I'm dreaming of white chocolate dipped goodness

It's the most wonderful time of the year. 

Yes, partly because the holidays are approaching but mostly because I can justify spending hours in the kitchen baking dozens of cookies.  It's part of the holiday season and I embrace this aspect wholeheartedly.

Unlike the rushed flurry of mid-week cooking of quick muffins or soups throughout the year, I let myself dive into recipes to make cookies with temperamental dough that require careful decorating. My little kitchen produces an abundance of cookies during this holiday period and I am never sure how we eat manage to eat all the cookies.

But somehow, we always do!

As I've mentioned before on this blog, I strongly believe that it is important to begin new food traditions for my family and holiday cookies are no exception.  I've been searching for a cookie to add to my holiday repertoire that can fit the bill.

Today, I found that cookie.  Please meet the White Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Peppermint cookie.

Your world will never be the same. No, really. These cookies taste that good and they look just as lovely as they taste.

As an avid consumer of chocolate peppermint bark, I was overjoyed to find a cookie version. Baking these cookies are not for the faint of heart. They aren't complicated to make but rather require multiple steps that involve refrigerating or freezing the dough in between steps. 

Isn't there something lovely about rolling out dough over and over until it measures the 1/8 inch you need it to be?

Or taking the time to melt TWO POUNDS of white chocolate slowly and stir it fastidiously to make sure it didn't scald?

Or using your meat tenderizer mallet to pulverize the candy canes you need for the topping? Oh wait. That was my toddler who enjoyed being the Candy Cane Crusher today.

But fear not, Christmas Cookie Bakers!  The end result is so worth it.  These are truly a labor of love and you will not only love eating these but you will love giving the cookies as gifts.

Please do yourself a favor in the rush of the holiday season. Slow down for an afternoon and luxuriate in the little things: melting chocolate slowly and rolling and re-rolling cookie dough.

White Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Yield: 6 dozen

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 ounces (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
8 large candy canes or 30 peppermint candies, crushed
2 pounds white chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions

*Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed for 1 minute.Reduce speed to medium-low, and add egg, then yolk, beating well after each addition. Beat in peppermint extract. Slowly add flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated. Shape dough into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days).

*Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut out circles, and place 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Roll and cut scraps once. Freeze cookies until firm, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining disk.

*Bake until cookies are dry to the touch, about 12 minutes. Transfer parchment, with cookies, to wire racks, and let cool. (Undecorated cookies will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.)

*Sift crushed candy, and separate larger pieces from dust, reserving both. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water. Remove from heat. Dunk cookies into melted chocolate. Using a fork, turn to coat, let excess drip off, and gently scrape bottom against edge of bowl. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, and sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of either candy pieces or dust on top. Repeat, sprinkling half the cookies with pieces and the rest with dust. Refrigerate until set, up to 3 hours. Decorated cookies are best served the same day.

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Carby goodness -- it's what's for dinner (a.k.a potato, vidalia onion and green pea hash)

I love carbs. I can't deny it.

I really love carbs when I am very hungry and it is way past my dinner time. Like tonight.

The potato is at the top of my list o' favorite carbs.

Fried. Mashed. Baked. Sauteed.

It really doesn't matter as I could eat potatoes everyday, every meal.

Though my waist line may revolt.

Tonight, my favorite carb played the starring ingredient in a potato hash that featured vidalia onion and peas.

I was looking for a dish to accompany the rather plain and very healthy baked lemon pepper fish we were having for dinner. 

I stared at the box of perfectly good rice pilaf and the box of brown rice but nothing can compete with a good old russett potato.

The potatoes were also on the verge of being at the 'this potato has seen better days' state so I threw the potatoes in the microwave. While they cooked, I cut up and sauteed some sweet vidalia onion in butter.

Once the potatoes were cooked, I took them from the skin and placed the broken up potato pieces in the pan with the onions and butter and proceeded to sautee them over medium heat until they started to gain a little bit of the golden brown color that comes when you cook things in butter.

Ah, bliss.

I gave the pan of goodness a few shakes of onion salt, garlic salt and ground pepper.

Then for color, I added a handful of frozen peas.

I let the whole dish cook for a few more short minutes, stirring it frequently.

After about a total of 12 minutes from start to finish to make this side dish full of carby (is that a word? I don't think so but I like it anyway) goodness, I scraped it into a dish and served it up alongside our rather sedate fish.

Needless to say, there wasn't a bit left of my potato, vidalia onion, and pea hash. I also made this exact hash for my husband but substituted sweet potatoes.  It was equally as good!

Carby goodness -- it's what's for dinner!

Potato, Vidalia Onion and Green Pea Hash
(serves 4-6 people)

Ingredients
4 medium size russett potatoes
3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 vidalia onion, chopped
3/4 cup frozen green peas
Garlic salt
Onion salt
Freshly ground pepper

Details
*Microwave potatoes until fully cooked. Then, peel skins off of potatoes and cut the potatoes into bit-size pieces.

*While the potatoes cook, melt the butter in the pan (you can use less or more butter depending on how much butter you like in your potatoes) and sautee the onion until soft.

*Once the onion is soft, add the potato pieces to the pan and sprinkle with garlic salt, onion salt and pepper to taste.  Stir the hash frequently while cooking over medium heat until potatoes start to get slightly brown.

Pumpkin donut muffins ... need I say more?

I officially bid adieu this week to summer and decided fall would begin early for me. 

Yes, I have moved on early to the next season, which happens to be my favorite.

Though the summer was lovely, I've felt rejuvenated this week with cooler and less humid weather and windows open throughout the house.

Most importantly, I also welcomed back pumpkin to my cooking repertoire.

What better way to welcome pumpkin back to your world than with pumpkin donut muffins?

You can't come up with an answer, can you?  I know. Neither could I.

Trust me, there is no better way.

I highly advise you take time one morning this weekend and make a batch of these muffins.  They are cake-like on the inside and reminiscent of my favorite traditional cinnamon sugar cake donuts I've always loved.

From the moment I put the batter in the muffin pan early this morning (after sneaking a bite of the batter), I knew something special was about to come into my life.

But it only got better.

When I pulled the muffins out and proceeded to brush each lightly with butter and then sprinkle with a cinnamon sugar mixture,they were even more delish than anticipated.

Blissed-out pumpkin heavenliness.  There is no other way to describe these muffins other than a perfect way to begin fall.

Pumpkin donut muffins

Pumpkin Donut Muffins
(makes 12 large muffins)

IngredientsFor the batter:
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan

3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 1/4 cups pure pumpkin puree (from a 15-ounce can)

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

For the sugar coating:
3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Directions
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 12 standard muffin cups. Make batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions pumpkin mixture, and beat to combine.

*Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup and bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Let muffins cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Working with one at a time, remove muffins from pan, brush all over with butter, then toss to coat in sugar mixture. Let muffins cool completely on a wire rack.

*Recipe from Martha Stewart

Raspberry muffin bliss

I truly enjoy a good muffin for breakfast. But a homemade muffin, hot out of the oven, sends me into a state of bliss.  I'm pretty sure my eyes glaze over and I can't answer any questions in a coherent manner as I savor each bite.

I know. I am a dramatic foodie.  But why fight it? I choose to embrace it!

I am that person who plies the muffin gently from the pan when they are literally seconds out of the oven. This usually results in a crumbly mess of deliciousness on my plate.

Perhaps people with more willpower than me would let the muffins sit and set so that when they come out of the pan they are the perfect shape.

I don't care about the perfectly shaped muffin. I care about savoring every single hot, delicious bite.

Earlier this week I wrote about the raspberry oatmeal pancakes I made recently.  Continuing on the raspberry bandwagon, I bring you the most delicious raspberry muffins I've ever eaten.

I've been making these at least once a week for my family this summer.  No joke. They are THAT. GOOD.

These muffins are great hot out of the pan that first morning but they are also a nice snack in the following days and stay quite fresh when stored in an airtight container for a couple days.

However, these muffins have never lasted more than 24 hours in this house because, like I said, they are THAT. GOOD.

But even more beautiful might be that it takes minutes to whip up the batter and about 17-20 minutes until you are enjoying some raspberry muffin goodness.  I even threw in a handful of rolled oats each time I've made these to make the muffins a bit more hearty.

And believe me, there is no time to waste when you know the absolute perfect raspberry muffin is involved.

Raspberry Oat Muffin

Raspberry Oat Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients
*2 cups all-purpose flour
*1/2 cup sugar
*2 teaspoons baking powder
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
*3/4 cup whole milk
*1 large egg
*1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
*1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries
*Handful of rolled oats

Details
*Heat oven to 400° F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or coat it with cooking spray, vegetable oil, or butter.

*In a medium bowl, combine 1 3/4 cups of the flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and combine. In a second bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and vanilla. Gradually add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined; the batter will be lumpy. Throw in a handful of rolled oats if you wish.  Toss the berries with the remaining flour in a bowl. Gently fold the berry mixture into the batter.

*Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Recipe adapted from Real Simple

A whole lot of pancake goodness

I've always found taking time to make a 'real' breakfast to be luxurious.

Some people like to sink into a bathtub filled with warm water with bubbles up to their neck while some of us (ahem, me) find the same decadent experience in concocting a breakfast not consisting of cereal and milk.

In the past, weekends were the only time I could truly make something a bit more involved like from scratch pancakes or homemade muffins.  I've been inclined to experiment a bit more with breakfast recipes lately as I am trying to encourage my son to eat more for breakfast.  I'm aiming for hearty and healthy yet still pleasing to the 3-year-old (and 33 year-old) palate.

Which leads me to today's breakfast experiment: homemade raspberry oatmeal pancakes.

Do yourself a favor and make these next weekend.  Even the little man ate these up. I served them with the traditional maple syrup, but next time, I will also make a simple raspbery sauce to drizzle on the pancakes, too.

There is a small amount of sugar in the recipe (given how many pancakes the recipe produces) but the sweetness of the raspberries makes up for the low sugar.  You'll notice in the recipe that you need to mix the oats with the yogurt concoction and let it sit for 15-30 minutes.  This seems an annoying extra step but what it does is soften the oats so they blend more easily into the actual pancake batter.  It's worth the extra time and the oats lead to a much more substantive and yet healthy pancake.

Besides, think of what you can do with an 15-30 minutes on a Sunday morning while your oats soften.

Perhaps read the New York Times Sunday Style Section?

Blissful.

Oh wait.  In my case, you take a walk to buy the eggs you realized you were out of that you will need to complete your pancakes.

A last piece of advice: although these pancakes are really good, unless you are feeding a family of 6+ or are on a real carb binge (been there, done that), I strongly suggest cutting the below recipe in half.  There was just more pancake goodness than we needed.

But I suppose there are worse problems.



Raspberry Oatmeal Pancakes

Raspberry Oatmeal Pancakes
Ingredients
*1 1/2 cups rolled oats
*3/4 cup plain yogurt mixed with 1/4 cup milk (this creates a buttermilk-like mixture)
*1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
*1/4 cup sugar
*1 teaspoon baking soda
*1 teaspoon baking powder
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*4 large eggs
*1 1/2 cups milk
*1 teaspoon vanilla
*1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

Details
*In a bowl, mix oats and yogurt/milk mixture; let stand at least 15 minutes or up to 30 minutes.

*Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

*In a large bowl, beat eggs, milk, and vanilla to blend. Stir in flour and oat mixtures just until evenly moistened, then gently stir in raspberries.

*Place a nonstick griddle over medium heat; when hot, coat lightly with butter and adjust heat to maintain temperature. Pour batter in 1/4-cup portions onto griddle and cook until pancakes are browned on the bottom and edges begin to look dry, about 2 minutes; turn with a wide spatula and brown other sides, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes longer. Coat pan with more butter as necessary to cook remaining pancakes.

*Recipe adapted from La Note in Berkeley, CA

Back to blogging with a cookie recipe

I realize it's been a while since I have blogged.  A year to be exact.

Whew.  Time flies.

I hope you might still be there, willing to read this blog, even though the blog went on an unexpected hiatus!

One year later, I'm back. After taking time to seek out some much needed balance in my life between work and family, I have more time to cook and hopefully to blog.  I've also changed the name of my blog to better reflect my more frequent cooking, which now is no longer limited to the weekend.

It's amazing how little things can make one so incredibly happy.  For example, being able to make homemade muffins on a Tuesday morning for my son and husband makes me ridiculously happy.  Primarily because I'm able to do this without knowing I need to also try to make an early morning breakfast for work and then return home at God-knows-what-time that evening, makes it even better.

I am treasuring every moment. 

Which brings us to one year later, July 2012 and it's been a hot and humid summer here in the good District of Columbia.  The heat has not exactly been conducive to allowing me to indulge love of baking and in general, cooking.  Heating up the oven to 350 degrees to make cookies is not ideal.  Digging into a pint of fresh berries from the local farm stand is far preferable.

Yesterday it rained and brought a reprieve from the heat.  My email for work had slowed to a mid-summer lull and my son was napping so what better to do than, you guessed it, bake cookies!

Oatmeal peanut butter cookies to be exact.  Two of my most favorite ingredients!  And though the cookies are made with just a few ingredients, they will knock your socks off.  Better yet, they take about 20 minutes total from start to finish to make and I promise not only will you love them but any little people in your life will LOVE them. 

After the cookies came out of the oven, I couldn't help indulge in a cookie or three.  With the rain coming down outside and old episode of Sex and the City on TV, it was a pretty good Friday afternoon and a good time to return to blogging.


The finished product. Nothing fancy but oh so delicious!

 Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes approximately 16-20 cookies

Ingredients
*1/2 cup peanut butter (I like Jiff)
*1/2 cup packed brown sugar
*1 egg
*1 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
*1/2 teaspoon baking soda
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
*In a bowl, combine peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy.  Beat in egg. Add oats, baking soda, salt and vanilla to creamed mixture; mix well.

*Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto a baking sheet, flatten slightly.  Bake at 350 degrees from 6-8 minutes (I left mine in for more like 10-12 minutes to make sure they cooked through but just keep an eye on them while baking).

Adapted from A Taste of Home.