Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

I wanted to do an easier thing this week so I just made cookies, they aren't from my usual recipe book.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 2/3 cups peanut butter chips

Directions:

Gather ingredients.

Heat oven to 350

Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. gradually add flour mixture, beating well, stir in (by hand) chips. Make sure the butter is softened, it will make everything much much easier.

Drop rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. This makes a lot of cookies.

Bake 8 to 9 minutes. Cool slightly. Remove from sheet onto wire rack. Cool completely. Don't over bake the cookies or else they wont be chewy.

My Experience.

This was easy for me, I have made these cookies plenty of times before. They turned out a little different though. Usually they flatten, but this time they stayed perfectly round. I don't know what happened, but they turned out like that. Very easy recipe, but be careful it makes A LOT of cookies. around 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!xx

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

So I was involved in a secret Santa and I thought that Chocolate dipped strawberries would be a cool gift to give! This is not a recipe from the book I usually get recipes from, but yeah.

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces of semi sweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 ounces of white chocolate
• 1 pound of strawberries with stems, washed and dried very well.
• Various toppings, sprinkles, chopped nuts, ect.

Directions:

Put the semisweet and white chocolates into two separate heat proof medium bowls.

Fill two medium saucepans with 1-2 inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off heat, set the bowls of chocolate over the water to melt. Stir until smooth. The chocolate may take a little while to melt. 

Once the chocolates are melted and smooth, remove from heat. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or wax paper. Holding the strawberry by the stem dip the fruit into the semisweet chocolate or white chocolate, lift and twist lightly, letting any access chocolate fall back into the bowl. Set the strawberry on the parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the strawberries, drizzle chocolate over them, sprinkle nuts, sprinkles, or other various things on the strawberries. This part was a lot of fun because you really get to be creative here.

My Experience:

I wanted to be more creative with my secret Santa gift rather than buying some cheep dollar store bits and bobs. This turned out to be such a great gift! It was very simple to do. I refrigerated my strawberries because I wanted them to stay hardened until the next morning. I had a lot of fun making these, it was quick and easy! The original recipe doesn't call for any of the nuts or sprinkles that I put in there. I wanted to have them be more creative. 

Enjoy!xx

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

• Basic pastry dough (Helpful tips), chilled
• 1 can (15 oz/ 470 g) pumpkin puree 
• 2/3 cup (5 1/2 oz/ 165 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup (8 fl oz/ 250 ml)  heavy (double) cream
• 2 whole large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 4 teaspoons all-purpose (plain) flour
• 2/3 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Pinch of ground cloves 
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

Gather ingredients.

Lightly dust a work surface and a rolling pin with flour. Roll out the chilled dough into a 14-inch (35-cm) round about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Lift and turn the dough several times as you roll to prevent sticking, and dust the surface and the rolling pin with additional flour as needed. Use a dough scraper or icing spatula to loosen the pastry round if it sticks. This pastry dough has butter in it so make sure the dough is very chilled before trying to roll it out. 

Carefully roll the dough around the pin and position it over a 9-inch (23-cm) pie plate, preferably glass. Unroll the dough and position into the plate, gently but firmly pressing the dough against the sides and bottom while taking care not to pull or stretch it. Trim the edges, leaving a 3/4-inch (2-cm) overhang. Roll the overhang under itself to create a high edge on the plates rim. Freeze for at least 30 minutes. Whenever I have made pastry dough there never seems to be enough to create an overhang of sorts. On some pie plates there is a grooved edge that will make the top of the pie crust fluted automatically. I had to work really hard to get the dough in the pie plate because the dough got really soft.

Preheat the oven to 425F (220C). Line the frozen crust with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights, uncooked rice, or dried beans. I used black eyed peas instead of pie weights. 

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the weights and foil and continue to bake until the shell is golden brown, 4-5 minutes longer. Let the shell cool completely on a rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 325F (165C) Mine took a bit longer to bake until golden brown.

In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cream, whole eggs and egg yolk, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt and whisk until smooth. Pour into the crust. This was the easiest part for me, add everything and mix!

Bake the pie until the filling is set but the center still jiggles slightly when the pie plate is gently shaken. About 50 minutes, longer if using a metal pan. Let cool completely on rack. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. Mine took 70 minutes to bake, time differs depending on the type of oven. 

Helpful Tips:

Basic Pastry Dough:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup (5 1/4 oz/175 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup (2 oz/60 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 3/4-inch (2-cm) pieces
• 3 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening 
• 3 tablespoons very cold water

Directions:

To make the dough, in a food processor combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl. Pulse to blend. Add the shortening and pulse until reduced to 1/2-inch (12-mm) pieces. Add the water a little at a time, and pulse until the dough just comes together in a rough mass. It only took 1 tablespoon of water to give it the right consistency for me. 

Wrap in plastic and refrigerate.

My Experience:

I had a very limited time to make this when I did. It turned out really good though, better than I expected. I got really frustrated with the pressure I was under to finish baking the pie. I'm sure I would have had a better time if I got to relax a little bit.    

Vanilla Cheesecake (S'mores Cheesecake)

Ingredients:

For The Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups (4 1/2 oz/140 g) graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (2 oz/60 g) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing 

For The Filling:

• 4 packages (8 oz/250 g each) cream cheese at room temperature
• 2 table spoons plain all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 oz/270 g) sugar
• 1/2 cup (4 oz/125 g) sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 package mini marshmallows (optional)
• 1 Hershey's milk chocolate bar (optional)

Directions:

Gather ingredients

To make the crust, preheat the oven to 400F (200C).

Lightly grease a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan. In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter. Stir until the mixture is well blended and the crumb are evenly moist. Pour into the springform pan and press evenly onto the bottom and about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) up the sides of the pan. bake until lightly golden and set, about 10 minutes. Let cool on rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 300F (150C) The crust may seem like it isn't moist enough, but it is. You can use a cup or a mug to press the crumbs into the bottom, and up the sides of the pan. Don't worry about the circles it makes, you are going to cover it with the filling anyways.

To make the filling, in a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, flour and salt. Using a mixer in medium-high speed, beat until very smooth and fluffy, stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently. Add the sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Beat well until blended, again scraping down the sides frequently. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour into the crust. It is important that the cream cheese is room temperature because it is much easier to mix when it has been left out for a bit. Scraping down the sides often is also very important. 

Bake the cheesecake until the filling is set but the center still jiggles slightly when the pan is gently shaken and the edges are slightly puffed, 60-70 minutes. The filling will firm as it cools. Let cool on rack to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled (over night is best). I baked mine for about 65 minutes, but the middle didn't set all the way, so I sugget a little longer than what I did.

I wanted to spice up my cheesecake a little bit, so I decided to roast some marshmallows and grate some chocolate over it. You will need a blow torch to do this.

What you do is put some marshmallows on the center of the cheese cake, this can cover any cracks in the top, or add something to the pain cheesecake. 

Next, you use a baking torch to roast the marshmallows, trying not to get the flame too close to the cheesecake until golden brown. Then you can use the small side of a grater to grate chocolate over the marshmallows, and there you go!

My Experience:

This was my first time making cheesecake. It wasn't so bad. I didn't bake my cheesecake long enough, and I didn't let it cool to room temperature before refrigerating over night. The only problem was the middle didn't set up right, but it was still good. I would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone! It's pretty easy, and delicious! 

Enjoy! xx

Pound Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup (6 3/4 oz/205 g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (6 oz/185 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
• 1 cup (7 oz/220 g) sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (4 oz/125 g) sour cream, at room temperature

Directions:

Gather ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 325F (165C).

Lightly grease a 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch (21.5-by-11.5-cm) loaf pan and dust with flour. my pan was a little bit bigger than it should have been, but it still came out perfect.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt until blended. In another bowl, using a mixer on medium to medium high speed, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract (if using) until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, until just blended. Sprinkle half the of the flour over the egg mixture and stir until both are just incorporated. Stir in the sour cream, then sprinkle with the remaining flour mixture and stir until evenly distributed. The flour tends to get everywhere if you turn up the mixture so I recommend scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, while its on medium-low speed. 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap gently on the counter to even out and settle the ingredients. You only have to tap it a few times, just to get out any air bubbles inside of the mixture. 

Bake until a toothpick inserted to the center comes out clean, about 70 minutes, or longer if using a metal pan. let cool on rack for 15 minutes. My cake baked all the way perfectly for 70 minutes exactly. 

Run a knife around the inside of the pan. Place the cake onto a wire rack, and lift off pan. place the cake on one of it's sides and continue cooling. Serve warm or at room temperature. I usually run the knife around the pan right after it comes out of the oven and it turns out fine. 

I didn't want to serve it as just plain cake so I put strawberries and whipped cream on top of it and made strawberry shortcake. You simply cut up a bit of strawberries, put a little bit of sugar on them, then mix until the strawberries are coated with sugar, whip up some heavy whipping cream, and sugar (to taste) until it forms stiff peaks and put it on slices of the pound cake! Easy as that.

My Experience:

This was probably one of my favourite things that I have made for this blog, it was so simple and there are so many different things you could do with it. The possibilities are endless. My cake turned out really well, it was soft in the middle and it wasn't dry at all. It was good plain, but the strawberries and whipped cream really made it good! 

Enjoy! xx

Pistachio Truffles

Ingredients:

• 4 oz (125 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup (3 fl oz/80 ml) heavy (double) cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 4 equal pieces
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup (4 oz/125 g) medium-fine chopped unsalted pistachios
• Confectioners' sugar for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Gather ingredients.

In the top of a double boiler, combine the chopped chocolate and cream. 

Set over barely simmering water and melt the chocolate, then whisk until the mixture is glossy and smooth. The chocolate to mix with the cream and melt all the way, but it will eventually melt.

Remove from the heat and let cool to lukewarm, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the butter pieces, stirring until smooth and well blended. Let cool, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate just holds its shape when dropped from a spoon, about 40 minutes. It took exactly 40 minutes for the mixture to take cool to the correct consistency. 

Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch (12-mm) plain tip. Fill the pastry bag with with the chocolate mixture and pipe into 1-inch (2.5-cm) mounds on the prepared baking sheet. Tap down any pointed tips with a dampened finger tip. 

Freeze truffles until very firm, about 1 1/2 hours.

Put the chopped pistachios in a small bowl. Remove a few truffles from the freezer. Roll each truffle in the nuts, pressing to coat. Serve slightly chilled. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

If desired, sift a light dusting of confectioners' sugar over the truffles just before serving.

My Experience:

This was one of the easier truffle recipes I have seen. Unfortunately I do not have a pastry bag, but I substituted it for a gallon sized Ziploc bag. It worked out pretty well. I didn't really have any other difficulties. It was a really fun experience, and a great recipe. 

Frozen Citrus Mousse

Ingredients:

• 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 oz/330 g)
• 3/4 cup (6 fl oz/180 ml) fresh lemon juice 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest 
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• Unsalted butter for greasing
• 3/4 cup (6 fl oz/180 ml) heavy (double) cream

Directions:

Gather Ingredients.

On the top of a double boiler, whisk together the egg yolks, 1 (7 oz/220 g) of the sugar, the lemon juice, and the salt. Set over barely simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. I suggest zesting all of the fruits first. When it says "Thick enough to coat the back of the spoon" that basically means the mixture should drip off the spoon, with a paint like thickness. 

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the zests. Scrape down the sides of the double boiler top and gently press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Refrigerate, until chilled, and thick. Make sure the plastic wrap is completely touching the mixture and completely covering it because if it doesn't then a rubbery coating will form over it.

While Lemon mixture is chilling, make room in the freezer for six 3/4-cup ramekins. Shape collars for the ramekins out of parchment paper or aluminum foil and tape to the ramekins. Lightly grease the ramekins and collar. Dust with sugar, Place on a small baking sheet and set aside. 

When the lemon mixture is well chilled, in a deep bowl, using a mixer on medium-high speed, whip the cream until firm peaks form when the beaters are lifted. 

Clean the beaters and, in another deep, clean bow, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to beat until firm peaks form when the batter is lifted.

Whisk the chilled lemon mixture until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, scoop the whipped cream onto the lemon mixture and fold in until just blended. Add the whites and fold gently until blended. Scoop into the the prepared ramekins, gently tapping each ramekin against the counter to settle the contents. make sure you mix all the mixtures in a large bowl, because there is a lot. 

Put the ramekins in the freezer for 30 minutes to set the mousse. Carefully cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 6 hours or up to over night. Before serving, pull off the collars. Serve at once.

My Experience:

This dish was a little confusing for me to make, I got lost a lot along the way and I had to seek help. It turned out alright, though not a pretty as I would have liked. It wasn't my favourite thing to make, but I still enjoyed the new experience.