Classic Peanut Butter

I'll admit, I'm a little surprised I haven't done this recipe yet.  It's a standard in our house, but I guess I must have been branching out during the holidays and let this one slip past unbaked.  These are wonderful--crunchy at first bite and slightly chewy on the inside with the perfect peanut butter flavor. I made this batter as a base for my bake-off entry, Peanut Butter Bombs.  I'll share that recipe later this week, but wanted to introduce you to the classic first.  So in the picture of ingredients below, please ignore the powdered sugar, peanuts and cinnamon. (Those are for the Bombs.  Yes, you'll see this same picture later this week.)

This recipe comes from Martha Stewart Living, but I forget which issue.  I haven't changed anything about it (really, could I attempt to improve upon Martha?).  Often I find recipes in that magazine unnecessarily complicated, but this is pretty straight forward. 

Classic Peanut Butter

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.  In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2-3 minutes, scraping sides of bowl as necessary.  Mix in eggs, then peanut butter.

Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in batches, mixing until just combined.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

On a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet, drop by spoonfuls (I use a medium cookie scoop) about 2 inches apart.

Press cookies with fork tines to flatten and create a cross-hatch pattern.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 14-16 minutes until lightly browned.  Turn baking sheet 180 degrees halfway through. If using more than one sheet at a time, rotate positions in the oven for more even baking.

Cool on pans for 5 minutes then remove to wire racks to complete cooling.

Makes 5 dozen.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread

This is like a for-real bread recipe, yeast and everything.  It's delicious and surprisingly easy to make.  It does take a lot of steps, so you need to devote an afternoon to it, but 3-4 hours is just rising time.  And, there's no kneading!

This recipe comes from in the January/February 2011 issue of Food Network Magazine and is crafted by their resident healthy cook, Ellie Krieger.  The recipe uses whole wheat flour and honey which cuts down on calories but it still has a wonderful flavor and a subtle sweetness, enhanced by the raisins and aided by the cinnamon.  To be honest, I only decided to make this recipe because I have a huge bag of raisins that I wanted to use up.  The recipe only calls for 2/3 cup of raisins, which I increased to a cup. (I'm going to have to make a lot more loaves to finish my bag.)  This recipe would also be awesome without the raisins, just as a cinnamon bread.  I would add some cinnamon with the dough and then pile it on when you roll it up.

Finally, I've never actually measured my bread pans.  Turns out one is 9 x 6 inches and the other is 9 x 4 inches.  The recipe calls for two 9 x 5 inch pans.  So I divided the dough accordingly and got two slightly different sized loaves.  It didn't vary the baking time or end product.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Ingredients

2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1 egg
2 Tablespoons canola oil, plus more for brushing
3 Tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast (Note: Surprise--one of those little packets of yeast is more than 1 1/2 teaspoons.  Make sure you measure it out!)
2/3 - 1 cup raisins
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon (I didn't actually measure this--I just shook, a lot, from the jar)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar

To make the dough, measure out 1 1/4 cups very warm water.  It's important to check the temperature; it should read between 120-130 degrees F (for the yeast to do its thing).  In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine both flours, dry milk, egg, canola oil, honey, salt, yeast and warm water using the dough hook. 

Mix for 3 minutes on the lowest setting, then increase to the next setting and mix 3 more minutes.  You'll have a soft and sticky dough.

Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and transfer dough to bowl.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature until the dough has nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. 

Before

After

During the last 30 minutes of your dough rising, soak your raisins in boiling water.  Otherwise, the raisins will pull moisture from your bread and cause it to dry out.  Put the raisins in a bowl, cover completely with boiling water and soak until they plump.  It takes about 30 minutes.  I forgot to do this step, so I let my dough rise for a total of 2 hours while I rehydrated the raisins.  Drain and pat dry.

Before

After

Transfer dough to a floured work surface.  Picture it as a loose square.  Lift up one side of the dough and fold about one-third of it across; press down on the dough with spread fingers to remove any air bubbles.  Repeat with remaining three sides of dough.

Mist two 9 x 5 inch bread pans with cooking spray.  (Or in my case, a 9 x 4 and a 9 x 5.)

Dive the dough in half and roll out each half into an 8 x 8 inch square. (no joke--I can roll bread dough into a square!  Must try tactic in rolling cookie dough!) 

Brush each square with canola oil, then sprinkle with the cinnamon, brown sugar and raisins.

Roll up each square of dough into a tight cylinder.

Place seam-side down in the prepared pans.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough fills the pans and springs back with touched; abut 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Before

After

Brush loaves with canola oil and bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees F until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. 

 

Remove from pans and transfer to rack to cool completely.

Makes 2 loaves.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

Peanut Butter Brownies

I had the good fortune of going out to dinner with my former boss last week.  Not only was it great to catch up, but it sparked a reminder to her about some recipes she thought I "needed."  The next day, I received one Martha Stewart cookie magazine (all cookies, all the time), two cookie cookbooks, and a single print out of a recipe she saw online.

Yes, it was like Christmas.

I spent the weekend perusing and after going through the magazine and one cookbook, I came up with a list of 2 dozen recipes that I had to try.  And then I actually made one from the second book, titled Christmas Cookies and published in 1986 (I haven't gotten to make the actual list from that book yet).

I'll be the first to tell you that bars are not cookies.  There is a strict difference.  But I do like them and will make them.  And these were totally worth it.  I make a lot of things Dave likes, but I don't even have to ask if he wants something made of peanut butter.  And if that something also includes chocolate then that makes him the luckiest guy EVER.  It's like crack to him and it's never wrong, no matter what the circumstances of the marriage of these two flavors.  So when I came across this recipe for Peanut Butter Brownies, I asked him if he wanted them straight up or with mini chocolate chips.

He may or may not have answered before I finished saying the word "chocolate." (Yet he didn't want chocolate frosting.  Strange.)

These were very yummy and super easy to make.  I used the technique I learned from my regular Brownies recipe of baking and then jiggling the pan and baking again.  This worked out ok, but I did not use the right sized pan.  I used an 8 x8 inch square and the recipe called for a 9 x 9.  While the brownies were nice and thick, the edges were starting to overbake, so I took them out.  The middle was good, but it could have baked a touch longer (they weren't raw, they just weren't as firm as I would have preferred).  The baking time I list below is from the original recipe in the right sized pan.  If I come up with something else, I'll let you know.

Peanut Butter Brownies

I'd started using the ingredients before I asked Dave about the chocolate chips.  Oops.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used smooth)
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  Set aside.

Combine peanut butter and butter in large bowl and mix well.  Gradually add sugars, beating until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of bowl as necessary.  Add eggs, beating well.  Stir in almond extract.

Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, stirring well to combine.   Stir in mini chocolate chips.

Spread mixture evenly into a greased 9-inch square pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and jiggle the pan; if the middle jiggles sloppily, put it back in the oven and bake for 2-4 minutes.  Keep doing this until cracks just start to appear and the middle JUST stops jiggling.  The original recipe says up to 35 minutes.  In the wrong sized pan, I baked for 42 minutes.

Cool completely in pan and cut into squares.

Makes 2-3 dozen (depending on pan size and how big you cut them).


Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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Chocolate Chip Surprises

You know how much I love candy and cookies combined. It's the perfect match of two of my favorite things.  So when I saw a recipe on the Hershey's website, I had to try these.  Following the original recipe about a year and a half ago, I liked the cookies in theory, but was disappointed in the finished product.  The cookie itself was dry and not very flavorful.  It should have occurred to me when there were no eggs or extract in the recipe, but this was before I paid attention to such details.

I decided to try the concept again, this time adapting my basic chocolate chip cookie recipe to the baking method from the Hershey's recipe.  The result was a rousing success.  My recipe, the same one I used in my M&M Cookies, made for a cookie with a great texture and flavor, with the sweet surprise of a Hershey's Kiss inside.  I also like the idea that if you put these in a tin or on a platter, your guests won't necessarily know what to expect.  It sort of just looks like a chocolate chip ball.

Chocolate Chip Surprises

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup mini chocolate chips
60 Hershey Kisses, wrappers removed (be creative--use any of the Kisses varieties.  I'm thinking of making these using the Mint Truffle or Cherry Cordial Kisses)

Mix flour with baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

Beat butter until light and fluffy, then add sugars and beat until creamed thoroughly, scraping sides of bowl as necessary.  Mix in vanilla and eggs.  Stir in flour mixture until incorporated.  Add mini chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop a ball of dough into your hand.  Flatten the dough out a bit.

Put a Hershey Kiss in the center of the dough.

Mold the dough around the Kiss, covering completely.

Warning: I started to roll the balls in my hands, like I normally would with the Peppermint Pattie or Rolo Pillows, but then I lost track of which way was "up" for the Kiss.  I don't know if it matters, but at the time I was afraid if the tip was on the bottom , the cookie might spread differently.  After baking these though, I don't think it made a difference. 

Place on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 8 minutes or until lightly browned.  Turn baking sheet 180 degrees halfway through. If using more than one sheet at a time, rotate positions in the oven for more even baking.

Cool on pans for 2 minutes then remove to wire racks to complete cooling.

Makes 5 dozen.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

Brownies

So the name isn't very exciting.  I have to start somewhere.  These are a fabulous basic brownie recipe that I intend to use a base for delicious and gooey brownie concoctions yet to come.  I usually make brownies from a box, so this was a test to find a brownie recipe that was relatively easy, but still had the texture and flavor of your typical brownie.  I read through probably a half dozen options before deciding to go with this one.  The result was a fudgy brownie with a moist but not cakey texture and a nice edge that didn't get too crunchy.

This recipe comes from a Penzey's Spices catalog, submitted as Best Brownies Ever by Michael Zionts.  I chose this one because I liked how Michael explained the bake time and thought the chocolate chips in the batter would add to the fudginess without making the brownies cakey.

Brownies

Ingredients
2 sticks butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 short cup flour (1 cup minus 1 Tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream together butter and sugar.  Add the vanilla and mix until smooth.  Add the eggs and mix well, scraping sides of bowl if necessary.

In a separate bowl, sift together cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt.

Gradually add to the wet ingredients, mixing well after each addition.  Fold in the chocolate chips.

Liberally grease a 9 x 13 inch pan (I used a heavy dose of cooking spray).  Pour batter into pan and smooth evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees F on the middle rack for about 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and jiggle the pan; if the middle jiggles sloppily, put it back in the oven and bake for 2-4 minutes.  Keep doing this until cracks just start to appear and the middle JUST stops jiggling.  (I baked for 34 minutes, but Michael said 40 minutes was the magic number for him).

Remove brownies from oven and let cool completely.

Since I made these as a Valentine's treat for Dave, I wanted to decorate them a bit.  So I used some prepared frosting and holiday sprinkles.

Spread a layer of frosting on top of the brownies, as thin or thick as you like.  I used just about half the can of frosting.

Instead of just going wild with the sprinkles, I took heart shaped cookie cutters and placed them gently on top of the frosted brownies.

Then I used a spoon to carefully tap sprinkles inside the cookie cutters, resulting in heart shaped piles of sprinkles across the pan.  Or you could just go willy-nilly with the sprinkles.

Makes 24 brownies.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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