Apology, Snickerdoodles, and Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dear readers,

                      I am deeply sorry about the long gap between my last blog post and this one... I was on a trip to Colorado last week and was busy the days leading up to when we left, hence the lack of blogs! While I was taking that temporary "break" from blogging, I had baked banana bread (you already have that recipe) and snickerdoodles (which I will share with you in a moment!) But when I was away, I was in deep longing for my kitchen and the wonderful scents it brings when I bake. So yesterday, the first day home, I baked some Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies which I brought to a youth group cook-out last night... I came home with a cookie-less plate! The recipe is super easy and doesn't require many ingredients. So here I am, back in business and ready to bake! Enjoy the recipes and pictures!

Snickerdoodles

1 c. Shortening

1 1/2 c. White Sugar

2 Eggs

2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

2 tsp. Cream of Tartar

1/2 tsp. Salt

2 tbsp. White Sugar

2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375ºF 

In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening and 1 1/2 c. sugar. Stir in the eggs. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended. In a small bowl, stir together the 2 tbsp. sugar, and the cinnamon. Roll dough into walnut sized balls, then roll the balls in the cinnamon-sugar. Place them onto an unprepared cookie sheet, two inches apart. 

Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be slightly brown. Remove from sheets to cool on wire racks.

Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (1/2 c. regular chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or spray with cooking spray) and set aside. Combine peanut butter and sugar until well combined, about 2 minutes.  Add egg, baking soda, and vanilla and mix for another 2 minutes.  By hand, mix in mini chocolate chips.  Roll into teaspoon sized balls and place onto prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 7-8 minutes, until they look dry and lightened in color.  Let cook on baking sheet for a minute.  Carefully press each cookie down with a fork.  Continue to cool on baking sheet for an additional two minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Snickerdoodles

Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Bon Appetite!

-Sophie

Recipes: Fresh Fruit Smoothie!

Fresh Fruit Smoothie

10 Strawberries (Washed and stems removed)

2 Bananas(peeled)

1 Orange (peeled)

8 Large Ice Cubes

1 c. Milk

Add all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. For extra creaminess and flavor, add whipped cream and/or chocolate syrup.

Recipes: Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today, I was in the mood for some DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES, and was searching the internet for a recipe... Here is the recipe I found from www.cooks.com. ("Cooks.com" is a website that has a recipe for probably every single thing imaginable for both cooking and baking. I use the website for most of my blogging recipes.) 


Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 3/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. softened butter (I used shortening)
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa
2 tbsp. milk
1 c. chopped nuts
1 c. chocolate chips


Combine flour and soda. In another bowl, cream together until fluffy the butter, sugars, and vanilla. Whisk in egg. Stir in cocoa and milk. Fold in flour mixture, nuts, and chocolate chips. Drop batter by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake about 12 minutes at 350ºF. Cool before removing from sheet.

Okay, so they look good right? Well, just as I was typing up the ingredients, I realized I missed not only one "small" thing but actually a few!... I forgot the milk (until the second batch) and until now, a very important element, the baking soda, as well as the salt. I must have had a weird blood sugar or something, but I am sure that at one point or another, every good baker makes mistakes... And I just made a big one! :P I guess I'll just have to bake them again (later) and show you how they look when they include all the required ingredients. They still tasted GREAT though! 

Until my next baking experience, my dear blogging friends...

Bon Appetite!

-The very irritated, Sophie

:)

Lemon poppyseed bread, vanilla glaze, and cute greeting cards!

So, it's been a long time since I have posted! (yes... I think three days without blogging is long enough!) But, blogger had their website "under construction" all day yesterday and I was busy the other two days... Here is my blog that was very much anticipated (at least by me!)


Lemon Poppyseed Bread
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
1/2 c. melted butter
1 tbsp. lemon extract/lemon juice
3 tbsp. poppyseeds
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt


Combine sugar and eggs. Mix in milk, butter and lemon extract/juice. Add poppyseeds. Slowly add flour, baking powder, bking soda, and salt. Mix well. Put in greased bread pan. Bake at 350ºF for one hour (it only took me 1/2 hr.) or until golden yellow.


Vanilla Glaze
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. butter, softened
3-4 tbsp. milk/heavy cream


In a bowl, combine ingredients until it is the consistency of a glaze. Great for use of glazing cakes, breads, coffee cakes, and pastries. 


The vanilla glaze totally made the bread! MMMMM... It was so yummy! I definitely suggest making this bread because it was super easy, quick, and most importantly; DEEEEEEE-LICIOUS!

 Here's some pics of some cute greeting cards I made the other day... I was bored and feeling crafty! ;) The cards were left blank inside so I could use them for any occasion. You can make them with any spare scraps of scrapbook paper and cardstock, buttons, ribbon, jewels, and whatever else you can find around the house! 

Aren't these amazingly cute?! As you can probably tell, I had lots of fun with this and getting creative! 

Well I hope you enjoyed a little peek into my creative day I had yesterday!(: And...

Bon Appetite!

-Sophie

Recipes: Banana Nut Muffins!

Banana Nut Muffins
2 c. All-Purpose Flour
1/2 c. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
3/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 c. Milk
2-3 Ripe Bananas
1/4 c. melted butter
1 egg
1/2 c. Chopped Walnuts


Preheat oven to 400ºF.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center. 

In a small bowl, combine milk, mashed bananas, butter, and eggs. 

Add to well in flour mixture. Add nuts. 

Stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon mixture into greased or paper lined muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.

Bake at 400ºF for 18-20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes in pans then remove and cool on wire rack. 

Makes about 3 dozen small muffins.

Bon Appetite! :)

-Sophie

Recipes: EXTRA Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

On this beautiful day,(yes, I think rainy weather is beautiful) I thought I should make one of my favorite kinds of cookies, chewy oatmeal raisin cookies... And of course share them with the blogger world... but they turned out VERY VERY chewy, almost a little TOO chewy, and about as thin as paper. Though they may have not looked very appealing, they sure did taste AMAZING! (: 


Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies


Ingredients:
3/4 c. softened butter
3/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 3/4 c. rolled oats
1 c. raisins


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375ºF
2. In large bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually beat into butter mixture. Stir in oats and raisins. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Cool slightly, remove from sheet to wire cooling rack. Cool completely. Enjoy!


... And of course I had to share with you a few pictures of my baking experience! ;)

Bon Appetite! (:

-Sophie

Recipes: White Bread

A couple days ago, my friend Paige came over, and brought with her a loaf of homemade white bread! It was delicious, but the first thing that popped into my head when I saw it was, "Bake and Blog!" ... So that is exactly what I did! I hope you enjoy this WONDERFUL recipe inspired by my friend Paige! 

Homemade White Bread

(Recipe makes 2 loafs)

1 TBSP. Yeast

1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. honey (adds DELICIOUS FLAVOR!!!)

1 TSP. Salt

2 1/2 c. Warm Water (not too hot because you don't want to kill the yeast, but not too warm or else the yeast won't activate)

4-6 c. Flour

Mix 2 cups of flour, water, oil, honey, and yeast in a big bowl by hand (not mixer). Make sure it is all blended in good, but there will be some small chunks of flour. Next, add flour one cup at a time until dough is soft, not sticky. Flour hands and a board. Knead dough until nice and soft for about 3 minutes. Grease another large bowl. Lightly shape the dough into a ball and put in greased bowl. Let dough rise in a warm place for about an hour and a half. 

(If you turn on the oven on warm for a few minutes and then turn it off, you can stick the bowl in the oven which really helps it rise.)

Flour hands and board again, and punch down dough (in bowl). Take it out of the bowl, and knead again for about a minute. Grease two  bread pans well. Twist the dough to divine it in half and put in the two greased bread pans. Use your hands to gently shape the dough into the pans. Poke top with a fork a few times and then let rise for about another hour. Cook at 350ºF until top is golden brown. Let cool down for about three minutes. 

TADA! Enjoy!

Bon Appetite! :)

-Sophie

And by the way, these wonderful pictures, I edited off of PICNIK, an awesome pic-editing website. If you like editing pictures, this website is really fun, easy, and free! Check it out: http://www.picnik.com/