Salted Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies

First of all I would like to welcome all the new followers that have showed up in the last few days, its great to meet all of you and I hope you enjoy your stay.  Second of all, if you haven't heard yet, Southernplate.com has launched a new forum, so if you'd like to join us all, pull up a chair with your sweet tea (or coffee, soda, water, whatever tickles your fancy) and come join in the conversations.

I think just about everyone is on a mission to find their perfect chocolate chip cookie.  Who knew something so simple could be so finicky?  One time its soft and chewy, the next its thin and crispy. I personally, like mine thick, soft and chewy.  That's just what I found in this recipe.  It's taking me quite a few tries to get it right and lots of research as to what changes the cookie.  

The best resource I came across was Alton Brown's Good Eats episode on the chocolate chip cookie.  It was very informative and exactly what I needed.  Btw, I absolutely adore his show.  He's the Bill Nye of the cooking world and gives you the hows and whys instead of the "Watch me make this recipe" that many other shows have.  If you get a chance you should definitely check it out.  You can find all 14 seasons on Youtube (30 minute episodes).

Salted Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 Cup Shortening

1 Cup Unsalted Butter, melted

3 Cup Brown Sugar

1 egg + 1 Egg Yolk

2 Tbsp Milk

3 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 1/2 Cups Bread Flour

2 Cups Cake Flour

3 tsp Baking Powder

1 1/2 tsp Salt

Coarse Sea Salt

In large bowl, cream shortening, butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at time, mixing well after each addition.  Add the milk and vanilla, mix well.  In another large bowl, sift together both flours, baking powder and salt.  Add to creamed mixture, one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Chill mixture for 2 hours.  Preheat oven 375 degrees F.  Using a cookie scoop drop spoonfuls of cookie dough on to baking sheet.  Lightly sprinkle each mound with sea salt.  Bake for 10-11 minutes or until lightly golden brown.  Let cool on pan for 2 minutes before removing to cooling rack.  After completely cool remove to cookie jar where your family can inhale with a large glass of cold milk.

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Ultimate Blog Party 2011

Hello and welcome to everyone joining from the blog party!  My name is Cassandra.  I am a wife and mother to 3 beautiful little girls that keep me running all day long.

I have been blogging for almost 4 months now.  I love baking and cooking, photography, gardening, and genealogy.  I like to share recipes that are easy and fairly quick to make in the kitchen.  I also like to make many things from scratch that most people would normally just go out and buy from the store such as baking mix and taco seasoning. I also very much enjoy making and creating Amish Friendship Bread. I have also been a daring baker for the last 2 months.  The challenging recipes have been so much fun and love coming across new blogs.  I hope to start posting about utilizing your freezer to make life easier.


I recently got a big girl camera that I can't wait to learn how to use.  Life has been busy lately and haven't gotten to post as much as I'd like, such as massive spring cleaning, which I figure I will get done by the time summer is over with. We have been living in our home for a year and I am finally get around to organizing my life.  We have also been without water for about a day while we finally fix this.  But anyways, enough rambling from me ( I like to ramble).

I hope you stay for a bit and take a look around. Here are some popular recipes for you to take a look at.

No Bake Bars

Western Cheesy Hashbrown and Ham Casserole

Triple Peanut Butter Cookies

Whole Wheat Applesauce Bars

Homemade Baking Mix

Chicken Shortcake

Southern Banana Pudding

Comfort at it's best.  I love banana pudding.  I sometimes eat for breakfast.  It has fruit in it so it should be ok right?  After making the meringue for yesterdays coffee cake, I stored the leftover egg yolks in the fridge.  I hate to waste food.  After seeing some bananas on the counter that haven't been touched yet, I decided it was time for some puddin'.  I like it best after it's been a day, and the cookies are slightly soft, mmmm good.

I like to use Nilla Brand cookies ( I think they taste better than Keebler)  and I prefer whipped topping on mine instead of meringue, but do as you see fit.  I will post both options at the end.

Southern Banana Pudding

1 Box Nilla Wafers

4 Bananas

3 Egg Yolks

2 Cups Milk

1/3 Cup Flour

1/2 Cup Sugar

Pinch of Salt

2 Tbsp Butter, Softened

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Whipped Topping:

1 Cup Whipping Cream

3 Tbsp Powdered Sugar

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Meringue:

3 Egg Whites, Room Temperature

1/4 Cup Sugar

In a saucepan, whisk together yolks, milk, sugar and flour.  Heat to medium low and continue whisking mixture until thickened.  You need to make sure you keep whisking during this, or it may burn.  It will seem like its taking forever, but will all of sudden thicken.  It should be able to coat the back of a spoon when done.  Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla, stirring until melted.  Set aside to cool.

In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, start your whipped topping or meringue. 

For whipped topping, combine everything in a bowl, and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form.

For Meringue, beat eggs on low until foamy and opaque.  Beat on high, adding 1 Tbsp sugar at a time, beating until soft peaks form.

Meanwhile, assemble your cookies and bananas.  In a casserole dish, layer your cookies, followed by bananas, continuing as much as you'd like.  Pour pudding over cookies and bananas.  Top with whipped cream/meringue.

Top with leftover cookies.

Meringue:

Preheat oven to 325 Degrees F.  Pour over pudding, making sure to cover all sides.  Bake for 15 minutes, until top is golden brown.  Allow to cool before serving.

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March 2011 Daring Bakers Challenge - Meringue Filled Yeasted Coffee Cake

This month's challenge is brought to us by Jamie @ Life's a Feast and Ria of Ria's Collection.  This is a yeast risen dough, with a meringue filling with whatever tickles your fancy, rolled up like a cinnamon rolled, formed into a wreath and baked. Jamie found this recipe on a piece of yellowed paper in her dad's collection of clipped and hand-written recipes from the 70's.  No date, no source, and she tried the recipe and it was a hit.

 There were many beautiful and yummy looking variations made this month, both sweet and savory.  I will definitely be making this again, trying out different fillings.

Next month I am hoping to do the challenge earlier in the month, the last 2 times I waited until last minute to make.  I made an apple caramel filling for mine.  This is absolutely delicious and fairly easy to make, its just time consuming, like most yeast baking.  I ran into a little trouble with the meringue oozing out, but all turned out well in the end.

Meringue Filled Yeasted Coffee Cake

makes 2 wreaths

For the dough:

4 Cups All Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Sugar

3/4 tsp Salt

2 1/2 tsp Yeast (1 Pkg)

3/4 Cup Milk

1/4 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

2 Eggs, Room Temperature

Jamie's Version - 10 Strands Saffrom

1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg

1/4 tsp Ground Cardamom

( I think I may add more next time)

For the Meringue:

3 Large Egg Whites, Room Temperature

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 Cup Sugar

For the Filling:

Jamie's Version - 

1 Cup Chopped Pecans or Walnuts

2 Tbsp Sugar

1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Ria's Version - 

1 Cup Chopped Cashew Nuts

2 Tbsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Garam Marsala

1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate

{For Homemade Garam Marsala - 4 or 5 sticks of Cinnamon Sticks (broken in half and scroll opened) 3 1/2 Tbsp Whole Cloves, 100g Fennel Seeds, 4 Tbsp Cumin Seeds, 1 1/2 Tbsp Peppercorns, 25g Green Cardamom Pods, In a small pan on medium heat, roast each spice individually until you get a nice aroma.  Make sure you stir so it doesn't burn.  As soon as each is roasted, transfer to a bowl to cool slightly.  Once they are all , grind into a fine powder by using a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.  Store in an airtight container.

My Version - 

1 Cup Chopped Macadamia Nuts

2 Tbsp Sugar

1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon

4 Gala Apples - Peeled, Cored, and Diced

2 tsp Lemon Juice

1/2 Cup Caramel Bits ( I used Kraft) (I think I will use already melted caramel instead next time)

Egg Wash:

1 Large Egg Beaten

Powdered Sugar for Dusting

To prepare the dough:

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 Cups Flour, sugar, salt and yeast.  In a saucepan, combine milk, water and butter and heat over medium heat until warm and the butter is just melted.  (In Ria's version, add the saffron threads and allow to steep for 10 minutes)

With an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add the warm liquid to the yeast mixture, beating until well blended.  Increase mixer speed and beat 2 minutes.  Add the eggs and 1 Cup flour and beat for 2 more minutes.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in another 1 cup flour to make a dough that holds together.  Turn out onto a floured surface (using remainder 1 1/2 Cups of flour) and knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth and elastic, keeping the work surface floured and adding extra flour as needed ( I used the whole 1 1/2 Cups)

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning to coat all sides.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise for 45-60 minutes, until doubled.

Prepare filling:

In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon if using.  Measure and set aside whatever you are using.

For the Meringue:

In a clean mixing bowl (ideally plastic or metal) beat the egg whites with the salt , first on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high and continue beating until foamy and opaque.  Add the vanilla, then start adding in sugar 1 Tbsp at a time as you beat, until very stiff, glossy peaks form.

Assemble the Coffee Cake:

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Punch down the dough and divide in half.  On a lightly floured surface, working one piece of dough at a time.  Roll out the dough into a 20x10 inch rectangle.  Spread half of the meringue evenly over the rectangle up to about 1/2 inch from the edges.  Sprinkle half of your filling of choice evenly over the meringue.  Now roll up the dough, like a you would if you were making cinnamon rolls, starting with the long side.  Pinch the seam closed to seal.  Very Carefully transfer the filled log to one of the baking sheets, seam side down.  Bring the ends of the log around and seal the ends together, forming a ring, tucking one end into the other and pinching to seal.

Using kitchen scissors or a knife, make cuts along the outside edge at 1 inch intervals.  Make them as shallow or as deep as you would like.

Repeat with the remaining dough.  Cover the 2 coffee cakes with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again for 45-60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Brush the tops of the coffee cakes with the egg wash.  Bake in the preheated oven for 25 - 30 minutes until risen and golden brown.  The dough should sound hollow when tapped.  Remove from the oven and slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheet onto a table or counter top.  Very gently loosen the coffee cakes from the paper with a large spatula and carefully slides the cakes off onto cooling racks.  Allow to cool.

Just before serving, dust the tops of the coffee cakes with powdered sugar.

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Donut Muffins

Well, it's been over a week since my last post.  I have been absent for various reason.  I have been doing a lot of spring cleaning, which I haven't even made a dent in what I want to get done, but I will get there.  Second of all, I have had a few flops in the kitchen, trying to perfect some recipes for my family.  Last of all, my camera broke, but I was able to then upgrade from my cheap point and shoot to a big girl camera, a Nikon D3000.  I am like a child on Christmas morning, I absolutely love it! I am still figuring out how to use it, but am having fun doing it.

These donut muffins, are one of the recipes I had learned in high school home-ec classes.  I took every cooking class available to me in school.  Although looking back, I have to say I was a little disappointed.  While I can understand only being able to cook once in awhile due to budgets, I had to learn an awful lot on my own, when getting my own place.  Even simple things, like making potatoes or how to cook even ground beef.  I think there is a lot of basic things they could be teaching in high school cooking classes to get teens ready for the real world (for schools that even still have that option).  A few those classes were just glorified health classes most of the semester, working out of a textbook.

Anyways on to these gems.  These are absolutely delicious.

Donut Muffins

2/3 Cup Shortening

1 Cup Sugar

3 Cups All Purpose Flour

3 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg

2 Eggs

1 Cup Milk

1 stick Margarine or Butter, Melted

3/4 Cups Sugar

1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large bowl, cream together shortening and sugar.  Meanwhile in a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.  Add eggs to creamed mixture, mixing well.  Alternating, add flour and milk to mixture, mixing well after each addition.  Grease some muffin pans (makes 12-16) and fill 2/3 full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove from pans and let cool.  In a bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon.  Roll muffins in butter and then again in the cinnamon sugar.  Enjoy the cinnamon sugar goodness.

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Rainbow Cupcakes

I have been on hiatus for a few days.  My computer got a nasty flu and had to be fixed. In the process I had lost a lot of photos. I was finally able to get the computer up and running again and slowly installing all of our software.  Now that my camera is ready to go again I bring the most awesomess cupcakes around.

These babies are all over the web in not only cupcake form but in tall towering cake form ( I plan to make one of those someday).  These are a cross between rainbow and tie dye.  I had intended to make buttercream frosting but as it turns out this morning I was out of butter.  So I opted for cream cheese frosting, which was a little runnier than I was hoping for and ended up with a neat tie dye affect.  I made these for my beautiful baby girl's class today, who turned 4.  Where does the time go?  Seems like she was just learning to walk yesterday.

Rainbow Cupcakes

adapted from Baking Bites

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 Cup Sugar

2 Large Eggs

1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil

1/2 Cup Buttermilk

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 10 cups from a 12 cup muffin tin (or line with paper cups).

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Pour in dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Divide batter evenly into 5 small bowls; each should have a little more than 1/3 cup batter (approx 6 tbsp or so for each).

Add about 1/2 tsp food coloring to each bowl to make red, orange, yellow, green and blue batters. Stir well, so no streaks of plain batter remain. Add additional food coloring if necessary.

Starting with the blue batter, add a small spoonful to each of the 10 grease muffin cups (just over 1/2 tbsp in each). Repeat with all remaining colors, working from green to yellow to orange to red, adding each subsequent spoonful on top of the previous color. Do not attempt to spread the layers of color out (as it can cause layers to combined), but allow them to spread on their own.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool cupcakes on a wire rack before frosting.

Makes 10

Quick Buttercream Frosting

In a large bowl, beat together butter, milk and vanilla.  Gradually add in the powdered sugar until frosting reaches a thick, spreadable consistency. 

For Rainbow effect, divide frosting into 5 bowls, adding food coloring to each bowl like you did above.  In a frosting bag, with the tip of your choice, layer the frosting in the bag and pipe each cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 Oz Cream Cheese, Room Temperature

3 Tbsp Milk

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

~ 3 Cups Powdered Sugar

Beat together cream cheese, milk and vanilla.  Gradually add in the powdered sugar until frosting is desired consistency.  Color frosting as directed above.






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Super Easy Pizza Sauce and Pizza Dough Seasoning

My thoughts and prayers are going out to the victims of Japan, Asia, and the West Coast.  Today a massive earthquake, one of the largest ever recorded hit Japan at 8.9 magnitude, followed by a Tsunami with waves reaching 23 feet.  Prayers to the families of those that were lost and hoping that everyone is staying safe.

Saturdays are our pizza night and while I am getting everything ready for tomorrow, I bring you my go to recipe for pizza sauce and a dough seasoning I use to kick the dough up a notch.  I am still tweaking my dough, but I am hoping I finally got it right.  

Super Easy Pizza Sauce

6 oz Tomato Sauce

8 oz Tomato Paste

1/4 tsp Dried Oregano

1/4 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Garlic Salt

1/4 tsp Dried Parsley

In a medium bowl, mix together tomato sauce and paste.  Add seasoning and mix well.  Makes enough for 2-3 pizzas.

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I came across pizza dough seasoning while I was surfing through King Arthur's Flour website.  I was intrigued and wanted to try it.  But at $7.95 for 4 ounces....I am way to cheap to order that.  So I went looking on the internet to see if someone had created their own.  And sure enough they did.  I found this recipe over at Little Birdie Secrets.

Pizza Dough Seasoning

adapted from Little Birdie Secrets

8 Tbsp Cheddar Cheese Powder, white or yellow 

1 Tbsp Garlic Powder

1 Tbsp Onion Powder

1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning

Mix together and store in an air tight container.  Makes 1/2 pint.

Add a tablespoon to your favorite dough.

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