Tag Archives: white chocolate

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

24 Monday Aug 2015

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Recently I have been enjoying the timeless tradition and peaceful ritual of Afternoon Tea. I boil the electric jug and pour the hot water over a tea bag in my favorite mug – I swear the tea tastes more satisfying and delicious in it!!

I add the milk, then sit outside in a comfortable chair on the back deck, with a book or the newspaper and a sweet treat on a pretty plate – and revel in the simplicity and solitude.

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with mug

1 1/4 cups butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup chocolate covered toffee bits

Heat oven to 375F.

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy, gradually add sugars, beating well. Add egg and vanilla, beating until combined.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt, gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in oats, chocolate and white chocolate chips and chocolate covered toffee bits. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 1 minute, remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Southern Living

www.southernliving.com/

APRICOT GINGER AND WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

27 Monday Jul 2015

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A lovely little indulgence!

APRICOT GINGER AND WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

225 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
225 grams golden brown sugar
170 grams condensed milk
350 grams self-raising flour
226 grams white chocolate, chopped into chunks
50 grams of crystallized ginger, chopped
100 grams of dried apricots, chopped

Heat oven to 160C.
Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Stir in the condensed milk and sift in the flour. Add the chocolate, ginger and apricots and stir to form a dough.
Dollop large teaspoons of mixture onto the trays and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Leave to cool, then transfer to a tin.
Enjoy!

 

BLONDIES and ALMOND BUTTER QUINOA BLONDIES

08 Wednesday Apr 2015

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Whether carted unceremoniously around in my sons backpack before being forgotten about and returned home in crumbles, never to make it the teachers for which they were intended, or carefully packaged in a cute paper sack and cheerfully delivered to my daughters riding instructor, these Blondie bars both tasted amazing!!

BLONDIES

blondies

12 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups flour, plus more for the pan

1 1/2 teaspoosn baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups chopped white chocolate

Heat oven to 350F.

Grease and flour a 9-by-13 inch baking pan, set aside.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. Whisk sugars, vanilla and eggs together in a bowl until smooth. Add butter and stir until smooth. Add flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Stir in white chocolate, and spread batter in prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few crumbs attached, about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Saveur

www.saveur.com/

ALMOND BUTTER QUINOA BLONDIES

almond butter and quinoa brownies

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup almond butter

2 eggs

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup quinoa flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, allowing it to slightly overhang opposite ends. Coat with cooking spray.

Beat butter and almond butter in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in eggs, brown sugar and vanilla. Whisk quinoa flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it, 30 to 35 minutes. Do not overbake. Let cool in the pan. Using the parchment or foil, lift the whole panful out and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Eating Well, Spring

www.eatingwell.com/

BANANA AND HONEY MUFFINS and PUMPKIN MUFFINS and BROWNIE MUFFINS and DIRT BOMBS and WHITE CHOCOLATE MUFFINS

28 Saturday Feb 2015

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On a recent Sunday morning, and then throughout the week, my two boys asked me to bake muffins – any kind, they weren’t particular. They had been playing a game in which muffins were vital and sought after, and this made them want to devour the sweet little pastries in their real life, as well as on the screen.

BANANA AND HONEY MUFFINS

banana honey muffins

1 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup canola oil

4 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup milk

2 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

1 cup chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 375F. Line 24 mini-muffin pans with paper liners.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon into a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the oil, honey, and milk with a fork. Pour the wet ingredients onto the dry and gently stir, together with the mashed bananas and chocolate chips. Spoon into the mini-muffin liners and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until risen and firm.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from 100 Magnificent Muffins and Scones, Felicity Barnum-Bobb, 2006

books.google.com › Cooking › Methods › Baking

PUMPKIN MUFFINS

snow day pumpkin muffins

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin

3 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

Heat oven to 350F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper muffin cups. Sift flour, soda, cinnamon and salt together into a large bowl. Whisk together oil, vanilla, sugar, pumpkin and eggs in a medium bowl.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, and stir to combine. Spoon into paper muffin cups. Bake for approximately 22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from AY Magazine, October 2013

www.aymag.com/Recipes/

BROWNIE MUFFINS

brownie muffins1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 325F.

In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and butter; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. In a small bowl, beat egg and sugar. Stir in vanilla and chocolate mixture. Gradually add flour; fold in chocolate chips.

Divide between paper-lined muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until tops begin to crack. Cool for 10 minutes, before removing from pan to a wire rack.

(note – this only made 4 to 6 cupcakes – not nearly enough for our family – I will double, if not triple the recipe next time)

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home Cupcakes, 2013

www.tasteofhome.com/recipes

DIRT BOMBS

dirt bomb

MUFFINS

2 1/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup whole milk

TOPPING AND ASSEMBLY

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 tablespoons, unsalted butter, melted

MUFFINS

Heat oven to 375F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray, or line holes with paper liners. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg, in a medium bowl, set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in egg. With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.

Divide batter among muffin cups and bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes in pan, then transfer to a wire rack.

TOPPING AND ASSEMBLY

Mix sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Working one at a time, dip tops of muffins in melted butter, then cinnamon sugar.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, May 2014

www.bonappetit.com/

WHITE CHOCOLATE MUFFINS

white chocolate muffins
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons vanilla powder
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons melted butter

Heat oven to 325F.
Grease muffin pans, or line with paper liners. In a large bowl blend together dry ingredients, rolling white chocolate chips in the flour mix. In a separate bowl blend all wet ingredients until smooth. Slowly blend together dry and wet ingredients until all the batter is wet – do not over stir. Spoon mixture into muffin pans, and sprinkle the top with sugar. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from the Northwest Arkansas Times Holiday Cookbook, November 1999
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/features/food/

 

 

RASPBERRY AND MACADAMIA BLONDIES

09 Monday Feb 2015

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While visiting with family in New Zealand, we had a really lovely dinner at my younger brothers home. He and his beautiful family had recently moved to a lifestyle block, right outside of town, complete with cows and chickens and a pig on the way.

It was so wonderful to be with our family, have fabulous conversation in comfortable, gorgeous surrounds, and an incredible array of delectable dinner dishes – which these Raspberry and Macadamia Blondies followed.

cutlery at Debras

Charming display of plates and cutlery

dinner at warren and debras

Delectable dinner dishes

RASPBERRY AND MACADAMIA BLONDIES

raspberry macadamia blondies

125 grams butter, chopped
2 x 180 gram blocks of white chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, toasted and chopped
125 gram punnet of raspberries
icing sugar for dusting, optional

Heat oven to moderate, 180C. Lightly grease a 20 centimeter square cake pan. Line base and sides with baking paper, extending paper 2 centimeters above the edge of the pan.
Place butter and half the chocolate in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until melted. Cool for 10 minutes.
Stir in flour, sugar, eggs, macadamias and remaining chocolate until combined. Fold raspberries through. Spread into pan.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool in pan before cutting into squares.
Serve dusted with icing sugar, if desired
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Woman’s Day
recipefinder.msn.co.nz/womans-day-recipes/‎ MSN

LEMONGRASS COOKIES and BOURBON CHOCOLATE CHIP BAR COOKIES and DEEP CHOCOLATE POUND CAKES

25 Tuesday Feb 2014

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My husband hosted his annual company meeting at a Razorback basketball game.
Thinking outside the box, he rented a luxury box, and ordered in barbecue and beer, definitely a fun way to get the job done.
I offered to stock the room with desserts, my humble, heartfelt and homemade way of saying thank you for all the hard work and dedication from this amazing team.

LEMONGRASS COOKIES

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
zest from one lemon
1 cup of flour
1/3 cup coconut, shredded
1 heaped tablespoon of lemongrass puree
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350F.
With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in a medium bowl until creamy. Add lemon zest. Gradually beat in flour, coconut and lemongrass. Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes,  or until cookies are set and light golden brown on the bottom.
Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, place on wire racks to cool completely.
Microwave remaining chocolate chips, scrape melted chocolate into a plastic bag, snip off one corner and squeeze a dollop of chocolate onto each cookie.
Enjoy!

BOURBON CHOCOLATE CHIP BAR COOKIES

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 teaspoons of sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons bourbon
1 1/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as necessary.
Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed to incorporate. On low speed, add the bourbon, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating for about 20 seconds after each addition, and scraping the bowl as necessary.
Gradually add the flour mixture, beating until well incorporated, then fold in the chocolate chips.
Press dough evenly into the bottom of a prepared baking dish, bake for about 20 minutes, until set on top and beginning to brown around the edges. Cool in pan for 10 to 15 minutes, before cutting into squares.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Arkansas Democrat Gazette, December 2013
www.arkansasonline.com/news/features/food/‎

DEEP CHOCOLATE POUND CAKES

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons boiling water
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350F.
Place paper muffin liners in a muffin tin.
Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Whisk sour cream and milk together in a small bowl.
Sift cocoa powder into another small bowl. Whisk in honey and 2 tablespoons of boiling water until smooth. Cool completely.
Using an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in another medium bowl, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Beat in flour mixture alternately with sour cream mixture until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Divide batter among the muffin tins, bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 12 to 15 minutes.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit October 2008
www.bonappetit.com/recipes‎

ALMOND WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

18 Monday Nov 2013

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I made these Almond White Chocolate cookies for my kids and their friends after school. I was busy in other parts of the house so I set the timer on the oven and then set the timer on my phone to go off a couple of minutes early. When the timer went off, I went back to the kitchen to take the cookies out of the oven, and to transfer the previous batch off the cookie sheet, to a rack to cool, but the cookies were already all gone off the cookie sheet! Thankfully there was a large bowl of cookie dough just waiting to be made into cookies and baked, that the kids also enjoyed.

ALMOND WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
2 cups white chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375F.
Mix flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and almond extract, mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed, until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop by tablespoons about 1 inch apart onto cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks, cool completely.
Enjoy!

WHITE CHOCOLATE KEY LIME BARS

16 Tuesday Jul 2013

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Friends invited us out to their dock on the lake, for a fabulous fish fry. I was so very excited – fish caught that very morning, prepared that afternoon, right beside the water that produced them – heavenly.
Served with the perfect accompanying sides and a good measure of companionable conversation, it could not have been a better time.
I offered to bring dessert, and thought these lovely tangy bars would round out the menu nicely – even though we were beyond satiated, we managed to fit in a bite and enjoyed a sweet ending to a sweet afternoon.

WHITE CHOCOLATE KEY LIME BARS

CRUST
2 cups gingersnap crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Heat oven to 350F.
Combine all ingredients into a 9 by 13 baking dish lined with foil that extends 2 inches beyond the short end of the pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, remove from oven, then reduce oven temperature to 325F.

LIME FILLING
1 egg
4 egg yolks
2 (15 ounce) cans of sweetened condensed milk
1 cup of freshly squeezed key lime juice
1 teaspoon of freshly grated lime zest
pinch of salt

Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Pour the filling over the prepared crust. Bake until the filling is almost set, about 20 to 22 minutes. Cool the bars completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Refrigerate the bars for at least 2 hours, until chilled.

WHITE CHOCOLATE TOPPING
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
8 ounces of white chocolate, chopped

In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and cream to a gentle boil. Add the chopped chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds to melt the chocolate. Whisk the mixture until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Set the topping aside to cool to room temperature for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cool. Poor the cooled white chocolate topping over the chilled bars and spread into an even layer. Chill until topping is cold.
Garnish with toasted macadamia nuts and cut into bars.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from the Food Network
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/white-chocolate-key-lime-bars-recipe/index.html