Category: Cookies

Pasta alla Vodka

Published on by Marie1 Comment

Last night, I really wanted to put together a stellar meal for my parents.  I planned a 3-course meal, complete with everything a dinner should have.

Still keeping with my appetizer project, I made lemon-rosemary chicken.  Technically, they are supposed to be on skewers and served with a dipping sauce.  Unfortunately, we had no skewers and I did not have enough marinade to make the sauce but the chicken itself (although it didn’t look too great) tasted fantastic.  I think I will grill it for my parent’s dinner party.  But all in all, we’ll call it a win.

For the main course, I made rotini alla vodka.  The vodka sauce was quick-cooking and delicious; I even threw in a little dried tarragon just because and added a little extra vodka.  I slightly overcooked the pasta (total rookie mistake – I was so mad) but it turned out delicious anyway – my parents ate all of it! (For the recipe, visit my Tried & True page!)

To go along side, I attempted a recipe I found on My Baking Addiction: Beer Bread.  Since we didn’t have any self-rising flour like the recipe called for, I used all-purpose instead.  Mistake number 1.  The bread hardly rose and was dense and wet in the middle with a heavy beer flavor.  The edges and top that were done were golden and tasty, slightly sweet from the 1/3 cup of sugar the recipe called for.  I would definitely make it again, except this time, I’ll use the correct flour.  Oops.

Finally, to round out my meal, I made chocolate-chip biscotti.  Well, almost chocolate chip.  No mini chocolate chips in the house?  No need to panic.  Hershey kisses chopped up into chunks works just fine!  They were almost all gone and were fantastic.  Sweet but not so that you couldn’t eat them all without being sick.  Plus, the chunks of didn’t all melt so every once and a while you got a nice, big, warm piece of hershey’s milk chocolate – what’s not to love about that?

My only regret is that I totally forgot to take pictures.  Next time for sure.  Anyone wanna give me a really nice camera so I can take photos that I see on other blogs?  I promise to love you forever.

The Best Cookies Ever

Published on by MarieLeave a comment

I am a sucker for anything chocolate. I will eat peanut butter out of the jar. I think I have a problem.

Enter one of the best cookie recipes I’ve ever had: The Peanut Butter Blossom.

First of all, let’s just start by saying that the recipe starts with a full cup of peanut butter.  Right away, I’m hooked.  Add some sugar, flour, brown sugar, eggs, shorteing and vanilla extract and you have the makings for a typical peanut butter cookie.  Place them in the oven and away we go.

Then, the best part…the chocolate.  As simple as a Hershey’s Kiss because, well, that’s what it is.  Because the cookies bake until they are only “just set” or slightly underdone, they come out of the oven looking like golden rounds of shear scrumptiousness.  But do I pop them in my mouth as is?  Most definitely not! (Besides, I’d burn my mouth.)

At this point, I suppose you could leave off the chocolate kiss and merely refer to them as Peanut Butter Un-Blossoms, but where is the fun (or the chocolately greatness) in that?  To make them true blossoms, take one unwrapped Hershey’s Kiss and gently press it into a (still warm) cookie.  The cookie itself with squish and crack a bit, leaving a perfect pillow for the kiss to sit in.  Immediately transfer them to a baking rack and let them cool completely.  (They will fall apart if they don’t.)

When I tell you these could just be one of my Top 3 Favorite Cookies of all time, you know I’m not fooling around.  Try ’em – I dare you.

Peanut Butter Blossoms (originally created by Hershey Co.)
Yields: 48 Blossoms

Ingredients:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup shortening, softened
1 egg
2 TB milk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
48 Hershey’s Kisses, unwrapped
Extra granulated sugar, for coating

Directions:

1. Heat over to 375 degrees.  Unwrap candies.

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.