Category Archives: Baking

Snickerdoodles

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Now that I have more time on my hands, I’m going to share a holiday recipe everyday from now until Christmas. To make up for the veggie-filled healthy lasagna I posted on Sunday, I have a cookie recipe today. I made these cookies yesterday to celebrate being done with the semester.

They are very very good. The outside is crisp but the middle is soft and chewy. I like to make mine on the smaller side so that you can eat 2-3 instead of one.

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Snickerdoodles

Ingredients

  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks butter, at room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°, line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  3. In another bowl, combine butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
  4. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat to combine.
  5. Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine.
  6. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon.
  7. Use your hands to form balls of the dough, and roll in cinnamon sugar. {This is a great step for kid helpers}
  8. Place about two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  9. Bake until the cookies are set in center, about 10 minutes.
  10. Let cool before enjoying.
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On an unrelated note:

I just got back from my cousin Tabatha’s Christmas show at her preschool. Preschool is such a fun age- all of the kids are adorable! She told us she was a “moose”, which had my aunt and I scratching our heads wondering what a moose had to do with the nativity story. Turns out she was a donkey. :-)

 

 

Favorite Holiday Recipes

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Things have been quiet here because I’m wrapping up the first half my internship and grad school! I’ll have an update soon and get back to my blogging action. In the meantime, with the holidays in full swing I thought I’d share some of my all time favorite holiday recipes.

Cookies
Dried Cherry and Almond Cookies with vanilla icing
I like anything by Giada and these cookies are a hit. The dough isn’t too sweet on its own so the vanilla icing is key to making these cookies extra special.
Toasted Hazelnut-Almond and Chocolate Biscotti
Hazelnut and Chocolate….need I say more? My favorite way to eat biscotti is to dip them in a piping hot cup of coffee. Perfectly acceptable for breakfast.
Greek Walnut Sugar Cookies (Kourabiedes)
These cookies are very similar to Mexican wedding cookies. Walnuts are ground finely, mixed with flour and rolled into small balls. After baking they are tossed with powdered sugar. The recipe calls for orange flower water but orange juice works as well.
Florentines
This lacey, crispy Italian almond cookie is very addicting and impossible to just eat one.
White Chocolate Cherry Chunkies
I don’t even like white chocolate but these cookies are delicious. I like to swap pistachios in place of the macadamia nuts.
Gingerbread Men
Once I found this recipe a few years ago I was hooked. This is the only gingerbread cookie recipe I make.
Peppermint Bark Chocolate Chip Cookies
One of my favorite ways to make a standard chocolate chip cookie more festive. Peppermint bark adds a hint of cool peppermint flavor that goes well with the chocolate.

Cakes, Brownies and Bars
Candy Cane Brownie Bites
I imagine these would be fun to bring along to a party. The recipe calls for a boxed brownie mix and candy cane Hershey kisses. They are perfect for a last minute dessert or for those who don’t like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes
How cute are these cupcakes? I can’t help by smile when I look at these.
Red Velvet Cake Balls
Fun activity with kids. Make the cake balls ahead of time and then let kids help you decorate them with different types of chocolate and candies.
White Chocolate Cranberry Bars
For those who like white chocolate these are the ultimate bars.
Eggnog Breakfast Crumble Cake
I bet this would be a delicious Christmas morning treat!

Candies for Gifts
Turtle Graham Bars
I made these twice last year during Christmas. Easy and delicious, sweet and salty.
Buttercrunch Toffee
Making toffee may seem scary but all you need is a good candy thermometer and recipe-following skills.
Salted Chocolate Caramel Bark
The moment I saw this recipe on Pinterest I knew I had to add it to my holiday baking list. All you need is 5 ingredients.
Triple Chocolate Cookies n’ Cream Peppermint Bark
Another recipe I made last year- contains dark, milk, and white chocolate topped with peppermint oreos.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites
Being the cookie dough lover that I am, I cannot wait to make these. I have a feeling these won’t last long once made.
Cranberry Walnut Biscotti
Dip these biscotti in melted chocolate, drop in a plastic bag and tie with a pretty bow for a yummy gift.

 

I’m looking forward to going home in 2 weeks and baking up a storm. What’s your favorite holiday cookie? I’d love more ideas!

Orange & Chocolate Chip {Pumpkin} Cake

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Happy Halloween friends!

 

I have a last minute recipe to share with you. A pumpkin cake!

 

The cake flavor, however, is not pumpkin. It’s orange chocolate chip. I really love the combination of orange and dark chocolate together. The sweet citrus complements the chocolate really well. The cake is really good on it’s own with just a simple glaze of powdered sugar, orange zest and orange juice. But for Halloween purposes, it’s pretty easy to transform it into a pumpkin.

 

To make the pumpkin cake you will need to bake 2 bundt cakes. The following recipe yields 1 cake so you will need to double the recipe if you make all of the cake batter at once. Unless you have 2 bundt pans, I recommend making the batter for each cake separately since you have to wait anyways for the first cake to be completely done baking and cooled.

 

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Orange & Chocolate Chip Cake

Yield: 1 bundt cake

Orange & Chocolate Chip Cake

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 1/4 orange zest (2 oranges)
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cream butter and sugar.
  3. Add eggs, one at a time.
  4. Mix-in vanilla, orange zest and orange juice.
  5. Gradually add in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in 3 batches. Alternate with adding in the milk.
  6. Mix-in chocolate chips.
  7. Pour into a very well-greased bundt pan.
  8. Bake for 45 minutes.
  9. Let cool completely.
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To decorate that cake I went the easy route and used Pillsbury’s orange frosting. Two cans of frosting were just barely enough to cover the entire cake. A third can would have probably been wise. Once the entire cake was covered in orange frosting, I used a butter knife to make vertical lines. As for the stem, it’s just an ice cream cone that I covered in melted chocolate. I stuffed foil in the center of the cake to allow the “stem” to rest on top of the cake. A dollop of frosting will help the stem stick to the foil. Finally, I added a few springs of parsley down the sides to create vines.

 

My plans tonight include going over to Andie’s house and passing candy out to the kiddos. Hopefully I’ll get to watch Hocus Pocus (my favorite Halloween movie!). There will certainly be a lot of candy eating and knowing us, wine too ;-)

 

*Even though you probably don’t want to know this, it’s important to keep in mind that 1 fun size candy bar has 80 calories. They add up quickly. Say you only  eat 5 pieces, that’s 400 kcal! I know I can easily eat 10 pieces (yikes!). I believe in enjoying everything in moderation- one day of eating too much candy won’t derail your healthy eating-just keep in mind the extra calories.
Do you know your Halloween candy serving size? Here’s a fun quiz to test your knowledge.