Perfectly Puffy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 3 1/2 dozen
Serving Size: 1 to 2 cookies

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco stick
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 (3.4 oz) package vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking soda*
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour
12 oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips, or half a 12 oz bag of semi-sweet miniature chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugars, butter and Crisco until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla extract. Add pudding mix; stir until incorporated.

In a small bowl, whisk together 3 cups of the flour with the baking soda and salt. Slowly blend into the egg mixture.

Add additional 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour, if needed. The dough should be somewhat like the consistency of pie crust dough…not sticky. I use a total of 3 to 3 1/2 cups flour, depending on the humidity level of the day.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop spoonfuls of dough on cookie sheet. (To achieve a more round, cleaner look, roll the balls of cookie dough in your hand instead of just dropping on the cookie sheet.) Bake exactly 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. The cookies may not look done, but that is the trick to keeping them puffy and soft. Let cookies cool on the cookie sheet on top of wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets and cool completely on the cooling racks.

*Recipe Note: Make sure your baking soda is not expired. Test this by combining a little with vinegar and water. If not bubbly, get new baking soda or you will have flat cookies.

http://penniesonaplatter.com/2010/09/29/perfectly-puffy-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Apple Persimmon Crumble

http://throughtheeyeoftheneedle.blogspot.com/2008/12/persimmon-apple-crumble.html I made this with a crust i bought at the store, so you can just use that instead of making the crust below…

Crust

• 1 1/2 C flour
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 2 Tbl. milk
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 C oil

 

1. Mix flour, salt and sugar.
2. Make a well in the middle and add the milk and oil. Mix until all ingredients are blended.
3. Form evenly to cover the bottom and edges of a 9 inch pie pan.

Filling 

• 4 C Pink Lady or Fuji apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 C Fuyu persimmons, thinly sliced
• 3/4 C sugar
• 2 Tbl. flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

 

1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly and fill piecrust.
2. Bake crust and filling for 25 minutes at 375 degrees using the center rack.

Topping 

• 1 C flour
• 1/2-1 C sugar
• 1 stick butter, firm
• 3/4 C chopped crispied almonds

 

1. While pie is baking, make the topping.
2. Mix dry ingredients well.
3. Cut butter into small pieces and blend into dry mixture using hands until a course mixture is formed.
4. When pie has cooked for 25 minutes, carefully remove from oven.
5. Starting on the outside, crumble topping over the filling until completely covered.
6. Bake an additional 25 minutes, or until top is golden brown

Hoffer Brownies- keep it on the D.L. ;P

Ingredients:
2 Cups Sugar
1 Cup of Vegetable Oil
2 Teaspoons of Vanilla
4 Eggs
1 Cup of Flour
2/3 Cup of Dark Cocoa Powder
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Powder

Steps:
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
Grease/Spray pyrex glass pan
Mix together Sugar, Vegetable Oil, & Vanilla in Large Mixing Bowl
Add in eggs one at a time
In separate bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder
Mix in dry ingredients from Step 5 to Large Mixing bowl a little a time
Pour into pan
Bake for 30-35 minutes (Oven times vary)

Pirozhki

This recipe is taken from:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/taylors-piroshki/Detail.aspx

Taylor’s Piroshki

Rated: Submitted By: TAYLORSMOMMY Photo By: victoria Prep Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Ready In: 2 Hours Servings: 11

“These are authentic Russian piroshki filled with ground beef and onion, seasoned with dill weed and deep fried. You could also add a little cheese in the filling as you are making them. They also may be baked.”

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef 1 onion, finely chopped 1 teaspoon salt ground black pepper to taste dried dill weed to taste 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast 1/4 cup warm water

1 cup milk 3 eggs 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon salt 4 cups all-purpose flour 3 cups oil for frying

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until evenly browned; drain. Stir in the onion and cook with the beef until translucent. Sprinkle in salt, pepper and dill weed to taste. Allow to cool before using.
2.	Dissolve the yeast in the 1/4 cup of warm water and place in a warm location until frothy, about 10 to 15 minutes. In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm the milk and gently whisk in the eggs, oil, sugar and salt. Remove from heat.
3.	Place half the flour in a large mixing bowl and gradually stir in the milk mixture. Then add the yeast solution alternately with the remaining flour, stirring after each addition. Mix well. Knead until the dough forms a ball and does not stick to the bowl. (Note: Start with the 4 cups of flour. You may need to add more, a little at a time, as you knead the dough). Cover the bowl with a clean cloth. Set in a warm location and allow to rise until doubled in volume.
4.	Remove dough from bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Pinch off pieces approximately the size of golf balls. Roll the pieces into disks about 3 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter.
5.	Fill center of each disk with a heaping tablespoon of the cooled meat mixture. Fold disks over the mixture and firmly pinch edges to seal. Arrange on a flat surface and allow to sit approximately 10 minutes.
6.	In an large, heavy skillet or deep fryer, heat the oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Deep fry the piroshki in batches until golden brown on one side; gently turn and fry the other side. Remove and let drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

Idea…

http://mingmakescupcakes.yolasite.com/

So….we should try some of these 🙂 I’ve had it booked in my favorites for a while now, but can’t seem to get around to doing any. True, some of these require ingredients that probably are a bit pricey, but not all! So try ’em out and see which are really good!
-Kristina

 

Rustic Red Velvet Cupcakes

http://www.duncanhines.com/recipes/cupcakes/dh/rustic-red-velvet-cupcakes

Filling:

• 2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Batter:

• 1 box Duncan Hines® Red Velvet Cake Mix
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs

Optional Garnish:

• Powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cups in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
2. Make Filling – Place cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla and lemon juice in medium bowl. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
3. Make Batter – Prepare cake mix as described on box using the water, oil and eggs. Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full with batter. Drop about 2 tablespoons of filling in center of batter.
4. Bake in center of oven 22 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan. Place on wire rack; cool completely.
5. Store covered in refrigerator.
6. Garnish with powdered sugar, if desired.

Peanut Butter-Filled Brownie Cupcakes

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Peanut-Butter-Filled-Brownie-Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 package fudge brownie mix (8-inch square pan size)
• 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Confectioners’ sugar

Directions

• Prepare brownie batter according to package directions; stir in chocolate chips. For filling, in a small bowl, beat peanut butter, cream cheese, egg and sugar until smooth.
• Fill paper-lined muffin cups one-third full with batter. Drop filling by teaspoonfuls into the center of each cupcake. Cover with remaining batter.
• Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in brownie portion comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust tops with confectioners’ sugar. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 1 dozen.

Medianyk / Honey Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• Cream Filling (see below)

• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 cup butter
• Walnuts, ground

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly flour a cookie sheet. Spread out a piece of wax paper/parchment paper where you will roll out the dough.
2. In a bowl, combine sugar and eggs; set aside.
3. In a saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add honey, sugar-egg mixture, and baking powder; stir constantly until well blended and foamy. Remove from heat and add in flour. If dough is sticky, add more flour. Lightly cover dough so that it doesn’t dry.
4. Take out large enough pieces (one at a time) from the dough and roll out into desired sheets. You may want to roll out and cut to desired shape.
5. Place the rolled out piece of dough on a cookie sheet and bake 2 to 5 minutes, when you see the dough get slightly browned.
6. Cream Filling: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sweetened condensed milk, eggs, honey, and butter. Stir constantly until it comes to a boil. Continue until mixture thickens (approximately 10 minutes on low/medium heat). Remove from heat.
7. Put layers together with cream filling between each layer. Sprinkle ground walnuts between layers, if desired.
8. Crumble up any left over pieces (or “ugly” pieces) and sprinkle on top of the cake. (Make sure to have left over filling for the top).
9. Refrigerate at least overnight before serving.

Here’s the original recipes: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/amish-white-bread/detail.aspx

Amish White Bread

This recipes is from allrecipes. The original has double the ingredients, so it makes to loafs. I initially tried the original recipes – made a loaf of bread with one half, and cinnamon buns with the other (rolling out the dough, then sprinkling with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, etc.). The following recipe is for one loaf:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/3 cup white sugar (I used 1/6 cup so that it wouldn’t be so sweet)
• 3/4 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/8 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups bread flour

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
2. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. (NOTE: Instead of kneading by hand, I threw it all into the stand mixer with the knead hook – much easier!)
3. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes. Shape into a loaf, and place into a well oiled 9×5 inch loaf pan. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Here’s the original recipes: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/amish-white-bread/detail.aspx

Beef and Tortellini

I found this recipe while looking for something to make that’s close to Olive Garden’s Braised Beef and Tortelloni dish—one of our favorites!! It’s not quite the same taste, but we liked it anyway. I did not make it complete by the recipe (e.g. used less Masala wine because I ran out after 1 cup, used 2lb of meat, used a ton more mushrooms, added white cooking wine, slow cooked in a big stew pot for about an hour or so instead of slow cooker, etc.)…but it turned out great. Make sure to use the short rib meat (bone-in not necessary)….the meat will melt in your mouth.
Braised Beef Short Ribs with Tortelloni in a Marsala Cream Sauce (Slow Cooker Recipe)
ingredients:
4 pounds bone-in short ribs, meat and bones separated
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped medium
1 carrot, peeled and chopped medium
1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
2 Tbsp minced fresh basil or 2 tsp dried
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups marsala cooking wine
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 large portobello mushrooms, remove gills, cut into quarters and sliced
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 small tomatoes, seeded and diced
9 oz. package of refrigerated cheese tortelloni
directions:
Place beef bones in a microwavable casserole dish and microwave, 10 to 12 minutes; add to slow cooker.
Use paper towels to dry short rib meat and add salt & pepper. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a French oven at medium high heat for 4-5 minutes. In batches (if needed), brown short ribs on each side for about 7 to 10 minutes; add to slow cooker top of the bones. (Repeat for each batch.)
Add garlic, onion, carrot, thyme, and basil to French oven and cook over medium-high heat until onions are translucent, 4 to 6 minutes. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, mixing the entire time.
Whisk in wine and vinegar, use the whisk to scrape up browned bits at the bottom of your French oven. Reduce for about 5 minutes until the alcohol is reduced. Add drained tomatoes to wine sauce and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Add wine sauce to slow cooker.
Add broth and stir in as best as you can in slow cooker. Add bay leaves to slow cooker. Cover and cook for 9 to 11 hours on low or 5 to 7 hours on high.
Remove short ribs to platter and add foil but do not cover tightly. Allow meat to rest at least 15-20 minutes before slicing.
Using a strainer on top of a fat separator (not the one it came with because the holes are too big), strain braising liquid into fat separator. Set aside and discard solids.
Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil at medium heat in a braising pan or non-stick skillet for about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Remove and place mushrooms on a clean plate.
Add set aside braising liquid to pan and heat for about 5 minutes. While the sauce is being heated, start a large pot of salted boiling water and cook tortelloni according to package directions.
Reduce the sauce in the pan’s heat to low. Add mushrooms, half of the diced tomatoes and heavy cream. Reduce sauce for another 4-5 minutes and then leave on warm until you’re ready to serve with tortelloni. Garnish dishes with remaining diced tomatoes.
inspired by Olive Garden’s Braised Beef & Tortelloni