Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Cookies

Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are very moist, soft, and thick. For those chocolate chip cookie fans out there, don't worry, the buttermilk doesn't interfere with the taste you love, it only enhances it.


Ingredients
1/4 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips


Directions

1. Cream butter. Add brown and white sugar and combine well.
2. Add egg, vanilla, and buttermilk and mix till combined.
3. Add flour and combine completly.
4. Add chocolate chips and stir.
5. Bake at 325 degree F for about 16 minutes.

Coconut Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Cookies

Follow above recipe except add 1 cup shredded coconut with the chocolate chips. 

Zucchini Bread

Zucchini Bread

During the summer, I love cooking with fruits and vegetables that are in season because in season fruits and veggies often taste better and are better for you. My family has a small garden, and one of the things we planted was zucchini. We just had our first zucchini grow to maturity, and what better thing to make it into than zucchini bread? This bread is very moist and flavorful. Once you take your first bite, there's no way you'll be able to stop.

Ingredients

2 cups white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

3 eggs

1 cup oil

2 cups sugar

1 Tbsp. vanilla

2 cups zucchini, grated

1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnut, pecan, or almond)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degree F
2. In a large bowl mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and nuts. Set aside.
3. In a separate mixing bowl beat eggs until light and foamy. Add oil, sugar, vanilla, and zucchini. Mix well.
4. Add wet mixture to the flour mixture and mix until just moist (overmixing wil cause tunnels and coarse texture).
5. Pour into bread pan size of your choice. I used one 4.5'' x 8.5'' and two 2'' x 6'' pans.
6. Bake for about 35 minutes for smaller pans and about 45 minutes for larger pans, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 
7. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing loaves from pans.

Dutch Babies with Heavenly Syrup (a.k.a. Vanilla or Buttermilk Syrup)

Heavenly Syrup

Dutch babies are one of my family's specialties though almost no one else has ever heard of them before. They are probably the most delicious breakfast food ever invented, especially when paired with Heavenly Syrup or a little fresh squeezed lemon juice. Even though this is technically a breakfast food, my family often eats it for dinner!

Ingredients

Dutch Babies

• 1/2 cup butter
• 5 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• ground nutmeg

Heavenly Syrup

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cup sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Dutch Babies

Dutch Baby (shown without any toppings)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degreed F/ Put butter in a 10x13 inch pan and set into oven.
2. While butter is melting, quickly make the batter. Put eggs in a mixer and mix on high for about 1 minute. Add milk. Gradually pour in flour and mic.
3. Remove pan from oven and pour batter into the hot melted butter. Return to oven and bake until puffy and sides extend well out of the pan, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and dust with ground nutmeg.
4. Serve with Heavenly syrup, lemon juice, fruit or all of the above. You may also choose to dust them with powdered sugar.

Heavenly Syrup

1. In a saucepan melt butter. Add sugar and buttermilk and stir. Add remaining ingredients and stir until dissolved.

Variations on Snickerdoodles

Variations on Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are a classic, but suprisingly this is the first time I've ever made them, and they turned out fantastic! I would make them again and  agian! You can try one or all of the recipes and then decide which one is your favorite! Personally, I love the traditional and peanut butter, but I've never loved chocolate cookies to start with.

Traditional

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• cinnamon sugar
• 
  
• Directions

1. Cream butter. Add sugar, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar and combine.
2.  Add egg and vanilla and stir until just combined.
3. Add flour. Combine Completely.
4. Roll dough into quarter sized balls and then roll in cinnamon sugar. Place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart and bake at 375 degree F for about 10 minutes or until edges are lightly golden.

Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles

Follow above directions except for add 1/4 peanut butter and cream it together with the regular butter.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Snickerdoodles

Follow original directions except add 1/4 peanut butter and cream it together with the regular butter. Increase sugar from 1 cup to 1 1/3 cup. Add 1/2 cup cocoa with flour.

S'mores Brownies

S'mores Brownies

This version of brownies is one of my favorites. It starts with a graham cracker crust, goes to a decadent, chocolaty brownie center, and finishes off covered with a blanket of toasted marshmallows. AHH-MAZING! They're the perfect alternative to regular s'mores, especially if there's a fire ban, like there is here.

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 1/2 cup crushed graham crackers
• 3 to 4 Tbsp.  melted butter

Brownie 

• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 eggs 
• 5/8 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Topping

• about half a bag of mini marshmallows

Direcitons

1. Combine graham crackers and melted butter. Press into bottom of 9x9 inch square pan and cook at 375 degree F for 7 minutes.
2. In a sauce pan, melt butter. Add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and melt completly.
3. Remove from heat. Add eggs and vanilla and stir well.
4. Add flour, sugar, baking soda and salt and stir well.
5. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
6. Pour onto graham cracker crust and spread evenly around.
7. Bake at 325 degree F for 18 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
8. Remove brownies from oven and preheat broiler on low.
9. Cover entire top of brownies with mini marshmallows so no brownie is showing
10. Toast in oven for about two minutes, watch carefully because it can go from done to burned fast.
11. Remove from oven.

Secret Ingredient Brownies

Reasonably Healthy, Unreasonably Delicious Brownies

I used to make fun of those radical bakers who try to make unsuspecting husbands and children eat their veggies (or simply in an effort to make something that's not supposed to be healthy healthy) add vegetables to desserts. What could be more sacrilegious?! Dessert is supposed to be full of fat and sugar! But very recently (meaning this afternoon) I became one of those radicals. I thought to myself, this blog needs 74 different food items by the end of summer, so at least one of them should be an attempt at making a dessert healthy. And now I am officially a veggie junkie (at least for today).

At first I was skepitical on how my creation would turn out, especially after tasting the batter. It was just so much different tasting than regular brownie batter that I almost questioned whether I should cook those babies. The moment of weakness vanished fast, however, and I threw those brownies into the oven before I could have any second thoughts.

With every passing minute the batter cooked, the sweet aroma emanating from the oven increased until I was almost salivating right there on my hard wood floor. Finally the buzzer rang and the brownies tested true. They were done.

Now I have to let you in on a little secret with hidden veggie desserts: you can still taste the vegetables while the food is hot! Only once the dessert is completely cool will the taste of healthy be indefinitely replaced by the flavor of delicious. DO NOT LET YOUR FAMILY TASTE THEM WHILE THEY ARE STILL HOT! (or they may never trust your baking skills again).




Ingredients

• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup carrot puree (After peeling and trimming the ends, steam carrots for 10-12 minutes and then puree in a food processor or blender)
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/8 cup chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/4 cup butterscotch chips (optional)
• powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9x9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Melt butter and 1/2 cup chocolate chips in medium saucepan. Take off heat.
3. Add brown sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and carrot puree. (You can add these and following ingredients directly into the saucepan).
4. Whisk in egg whites.
5. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
6. If desired stir 3/8 cup chocolate chips into batter.
7. Pour batter into the pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 
8. While brownies are still hot drop butterscotch chips all over them. (optional)
9. COOL COMPLETELY before serving. If desired you may sprinkle powdered sugar on brownies just before serving.

High Heel Cupcakes

High Heel Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes in anticipation of a chick-flick movie night I was hosting (no boys allowed!). But they are perfect for almost anything: birthdays, bridal showers, girl's night out, etc. And one thing is for sure, they will have your guests going crazy with amazement!

Ingredients

 Yield 24

• 1 box of any flavor cake mix or your favorite from scratch recipe
• Lots and lots of sprinkles of all different varieties
• 12 graham crackers, cut or broken in half
• about 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 12 rolled cookies (such as Pirouettes)
• food coloring
• frosting (I used homemade, but store-bought will work)

Directions

1. Bake cupcakes as directed on box or according to recipe and allow to cool. Feel free to use cute cupcake tins, as they will help make your high heels cuter. (If you can't find cute tins, then the silver tin foil cupcake tins work great!)
2. Turn the graham cracker square diagonal and cut about 3/4 inch off both sides. When done it should look sort of like a tie.  Do this to all of the graham cracker squares.

Improvised Double Boiler

  3. Melt a little less than 3/4 cups of the white chocolate chips in a double boiler. If you do not have a double boiler you can put water in a small pot, and then place a glass or metal bowl into opening of pot so that the bowl fits exactly (make sure bowl does not touch water). Then boil the water in the pot and  remove from heat. Immediately add white chocolate and stir till melted and smooth.

  4. Using a knife, spread white chocolate all over one side of the cut graham crackers and allow chocolate to completely harden.

  5. Color the frosting as desired and then frost the cupcakes. Decorate with sprinkles however you wish. It looks great if you dip the entire top of cupcake in sprinkles.

  6. Set cupcakes aside. Pipe a thin line of frosting around top edge of graham crackers. Then dip the crackers in sprinkles (you will want to correspond these sprinkle choices with the sprinkle choices you used for the cupcakes). Now the graham cracker should have an outline of sprinkles.

  7. Cut the rolled cookies (such as Pirouettes) in half. Angle one side of the rolled cookie.

  8. Melt the rest of the white chocolate chips in the double boiler.

Small indent pictured above.

  9. Cut a small indent in the cupcake toward the edge and insert the graham cracker.

 10. Put some melted white chocolate on the angled side of the rolled cookie and press that side onto the bottom of graham cracker. Do not move cupcake until the white chocolate hardens.

I call this one "hot date"

This one and the next picture remind me a lot of Cinderella shoes!

This one is sweet, but glamorous at the same time.

There was a whole army of high heeled cupcakes invading my kitchen!

Calzones

Calzones

Quick and easy, portable and cheesy, calzones are a great alternative to traditional pizza. Very similar to a Hot Pocket (but 100 times tastier), they travel well for lunches or picnics, but also taste just as great eaten in your own kitchen. Some may even argue that calzones are better than your original pizza! It's up to you to find out.

 Ingredients

Yield 3 Large Calzones

Dough

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Filling (you may change this suiting to your personal tastes)

• 1/2 cup marinara sauce
• 1 to 2 cups mozerella cheese
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced olives
• 3/4 cup diced bell peppers
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 1/2 to 1 cup pepperoni
• garlic powder
• salt
• basil
• other spices (oregano, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, sage)

Directions

Dough

1. In a mixer, dissolve yeast in water
2. Add the oil, sugar and salt and mix together
3. Mix in 1 cup of the flour until smooth
4. Gradually stir in the rest of the flour, until dough is smooth and workable 
5. Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes
6. Make dough into a ball and put into a lightly greased bowl (lightly grease top of dough as well) and allow to rise for about 40 minutes, or until double in size.
7. Punch down down and separate into three parts. Roll out each part to make thin circles
8. Spread the marinara sauce around the whole circle and then add other filling ingredients and spices to taste
9. Carefully flip one half of the calzone over the other half to make a sort of pocket. Pinch the edges closed
10. Place calzone on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Gently brush the top of the calzone all over with the beaten egg. Poke a hole in the top of the calzone with a fork. If desired you may sprinkle additional spices on top of the calzone.
11. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes at 425 degrees F, or until crust is golden.

Mac and Chesse

From Scratch Mac and Cheese

There are times in everyone's life when you just need some horribly fattening, incredibly cheesy comfort food. So here it is.

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1 Tbs butter
• 1 3/4 Tbs All-Purpose flour
• 1 cup milk 
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
•  sprinkle of kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon green chili powder
• 2 cloves garlic
• sprinkle powdered red pepper or Cayenne pepper 

Pasta

• about 3 1/4 cup Rotini pasta
• 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup Jack cheese, grated 

Directions

Sauce

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Continue whisking and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Cook until sauce thickens, about 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Add cheeses, salt, chili powder and garlic, and red pepper. Stir until cheese is melted and all ingredients are incorporated, about 3 minutes. Set aside. 
Pasta

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease a 9 inch square baking dish.
2. Cook Rotini pasta for 2 minutes less than package directions. (It will finish cooking in the oven.)
3. Drain pasta
4. Combine pasta and sauce in a medium bowl; mix carefully but thoroughly.
5. Scrape the pasta into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle top with cheeses.
6. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes.

Scrumptious Carrot Cake

Today's Father's Day, and my dad requested his favorite cake, carrot cake. Though carrots may possibly be one of the weirdest things to put in a cake, they make this dessert incredibly delicious. Who knew that a vegetable could taste so good?

This particular recipe creates a dense, moist cake with cream cheese frosting enhances the natural flavors of the cake. It can be served room temperature, but personally I like it chilled.

Ingredients

Cake

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3/4 cup ground coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• about 6 cups powdered sugar

Directions

Cake

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Lightly grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans. Set aside.
2. Combine sugar and oil in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add eggs, mix well.
4. Add grated carrots.
5. Slowly stir in sifted dry ingredients.
6. Add coconut and pecans.
7. Pour batter into prepared pans. Cook for 14 minutes.
8. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degree F. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
9. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting 

1. Cream butter and cream cheese in large mixing bowl on high for about 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Mix in vanilla.
3. Gradually add powdered sugar and mix well.
4. Continue to beat frosting for 3 to 4 minutes, even after everything is combined.