am just sharing a recipe today.  I tried something new for a Relief Society Enrichment and they were just too good and too cute not to share.  I found the recipe over on Smitten Kitchen (love that blog) and just changed the frosting recipe a bit.

Pumpkin Cupcakes With Maple–Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from David Leite
Yield: 17 to 18 cupcakes
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing pans
1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk mixed with 1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin
Frosting
Two (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

*I added the zest of one orange and a teaspoon of vanilla.  I also used a whole bunch more sugar - maybe another cup and a half?



Make the cupcakes:
1. Preheat the oven to 350° (175°C). Line a cupcake pan with 18 liners.
2. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl.
3. Add the eggs 1 at a time to the mixer, scraping down the sides after each addition. Alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat in the pumpkin until smooth. Scoop the batter among the cupcake liners — you’re looking to get them 3/4 full. Rap the filled pans once on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on racks completely.
Make the frosting:
In a stand mixer beat all the ingredients on medium until fluffy.

 

These are delightful.  The cake flour makes such a light crumb and the buttermilk and black pepper are the perfect contrast to the sweet icing.  Make some.
P.S. I found the cute mini liners at TJ Maxx.

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Bittersweet Chocolate

My new favorite muffin - spicy and sweet and crunchy all at the same time. YUM!

• 2 cups pumpkin puree
  
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup canola oil
• 2 1/2 cups
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tsp each cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves (sometimes I run out of one of these and add ginger in its place)
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 bar Ghirardellis Bittersweet chocolate bar cut into chunks (I usually make 1 1/2 times this recipe and use 2 bars which can usually be found in the baking isle above the chocolate chips.
• sanding sugar (large granule)
  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 24-cup muffin tin or two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.

In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, spices, and salt until everything is well combined.

Hold a fine-mesh strainer over the bowl with the pumpkin mixture. Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda to the sifter, then sift the dry ingredients over the wet. Whisk gently just until the flour mixture is incorporated. Add the chocolate and stir to combine.

Fill the muffin tins most of the way up, dividing the batter evenly. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with lots of sanding sugar. Bake about 25 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven, let the muffins rest 2 minutes, then turn the muffins out onto a rack to cool.

Makes 24 muffins.

Recipe: Carrot Cake Cookies

Per request - this is a recipe I made for my Sunday School class a few weeks ago. Huge, huge hit.

The cookies will bake out thin and flat and you'll want to over bake them just a little as they are better if the cookie is a little crunchy to contrast the creamy filling. If you make these, be sure to give most of them away as they make an irresistible breakfast/snack/I'm having a bad day treat. I think I ate every one in these photos. Sigh.

Makes about 3 dozen

• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots, (about 3 large carrots)
• 1 cup raisins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugars and butter; beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until well combined.

2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; stir to combine. Gradually add flour to butter mixture; mix on a low speed until just blended. Mix in oats, carrots, and raisins. Chill dough in refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.

3. Using a 1/2-ounce ice-cream scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Transfer to oven, and bake until browned and crisped, rotating pan halfway through baking to ensure even color, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat baking process with remaining dough. Once cooled completely, use an offset spatula to spread about 2 teaspoons of cream-cheese filling onto a cookie. Sandwich together with a second cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

For the cream cheese filling, I just beat together a room temperature 8oz block of cream cheese, a stick of room temperature unsalted butter, the zest of one lemon and a teaspoon of vanilla. Once that was smooth, I started adding powdered sugar until I had the consistency I wanted (about 4 cups). You can also add some lemon juice if it is too thick.

Recipe: Coconut Cream-Filled Macaroons

Because we live in the Frozen North, it snowed again last week - enough snow that my sweet neighbor was again in my driveway with his snowblower clearing the fluffy white stuff for me. Of course his act of service meant I needed to bake some cookies so I enlisted Sophie's help and this is the recipe she chose. It can be found in Martha's Cookie Cookbook.

COCONUT CREAM-FILLED MACAROONS
MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN

• For the cookies:
• 3 cups unsweetened finely shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt

• Filling:
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons cream of coconut, or unsalted butter, softened (I used butter)
  
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract

Make cookies: Stir together coconut, granulated sugar, egg whites, coconut extract and salt in a large bowl. Refrigerate, covered, until cold, at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Form heaping teaspoons of dough into balls; space 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Gently flatten to about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges begin to turn golden, 9 to 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.

Make filling: Put butter, cream of coconut and shortening in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add confectioners' sugar and coconut extract; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Assemble cookies: Place a heaping teaspoon filling on the bottom of 1 cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Transfer to a platter; cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until filling is firm, about 30 minutes. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes before serving. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

I have no idea who bit into that cookie. Certainly not me as I am trying not to eat sugar . . . ok, it was me. The macaroons are delicious and I liked but did not love the filling. I just cannot stand shortening in a frosting of any kind. I would use butter to replace the shortening next time.

How to Make Marshmallow Fondant

As promised, here is an instructional video for making your own fondant. It is so easy to do and I certainly did not come up with this idea on my own. I googled it years ago.

Things you should know:

• Sophie filmed this in real time
  
• I have no editing capabilities so this is straight from camera
• Several times she got tired of holding the camera - look for those moments
• You can hear Calvin in the background despite the fact that I asked for 2 minutes of quiet
  
• Try not to notice that I get more "cleavagey" as the video progresses
  
• I did not have a wardrobe person to tell me to wear a different shirt
  
• I do not like how I look on film - specifically those extra 20 pounds I could stand to lose

Oh well, it is what it is and I hope you find it useful!

Recipe: Vegetarian Chili With Sweet Potatoes

Here is a wonderful recipe for a cold winters day. I doubled the recipe and added celery. It is a little spicy so I served it with avocado and sour cream (the kids like theirs with cheese on top). See the recipe here. It has a wonderful flavor and after serving it to the kids one night, I scooped it into tortillas with cheese and made enchiladas for dinner tonight. Try it!

Recipe: Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

Very simple. Very, very good.

To make, peel (I do not peel the carrots) and chop up a whole bunch of vegetables into large chunks. This particular time I used sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnip, celery, garlic cloves, red onion, carrots and butternut squash. Throw them into a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, kosher salt, pepper and chopped rosemary. Toss.

Spread the vegetables out on a cookie sheet (I had to use two) and cook for 30 minutes per side at 350 degrees or until tender. Aren't they pretty? At this point, you could serve these with dinner, but today we are making soup!


When cooked, puree the vegetables in your food processor with chicken or vegetable broth until you have the consistency you desire. Pour into pot on stove to keep warm. Season to taste.


I toasted up some garlic croûtons to serve on top. So delicious on a cold winter afternoon!

Recipe: Citrus Chicken Salad with Parsely

Here is a really simple and delicious salad recipe which my friend Susan shared with me. Chop up a head of romaine, add chicken breast (mine was from Trader Joe's already cooked), chopped fresh parsley, chopped scallions, feta cheese crumbles, pistachios and fresh orange slices. I dressed mine with a light citrus dressing from the refrigerated section of the grocery store. The flavors are wonderful together and do not skip the fresh parsley - it makes the salad!

Recipe: Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Hearts

Here is another recipe I tried for my Sunday School class. Yum, yum, yum. I love lemon and these have a really lemony/buttery flavor. Aren't they pretty?

I skipped the candied lemon peel because that was too much work and for the glaze I simply used fresh lemon juice and added powdered sugar until I had a nice consistency.


Glazed Lemon Poppyseed Hearts from The Good Cookie

Make the dough:
1 c unsalted butter, softened
1/2 granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
3/4 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
Pinch of salt
2 c all-purpose flour
1/3 c poppy seeds

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add the egg yolk, lemon zest, vanilla and lemon extracts, cardamom, and salt and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. At low speed, add the flour and poppy seeds and mix until combined. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, pat it into a rectangle, and wrap it. Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour, or until firm (or up to three days).

Meanwhile, make the lemon garnish:

1 lemon
1 c granulated sugar
1/3 c water

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the lemon lengthwise. Stacking three pieces of peel on top of one another, thinly slice them crosswise. Repeat with remaining strips. Set aside. Place 1/3 c sugar in a small bowl.

In a small heavy saucepan, combine water and the remaining 2/3 c sugar and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the lemon peel and boil for 3 minutes. Remove the lemon peel with a slotted spoon and toss with the reserved sugar until coated. Transfer the peel to a plate and let dry for about 30 minutes.

Transfer the lemon peel to a sieve and shake to remove excess sugar.

Make the glaze:

1 c sifted confectioners sugar
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat all ingredients until just combined, about 30 seconds. Cover the surface of the glaze with plastic wrap and set aside until ready to use.

Cut and bake the cookies:

Position 2 racks near the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Grease two baking sheets.

Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one piece of dough about 3/16" thick. Using a 2 1/2" heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as possible from the dough and transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 1" apart. Gather up the scraps of dough, reroll, and cut out more hearts. Repeat the process with the remaining piece of dough. Bake the cookies, two sheets at a time, for 14 to 16 minutes, until they are pale brown around the edges; switch the position of the baking sheets halfway through baking. Place the baking sheets on wire racks and glaze the cookies while they are hot.


Glaze and garnish the cookies:
Using a small offset metal spatula, spread about a teaspoon of glaze over each cookie. Garnish each cookie with a piece of candied lemon peel. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Makes about 36 cookies.

Recipe: Apricot Tart

As a thank you to Brother Clark for helping Max with his derby car, I offered to make him any sweet treat he liked. He chose an apricot tart. I had never made one before, but it turned out beautifully and evidently was quite tasty. I think it is gorgeous!

Here is the recipe I used and the things I changed/messed up. I toasted the almonds (yum) and then failed to notice they were to be used to sprinkle on top of the crust after baking. So, I used them IN the crust and then just used some more ON TOP of the crust. I used heavy cream because that is what I had on hand and I have never heard of superfine flour so I just used the normal stuff and it was fine! Apricots are tough to find around here. I bought a sackful that were still hard and they went bad before they ripened. So, I then went searching different store until I found some that felt ripe and quick made the recipe the next day.

FYI - I would never eat this concoction - do you see that mushy fruit?! Pretty, but just not my cup of tea!

For pastry

• 8 tablespoons (4 ounces; 12 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon (180 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons finely ground unblanched almonds

For filling

• 1/2 cup (25 cl) crème fraîche or heavy (whipping) cream
• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons full-flavored honey, such as lavender
• 1 tablespoon superfine flour, such as Wondra

• About 1 1/2 pounds (750 g) fresh apricots, pitted and halved (do not peel)
• Confectioners' sugar, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch (23cm) fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Set aside.

Make the pastry:
In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and the sugar, and using a wooden spoon, stir to blend. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to form a soft, cookie-like dough. Transfer the dough to the center of the buttered pan. Using the tips of your fingers, evenly press the pastry along the bottom and up the sides of the pan. The pastry will be quite thin.

Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake unitl the dough is slightly puffy and set, 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle the ground almonds over the bottom of the crust. (This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy.)

Meanwhile make the filling:
In a medium-size bowl, combine the crème fraîche, egg, extracts and honey and whisk to blend. Whisk in the flour.

Pour the filling evenly over the pastry. Starting just inside the edge of the pan, neatly overlap the halved apricots, cut side up, at an angle. Arrange in two or three concentric circles, working toward the center. Fill in the center with the remaining apricots.

Place the tart pan on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake until the filling is firm and the pastry is a deep golden brown, 55 to 60 minutes. The apricots will shrivel slightly. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Place the tart on a rack to cool. Sprinkle again with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

Cake Order

This is a cake I made for a friend's birthday last week. She brought me a photo of a cake ripped from a magazine and I just recreated the look for her.

The top present is a vanilla bean cake with lemon curd filling and lemon cream cheese icing - 4 layers. The bottom cake is a chocolate cake with bittersweet whipped chocolate ganache filling and a dark chocolate icing - 5 layers. The whole thing was wrapped and decorated with home-made marshmallow fondant.

Lori was nice enough to bring me a slice of the cake later this week (the cake was HUGE - and heavy). I shared my slice with Max and Calvin though I wanted to keep it all for myself. Yum! My photos are not the best as I finished the cake Sunday night which meant no natural light for these shots.

Recipe: Toffee Pecan Cookies

Calvin's teacher has been out for several weeks due to surgery. She came back to the classroom on Monday. Calvin came home that afternoon and told me that we had to make some really delicious cookie to bring to her. When I asked why, he told me that another little boy gave her some cookies that day and she told the boy that she loved him. "So I need to bring her even better cookies Mom!" Well, okay then. Clearly I have a little boy who needs a lot of affection.

These are the cookies we made and when I asked Calvin how it went he said "she told me she loved me more than that other boy (doubtful, but really adorable)." Mission accomplished.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups English toffee bits, such as Skor or Heath
1 3/4 cups pecans, toasted and chopped

Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars at medium-high speed until light, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla extract. At this point the dough will look curdled. At low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until blended. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the toffee and pecans.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 14 minutes (I find it better to under-cook them), until the cookies are starting to turn golden brown around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely. Makes about 48 cookies.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Recipe: White Chocolate Chunk Fudge Cookies

Do you like how I follow up my squishy post with a recipe for chocolate cookies? I made these for a couple of missionary care packages and for the neighbor who has been driving Max to band on Wednesday mornings. I tripled the recipe and ended up with about 9 dozen cookies (bad idea because these are incredible and may just be my new favorite chocolate cookie)! I used the basic recipe from The Good Cookie cookbook and just added the milk chocolate chips.

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate chopped
2 oz. bittersweet Ghirardelli chocolate chopped
2 cups flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
11 T. unsalted butter at room temp
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 c. plus 2 T. sugar
1 T. molasses
1 T. vanilla
2 large eggs at room temp
1/2 cup cocoa powder sifted
9 oz. good white chocolate chopped (Ghirardelli)
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350. Melt the unsweetened and bittersweet chocolate together and stir until smooth (I used the microwave). Sift together dry ingredients. Whip butter and sugars until light and fluffy, add eggs one at a time and then vanilla, melted chocolates and molasses. Slowly add dry ingredients and then the white and milk chocolates. I used a med. cookie scoop, pushed each cookie down a bit and then baked these on silpats for 11 minutes. Keep the dough cool between batches. You want them to be a little underdone but cracked. Let cool a bit on the cookie sheet before transferring to a cooking rack. You will not be able to eat just one!

On Being Less Squishy

So, it turns out there are consequences to eating a diet composed primarily of pies, cheesecakes and trifle washed down with eggnog from Thanksgiving to New Years as my squishy middle will attest (I gained 6 pounds). Clearly it is time to return to a healthy diet and stop pretending that having Nutella for breakfast is a good idea.

I made a big batch of this salad this week and have been eating it for lunch almost every day. It is my favorite salad because it stays crunchy for a long time (I can't handle wilty food . . . is wilty a word?). It has been difficult to dial down the sweets though it does feel good to not have a continual sugar headache. I've started back up at the gym after almost three weeks of holidays and sickness. Running hurts and so does getting up at 5:15 to go to the gym when it is -15 outside. Why do we live here?

Here's how you make this salad. Boil up some quinoa (the same way you boil rice - 2 parts water one part quinoa) and then spread it out on a cookie sheet to cool. I was making this salad for me and two other families so I made up a whole box. While that is cooling start chopping up vegis - celery, red, green and orange peppers, seedless cucumbers, jalapeños, bean sprouts . . . whatever you like. Throw them in a huge bowl with some corn and rinsed black beans. Add your quinoa and an entire bunch of chopped cilantro. Make a vinaigrette of red wine vinegar (2T), fresh lime juice (1/2 c.), olive oil (1/3 c.), cumin (2 t.) and salt and pepper to taste. I wanted this salad to have a little more heft, so I also cooked up some chicken breast with a little garlic and chopped that up as well. Mix together and chill. Yum!