Product review for a Lazy Day

Even I, who loves to bake, wants to make something lazy sometimes.  I thought it would be fun to do something different and do a product review of a couple lazy day products I've used recently- Krusteaz cookie mix, and Papa Murphy's cookie dough.

The other day I was at the grocery store and the 'New Item' tag caught my eye.  It was for this Krusteaz brand Bakery Style Chocolate Chunk Cookie mix.  I was intrigued by the words 'Bakery Style' and the picture definately looks good, so I grabbed it.  It's easy enough, just add softened butter and one egg, mix it up and bake.  While they were baking, of course I had to sample the dough.  That alone got me kinda excited.  The dough was very yummy and that's usually a good sign.  Once baked, they had a good strong vanilla flavor, but the texture was more cakey than I usually like.  All in all, pretty good for a mix, and I'll probably try it again.

Every Friday night at our house is Family Pizza and a Movie Night.  I stopped by Papa Murphy's to grab a pizza (not Jared's favorite, but it's cheaper, so there ya go) and while I was in there I picked up a tub of their premade chocolate chip cookie dough.  I overheard the cashier saying they actually make it in the store themselves, so that was a good sign.  The dough wasn't quite as tasty to eat raw (okay, I know you're not supposed to do that, but let's just be honest, it's one of the best things about making cookies, and we all do it).  But once baked I really loved the crispy texture even though they didn't actually get hard.  And really, can you beat just scooping it straight onto the pan?  It doesn't get any easier.

So final verdict?  Papa Murphy's had the best cookies, but Krusteaz made better dough, and was a better deal for that matter.

It's funny though, because I've been thinking about writing this blog for a few days now, then yesterday I found a recipe for Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies and decided to try it out.  It took me all of 5-6 minutes to get the dough together and in the oven, which made me think- do I really need those lazy day products?  Is 5-6 minutes really that hard even when I'm tired or whatever?  And one of the things I love the most about baking is the actual process, learning new skills, or perfecting techniques.  So does this mean I'll never buy another tub of Papa Murphy's cookie dough?  I'm sure I will, because I know that I have those moments when scooping something onto the pan is the most effort I want to put into it.  And it's a pretty decent outcome for such little effort. 

Coming Soon....Fall Recipes!!  Yummm, my favorite baking time of year!

Truffle Cookies

Oh my! I have had this recipe for a long time, but just made them for the first time today. Almost five years ago I was wandering around this fun street in Portland with Jared (I was still pregnant with Ann) and we stumbled across a cool little bookstore. Of course, I was checking out their cookbooks and found this collection of pamphlet type cookbooks for only $4. I of course chose the one all about chocolate (It's called 'Anne Wilson, Classic Essentials, Chocolate' and totally worth it), and it has turned out to be an all-time favorite with some of the best recipes. The kind of stuff that's truly indulgent and feels gourmet. Well Yum. These cookies were kind of like a dark chocolate brownie, and pretty easy to make. If you like the brownies on the edges of the pan, then you'll love these. Each cookie is like getting a corner brownie. They were nice and chewy and especially good while warm. Give em a try!

Triple Chocolate Cookies
3/4 C butter
5 oz semi sweet chocolate ( I use chips)
1 1/2 C flour
3/4 C cocoa powder
1 1/2 C brown sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 C semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Sift together the flour and cocoa powder, then stir in the sugar. Set aside.
Melt the butter and chocolate over low heat until smooth. Stir into the flour mixture with the eggs. Then stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop by spoonfuls (I am loyal to my cookie scooper, like a mini ice cream scoop) then flaten slightly with hands.
Bake for 10 minutes, then let cool on pan for about 5 more minutes before cooling on a wire rack. Enjoy!

Sunday Cookies

At the beginning of January I was called to teach Sunday School to the 12-13 year olds. There are about 12 of them and they're a fun group, but I quickly discovered that they need a little additional motivation to participate and answer questions. So I started baking cookies each week and they get one if they answer a question, read a quote, etc. It certainly does the trick, plus it's one extra excuse each week for me to bake. So I decided to share three of my favorite cookie recipes, two were a big hit, and one...was not so big a hit. But I'm still sharing it because it's one of my favorites (and my mom's), but I guess it's more of a grown-up's cookie than a teenager's cookie.

A few thoughts on the way I make cookies...

In the past few months I've been trying out dark brown sugar a lot more and loving it. I don't know why I never tried this before, but I love the rich molasses flavor. The only thing about it is that the dough is a little darker, so it's harder to tell by sight when the cookies are done, because they're just going to be more brown. So be careful not to underbake them.

Another thought about cookies...I like a softer cookie, chewy but not crisp. In order to get this I tend to take them out right when the edges are getting brown, then leave them on the pan for a while until they're getting cool. Then I remove them to a wire rack. I think the texture is what makes the difference. If you prefer a crisper cookie, leave them in a little longer, obviously.

Also, I only bake cookies at 350 degrees. I know most recipes say 375, but I think this makes the outsides cook too quickly. I just think they bake more even at a lower temperature, this goes for cakes too.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are sooo good and Jared's favorite. I don't remember where I came across a version of this recipe a few years ago, but they're really great and I only had to tweak the recipe a little bit to get it where I wanted it.

1 C butter, room temp

3/4 C dark brown sugar

1/4 C white sugar

1 package (small) instant vanilla pudding mix

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 C flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 bag chocolate chips (I do half milk, half semi sweet if I have both on hand)

Beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in pudding mix until well mixed. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, and chocolate chips and mix well.

Bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes.

These would be great with nuts, but as I'm allergic to walnuts and pecans, I haven't tried...

These also make great big cookies, try a 1/4 C measure or large cookie scoop.

Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are my absolute favorite cookies right now. This is also probably my most asked for recipe. My mom got this from a college roommate forever ago. With this recipe I am very brand loyal for the margarine and peanut butter, I have noticed a real difference when using other brands, I don't know why. Also, be sure to use milk chocolate chips, if you use semi sweet or dark, it overpowers the peanut butter flavor.

1 1/2 C (3 sticks) margarine (Imperial) don't use butter, they'll be too crisp

1 1/2 C chunky peanut butter (Skippy)

1 1/2 C white sugar

1 1/2 C brown sugar (sometimes I use dark)

3 eggs

3 3/4 C flour

2 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 t baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

milk chocolate chips to taste

Beat margarine, PB, sugars, and eggs. Blend in flour, soda, powder, salt, and chocolate chips. Spoon onto baking sheet (this recipe traditionally says to refrigerate, roll into balls, etc, but I skip all that and just use a cookie scoop and put it right on after mixing and it works great).

Bake 350 degres 10 - 12 minutes. Makes 9 dozen.

I usually bake half the recipe, and refrigerate the rest to bake a couple days later.

Tart Cherry and Oat Cookies

I was so excited to discover a great bakery, or should I say 'dessert boutique' while wandering around German Village a few months ago. I've really missed all my favorite bakeries from Portland, so I was so happy to find a replacement in Columbus. I don't usually go for this sort of cookie (meaning one without chocolate), but I tried it out and loved it. So I started searching for a recipe I could make at home. These aren't an exact replica, but they're very good and my mom loves them. These were not a big hit with the twelve year olds, but I still stand by them. The base of this recipe is so good, you could take out the cherries and replace it with chocolate chips or something else.

1 stick of butter

1/2 C dark brown sugar

1/4 plus 2 T white sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 C flour

1/4 t baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 C oats

3/4 C dried tart cherries, chopped

Beat butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Combine flour, soda, powder, salt, and oats. Mix in well. Stir in cherries. Bake 350 degrees 11- 12 minutes. yum! This only makes two dozen, so you might want to double it.

Starting a baking blog

Well, I've decided to start another blog. More for my fun than anyone else's. I'm sure not many people will be interested in what I've been baking lately and whatnot, but I thought this would be a good way to put my thoughts in one place and use it as a reference for things I've made. Hopefully I'll keep up on it. I'm sure I could do a better job on keeping up on our family blog too.
Also, I really hope that people will leave comments and suggestions. I always like more ideas!

To start off, these are a few random pictures I've taken over the last several months. I don't have pictures of the really good stuff, but these were fun times. The picture below was taken when we made halloween cupcakes for our neighbors. I got the spiderweb decoration idea from a magazine. I thought they were the cutest. Of course, the girls have their own decorating ideas!

These were some seriously yummy pumpkin muffins. I love pumpkin recipes, not just in the fall, but all year round. I think I got this recipe off the internet. But they turned out fantastic. I sprinkled sugar on before baking and that gave them a really great texture. yum! Here's the recipe- 1 1/2 C flour, 1 tsp baking powder, sift together and set aside. Mix together 1 C canned pumpkin, 1/3 C vegetable oil, 2 eggs, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1 1/4 C sugar, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 t salt. Stir in flour mixture. Spoon into muffin pan. Stir together 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 T sugar. Sprinkle over top of each muffin before baking. 350 degrees 25- 30 minutes.

Evelyn enjoying the muffin, wow, her hair has grown so much since the fall!

For her birthday, Ann really wanted a mermaid cake, so this is what I came up with. Obviously, the water is just icing dyed blue. The sand was fun though, first you frost the area, then cover it with crushed graham crackers so it really looks like sand. Ann loved it. I also just picked up a few decorations to stick in it at the local cake decorating shop (oh how I miss The Decorette Shop back in Portland).

These are the best pumpkin chocolate chip cookies ever. I got the recipe from a co-worker back when I lived in Provo. Here's the recipe if you're interested - 1 C canned pumpkin, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 C margarine, 1 egg beaten, 1 C sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 C flour, small bag of chocolate chips. Beat pumpkin, baking soda, and margarine until creamy. Add the egg and sugar, mix well. Add flour, spices, and chocolate chips, mix well. Bake 350 degrees 12- 15 minutes.

Well, I already know what I want to do on my next couple of blogs, so hopefully I'll get to that soon and it'll be a bit more interesting (and not all fall related recipes).