Bacon and Leek Tart

I found this recipe in my Real Simple Magazine. It looks gourmet but was super easy to throw together. I was headed out to a baby shower that day and I decided to bring this along. I must say that it is perfect baby shower food or brunch food too. It was devoured quickly, but was ever so delicate looking, even though I'm sure it is loaded with fat. If you have never tried leeks I suggest that you do. I love them because although they look like a giant green onion, they are sweeter and don't have that "make you cry" attribute. I always have to wash them very well because they are always full of dirt when I buy them and you have to cut off all of the tough darker green parts.

This is a great little dish to serve along side some light soup or a little sandwich. I cut mine into smaller, oh I don't know...3 bite pieces? The only thing I would have done differently with mine is cut my leeks smaller width wise.

Bacon and Leek Tart

8 slices bacon, cut into 2 inch strips

2 leeks (white and light green parts) cut into 2 1/2 inch strips

1 17.3 ounce frozen puff-pastry sheets, thawed (I used a 16 ounce box from Trader Joe's and rolled it out just a bit)

4 ounces fontina cheese (or Swiss, but fontina just makes me say "yummmm").

Heat oven to 375F. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 6 minutes, but not too crispy because you are also going to bake it. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings and return to medium heat. Add the leeks and cook for 3 minutes. Unfold the puff pastry and place on 2 parchment lined baking sheets. Sprinkle with the cheese and scatter the leeks and bacon over the tops. Bake until the pastry is golden brown and crisp, about 25 minutes. I even rotated mine halfway through. Cool and cut into squares. Serve at room temperature.

Two Bit Wonders

I feel like I have to make all of my new cookie recipes from the King Arthur Cookie Companion because there is a seemingly endless amount of cookie recipes. This one was so easy and I have some friends that love coconut. If you love coconut MAKE THESE. Three words, SUPER SWEET CHEWY. I happen to love coconut and I am restraining myself to not eat every single one of these. It's very hard. They really are just 2 ingredients. 2 super yummy ingredients:coconut and sweetened condensed milk. The recipe suggests unsweetened coconut, but I only had sweetened on hand and it is a bit of a sugar overload however, very delicious and I'm not complaining.

I am also making my favorite rolled sugar cookies for Easter tomorrow...it's tradition.

Two Bit Wonders

5oz or 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (small can)

6-8 oz unsweetened coconut. About 2 cups(heaping cups)

*Make sure that you use enough coconut. I ended up adding more because the sweetened condensed milk was baking all flat around the edges of the cookies. It took me a couple of times to get it right. They should bake into little mounds.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease.

Mix together the sweetened condensed milk and the coconut in a medium sized bowl. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven for 13-14 minutes.

Cool on cookie sheet until set. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on a wire rack.

Makes 15 cookies.

Magic in the Middles

Can I say RICH? Another success from the King Arthur Cookie Companion. These are a definite must for the peanut butter-chocolate lovers. They are incredibly chocolatey and the peanut butter filling is soft and perfect. I don't know if I didn't cream them long enough because the dough was pretty dry and dense. They were a little tricky to shape around the peanut butter filling, but I just sort of mashed it in there. They also cracked around the edges when I flattened them. I'm not sure if that was supposed to happen or not. They are very yummy though and my 4 year old had fun helping me to fill them. I was impressed with her skills. She was doing as well as I was.

Magic in the Middles

from King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion

Dough:

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar (and extra for dipping)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

Filling:

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

3/4 cup confectioner's sugar

Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

To make the dough: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. In another medium-sized mixing bowl beat together the sugars, butter, and peanut buuter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg, beating to combine, then stir in the dry ingredients, blending well.

To make the filling:

In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter and confectioner's sugar until smooth. Roll the filling into 26 one-inch balls. (I used a hand mixer to combine)

To shape the cookies:

Break off about 1 table spoon of the dough (It's about 1 level tlbs), make an indentation in the center with your finger, and press one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation.

Bring the dough up and over the filling, pressing it closed; roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Dip the top of each cookie in granulated sugar and place on the prepared baking sheets about 2inces apart., Grease the bottom of a drinking glass and flatteneach cookie to about 1/2 inch thick.

Bake the cookies for 7-9 minutes, until they're set. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack.

Chocolate Chunk Ranger Cookies

I took an incredible recipe and made it even more incredible, these were probably the best cookies I had ever made so they're definately worth trying!

CHOCOLATE CHUNK RANGER COOKIES

Prep: 25 minutes

Bake: 8 minutes

Oven: 375 degrees F

Makes: 48 cookies

1/2 c butter, softened

1/2 c granulated sugar (I used splenda)

1/2 c packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 c all-purpose flour

1/2 c wheat flour

1 c quick oats

1 c coconut

1 c (or more) bittersweet chocolate (I took a block and broke it into chunks)

In a large mixing bowl beat butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar (or splenda), brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat until combined. Beat in egg and vanila until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour. Stir in rolled oats, coconut, and chocolate.

Drop dough by 1/8 c drops onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes or until golden around the edges. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely....Be ready to induldge in complete yumminess!

Raspberry Strips

I have been completely neglecting my little baking blog. The things I have been baking have just been some old favorites and a few new things. I also have some recipes saved up so I think I will start there. With Valentine's Day fast approaching I thought these would make a great treat. These were really good and not too sweet either. You can't pass on the glaze though or they will be nothing special (my sister tried making them without it). I love jam cookies too, especially raspberry jam cookies. They make a wonderful bite sized treat.

Raspberry Strips

1/3 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg white
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1/3 cup raspberry or apricot preserves
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375°.
Beat granulated sugar and butter with a mixer at medium speed until well-blended (about 5 minutes). Add 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and egg white; beat well. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, stirring until well-blended. (Dough will be stiff.)
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each portion into a 12-inch log. Place logs 3 inches apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Form a 1/2-inch-deep indentation down the length of each log using an index finger or end of a wooden spoon. Spoon preserves into the center. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove logs to a cutting board.
Combine powdered sugar, lemon juice, and almond extract; stir well with a whisk. Drizzle sugar mixture over warm logs. Immediately cut each log diagonally into 12 slices. (Do not separate slices.) Cool 10 minutes; separate slices. Transfer slices to wire racks. Cool completely.

KA Flour Essential Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I haven't posted in awhile. I was in the post-Christmas baking exhaustion. I know that I have posted so many chocolate chip cookie recipes, but they are all so different. These are wonderful. For Christmas I got the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion. I love the book because it has "essential recipes" for making chewy, crunchy, cakey, etc. baked goods. They also have instructional reads for making cookies such as what exactly is creaming and it gives some tips on how to shape cookies and it has a list of essential tools for excellent cookie making. I haven't been able to tackle but this one recipe so far, but I have already made them twice! I wanted to try these because they have 2 things I have never seen in a chocolate chip cookie recipe before and those are vinegar and corn syrup. These cookies were more cakey to me than chewy. I guess the vinegar gives them a "lift." But what is different is that yes they are cakey, but they are very moist and not in the least bit crumbly. I would say they are a perfect medium. They are DELICIOUS and definitely different from other chocolate chip cookies.

King Arthur Flour Essential Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 tablespoon cider vinegar or white vinegar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease(or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

In a medium-sized bowl, cream together the butter, sugars, corn syrup, and vinegar, then beat in the eggs. Beat in the vanilla, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir in the flour and chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, until they're just set; the centers may still look a bit underdone. Remove them from the oven, and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

English Toffee

This is my mom's recipe that she has made for years. She makes it every Christmas and gives and it is just a part of my childhood. I love English Toffee because it has that almost burnt flavor and it is crisp and just slightly sticks in your teeth (if you make it right). Candy can be tricky because you have to know about the different stages. Soft ball, hard ball, hard crack, etc. A good definition of all of these stages can be found here. Toffee is cooked to a higher temperature so that it reaches the hard-crack stage. If you don't have a candy thermometer, which I didn't have until this year, you can test your candy by dripping a little of the mixture into a cup of cold water. When it is crunchy it is ready.

My original recipe looks like this

1 pound butter

2 cups sugar

2 Tbls. water

Cook over high heat.

Color of a new penny

Pour in pan.

Melt chocolate, pour over toffee. Nuts.

I think I will give a little more instruction here.

English Toffee

1 pound butter (I use salted)

2 cups granulated sugar

2 Tbls water

1 pound milk chocolate, chopped

1 cup finely chopped almonds (I used roasted salted and my mom always uses smoked)

Line a large rimmed cookie sheet with foil and set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, melt butter over med. low heat. When melted, add the sugar and water. Turn the heat to med. high and stir until sugar dissolves. The mixture will begin to bubble. Continue to stir until it reaches hard crack stage (305F on a candy thermometer). It really is about the color of a new penny.

Immediately remove from heat and our into prepared cookie sheet and spread evenly with a wooden spoon.

In a microwave, melt the chocolate in 30 second increments until it is fully melted. Pour over the toffee mixture and spread to cover evenly. Sprinkle with the chopped almonds.

Let stand until it is completely cooled. Break into pieces.

Homemade Oreos

Now how can you replicate an Oreo? When I was first married we used to buy Oreos and the entire bag would be gone in two days. They have that delicious crunchy chocolate cookie on the outside and the super fattening and sugar filled frosting in the center. I am a twist and lick person myself, but I also love dunking them in an ice cold glass of milk and then you get to drink the milk when you are finished with the little pieces of chocolate cookie floating around. So yummm...

I don't eat Oreos like I used to, but I still love them. This homemade version is a really great recipe. I thought the mixing process was odd for a cookie. You put it together backwards by adding the wet ingredients last and there is no "creaming" of the butter and sugar. This makes for a sandy textured cookie, crisp on the outside, but slightly chewy in the center. The frosting is really good too. Very vanilla tasting. This cookie is definitely hard to resist. A definite winner for a Christmas cookie.

Homemade Oreos

Makes 25 to 30 sandwich cookies

For the chocolate wafers:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 to 1½ cups sugar*

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter

1 large egg

For the filling:

¼ cup (½ stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter

¼ cup vegetable shortening

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Set rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375 degrees.

In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, (I used a mixer)thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar.

While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.

Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.

To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2-3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.

To assemble the cookies, put the frosting in a large ziploc bag and cut off a 1/2 inch tip from the corner. Pipe about 1 teaspoon of filling onto the bottom side of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream.

*These are really good small so be careful about sizing your balls of dough.