Soft and Poofy Sugar Cookies (with Frosting)

Posted on February 24, 2012 by kitchenbelle

Like Annie from Annie’s Eats, my husband LOVES those poofy soft sugar cookies from the grocery store. (And who am I kidding? So do I!) I decided to give these a go. As Annie says, they are buttery, pillowy, and delicious. The frosting is perfect and they make a lovely presentation.

I decorated with purple frosting and silver sprinkles. What’s fun about these cookies is you can use any color frosting and sprinkles to match your festivities. They are perfect “party cookies.”

It’s important to keep an eye on these cookies as they bake, though, because just a second too long and they easily become a bit dry. I’ve always struggled with determining when a cookie is done. There is the afterbake to account for and each dough is so different. Furthermore, the desired texture for different cookie recipes varies dramatically–crispy, chewy, pillowy, soft. As I’ve said before, I will just have to keep baking cookies over and over until I’ve figured it out. Not a bad problem to have, do you think?

Check out the recipe at Annies Eats. Bake them and let me know what you think.

P.S. Remember the last time I used the silver sprinkles? It was for these mini chocolate halloween cupcakes with silver frosting!

Filed under: cookies, Dessert, frosting, vanilla | 2 Comments »

Peanut Butter Hug Cookies

Posted on January 22, 2012 by kitchenbelle

We are so lucky that friends whom I have known since birth (our parents actually met in birthing classes) recently relocated nearby. Yesterday I hosted a little gathering of our families chock full of laughs, lots of reminiscing, and (of course) food.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to serve so I decided to consult the internet for some whimsical inspiration. Usually I just  scroll through my favorite food sites and blogs.  This time, however, I took a different approach. I asked the internet if there were any “holidays” on Saturday. (Lately it seems like there is a holiday for every food group. Perhaps I would strike gold with Italian Sub Day, Eggplant Parmesan Day, or maybe Hot Fudge Brownie Sunday Day!)  But Saturday was not a food holiday. It was better. It was National Hugging Day! January 21 was chosen as National Hugging Day because it is midway between Christmas and Valentine’s Day when people are at an emotional low. Individuals are awarded each year with the title Most Huggable!

What perfect inspiration for a gathering with people you love! I immediately decided on a meal that would feel like a big warm hug: Pulled pork on fresh rolls piled high with cole slaw, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, and corn bread.

The dessert choice was obvious: Hug cookies! This is a classic Hershey’s recipe. They were little tasty bites of peanut butter and chocolate love. I found the recipe here on my new favorite site Food.com. These are perfect Valentine’s Day cookies, as well.

Some of the hugs melted slightly and lost their “kiss” shape

 Peanut Butter Hug Cookies:

  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4-5 tablespoons additional sugar
  • 48 Hershey’s Hugs (or Kisses)

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In mixer, beat shortening and peanut butter until well blended; Blend in sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; Beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually mix in peanut butter mixture. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and roll in additional sugar. Place on cookie sheet lined with Silpat or parchment paper and bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately place a Hershey’s Hug (or Kiss) on each cookie and press down slightly.

Adapted from Hershey’s Kiss Peanut Butter Cookies on Food.com.

Filed under: candy, chocolate, cookies, Dessert, Peanut Butter | 1 Comment »

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

Posted on December 14, 2011 by kitchenbelle

Folks, before you read this recipe I need you to promise me you will not look at the nutritional info on this one. This is one of those “holiday indulgences” where you savor every bite and don’t think twice. It is rich + creamy + salty + sweet: a formula for heaven if you ask me.  Bring this to a holiday party and you will be the most popular guest.

I found the recipe on food.com  (my new favorite site) and I owe ShannonA in AZ a million thanks for putting it out there.

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake:

  • 35 Oreo cookies
  • 4 tablespoons butter ( melted and cooled)
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 24 ounces Philadelphia Cream Cheese ( at room temperature)
  • 2 eggs
  • 8 ounces sour cream
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 16 Reese’s Peanut butter cups roughly chopped +3 for garnish
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 5 ounces whipping cream

Prepare crust

Preheat oven to 375 F. Cover the bottom of a 10-inch spring-form pan tightly with aluminum foil. Using a food processor, finely crush all the Oreo cookies.  Add melted butter, water and sugar to the cookie crumbs and continue using processor until the mixture is well blended. Turn this cookie mixture out into the spring-form pan and using your fingers, gently work the cookie mixture until the bottom of the pan is covered with about one inch up on the sides.  Bake for only 6 or 7 minutes, no longer or the crust will be too hard.

Prepare filling

In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy. When cream cheese is fluffy, add in one egg and mix well. Add second egg and mix well. Add in sour cream and sugar. Remove electric mixture to gently fold in the chocolate chips and chopped peanut butter cups. Pour batter onto the crust and spread the mixture out from the middle to all the sides to help it bake evenly.

Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place spring-form pan in middle and bake at 375 F for about 45 minutes, or until top is light brown. Transfer the cheese cake to a rack and cool while still in the spring-form pan. Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the cheesecake and refrigerate (still in spring-form pan) for at least four hours or more- overnight is best.

Prepare glaze: Melt chocolate chips, butter and only 1/3 of the heavy whipping cream in a double boiler over medium heat until just at the melting stage. Remove from heat and stir mixture until smooth. While still warm, stir in remaining heavy whipping cream and mix until well blended.

Run a small sharp knife  around the edges of the spring-form pan to gently separate the cheesecake from the pan sides. Release the spring-form and remove from the cheesecake.  Place cheesecake on serving dish and pour the chocolate glaze into the shallow crater.  Garnish with remaining peanut butter cup pieces.

Refrigerate to allow the glaze to set.

Adapted from Sinful Snickers Cheesecake found here on Food.com.

Filed under: Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

Easy Broccoli Quiche

Posted on December 3, 2011 by kitchenbelle

Quiche is one of my favorite things to eat for lunch. A slice of quiche alongside a pile of mixed greens feels like a wonderfully complete meal. I love it because it is rich enough that you feel as though you have indulged, yet because you typically only have a slice or two you don’t feel overly stuffed. And it’s the richness that makes the meal feel special–it’s not every day you have quiche for lunch, after all! I especially enjoy serving quiche when I have a friend over for a lunch date.  It is something that is easily prepared ahead of time and then served at room temperature.  There isn’t anything unusual about this particular recipe. It is a straightforward way to make a tasty vegetarian quiche. (Of course you can make your own crust or use prepackaged.)

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Entirely unrelated, I feel as though I must acknowledge that I am probably the only recipe blogger in the blogosphere who did not post anything Thanksgiving related. “Why?” you may ask. The answer is because my brother-in-law prepares our entire Thanksgiving meal without an ounce of help from anyone else!  (Well, without any help except for the Minnesota-style mashed potatoes made by my other brother-in-law. 😉 ) He is a fabulous cook and he makes the most delicious and unconventional Thanksgiving dinner leaving guests in awe year after year.

The only item the menu required was something light that guests could snack on while sipping a drink prior to dinner. I made these ol’ standbys: SPINACH SQUARES.  My sister-in-law refers to them as spinach brownies. How cute, right?! Give them a try if you are looking for an easy holiday season go-to app that transports well.

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Easy Broccoli Quiche:

  •  2 tablespoons olive oil
  •  1 onion, minced
  •  1 teaspoon minced garlic
  •  2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
  •  1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
  •   1  cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  •  1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  •   4 eggs, well beaten
  •    1 1/2 cups milk
  •    1 teaspoon salt
  •    1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  •    1 tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Over medium-low heat warm the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onions, garlic and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese over the crust and press into the dough. Spoon vegetables into crust and sprinkle with the remaining Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Combine eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in melted butter. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese.  Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until center has set.

Recipe adapted from this one on AllRecipes.com

Filed under: broccoli, eggs, Main Dish, mozzarella, VEGETARIAN | 5 Comments »

Brown and Wild Rice Salad with Mandarin Oranges (and Cooking Matters)

Posted on November 3, 2011 by kitchenbelle

Over the past six weeks I have been a volunteer chef for Cooking Matters. If you haven’t heard of Cooking Matters, I suggest you check it out. Their website articulates their impressive mission:

Cooking Matters courses teach family members skills that will last a lifetime and more as they share them with relatives and friends. When families practice what they’ve learned in Cooking Matters courses—how to plan, purchase, and prepare healthy, tasty, and affordable foods at home—they are winning the fight against childhood hunger and protecting themselves from the destructive consequences of poor child nutrition.

Once a week, approximately 15 participants, a volunteer nutritionist, a volunteer assistant, the course coordinator, and myself all gathered to prepare a healthy meal together and discuss nutrition and technique. Each week we focused on something different and each week participants took home a bag of fresh groceries so that they could replicate for their families the meal we made in class. I find the whole idea brilliant!

Spending time with the participants was humbling. Their enthusiasm was contagious and their appreciation obvious.  At the end of the course, each one gave me a big hug and expressed the most sincere gratitude. It was incredibly touching.

Not only was I enthralled by the participants, but also I fell head over heels in love with the Cooking Matters recipes! They exceeded my expectations in the best way possible. Each recipe was interesting, delicious, loaded with healthy grains and nutrients, and easy to prepare. I found myself making several of the recipes over and over at home for my family. (In fact, there is a chicken recipe that I have made four times, yet every time we have eaten it before I have had the chance to photograph it!)

I found this Brown Rice and Mandarin Orange salad to be particularly wonderful. It is a perfect side to a protein, yet stands up well on its own for a vegetarian lunch or dinner. It is very filling and fresh tasting. I jazzed it up by adding one of my favorite ingredients, wild rice, however, using only brown rice works just fine. I left a large bowl of this in my fridge for a week and ate a healthy helping for lunch every day!

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If you are interested in reading about other blogger experiences with Cooking Matters you can check out these posts:

Brown and Wild Rice Salad with Mandarin Oranges:

  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 1/2 cup wild rice
  • 1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
  • 1 cup mandarin oranges, canned in light syrup
  • 3 scallions
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 cup canola oil

Cook both types of rice according to package directions and set aside.

Drain mandarin oranges and reserve juice.

Rinse and chop scallions.

In a medium bowl mix Mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, scallions,
almonds and rice.

In another bowl whisk together lemon juice, mandarin orange juice,
and pepper. While still whisking, slowly drizzle in the oil until dressing
forms.

Pour dressing over salad and mix well. Let rest at room
temperature for 10 minutes to allow flavors to combine.

 

Filed under: Main Dish, orange, rice, Side | 2 Comments »

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