This Week's Concoctions Ending 4/29

Here is the highlight of an item that I made this week other than the "Weekly Cookie"

I made this for my Recipe exchange program this month. It's a spinach and orzo salad (cold).

April 29: Chocolate Tiffins

Chocolate Tiffins

Ingredients:
Bottom and Top Layers
3 tablespoons (1.5 oz) unsalted butter
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Middle Layer
5 1/2 tablespoons (2.75 oz) unsalted butter
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon golden syrup or light corn syrup
16 graham cracker squares, broken into pieces, or a heaping cup of bear grahams
1/4 cup toasted and chopped pecans
1/3 cup dried sour cherries or cherry-flavored cranberries

1. Line a 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick foil, or line it with regular foil and spray the foil with flour-added baking spray.
2. Make the first layer: In a small, microwave-safe mixing bowl, microwave the butter on high for 30 seconds, or until melted. Add the chocolate and stir until it has melted as much as it can. It probably won't melt all the way, so return it to the microwave and heat on 50% power for another 30 seconds to 1 minute and stir until fully melted. Spoon half of this melted chocolate over the bottom of the prepared pan to make an even layer of chocolate. Chill the pan to set the chocolate. Set the bowl of the remaining melted chocolate aside.
3. Make the middle layer: In a second microwave-safe mixing bowl, microwave the butter on high for 30 seconds, or until melted. Add the chocolate and stir until fully or partially melted. If necessary, return to the microwave and heat on 50% power for 30-60 seconds. Stir until completely melted. Stir in the golden syrup, broken graham crackers, nuts, and cherries. Carefully spoon this mixture over the thin layer of set chocolate in the pan. Press down as evenly as possible. Return the pan to the refrigerator and start on layer three.
4. Make the top layer: Soften the remaining chocolate mixture in the first bowl in the microwave by heating at 50% power for about 30 seconds. Spread it over the cookie mixture to make a flat top. Return the pan to the refrigerator and chill for about 3 hours, or until set. Grasp the foil, lift from the pan, and cut into squares.

Bottom layer

Melting chocolate...again

Addition of the corn syrup

Addition of the graham crackers

Addition of cranberries and pecans

Middle layer

Top layer

Thoughts: If I had to make this recipe over again, the only thing I would do differently is make more of the top and bottom layers. After splitting them evenly, I felt like there wasn't enough to make the smooth layer. The other thing I'm not crazy about is melting chocolate. Sometimes it comes out and sometimes it comes out with this weird chunky consistency that can't be fixed and has to be tossed. Luckily it didn't happen this time because I didn't have any more chocolate. I was told this was a bit rich, but it was just right to me! The taste is overwhelmingly chocolaty.

This Week's Concoctions Ending 4/22

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

It was breakfast week at work this week so I made a sausage, egg and cheese casserole. It starts out with 2 cans of refrigerated rolls then a mix of peppers, onions, sausage, cheese and 10 eggs on top and baked for 25 minutes.

I made this for Easter...broccoli gratin

These are slow cooker meatballs that didn't come out too well. I baked them for the right amount of time but they tasted and looked gross. I was just pissed because I used 95/5 and it was like $11!

April 20: Radium Chip Pistachio Cookies

Radium Chip Pistachio Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups (10.1 oz) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 (3.4 oz) box instant pistachio pudding mix
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup quick-cooking oats (not instant)
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup pistachios, toasted, unsalted, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Have ready two ungreased baking sheets.
2. Mix the flour, baking soda, 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 butter and both sugars on medium speed until creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl often. Beat in the pudding mix, and then beat in the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract, using the medium-low speed of the mixer. By hand or using the lowest speed of the mixer, add the flour mixture to the batter and stir until it is almost fully mixed in. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, and pistachios.
4. Scoop up tablespoonfuls of dough and shape into balls about 1 inch in diameter (about 42 balls). Arrange about 2 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Press down slightly so that tops are even. Bake one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are nicely browned and the cookies appear set. Remove the cookies from the oven, and while they are still warm, using the tip of a spatula, gently nudge the edges of the cookies inward to add some crinkles and folds. Let cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Dry ingredients

Addition of pudding mix

Addition of eggs

Addition of vanilla

Addition of flour mixture

Addition of oats

Addition of chocolate chips

Addition of pistachios

Thoughts: Pistachios are expensive! I mean nuts in general are expensive but pistachios in particular! I almost bought a bag that yielded 1 1/2 cups for $8. I ended up finding them in bulk so I got the amount I needed for $4. Reading over this recipe again, I realized that I didn't use the tip of the spatula to make crinkles and folds...oops. I love pistachio flavored things like custard, milkshakes and pudding but I don't like actual pistachios...so these cookies were just ok.

This Week's Concoctions Ending 4/15

I made nothing other than the "Weekly Cookie" this week...

April 13: Creme Brulee Bars

Creme Brulee Bars

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 (17.5 oz) pouch sugar cookie mix, such as Betty Crocker
1 (4-serving size) box French vanilla instant pudding mix
2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
8 tablespoons (4 oz) unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup toffee bits

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Line a 9x13 inch metal pan with nonstick foil or spray it with flour-added baking spray.
2. Make the crust: In a large mixing bowl, stir together the cookie mix, pudding mix, sugar, and butter to form a soft dough. Press the dough in the bottom of the prepared pan.
3. Make the filling: 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 cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Spread the mixture over the crust and bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with the toffee bits. Let cool for 30 minutes to an hour in the pan, then chill for about 3 hours, or until very cold.

Crust ingredients

Filling ingredients

Addition of eggs

Addition of yolks and extract

Raw cheesecake layer

Thoughts: I think I say this every time I make bars, but I love them. The recipes are so straightforward and easy. For the most part, you don't have to worry about burning each batch and making each cookie equal. They tasted more like cheesecake than creme brulee.

This Week's Concoctions Ending 4/8

Here is the highlight of an item that I made this week other than the "Weekly Cookie"

This is taco salad. It's a pound of ground beef, green peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese, a bottle of Catalina dressing and Doritos sprinkled on top (not pictured). I don't normally like taco salad, but one of my co-workers made this for "salad" week and it was awesome!

April 3: Hard-Boiled Egg Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hard-Boiled Egg Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups (12.4 oz) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (8 oz) cold unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 hard-boiled eggs, shells removed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick foil.
2. Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda in a food processor and pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture appears coarse and crumbly. Add both sugars and the hard-boiled eggs. Pulse again until the mixture is mealy looking. Add the vanilla and pulse until the mixture just begins to come together. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the chocolate chips-you may need to use your hands to knead it all together; the dough will be thick. You will see egg whites in the dough-they'll disappear as the cookies bake.
3. Shape the dough into 16 large balls. Arrange about 4 inches apart on the baking sheets and press down so that the tops are even. Bake one sheet at a time for 15-20 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The texture gets better as the cookies cool. It's even better if you freeze the cooled cookies and then thaw them.

Addition of the first stick of butter...pretty full already

Addition of sugars in the blender

Addition of the chopped hard-boiled eggs

Addition of vanilla...using a spoon to mix some of the batter

Addition of chocolate chips

Thoughts: Warning!! For this recipe, you need a large food processor. My food processor is not big enough. So I tried the blender. However the blender really is more for small amounts or things with liquid because the dough was too thick for it to do anything. It was so frustrating so then I scooped everything out into a large bowl and mixed it with my hands for like 10 minutes until all the pieces were very small. Because of the dough's thickness, it was hard to mix the chocolate chips with a spatula or a wooden spoon so I also just mixed it by hand. It was very easy to shape into balls though and I baked them for 15 minutes and the color is good. I thought these were very good and didn't taste like hard boiled egg at all, but some of my co-workers were very hesitant to try them based on that.

This Week's Concoctions Ending 4/1

I made nothing other than the "Weekly Cookie" this week...

March 27: Sour Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Sour Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups (11.25 oz) all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 pound dried sour cherries or cherry-flavored cranberries

1. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium-size bowl; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and brown sugar until the mixture is creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Add the vanilla and sour cream; scrape the sides of the bowl. Stir in the orange and lemon zest.
3. Stir the flour mixture and oats into the creamed mixture, mixing just until combined. Stir in the cherries. Cover and chill for 2 hours up to overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Line two baking sheets with nonstick foil or parchment paper.
5. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of chilled dough about 2 1/2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or just until the cookies appear browned around the edges and set. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Dry Ingredients

Addition of eggs

Addition of sour cream and vanilla

Addition of lemon and orange zest

Addition of oats

Addition of dry ingredients

Addition of craisins

Thoughts: Another pretty straightforward cookie although I hate recipes that use zest...only because I'm not crazy about grating the orange and lemon. I couldn't find dried sour cherries so I found Ocean Spray cherry flavored cranberries. I made one slight substitution in that I used light sour cream instead of regular because I had it on hand already. I baked the first batch at 10 minutes and I thought they came out a little dark so I changed the baking time to 9 minutes and it seemed to make the difference. The last couple cookies came out very runny so I tossed those.