Virtual Coffee Date

I pray everyone had a happy, healthy, blessed, and FILLING Thanksgiving. I know I did... If we were having coffee right now, I know you'd want to hear about the family and what craziness happened at this year's dinner table, but I'm just dying to share my Christmas baking list with y'all and I just can't wait.

But priorities first, get your coffee (and maybe a few cookies since y'all be starved for them by the time you read this post) and then take a peek at my list.

First off, I made a list. I checked it twice. I checked last year's list, and the year before that, and the year before that... and I completely ignored all of the cookies I failed to make. They will be made one day. They will not be forgotten. But I can't help it. I see a new cookie recipe the day before and my plans change. Wait. Is that something shiny?

I always make at least 8 different types of cookies (why eight? It's my favorite, it's powerful, it just happens), and this year I think I'll choose two recipes for each category and decide later on. So, here we go!

1. The one cookie that just screams Christmas: The Sugar Cookie

• Pioneer Woman's Angel Sugar Cookies (I'm leaning towards a simpler sugar cookie this year.)
• Red Velvet Sugar Cookies (sounds messy but beautiful)

2. The obvious cookie: The Chocolate Chip Cookie

• The chocolate chip cookies from the Seriously Delish cookbook (My mother-in-law has become addicted to them.)
• Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies

3. The must-have-or-everyone-gets-mad cookie: The Brown Butters with Caramel Frosting

• The Famous Brown Butters (Obviously, except this year I might make them on their own separate day, so I can make plenty for EVERYBODY.)
• I'm not sure if I want to go with Pretzel Bark again or maybe try a new scone recipe (possibly Maple Pecan Scones)

4. My traditional Christmas cookie: The Snickerdoodle

• Ginger Doodles (found in the Dashing Dish Cookbook)
• Chocolate Espresso Snickerdoodles (what a twist; I like it!)

5. My absolute-favorite-cookie-in-the-whole-wide-world: The Almond Blueberry Cookie

• Almond Blueberry Cookies (duh?!)
• Macadamia Nut Cookies (I'm going with another nut)

6. The random cookie: Something with "Apple" (I have no idea why, but this has become a thing)

•  Apple & Spice Cookies (found scribbled on a random note card in the back of a cookbook)
•  No-Bake Tiramisu Cookies (no idea why I place them in this category....)

7. The "Girls Only!" cookie: Something with LEMON (this is a must for me and Mama)

•  Lavender Lemon Sable Cookies (My mouth waters just looking at these!) or these Lemon Crinkle Cookies (which are apparently the best lemon cookie ever.)
• And for another fruit, either these Blueberry White Chocolate Cookies or these Fresh Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Brown Butter Cookies

8. The must-not-forget-Daddy cookie: The Chocolate [Something] Cookie

• Chocolate Crackle Tops or Chocolate Kisses
• Mocha Latte Logs (I've been wanting to make these all year!)

I plan to make my Raspberry Rudolph Noses for my Charlie Brown Christmas program at work. And I'm thinking about making some Earl Grey Truffles for hostess gifts this year. They sound fabulous. Instant invitation to parties ;)

Wouldn't these go perfectly with your coffee?

Happy Holiday Baking!

What's on your baking list this season?
 
With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

{Super} Sunday Sweets

IT'S SUPER BOWL TIME!!!!!

How many of you are gathering with friends and family to watch the game today????

My family always gets together for the big game, and this year is no exception...even though a few tears were shed when Dallas (daddy's team) and Green Bay (my aunt's and grandma's team) were eliminated. We're still all in. It's tradition over here. Big TV. Packed room. And more food than you can imagine. It's fabulous.

It's football.

It's Sunday.

It's sweet.

Except for this....

This beautiful snow globe of white is why Mr. B and I are staying home today. My family is almost two hours away, and I love 'em and I'll miss watching the game with 'em, but I'd prefer to NOT end up in a ditch, ya know?

(However, I did drive a few miles down our street to pick up a family bucket from KFC. Definitely recommend staying off the roads if you're currently getting this crazy blizzard.)

Soooo....the snowstorm hits and plans change. Now, there's a possibility the in-laws may be over to watch the game tonight (they're only five minutes away) and food plans consist of a brownie sundae bar with all the fixin's, including three types of granola, vanilla ice cream, Greek yogurt, and whipped cream. Of course, there are plenty of fruit toppings to choose from, which also doubles as a choose-your-own-fruit-salad bar for those who may not want to indulge in a brownie sundae. I'm not sure who those people are and, truth be told, they probably aren't invited anyway.

I even cut out the brownies in cute football helmet shapes to coordinate with the days' festivities. I made football helmet krispie treats as well. These are the healthier option. Instead of rice krispies and butter, I used 6 cups puffed rice, 4 cups mini marshmallows, and 3 tablespoons coconut oil. DELICIOUS. And Mr. B never even knew the difference.

But, just in case you are in need of throwing together a quick appetizer or are of the I-don't-know-what-to-bring-to-a-Super-Bowl-party lot, here are a few delicious recipes worthy of gracing your game-day table.

Nachos (Two Ways)
Cold Vegetable Pizza (a popular reader item here on Sweet B's)
Ham & Cheese Crescents
Apple Coleslaw
Zesty Broccoli Dip
Potato Skins (definitely a must!)
Multiple Crescent Rolls recipes...quick, simple, and delicious.
Baked Egg Rolls and Snack Plates

Also bar-themes are excellent choices when one must feed a hungry crowd. Some of my favorites are baked potato bar, chili bar, nachos/taco bar, popcorn bar, or something I stumbled across the other day: a mac and cheese bar. What?! And don't forget DESSERT! Krispy treats are always a hit. (Ice cream bars/sundaes are perfection, obviously.)

Who y'all rooting for today?

I'm thinking we're anti-Seattle over here. Go AFC!

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Raspberry Rudolph Noses

There's a story here.

These cookies originally started out as Raspberry Poinsettia Blossoms, from this recipe. However, when I first attempted this recipe four years ago, they did not look anything like the picture. The petals didn't separate; I spent my time cutting and spreading only to have them bake together, leaving faint knife marks in the dough. But, y'all they were delicious. They weren't pretty, but oh so delicious.

At the time, I wasn't sure if it was because I had been baking for hours and hours before attempting the recipe, the heat of the kitchen/oven, the wearing of my patience, or.... who knows? But I thought someday I'd give these cookies another try.

And no better time than the present, right?

Welp, failure again. I had the same exact issues...baking together and faint knife marks. I mean what does a cookie baker need to do to get these poinsettias to POINT?! These are just impossible. I do not have the cookie baking skills for these beautiful Christmas treats.

Fortunately, I only tried a few cookies at first. Remembering my previous dilemma, I tread carefully just to see the results. Round cookies. My result was four round cookies with knife marks. Four ridiculous (but tasty) round cookies.

"These look like Rudolph noses," I stated when I set the cookies on a rack to cool.

"THESE LOOK LIKE RUDOLPH NOSES!"

Rudolph-the-Red-Nosed Reindeer cookies they are indeed! And that was how this new tasty raspberry, red and circular cookie came about.

'Twas a good night.

Raspberry Rudolph Noses
*slightly adapted from this recipe

Yields about 3 dozen cookies

3/4 c coconut oil, softened
1/4 c sugar
1-2 t vanilla extract
1 box (4-serving size) raspberry-flavored gelatin
1 flax egg (1 T flaxseed + 3 T water)
1 c all-purpose flour
1 c whole-wheat pastry flour

Preheat oven 375 degrees. In large bowl cream together coconut oil, sugar, vanilla, gelatin and flax egg until well combined. Stir in flours and mix well. Roll the dough into about 1" balls and place on cookie sheet, slightly flattening balls with your palm. Bake 9 minutes, but make sure to take them out before the edges start to brown, letting them cool on the pan another five minutes before removing to racks to cool.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Triple Chocolate Cookies

I have been making these melt-in-your-mouth health-ified chocolate beauties for years.

And besides these Chocolate Chili Cranberry Cookies, this chocolate cookie is my close second favorite. I first discovered this cookie when perusing the internet for something chocolate-y to add to my Christmas baking. I found this instant winner, and since then have made my own healthy substitutions. However, it's been a while since I indulged in these, and after looking at this season's baking list, I knew I needed at least one chocolate cookie and dug out my recipe.

The best way to devour eat these bite-size cookies are straight from the oven when they're warm and gooey. YUM-O. Just try not to scorch your tongue. A couple of seconds in the microwave is a great substitute for when you shouldn't eat them all straight from the baking sheet because you need to make a pretty platter to take to Grandpa's Christmas and everybody is depending on you to bring a cookie platter with at least one chocolate cookie. Oh, and if you don't want to spend the rest of the holiday season in your yoga pants because none of your jeans fit.

Wait... who doesn't want this? Yoga pants are comfy. Yoga pants are acceptable. Yes, definitely. Sign me up for that.

But, hey, these are "health-ified," remember? You can eat the whole sheet and probably still fit into those jeans. And, trust me, you will be tempted to eat more than one, or five. The gooey chocolate just oozing out of the cookie. A soft not-too-sweet treat with rich dark chocolate chunks. I won't blame you if you lick the pan. Just let it cool first, 'kay?

Black Bean Triple Chocolate Cookies
*adapted from Ellie Krieger's recipe

Yields: 2 dozen cookies

1/4 c coconut oil, softened (or the original recipe's 1/4 c unsalted butter, I vary this substitution)
1/2 c scant dark brown sugar
1/4 c scant granulated sugar
1/4 c plain Greek yogurt
1 flax egg (1 T flax seeds + 3 T water)
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 c black beans, pureed
1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder (Trader Joe's is my favorite, of course)
1/3 c dark chocolate, chopped
1/3 c semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the butter (or oil) and sugars until well combined. Add the yogurt and flax egg and beat until creamy. Mix in the vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and cocoa powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in the black beans, mixing well. Then add in the chopped chocolate and mix well. Using a tablespoon, scoop the batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

Nutritional Information per cookie: 77 calories, 3 fat, 12 carbs, 1 fiber, 1 protein, 8 sugar

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Hard Candy Christmas

It's tradition.

It's a family tradition to make pounds and pounds of hard tack candy.

And, boy, do I mean POUNDS. Go big or get out of our kitchen, as Grandma Barb says.

Let me correct myself. It's the women of the family who make the hard tack. We make pounds and pounds of it to give away to family members, friends, neighbors, teachers, churches, mailmen, Santa.... If you come over to one of our houses during Christmastime, you're either snacking on it or taking a bag of it home with you.

Honestly, I don't remember a Christmas season without bowls and bowls of this powdered sugar stuff. Looking back on home videos you can see the bowls on the counters, on the end tables, Great Grandpa popping a piece in his mouth.

Oh, and the absolute best is watching someone pop what they think is their favorite flavor into their mouth only to horridly discover it is their least favorite and quickly spit it out. I have been guilty of this on several occasions, especially if I wasn't there to make it that year or can't remember the color codes. Sometimes it's just so hard to decipher those darn pieces when they are proficiently covered in powdered sugar and a crowd has formed around the bowl and you don't want to be accused of fingering every piece just to find your favorite. I know we are all victims. Sorry.

I know. You're probably suggesting we sort out all of the flavors into their own special bowls. But where's the fun in that? And, y'all, I don't have time for any extra dishes let alone have the space for a dozen cute holiday dishes. (Mr. B would kill me if I took up any more cabinet space.) Besides, it's nice when the flavors...merry, you know?

Of course, if you absolutely despise a flavor (just throwing it out there for an example, but let's say pineapple,) you don't have to put it in your batch. Just make sure you're there burning your fingers with the rest of us if you're going to make such demands, mmm'kay?

While waiting for Grandma to make the candy batches, the rest of us girls chit-chat, laugh, and try to right some disastrous event that probably happened behind Grandma's back. It's all fun and games until the scalding hot sugar hits the marble.

Then all that can be heard from the kitchen is "Owww, owww, owww!"

"My fingers. I.Can't.Feel.My.Fingers."

"I'm sure I have no more fingerprints."

[insert a few choice words]

"Oh, for crying out loud! Stop whining!" <--- usually from Grandma. (But you know, she's the one pouring the scalding hot liquid, not touching it. I guess after years and years of doing it, one eventually graduates to the coveted stirring and pouring position.)

"I swear, Brindi Michele, if you suggest doing this next year...." <---usually said by Mama. (I do believe, at this very moment, she is not joking.)

"I NEED more butter!"

I always need more butter. I can never cut fast enough. There must be a faster way. You could wait until the sugar hardens and then break it off, but that results in very, very, sharp glass-like edges. And when you toss a handful of hard candy into your mouth, that truly IS something you want to avoid.

So, apply the butter and more butter. And when you think you have enough, apply more butter on top of that butter. And cut as fast as your pretty little fingers can.... if you want to keep them pretty and the pain minimal.

Usually, we make about a dozen different flavors, everything from cherry to spearmint, from blueberry to cloves, from cinnamon to grape.

Hard candy is kind of a big deal over here.

Occasionally, we have to rope the men in. Daddy is always willing to help...as long as he gets to make a few suckers. Grandma would object, but by the time the men are called in, we'll do just about anything to get this over with. I'm quite confident one time our patience will run out and we'll just decide a big square will suffice. We'll just break pieces off and pass it around. (I'd love to see the powdered sugar mess created with that one.)

Cheers to another kitchen fiasco full of family, sugar, and brunt fingers! Oh, and entertainment memories one can get nowhere else.


Hard Tack Candy
*ingredients for ONE regular batch

2 c granulated sugar
2/3 c light corn syrup
3/4 c water
1 t flavoring (i.e. clove, butter pecan, tropical punch, coffee, spearmint, cinnamon, cherry, lemon...)
1/2 t food coloring (and you'll want to note what color you use for each flavor)
powdered sugar

Combine sugar, corn syrup and water in saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring mixture to boil without stirring. When syrup temperature reaches 260 degrees, add color. Do not stir; boiling action will incorporate color into syrup. Remove from heat at 300 degrees or when drops of syrup form hard threads in cold water. After boiling ceases, stir in flavoring. Immediately pour syrup onto buttered marbled slabs or cookie sheets. CAREFULLY, using buttered scissors to prevent sticking, cut hardened syrup into bite-size candy pieces. Syrup will hardened quickly, so this needs to be fast! Toss cut pieces onto extra cookie sheet or into a big bowl. When cooled, toss candy pieces with powdered sugar to prevent sticking.

**Note: you can easily multiply this recipe to your needs, like if you need to make 25 pounds of candy :)

***I recommend not doing this alone or with small children.

I'll take my five pounds, please.

By the way, it's National Hard Candy Day!

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Annnddd We Turned THREE... (Over a Month Ago)

HAPPY {BELATED} BIRTHDAY, BLOG!

Ummm, it's the holidays. Thanksgiving just finished. CHRISTMAS IS COMING!! Oh, and I was in Maine. Forgive me. I fell behind. I had plans. Honestly, I remembered Sweet B's anniversary was approaching and I had plans.

And then I glanced at the calendar, and oh my stars, it's November! And anything related to the month of October left my mind completely.

Whoops.

When I finally realized I missed my date, I glanced at the up-coming weeks to find a day in need of celebration and cake.

Who waits for a time to celebrate with cake? Who needs the excuse? [I raise my hand.]

Who is the lamest person on Earth? [I raise my hand, reluctantly, but nobody can see me so I'm not too embarrassed.]

I know. I know. Please don't stop reading. I'm sorry. I'm not a cake person. I just don't have the sweet tooth I once had. No? Not believable? Okay, then I can't have a cake just sitting around the house because I will eat it all myself and then I'll have to do more than just a yoga workout to make up for it or live with the fact that I can't fit into my skinny jeans because I just ate an entire cake by myself and this will not help the fact that cookie baking season is right around the corner and that's a sure bet my skinny jeans will be out of commission until January anyway and with all the baking and eating and sampling and eating when will I have the time to do more than a yoga workout let alone even attempt to try on my skinny jeans?

I digress. The cake. The cake was.... a TRIFLE.

Surprise!

Yes, this mess happened.

I had everything I needed to make this beautiful, eye-catching, four-layer Thanksgiving dessert. Everything except a sturdy cake. The pumpkin in the cake batter made it extremely moist and once halved, the layers just leaned into a hot mess. I took one look at my cake stand, flipped it over into a bowl, and created this beautiful, eye-catching Thanksgiving trifle. No one knew. Except I told everybody. And now I'm telling you.

I'm not really one for secrets. Unless it's a big, juicy one then by all means...let me grab my coffee.

I found the recipe for this pumpkin cake in The Chew cookbook I received last Christmas, and ever since I have had my eye on Carla Hall's stunning Pumpkin Cake with a Chocolate Ganache. It's just gorgeous. The perfect centerpiece of a great meal. Well, this just goes to show any cake can inspire the perfect TRIFLE centerpiece.

This was absolutely as mouthwatering as its photo. However, I made many substitutions, so I'm providing my adapted recipe below. The biggest adjustment was the sugar. OH MY STARS! I could not believe how much sugar was in this recipe. My teeth hurt just reading the ingredient list. My teeth thanked me later. Yikes. And my sweets-loving father-in-law also thanked me. To say it's rich and decadent is an understatement. To say it's absolutely delicious is also an understatement. The perfect showstopper.


Layered Pumpkin Trifle with Chocolate Ganache
*adapted from Carla Hall's recipe

Serves 12

Pumpkin Chocolate Cake:

1 1/2 c sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs 

2 flax eggs (1 T flax seed + 3 T water per egg)
1 c all-purpose flour

1 c whole wheat pastry flour
2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
3 t pumpkin pie spice
1 t salt
2 c pumpkin puree

Mascarpone Filling:

2 c powdered sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 T pumpkin pie spice
1 c pumpkin puree
2 t salt  

2 cups mascarpone  (I could not find this anywhere, locally, so I made my own version: combine 2 (8-oz) pkgs Neufchatel cream cheese, 1/4 c heavy whipping cream, and 2 1/2 T plain Greek yogurt until fluffy. This should equal 2 cups.)

Dark Chocolate Ganache:

3 T corn syrup
6 oz heavy whipping cream
12 oz dark chocolate, chopped into small bits  (I like 85% dark)
1/2 t vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 2 9" cake pans. Combine sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and flax eggs in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Whisk dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Stir the dry into the wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in the pumpkin puree. Divide batter between the two prepared cake pans. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Rotate pans half way through cooking. When a toothpick comes out clean, the cakes are done. Let cool for 5 minutes and then turn cakes out onto cooling racks. While the cakes are cooking make the filling. Beat the mascarpone (or mascarpone substitute) and the pumpkin puree until blended, then add the pumpkin pie spice, salt, and powdered sugar. Mix at a high speed until blended (about 1 minute). Once it's fully combined add vanilla and beat for another 30 seconds. Make the ganache in a small saucepan. Combine the corn syrup and cream and bring to a simmer. Add the chocolate and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Once the cakes have cooled completely, make the trifle or the original cake version.... 

Trifle: Tear the cake into chunks, using hands or a knife. Alternately layer the cake pieces, mascarpone mixture, and the chocolate ganache. No rhyme or reason, just make it look beautiful :)

Cake: Cut through each cake horizontally with a serrated knife (there will now be four rounds of cake to work with). Spread the filling evenly between the layers. Once assembled, transfer cake to a cake stand with parchment paper lined around the edges (to keep the cake stand clean). Pour the ganache over the cake. Once the ganache is set, remove the parchment.

*Notes: I let my cake rounds cool over night before slicing, and I also made the mascarpone mixture the night before and chilled in the fridge until ready to use.)
 

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Cookie Monster

IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE!

Sweet B's Christmas Cookie Baking List.

I'm fully aware y'all have been sitting on the edge of your seats, checking the blog, and wondering this entire month when I would post my mile-long baking to-dos for this season. IT'S HERE!

Of course, I have my regular must-make-so-everyone-is-happy items, which include:

Mr. B's Chocolate Chip Cookies. Earlier this year I stumbled across a vegan recipe and, along with a few personal touches, I haven't made another recipe since. This is THE cookie dough for those who like to eat cookie dough. <-- that would be me.

*On a side note: I have already made these cookies twice this month for said husband. I have learned to only bake a dozen cookies at a time, freezing the rest of the dough and pulling it out once the house has been devoid of the last batch for a few days. I'm trying to space these out! It's not working. We're just eating the cookie dough instead.

Black Bottom Cups.
Almond Blueberry Cookies.
Grandma Barb's Cut-Outs.
Browned Butter Cookies with Caramel Frosting.Two years now and no one else has received these cookies on their platters. If I don't stop Mr. B from eating them all this year, I might start opening hate mail. I [casually] mentioned this to him, he responded with a firm "Everybody else eats all of the other cookies and I only like these cookies. These are mine." Okay.

Reindeer Chow-Chow.
Apple Snickerdoodles.

Apricot Pinwheels.
Pretzel Bark. We forgot to didn't, umm, make this last year. I heard about it. Multiple times. It was also "suggested" that I don't forget it this year, and to make some with white chocolate.

Let's see, this now brings me to the new [finalized] cookie recipes I've been waiting all year to try:

Pioneer Woman's Angel Cookies. Found in her first cookbook, I'm considering making Ree's simple cookies for my "Polar Express" program at work, complete with reindeer faces. I think my kiddos will love them. (Or possibly the Snowmen S'mores I never got to last year.)

Cranberry-Lemon Cookies. I feel like I need a holiday-ish cookie, and to me "cranberries" scream holiday. And you know I love lemon. Giada's cookies look perfect.

Cranberry Bliss Cookies. I was all set on the above cranberry cookies when Pinterest led me to these. I immediately added them to my list because, with two cranberry cookie recipes, I'm sure to at least make one of them. Right? And they're copy-cats. Although I have yet to try the original bar. I go to Starbucks for the coffee, people!

Cappuccino Cookies. I think these are a must. Maybe use instant espresso instead....

Either the Mocha Madness Cookies from a past Cooking Club endeavor, or my Triple Chocolate Cookies that have been with me since the very first Baking Extravaganza but have yet to be made again since their debut (not sure why; they were well received).

The Raspberry Poinsettias I made with my mother-in-law a few years back that were heavenly, but lacked greatly in the appearance department. Maybe I'll give them another try with a little more patience this year.

Salted Bailey's Chocolate Truffles. I will try to make sure the Bailey's actually makes it into the truffles. No promises.

No-Bake Gingerbread Pumpkin Snowballs. Gotta love the no bakes :)

Giant Chai Tea Frosted Cookies. I believe, truly, third time is the charm. (fingers crossed) If not, I'll be a third-year failure.

Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies. I have a few people on my list who will looovvveee these.

Daphne Oz's Cherry Crusaders Cookies. The oatmeal-cherry-walnut cookies I saw featured on my beloved show, The Chew.

Peanut Butter Lava Cookies. Because when I first looked at these pictures, I might have drooled a bit.

Fudge? Bars? Bread? Extra treats? I'm attempting to keep a cookie mind this year. I am well aware I will fail at this attempt. If I don't write it down and then don't do it, I will feel like less of a failure when it comes to checking off ALL to-dos on my list. I'll drink to that. Bailey's that is ;)


This year Jessica's mother-in-law is joining us. We'll have to check our crazy.

What's on your baking list this season?

Happy Holiday Baking!

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Salted Pumpkin Caramel Thumbprints [Review]

Always read a recipe through once before beginning.

Always read a recipe, preferably, the night prior before beginning.

Always read a recipe.

Yes, this has been drilled into my head by my grandmother, mother, aunts, friends, cookbooks, cooking shows, etc., etc.

However, when my mother-in-law requested these cookies for Thanksgiving, and though I decided to try them out a week prior just to see how they'd turn out (thank the Lord!), I only read the ingredient list. I ignored the directions. I overlooked the required time.

I did lay out the butter the night before, hoping upon waking it would be room temp. Upon waking I realized it's November. In Ohio. In a house full of hard-wood floors. Where people don't want to pay a ridiculous heating bill. My butter was still cold. Oh, it was sort of close to room temp; too bad our house is COLD. After nuking it (along with the coconut oil) slightly in the microwave, I tossed it into the stand mixer and began to add the rest of the ingredients. Once the flax egg and vanilla were added, my mix just wasn't...well, mixing. After a minute or so, I decided to just add the flours and get on with it. My dough looked much better. And tasted great.

Then I read the dough must chill for about an hour in order to make it easier to handle. Okay, that's fine. I chill most of my doughs anyway. I'll just start the chocolate chip cookies for Mr. B. (We decorated for Christmas. Phoebo is out. Phoebo is empty. I had to make the hubby some cookies STAT.) Thankfully, before I started the chocolate chips, I decided to read through the rest of the recipe. You know, just in case the pumpkin caramel needed to chill, too. You know what? It did. FOR FOUR HOURS.

WHAT?!

That's why you read through your recipes, folks. ROOKIE mistake. Jessica would be embarrassed for me. Scratch that. If Jess was there, this is probably the time she'd bring out the wine. (Side note: while I was picking up these cookie ingredients, I had wine in my cart and put it back. Next time I'll focus on trying to save my sanity rather than some money. Always buy the wine.)

Okay. Good thing I planned on staying at home all day anyway. Time to start the caramel. Pumpkin caramel, that is. This was a slight pain. Once I reached the perfect amber color and boil, I added the cream only to have it solidify. Immediately. After fishing out the hardened caramel, I put it in a bowl and microwaved it a few seconds. Once melted, I added it back to the pan along with the melted coconut oil. Solid caramel. Immediately. Again. With my last bout of patience, I fished it out, put it in the microwave, and melted it again. This time I slowly added it as I stirred the caramel color right out of that caramel. It worked. Perfect. In goes the pumpkin stuff, transfer to bowl, cover, and chill FOR FOUR HOURS. Thank goodness, there was football.

By half time these cookies were ready to go. I removed the dough from the fridge, rolled it into the suggested-sized balls, thumb inserted, and into the oven they went. Yes, the middles puffed up like the recipe warned. No, they didn't go down once pushed with the back of a spoon like the recipe advised. My "prints" weren't very deep, and a few cookies were cracking. Okay. Next sheet in were of the bigger ball sort. These were a little deeper but not quite. By this time I was thinking these darn things were going to be frosted and that was that. But, surprisingly, once the pumpkin caramel was scooped into the cookies, and dusted with a little sea salt, they looked like the picture. I wonder if they're holes weren't that deep either. The pumpkin caramel covered it perfectly.

Although I made these specifically for my mother-in-law, I couldn't give them to her without tasting one. I mean, what if they were awful. I'd be horrified. I don't bake awful things. Time to be the taste-tester. The smaller balls from the first batch made nice bite-sized cookies, so I opted for one of those instead of the prettier bigger ones. A little too much pumpkin for my liking I thought (probably due to the fact I cut down on the sugar). After a few photos, I tried another one. These really aren't bad. After gobbling up, let's say, five more, I quickly placed them in two containers and hid them in the fridge.

Later that night, I told Mr. B in between mouthfuls of cookie he had to tell his mother about the cookies and she must pick them up immediately if she would like any of them. She came the next day and had one and a half containers to take home.

Honestly, there's never a dull moment with me. And, you'll be happy to know, these cookies are Thanksgiving perfection.

Salted Pumpkin Caramel Thumbprints
*slightly adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

Cookies:
1/3 unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c coconut oil, softened
1/2 c packed light brown sugar
1/4 t salt
1 flax egg (1 T flax seed + 3 T water)
1 t vanilla
3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 c all-purpose flour

Pumpkin Caramel:
1/3 c sugar
2 T water
2 T light corn syrup
2 T coconut oil
1/ 3 c whipping cream
3/4 t pumpkin pie spice
1/2 c canned pumpkin
Sea salt, for sprinkling

FIRST. Make your caramel. In a medium saucepan bring sugar, water, and corn syrup to boiling over medium heat, swirling the pan to stir. Once a light amber brown color (about 5 minutes), remove from heat and add coconut oil and cream, stirring the ENTIRE time. (As soon as my cream hit the liquid it immediately solidified. I had to spoon out the solid piece of caramel, transfer it to a separate bowl, melt it in the microwave, and add it back to the pan. I had to do this twice, so be patient; hardening of caramel can be salvaged.) Once combined add in spice and canned pumpkin. Mix until smooth, transferring to a bowl. Cover and chill caramel at least 4 hours, so it can thicken.

When caramel is almost ready, make the COOKIES. In a large mixing bowl beat butter and oil on high 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and salt. Beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go. Beat in flax egg and vanilla. Beat in flour slowly. Cover and chill 1 hour or until easy to handle (without being too sticky).

Preheat oven 375 degrees. Roll dough into 1" balls, placing 2" apart on ungreased baking sheet. (My 1" balls turned into bite-sized cookies, while the bigger ones were a more decent size. Roll the balls however big you like.) Press thumb into center of each ball. Bake 8-10 minutes (mine were done in 9 minutes) or until bottoms are lightly browned. (If centers puff use back of spoon to gently press back down...however, this didn't really work for me.) Cool on pan 1-2 minutes and remove to wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, spoon pumpkin caramel into centers and sprinkle with sea salt.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Re-Visited: Cooking Club #11

[Original post date Nov. 2011. --Updated 10/14/14: original, but separate, content, with updated photos and/or more details, if available.]


---> Cooking Club is coming up soon, and now that I'm blogging, I want to share these moments but I thought I should play catch-up first. So without further ado, here (and in more posts to come) is what we've been up to. Enjoy!

#11 May: Pizza

The Menu:
Cheddar-Apple Dessert Pizza
Berry Batch Brownie Pizza
Fruit Pizza


I apologize.

I failed.

I completely forgot to charge my camera, and it died during my first attempt at taking pictures during this month's Cooking Club.

But that won't stop me from telling you how ah-mazing this pizza is!

It's definitely my kind of dessert pizza...not too sweet, but just right. Apples and cheese always go together perfectly to create the most mouth-watering bite. (One of my go-to lunches is an apple and Munster grilled cheese....yum.) So this pizza did not disappoint. The cheddar made a delightful crust, and paired with the apple-sugar-and-spice topping.... Let's just say I love nutmeg.

You must make this ASAP!

I think this would be great for a brunch, or even more perfect as another the-day-after-Thanksgiving breakfast.

Update: With all of the above being said, I have made this dessert pizza quite a few times since that cooking club and have made many changes since, making it my own recipe. The biggest adaptation is turning the pizza into a rustic galette. For some reason I can't seem to get the pizza crust as sturdy as that first day, and have now just enjoyed making this dessert a tad rustic and crumbly. I changed up the cheese, replaced the butter with coconut oil, and have omitted half of the sugar.

Rustic Munster-Apple Galette

*adapted from Taste of Homes recipe

Serves 8

1 1/4 c flour + 1/3 c (mixture of all-purpose and whole wheat pastry flours)
1 tsp salt +1/4 tsp
1/2 c shortening
1 c shredded Munster cheese (I think any cheese would work here, so choose to your liking)
1/4 c ice water
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 c coconut oil
4 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine 1 1/4 c flour with 1 tsp salt. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Add cheese and toss lightly. Sprinkle ice water gradually over mixture, then shape into a ball with lightly floured hands. Place dough in center of large baking sheet (or round pizza pan) and roll outward from center to cover pan (or until big enough to your liking).

In a bowl, mix sugars with 1/3 c flour, spices and 1/4 tsp salt. Sprinkle half of sugar mixture over crust. Cut coconut oil into remaining sugar mix until crumbly and set aside. Arrange apple slices in overlapping rings on crust, leaving a 2" edge. Sprinkle with lemon juice, then with sugar-butter mix. Fold over the 2" edge of dough onto the galette topping, creating an overlap of crust along the edges of the galette and sealing in the apples.

Bake 35-40 minutes, or until apples are tender and crust is browned around edges. Serve warm cut into squares, slices, or whatever your heart desires. But be ready to eat more than one piece!

Add a steaming cup of Joe and this is brunch perfection, sweet friends.

*I hope you enjoyed these Cooking Club snippets. There are more to come as I try to play catch-up before this month's meeting. I hope these themes, and even Cooking Club itself, inspire you to gather with your friends and family in the kitchen, and make sweet moments (and delicious food) of your own.

**I've only included the recipes to the dishes I made. Only because I'm unsure of where everyone got theirs...and hey, we gotta give credit where credit is due. If you have any questions about the other dishes, I'll ask the other members where they got their recipes and pass it along!

Check out our previous meetings!
Cooking Club #1-4
Cooking Club #5-8
Cooking Club #9
Cooking Club #10


[Update: Recipe adaptations, along with mouth-watering pictures, and previous cooking club links.]

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Re-Visited: Cooking Club #6

[Original post date Nov. 2011. --Updated 9/8/14: original, but separate, content, with updated photos and/or more details, if available.] 


---> Cooking Club is coming up soon, and now that I'm blogging, I want to share these moments but I thought I should play catch-up first. So without further ado, here (and in other posts) is what we've been up to. Enjoy!

#6 December: Cookie Exchange  

The Menu:
Apricot [& Raspberry] Pinwheels
Chocolate Chip Spritz
Cream Cheese Spritz
Caramel Press Cookies
Chocolate Cookies
Mocha Madness
Eggnog Sandwiches
Cookie Pops
Chocolate Butterscotch Chip Cookies


Christmastime is here....so we thought, why not a cookie exchange? After all, a few of my close friends and I get together every season to spread the cookie cheer. We gather and bake cookies and belt Christmas carols and gossip and talk about our college days and how much we miss each other because life has taken over and we're crazy-busy. You know, girl stuff.

So when Cooking Club decided to make cookies its monthly theme, I was giddy with joy. I LOVE baking around the holidays! In fact, I had four (!) so-called gatherings scheduled for this season: one with my close friends, one with my mother-in-law, Cooking Club, and I always have one at home in case I didn't get a chance to make everything I wanted. [Trust me, my list contains so many recipes, I rarely get to them all.]

For this meeting, I had planned on making another cookie, but after that failed when I did a test run during my baking session with my mother-in-law, I chose to try the Apricot Pinwheels instead. Score! I found this recipe in a Betty Crocker pamphlet my mother-in-law picked up for me two years ago.

These were a lot of fun to make (especially when I got out my ruler and was all precise with my measurements to make sure I got the exact amount of cookies---because I'm OCD like that) and were even more delicious. I wanted to make a double batch, so when I ran out of apricot preserves, I substituted my favorite, raspberry. Ah-Mazing!

These little pinwheels are so yummy that they are now on my "Must-Make-Every-Christmas" cookie list (which is quickly becoming a very looong list). I even took some of these tasty treats home for my family Christmas, and my grandpa enjoyed them so much I had to promise to make him a special batch next year.

OK, so back on topic. We were one member down, again, this month. I guess Andrew isn't into the whole baking thing. "It's too girly." But Jessica made up for his absence because she decided to try three cookie recipes. Yay! More cookies!

Hmmm...or so I thought.

I guess an all-day baking extravaganza wasn't fitting for Cooking Club, especially with two young teenagers who became bored about two hours in. And decided to skip out and relax in the living room for the rest of the day. And brought the most complicated cookie recipes. Yeah, that happened.

Nine hours later, we were exhausted. We watched the day-light hours fade through the window as we continued mixing and baking and covering the kitchen floor in flour and forgetting that the oven temperature does continue to rise after it's been on for hours and hours, sadly burning the Mocha Madness batch.

Yeah, no more Cooking Club cookie exchanges. There really is an art to an all-day cookie baking event. Definitely not for rookies or the faint-of-heart.

Check out my pinwheels! (Above left, the Eggnog Sandwiches & above right, the Chocolate Butterscotch Chips)

However, you must try these pinwheels! They are so cute and fun to make, AND I promise they will be a hit at your next Christmas party. (If not, look me up, and I'll take them off your hands.)

P.S. The Chocolate Butterscotch Chip Cookies were awesome. Easily enough, the recipe was on the back of a Nestle Toll House bag of butterscotch chips. However, I can't seem to find the link for that exact recipe, but here is the web site. (Remember that episode of FRIENDS where Monica tries to duplicate Phoebe's grandma's cookie recipe? Hee hee. BTW, I LOVE FRIENDS, best show ever. I own all the seasons, watch them all the time, and I'm sure you will become tired of my FRIENDS references. But that is just something I cannot apologize for.)

Apricot Pinwheels
*inspired by a Betty Crocker recipe

Makes 4 dozen

1 pkg (3 oz) cream cheese, softened (maybe next time try plain Greek yogurt?)
1 c butter (or go half with coconut oil and half butter)
1/4 c sugar, or sugar substitute (like Stevia)
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 c flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 c apricot preserves (or whatever you prefer, like raspberry. YUM.)
1/4 c almonds, chopped (optional)

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Stir in flour and salt. Cover and refrigerate, about 30 minutes or until firm. Preheat oven 350 degrees and lightly grease cookie sheets with shortening. (If your oven preheats quickly, I'd wait until you have your first tray ready to go in, then preheat as you work on the next one.)

On a generously floured surface, roll dough into 16x12" rectangle. Cut rectangle into 48 2"-squares, 8 rows by 6 rows. Use metal spatula to place squares 1" apart on sheets. Spread each square with about 1/4 tsp preserves. On each square cut from each corner to 1/4" from center. Bring every other point to center and press together to form a pinwheel. If using, sprinkle each with almonds.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately remove from sheet to cooling rack. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information
Original recipe, per cookie: Calories 80; Fat 5; Protein 1

*I hope you enjoyed these Cooking Club snippets. There are many more to come as I try to play catch-up before this month's meeting. I hope these themes, and even Cooking Club itself, inspire you to gather with your friends and family in the kitchen, and make sweet moments (and delicious food) of your own.

**I've only included the recipes to the dishes I made. Only because I'm unsure of where everyone got theirs...and hey, we gotta give credit where credit is due. If you have any questions about the other dishes, I'll ask the other members where they got their recipes and pass it along!

Check out our previous meetings!
Cooking Club #1-4
Cooking Club #5

[Update: I included a few helpful tips for the Apricot Pinwheels recipe, and added a link to the Toll House recipe site. Maybe you'll have better luck at finding the butterscotch recipe than I did. However, there are some other great options when it comes to using those butterscotch morsels. The two Spritz Cookies and the Caramel Press ones, those recipes came with Jessica's cookie press tool, which she purchased at Bed, Bath & Beyond, I think.]

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Re-Visited: Cooking Club #4

[Original post date Nov. 2011. --Updated 8/25/14: original, but separate, content, with updated photos and/or more details, if available.]


---> Cooking Club is coming up soon, and now that I'm blogging, I want to share these moments but I thought I should play catch-up first. So without further ado, here (and in more posts to come) is what we've been up to. Enjoy!

Jenny and I putting the final touches on the cupcakes.

#4 October: Interpretation of Orange

The Menu:

         Beverage

Orange Dream Delights

         Main Course

Homemade Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Butter Sauce

Ma Po Tofu

        Sides

Apricot Kielbasa Slices

Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries and Sauce

Orange Rice Skillet

        Desserts

Peaches 'N Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes

Mandarin Orange Fluff Dessert

I'd like to announce that Cooking Club now has eight members! Apparently my co-workers love to cook, which is awesome. This month our fellow co-worker, Kelly along with her two teenaged-daughters, Angelica and Rosea, and Jessica's sister Melanie joined. There was so much fun and craziness going on in Jessica's small kitchen. We actually had to make our dishes in shifts, but that just meant more hands to help. 

And this month's theme, not sure where it came from, but it left the guidelines wide open. We could either use an actual orange, or any ingredient that was the color orange.

Remember how I went on and on about peaches and them being my favorite fruit and all in the cobbler Cooking Club post, well guess what I brought this month that was orange?

PEACHES. Yes. 

Again, I spent hours going through cookbooks (I have a plethora; I guess it's something I collect) trying to find the perfect "orange" recipe. Nothing satisfied, and I remembered that I had marked some recipes online. Enter Peaches 'N Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes.

Another thing you need to know about me: I.LOVE.CHEESECAKE. There aren't even the right words in our English language to describe my love for this sinful dessert. Every year on my birthday, instead of cake, I get CHEESEcake. I'm so in love. Mr. B understands. I love cheesecake like he loves pretzels. However, I never keep it in the house because I too will devour it in its entirety.

Cheesecake + peaches = perfection.

So imagine my disappointment when these failed. Jessica said she thought they were great and was planning on making them again the following week, but I disagreed. I know cheesecake. And there was just something about the way these set up that wasn't cheesecake-worthy.

My recipe looks yummy.

Ugh.

Everything else was tasty, except the Mandarin Orange Fluff Dessert. It had pineapple. I hate pineapple. I can detect it in anything. [Trust me, my family has tried to pull one on me here and there. But I always know.] Alas, that is another Cooking Club rule: You must take at least one bite of every dish. (However now, after my strong fight to worm my way out of tasting, we all know who doesn't like what and we adjust our recipes accordingly. Of course, this excludes any allergies, or insensitivities, which we aim to avoid any way.)

This month my favorite recipe was the Apricot Kielbasa Slices that Rosea made. Quite tasty, and I think my hubby would even approve. Also, we had our first Cooking Club mishap. Apparently Andrew's pan was a little too hot, and when he added the chili oil, the kitchen was engulfed in spicy fumes. We were all gasping for fresh air!

Apricot Kielbasa Slices

Andrew's Ma Pa Tofu cleared the kitchen.

The spicy fumes were so much, we all ended up outside gasping
for fresh air. My lungs were burning!

*I hope you enjoyed these Cooking Club snippets. There are many more to come as I try to play catch-up before this month's meeting. I hope these themes, and even Cooking Club itself, inspire you to gather with your friends and family in the kitchen, and make sweet moments (and delicious food) of your own.

**I've only included the recipes to the dishes I made. Only because I'm unsure of where everyone got theirs...and hey, we gotta give credit where credit is due. If you have any questions about the other dishes, I'll ask the other members where they got their recipes and pass it along!

Check out our previous meetings!
Cooking Club #1
Cooking Club #2
Cooking Club #3

[Update: I've included the link to Jessica's homemade pumpkin ravioli recipe, and a few more pictures of my favorite tasty dishes recreated at home.]

Pssst...In honor of National Peach Month, here are a few of my favorite peach dishes, including a great morning smoothie, a family favorite cobbler, and a mouth-watering tart. What's your favorite peach dish?

With Love and God Bless,

Brindi