Holiday Cookies

I found these recipes in the Martha Stewart Living magazine, Holiday issue. Actually they are a kind of variation of the recipes, but yummy non-the-less.


Spiced Thumbprint Cookies with Vanilla Ganache


Spiced Cookies
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks of butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1.5 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground pepper.


Directions:
(Dough)
1. Mix together flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and pepper in a large bowl.
2. Beat butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low.
3. Add flour mixture, and beat until combined.
*The dough can be made ahead of time and refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to 1 month.
(Baking)
4. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Press a well into the center of each using your finger.
5. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
6. Bake at 350° for 7 minutes. Remove from oven, and press well again with handle end of a wooden spoon or something with the desired size and shape.
7. Bake again until firm, about 7 to 9 minutes.


Vanilla White Chocolate Ganache
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz. white chocolate, chopped


Directions
1. Simmer the cream in a small saucepan.
2. Gently pour the cream over the chopped chocolate in a medium sized bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes.
3. Stir until smooth. Let stand until mixture is spoonable, about 15 minutes.
4. Once the cookies are completely cooled, spoon mixture into the wells.

I'm on a leave

Work is super stressful right now and I'm afraid that if I bake I will stress eat all my goodies! So, until my two English programs are done, I am on a leave. However, to fill in some space I may share some of my healthy dinner recipes that I make over the next couple weeks. I know they aren't baked goods but they are still delicious!

*Also, something to look forward to...I found pastry dough at my local grocery store.

Short Break

Well, the unthinkable happened...on day 2 of "5 days of peanut butter", I ran out of peanut butter. So, there will be a short delay in my continuing of cooking with peanut butter, until I can find more peanut butter. It's much harder than it sounds, trust me!

 

Day 2 of Peanut Butter

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars


They are super easy and super good, but high in calories, if you care about that sort of thing. You could always do what I do and give them away. I love baking but I hate the high calories, so I give them to everyone else.


Ingredients
6 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 sticks (8 oz) plus 1 T butter
2 cups peanut butter
3 cups of cornflake cereal (unfrosted)
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups powdered sugar


Directions
1. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, melt 3 oz. of the chocolate and 1 T of butter over LOW heat. Remove from the heat; stir in 1 cup of the peanut butter, then 3 cups of the cereal. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan; refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining 2 sticks of butter and the salt; melt over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 cup of peanut butter and the powdered sugar. Spread half of the peanut butter mixture over the cereal layer. 

3. In a small bowl, microwave the remaining 3 oz. of chocolate at medium power until melted, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir into the remaining peanut butter mixture. Spread evenly on the peanut butter layer. Refrigerate until set, about 45 minutes. Cut and serve.

*Inspired by Rachel Ray's Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Crunch

Day 1 of Peanut Butter

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies


These are so easy to make and most people already have the ingredients hanging around their kitchen. So, next time you have a sweet tooth, you can whip up a dozen or so of these cookies.


Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup honey (I also used a little maple syrup, too)
1 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder


Directions
1. Mix together the butter, sugar, and honey in a large bowl. Once mixed well, add the eggs and peanut butter.

2. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Then stir into peanut butter mixture until you can't see any flour.

3. Roll dough into 3-inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Press a fork on top of the cookies, creating a criss-cross pattern. Sprinkle the cookies with some sugar.

4. Place in a 400 degree PREHEATED oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

* They may seem a little dry but I'm still working out the kinks.

Tomorrow, I'm thinking Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars...

5 Days of Peanut Butter

As you may notice (or will notice), I don't post on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Simply, because I am too busy. I work 12 hours on both of those days, leaving me little to no time to bake, but once those two days are over, I am back to it.

I was looking for some things to make this weekend and I kept really liking Peanut Butter recipes. So, I decided to dedicate the next 5 days to baking with peanut butter. Who doesn't like peanut butter? Plus, it will give my Japanese co-workers & students the opportunity to try "real-American" peanut butter, since they use a kind of peanut spread. Needless to say, it's not peanut butter but luckily, I have the real deal from Costco in Sapporo. So, I'll start this adventure tonight...looking forward to it!

First up...Old School Peanut Butter Cookies!

Blueberry Muffin Bread

Lately, I've been having a craving for blueberries, so I thought blueberry muffins would be tasty. But since I don't have a muffin pan or an oven, I thought "muffin bread" would work and it did...kinda. Just remember that looks can be deceiving and taste is everything!


Ingredients
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 vegetable oil, or melted butter
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup blueberries, rinsed (fresh, canned, or frozen)


Directions
1. Beat the egg, slightly. Mix with milk and oil (or butter).

2. Combine flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Add to egg mixture.

3. Once it is mixed well and most of the lumps are gone, stir in the blueberries.

4. Pour mixture into muffin pan or bread pan. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake in 400 degree F oven, or warmed toaster oven, for about 20 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on it!

5. Insert toothpick and when it comes out clean, remove from the oven. Allow to cool and serve. Enjoy!

Nabe Nabe

No baking tonight but my husband and I bought an electric cooker. I've been wanting to eat some なべ now that the weather is getting colder and it's super easy. So, we bought everything we needed and had a hearty helping of our first nabe. I'm sure we'll be using this cooker for all kinds of things this winter!

 I'll be back to baking tomorrow...I'm thinking blueberry muffin bread.

Soft Baked Pretzels

Last night I had a craving for a soft pretzel. You know, the kind you can get at the mall. Yum! So, I thought what a great start to my new blog...soft baked pretzels


Ingredients
4 tsp. dry yeast
1 tsp. white granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 c white sugar
1 1/2 tsp. table salt
1 T vegetable oil
1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water
1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping (you can also use: garlic salt, cinnamon/sugar, etc.)


Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tsp. sugar in 1 1/4 cup warm water. Let stand until it looks creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth (about 7-8 minutes). Place the dough into a clean large bowl and lightly brush on a coat of oil; turning to make sure it all gets covered. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour).

3.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) or start to warm you toaster oven. In a large bowl, dissolve the baking soda in 4 cups of hot water.

4. When the dough has risen, place it onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into equal portions. Roll each piece into a rope, twist into a pretzel shape and place on wax paper. Once all of the dough is shaped, lightly coat each pretzel with the baking soda solution and place back onto the wax paper. Be sure not to use too much of the baking soda solution!

5. Bake in preheated oven for about 8 minutes or until browned. Or for about 15 minutes in a warmed toaster oven. Allow to cool. For toppings: melt some butter in a bowl big enough for a whole pretzel to fit. Dip the front of the pretzel in the butter then (on a plate) sprinkle topping of your choice.

I chose to make three different kinds: Italian parmesan, cinnamon sugar, and salt. The cinnamon sugar and salt are pretty self-explanatory but the Italian parmesan has garlic salt, italian herbs, and parmesan. Feel free to make-up your own flavors!

*recipe borrowed & altered from allrecipes.com

The Idea

Here's the deal, guys. In my quest to quit bad habits, I've decided to make baking my habit. So, for the next couple months I'm going to be baking my habit.

I'll be trying to post the various things I create and their recipes. Also, for any of my Japan followers, I will be posting substitutions when needed. As you may have learned, you have to get a bit creative when it comes to doing certain things...like, cooking without a conventional oven but rather a tiny toaster oven.

I look forward to seeing where this can go! Wish me luck!