May 27: Biscochitos

Biscochitos

Ingredients:
3 cups (13.5 oz) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (6.8 oz) shortening (or lard)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 4 tablespoons milk, or as needed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Have ready two ungreased baking sheets.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium-size bowl; set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the shortening and 3/4 cup of the sugar on medium speed until creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. By hand or using the lowest speed of the mixer, stir in the flour mixture until you have a thick dough. If it seems too dry, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until it feels easier to manage. Flour a work surface and roll out a portion of the dough about 1/4 inch thick. Using a flower-or-pig-shaped cutter, cut a shape and place it on a prepared baking sheet. Continue until all your dough is cut. Mix together the cinnamon and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Sprinkle over the cutouts. Bake one sheet at a time for 9-12  minutes, or until the cookies appear set -- the edges don't brown much. Let cool on the baking sheets for about 4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Addition of eggs and vanilla

Addition of dry ingredients

I used 4 tablespoons milk

I eventually used the counter instead

Cinnamon sugar mixture

Thoughts: I am not a cutout person...at all. At Christmas time, I never make them and usually I don't like them because they are dry. This cookie made me so frustrated that I was ready to throw the batter out the window!! It creates this giant mess that it is a pain to clean up and gets everywhere. I started using a rolling pin but that wasn't helping so eventually I just used my hands to smooth and roll out the dough. I was worried that the cookies were going to come out dry because the dough was pretty stiff, but they came out ok. Patrick liked them and I thought it was ok...for a cutout.

This Week's Concoctions Ending 5/28

Here are some highlights of items that I made this week other than the "Weekly Cookie"

Cream filled cookie cups

This year, we participated in a dairy share where we get a 1/2 gallon of cream top whole milk every week. We thought it would be cool thing to do plus Patrick likes whole milk. He didn't like this milk (and I don't drink milk) so every week I am constantly on the search for recipes that require a lot of milk. I found this recipe that combines the large quantity of milk and one of my favorite things, the slow cooker. It uses 4 cups of milk, 2 cups sugar, baking powder, and vanilla. It was gross and runny so I threw it out.

Tres Leches I (in a slow cooker)

Tres Leches II (after cooking for 10 hours)

Rocky Road Brownies

This Week's Concoctions Ending 5/21

Here are some highlights of items that I made this week other than the "Weekly Cookie"

Hot Chocolate Cake

My attempt of making chocolate pudding pie...

I hate, hate making pies. I am obviously awful at it. This crust is not homemade...it is a store bought roll out crust! So I just made pudding and Patrick is eating that.

Baked macaroni and cheese

This recipe is from Pinterest where you boil the pasta in milk instead of water for 20 minutes then add in cheese and bake it if you want. I have a hard time making homemade mac and cheese too plus I don't like it (I only like the Kraft box!!). I used panko bread crumbs on top. It came out kind of dry and Patrick wasn't crazy about it.

May 19: Devil's Food Chocolate Cake Cookies

Devil's Food Chocolate Cake Cookies

Ingredients:

Cookies
8 tablespoons (4 oz) unsalted butter or 1/2 cup (3.4 oz) shortening
2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole or 2% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups (8 oz) all-purpose flour

Frosting
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons (2 oz) butter, room temperature
1/3 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons whole milk
Sprinkles, for decorating

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Have ready two ungreased baking sheets.
2. Make the cookies: Combine the butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe mixing bowl and microwave at 50% power for 1 minute. Stir well. Repeat until the chocolate is fully melted. Set aside and let cool completely.
3. When cool, whisk in the brown sugar, followed by the egg, milk, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour gradually until you have a thick, sticky batter.
4. Drop well-rounded teaspoonfuls of batter about 2 1/2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes, or until the tops appear set. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
5. Make the frosting: In a mixing bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the confectioners' sugar and butter together at medium speed until creamy. Beat in the cocoa powder and vanilla. Add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time until you get a nice spreading consistency. Spread the frosting on the cookies and decorate with sprinkles.

 Cookies:

About 2 minutes stirring every 30 seconds

Addition of brown sugar

Addition of milk, egg, vanilla, baking soda and salt

Addition of flour

Rounded teaspoons

 Frosting:

Thoughts: I hate making frosting. It is something that I prefer buying because I usually hate the taste of my own. I didn't whisk it well enough because it was a little grainy and there were small specks of powdered sugar that didn't mix when I was frosting these. I cooked these for exactly 10 minutes. It made a lot!! Patrick liked the cookie and I thought it was a little bland. It would've been better if I had used Devil's Food cake mix and store bought frosting!

This Week's Concoctions Ending 5/14

Here are some highlights of items that I made this week other than the "Weekly Cookie"

Peanut Butter Blossoms

That's it for this week. I also made a carrot cake but it was from a mix so there was nothing interesting about it. This made have been only the second time I have ever made these. I typically don't make them because I feel like this is an awkward cookie to eat...

As a side note, I had a couple leftover to give to Patrick and Winston, our dog, ate the last one (in a ziploc bag!) that I had left on our coffee table.

May 11: Monster Cookies

Monster Cookies

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons (3 oz) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup or mild molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 large eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup candy-coated chocolates
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick foil.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together all ingredients in the order listed. Scoop up generously heaping tablespoonfuls of dough and shape into balls about 2 inches in diameter. Arrange at least 3 inches apart on baking sheets and flatten the tops slightly. Bake one sheet at a time for 13-15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool and crisp.

Addition of peanut butter, molasses and salt

Addition of eggs and baking soda

Oats!

Chocolate

Thoughts: The mixing of this cookie was probably the easiest yet because it required no mixer just a large bowl and a wooden spoon. However, baking them got a little complicated. I made them (I think) a little smaller than what was called for so I set the timer for 10 minutes instead of 13. When I pulled them out, I thought that they were done because they had browned on the edges, however I looked closer and it was still gooey in the center. So I stuck them back in the oven for 3-5 more minutes (like the recipe said). I thought some of them turned out a little darker than I liked so it is definitely a more crisp cookie. Patrick and I both thought they were ok.

This Week's Concoctions Ending 5/7

Unfortunately, I made nothing during this time period. Over the weekend, I am making 2 birthday treats and perhaps a pie??

May 5: Cinco de Mayo Pepita Crunch Cookies

Cinco de Mayo Pepita Crunch Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup toasted, salted pepitas
3/4 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats (not instant)
3/4 cup cornflakes
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1 3/4 cups (8 oz) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (4 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lightly beaten egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 vegetable oil
3 oz white chocolate, finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Have ready two ungreased baking sheets.
2. Combine the pepitas and oats in a food processor and process until coarsely ground. Add the cornflakes and coconut and pulse about 20x, or until the mixture is fairly uniform but there are still some flecks of cornflakes. Set aside.
3. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium-size bowl; set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for another 30 seconds, then beat in the oil. Add the flour mixture and stir by hand until it is almost mixed in. Add the pepita mixture and white chocolate and stir until fully blended.
5. Scoop up tablespoonfuls of dough and shape into 1 inch balls. Press the balls lightly to make 1/2 inch thick rounds and arrange them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
6. Bake one sheet at a time for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Let cool for about 1 minute on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Adding the vanilla and egg

Adding in the flour mixture

Thoughts: I couldn't find pepitas anywhere. I had posted about it on Facebook and had gotten two suggestions. I went to both and no luck so because pepitas are basically pumpkin seeds, I got raw pumpkin seeds. I then took a little olive oil and salt and roasted them on a baking sheet at 300 for about 20 minutes. I also used white chocolate chips instead of buying a white chocolate bar because it was cheaper.  It was a pretty easy cookie to put together. Patrick and I both thought it was just ok, although after eating a second (and third), I thought it was pretty tasty!