Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1 C Peanut butter, reduced fat
3/4 C Sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350* F. Combine peanut butter with sugar until blended. add egg and soda and salt and blend. Add chocolate chips. Form into 24 balls about the size of a tablespoon. Bake until cookies are golden and puffed around 12 minutes. Let cool on rack for 5 minutes and continue to let cool on rack.

I did change the original recipe and I have not yet finished trying out new alterations. I want to try splenda or stevia instead of sugar, but I have yet done that. When I do I will post my results. I wanted to find a recipe that is satisfying as a cookie but is reduced fat and calories. This cookie turned out wonderful!!!

** I found the original recipe here: http://www.marthastewart.com

S'mores Cookies

I found this recipe on http://www.marthastewart.com  and I fell in love! Holy cow were these cookies delish! :D

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, cut into 30 squares
• 15 large marshmallows, halved horizontally

Preheat oven to 350* F. In a food processor pulse the oats until finely ground. Add flours, soda, salt, and cinnamon until blended. In your stand mixer blend sugar and butter until butter is light in color. Add egg and mix. Add in the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Drop dough by tablespoons. Top each with a chocolate square. Bake until lightly golden, about 12 minutes. remove from oven and turn broiler on. Top each cookie with a marshmallow and place under the broiler until lightly browned. Transfer to racks to let cool.

Homemade Marshmallows

 Thank you, Alton Brown!!!

 Ingredients

• 3 packages unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup ice cold water, divided
• 12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• Nonstick spray

Directions

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.

In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.

For regular marshmallows:

Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

For miniature marshmallows:

Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Line 4 half sheet pans with parchment paper, spray the paper with nonstick cooking spray and dust with the confectioners' sugar mixture.

Scoop the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round piping tip. Pipe the mixture onto the prepared sheet pans lengthwise, leaving about 1-inch between each strip. Sprinkle the tops with enough of the remaining cornstarch and sugar mixture to lightly cover. Let the strips set for 4 hours or up to overnight.

Cut into 1/2 inch pieces using a pizza wheel or scissors dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining sugar mixture and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

I found this amazing Alton Brown recipe from FoodNetwork.com

Fried Bananas

I wouldn't really call them fried bananas if it were me, but that is what it was/is called I guess....

This is a super simple recipe that has so many uses! All you need to have on hand is a banana, some sugar, a smidgen of butter, and a squirt of whipped cream (if desired).

Pre-heat the skillet and add about a tablespoon of butter. Cut up the banana to desired thickness and dredge in sugar. Place bananas in skillet until the sugar carmelizes, then  flip to the other side. Take out and enjoy hot! YUMMMMMM! Squirt some whipped cream if desired.

These bananas are great to add to buttermilk biscuits, crepes, creme brulee, pancakes, waffles, etc.

Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

3 Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Light Corn Syrup
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Tblsp Flour
2 Cups Pecans
2 tsp Vanilla
2 Tblsp Butter, softened
1 pre-made Keebler Ready Crust--whatever taste you prefer. I have  made it with Shortbread, Nilla Wafer, and graham cracker crust

Mix Thoroughly and add to a 9 inch crust, if you want a pastry pie crust it should be unbaked. bake for 1 hr at 325 *F


This is a super tasty and EASY recipe! It turns out wonderful every time I bake it!

Lemon Curd

I found this recipe online here, and I love it! Super simple and super tasty! Next time I make it I will definitely have to remember to post pictures.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
2 tsp finely grated Fresh Lemon Zest
1/2 Cup Sugar
3 Large Eggs
6 Tb Unsalted Butter, cut into bits

Whisk together juice, zest, sugar, and eggs in a heavy saucepan. Stir in butter and cook over med low heat, whisking frequently until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and the first bubbles appear on the surface. (about 6 min). Then transfer the lemon curd into a bowl and chill (covering the surface with plastic wrap) until cold, about an hour or two. It can be stored in the fridge for about a week, which makes it great to just either have on hand, or when you are planning ahead.

La Bete Noire :: The Black Beast

Thanks to a wonderful friend who made this phenomenal flourless chocolate cake for me for my birthday! I was in HEAVEN! She found this recipe on http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/La-Bete-Noire-235831. This recipe was originally found in Bon Appetit Magazine.

photo courtesy via

Ingredients:

Cake:

3/4 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Water

9 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter, diced

18 Oz of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

6 Large Eggs

Ganache:

1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

8 Oz of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Instructions: 

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350*F. Butter 10-inch-diameter springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment round; butter parchment. Wrap 3 layers of heavy-duty foil around outside of pan, bringing foil to top of rim. Combine 1 cup water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. (You are basically making a simple syrup. I wonder why the ratio isn't 1:1...)

Melt the butter in double boiler. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk sugar syrup into chocolate; cool slightly. Add eggs to chocolate mixture and whisk until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Line the roasting pan with paper towels and then place cake pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to the roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan.

Bake cake until center no longer moves when pan is gently shaken, about 50 minutes. Remove from water bath; transfer to rack. Cool completely in pan.

For ganache:

Bring whipping cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour over top of cake still in pan. Gently shake pan to distribute ganache evenly over top of cake. Refrigerate cake in pan until ganache is set, about 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.

 

Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake; release sides. Cut cake into wedges and serve with whipped cream.

** I have altered the instructions slightly. The original recipe did not call for the double boiler. However, in the books I have been reading they explain that the double boiler is safer and keeps the consistancy of the temperature more than the direct heat and all of their similar recipes direct the cook to use such methods.

The BEST Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie EVER!

A neighbor just dropped me off some cookies and I devoured them! Yes, I know, I am pregnant...but I have been really good! I HAD to have this amazing recipe!

As a rule of thumb I try to uphold I try not to post recipes I have gotten from published books. But if someone gave me this recipe and says I may share the recipe I may or may not post it. If anyone is ever interested in the recipe, please comment and I will share.

This recipe I find myself feeling like for the common good of all men I need to share this delectable treat!


Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/4 C Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 C Butter, softened
1/4 C Sugar
3/4 C Brown Sugar
1 Package of Instant vanilla pudding
2 Large Eggs
3 1/2 Oats
Chocolate chips
Nuts (optional)



Preheat oven to 375* F. Cream Butter and sugars. Add instant vanilla pudding, then add eggs. Add flour and baking soda. Add oats, then add chocolate chips. The consistancy is pretty thick. Bake for 10-12 minutes. HMMMMMMM

Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 C butter, softened (1 stick)
1/4 C sugar
1 1/4 C Flour

Put all above mentioned ingredients in a medium size bowl. Mix with your hands until crumbly. (you can skip the next step if you want plain shortbread cookies) Then add any of the following:

a few drops of almond extract
chopped nuts (1/2 C)
coconut (1/2 C)
sugar sprinkles (2 Tb)
raisins (1/3 C)

After adding, or not adding, any flavor options (the mixture is crumbly), squeeze it together to make a ball of dough. Then pinch of little pieces and roll them to the size of a ping pong ball or golf ball. Grease a cookie sheet (or put parchment paper down) and place the balls on the cookie sheet. With a fork, press down the ball. It should make about 2 dozen cookies. Place in a pre-heated oven to 325* F and bake for 15-20 minutes. Let cool on rack.