Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Peanut Butter & Chips Cookies

(Makes about 24-30)

Ingredients~

1/2 cup butter
1 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter
3/4 cup white sugar 
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup chocolate chips 
more white sugar for rolling cookies

Preheat oven to 350 F. In the large bowl of a mixer, combine the butter, peanut butter, and both sugars. Beat until well blended and creamy. Add the egg, mix well and add the vanilla and the milk. Add the flour baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix into peanut butter mixture. Stir in both chips. Dough will be crumbly. Gather together about 2 tablespoons at a time and press into a ball and roll in white sugar. Place about 2" apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and press down lightly with your hand just enough to take away the rounded shape. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until just set. Cookies will not spread. Do not over bake. Allow to cool completely and the cookies will finish cooking. Enjoy!






Monday, March 17, 2014

St. Patrick's Day Cookies

These tasty cookies can be made into any shape you want. And the glaze isn't necessary but looks festive. I got the cookie recipe form a wonderful cook book it is called Illustrated Step-By-Step Baking.   


Ingredients~

11 tablespoons butter, softened and diced 
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour 
1 egg yolk 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Glaze~
1/2 cup powdered sugar 
1-2 tablespoons milk
1-2 drops green food coloring (optional)  

Preheat the oven to 350 F. put parchment paper on 2 baking sheets. Put the butter, sugar, and flour in a large bowl, or into the bowl of a food processor. Rub together, or pulse-blend the ingredients until they look like fine bread crumbs. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and bring the mixture together into a dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it briefly until smooth. Flour the dough and work surface well, and roll it out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a palette knife to move the sheet of dough around, to prevent sticking. If the dough is too sticky to roll well, chill for 15 minutes, then try again. with a shamrock cookie cutter cut out cookies and transfer them to the baking sheets. Re-roll the scraps to 1/4 inch thick, and cut out all the cookies until all the dough is used bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until golden at the edges. leave the cookies to cool until firm enough to handle. Combine the glaze ingredients and brush on cookies, let the glaze set and serve. Enjoy!        







Friday, March 14, 2014

Cocoa Balls



Ingredients~

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup quick oats 
1/2 cup peanut butter 
1/2 cup coconut 
1/4 cup cocoa powder 

Heat honey and peanut butter until melted to together. Remove from heat, add other ingredients and mix well. cool slightly and form into balls. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving. 


Peanut butter glaze (optical)~ 

1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar 
1-3 tablespoons milk

combine peanut butter and sugar. stir in 1-3 tablespoons milk until you reach the constancy you want. spread on to balls and refrigerate. I hope you enjoy them!   
         

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Black-Eyed Susan Cookies




Ingredients~

1 cup butter, softened 
1-1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs 
1 teaspoon orange extract
2-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1/4 teaspoon salt 

Glaze~

2 cups powdered sugar 
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1-2 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
chocolate chips

In a large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and extract. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Divide dough in half shape each into a disk. Wrap; refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until easy to handle.

On a lightly floured surface, roll larger portion of dough to 1/8 inch thickness. cut with a floured round or scalloped cookie cutter different sizes are fine the cooking time will very though. place 1 inch apart on greased baking sheets. repeat with all the dough. Bake cookies at 350 F for 5-10 minuets depending on the size of the cookies. 
In a small bowl combine all the ingredients for the glaze. spread over cooled cookies, then place a chocolate chip in the center of each cookie. Enjoy!  
  

Friday, March 7, 2014

Orange Chocolate Chip Scones



Ingredients~

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar 
2 teaspoons baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, chilled 
2 eggs 
1/4 cup orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons orange extract  
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel (optional)     
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 425 F. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut butter into cubes and then cut into flour using pastry cutter, until resembles small crumbs. stir in the rest of the ingredients except chocolate chips. knead in chocolate chips. using a two tablespoon scoop, scoop the dough on to a buttered baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown on the top.   

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Blueberry Lemon Bread or Muffins


Ingredients~

2 cups flour 
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt 
2 eggs 
1 cup half and half 
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons lemon extract 
1 tablespoon lemon juice (not real necessary but adds a bit more lemon flavor)
11/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberry's (you can use raspberry's for lemon raspberry bread.)

Directions~

 Preheat oven to 400 F. in a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Combine the eggs, half and half, oil, and lemon extract. stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. fold in blueberry's or raspberry's. 

Muffins~
spoon into 18 greased or paper lined muffin cups bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Bread~ grease 2  71/2" by 4" bread pan. divide the dough evenly between the two pans. bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. let cool for a bit then take out of pans and cool completely.  
       
        

Monday, March 3, 2014

Baby Card

This cute baby card is fairly simple to make and can be changed for a boy too.  



What you need~

1 cream or white colored card (I used 41/4 by 51/2)
sewing thread
colored paper (your choice of colors) 
pen 
scissors 
tape
thin glue dots 
dark brown paper (a paper bag would work)
assorted baby stickers and cut outs 

How to make it~ 

take a some string and put it about an inch and a half down form the top and tape one side of the string to the back of the card and the other side to the inside of the card this is your clothes line. 
draw little onesies and socks on your colored paper. then cut out. take your little onesies and socks cut a little bit off your glue dot and put a peace on each of your little onesies and socks arrange on your clothes line. take your brown paper or paper bag and cut a thin strip cut little rectangles form the strip these are your clothes pins. cut more little bits off your glue dots and put a little peace on each clothes pin and put on your clothes line. wright whatever you want to and the bottom of the card. (I put 'Welcome baby girl')


decorate the inside with stickers and cutouts.
I hope you enjoy making it!