Happy New Year!

On this New Year's Day
and the whole year through,

May the kindness and generosity
you've given to others
returns many times to you.







All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Eggnog - And it will knock your socks off!

My husband used to travel quite a bit when he worked at IBM and he had friends all over the world. We were living in Florida at the time and since Tampa was headquarters for The IBM Information Network whenever one of my husband's co-workers was in town for business we would get together for dinner or drinks. And many times they even stayed at our home, and when I look back I really think I should have charged IBM hotel fees...but I digress!

It was close to Christmas and we got a call from Tom, a friend in Washington D.C. that he was going to be in town with his wife, Marianne, visiting family and they wanted to get together for lunch. We met Tom and Marianne and had a great time at lunch along with a few Martinis. Then we proceeded over to Marianne's Mother's home in Clearwater and immediately upon arrival Marianne served us her Eggnog. Now, this is not just a seasonal Eggnog like your Grandma made. This is lip-smacking, long-lasting, sweet-tasting, swear-like-a-sailor buzz kill that would even get old Scrooge in a jolly mood! And I loved it!









Knock Your Socks Off EggNog
Recipe adapted from a friend, Marianne

12 eggs, separate
1 LB confectioners sugar
3 c. blended whiskey
1/2 + 1/3 c. light rum
1/2 + 1/3 c. dark rum
1 c. Peach Brandy
1 qt Whipping Cream
1 qt half/half

Separate the eggs.

Place the egg yolks in a VERY large bowl and beat until light in color.

While beating add confectioner's sugar

Continue beating and add 1 c. blended whiskey, 1/2 c. light rum, 1/2 c. dark rum

Let mixture stand for at least 1 hour to dispel egg taste.

After it has rested start beating the mixture again and add, 2 c. blended whiskey, 1/3 c. white rum, 1/3 c. dark rum, peach brandy, whipping cream and half/half.

Refrigerate covered for 3 hours.

Beat egg whites until stiff and gently fold into cream/booze mixture.

Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream, nutmeg and a candy cane as a stir stick. The Candy Cane dipped in the Eggnog was delicious!

This is a large recipe but you can half or quarter the recipe and it works out just fine!











All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Cream Cheese Cookies -- My Favorite Cookie!

When I was growing up every Christmas my Mom made Cream Cheese Cookies. She used her old-fashioned Cookie Press and made hundreds of little Christmas Trees, Camels and Wreaths. I remember the cookie sheets covered with green and red cookies laying on every flat surface of our kitchen and dining room. And I remember my Mom shaking colored sugars and confections and placing red hots for Christmas balls and silver dagrees for eyes. And I remember the wonderful smell of cookies baking!

And when I moved into my first apartment I, too, made Cream Cheese Christmas Cookies and covered them with confections and colored M&Ms. But I used a new manual Cookie Press which was smaller but still not comfortable to use but I persisted after all these are my favorite cookies! Until finally in 1986 I heard about an Electric Cookie Press and believe me I was at the store within hours and bought my first Super Shooter by Wear-Ever and it worked wonderfully.

I could not believe how fast the Super Shooter made the cookies. I could make two sheets of cookies in less then two minutes and every cookie was perfect and no more blisters on my hands from using the manual press! I now have three Wear-Ever Super Shooters just in case one burns out!









Cream Cheese Cookies
Recipe adapted from my Great Aunt Mil

1 c. Butter
1 c. Sugar
1-3oz pkg. of Cream Cheese **See Note
1 Egg Yolk
2 1/2 c. Flour
1/2 tsp. Vanilla

Cream butter; Add Cream Cheese and Sugar. Beat egg yolk; Add Vanilla and Flour;

Chill dough over night; Must use either a Cookie Press or dropped tsp and pressed with fork.

Bake at 350 Degrees for about 8 minutes or until lightly brown on bottom. Cookies should be soft not crispy.

**Note: I always double the recipe and just add 1-8oz package of Cream Cheese. I think the extra Cream Cheese makes a better cookie dough. And I sift all my dry ingredients. You must make the cookies within 24 hrs of making the dough, otherwise the cookies will loose flavor.









Flavor of the Month is graciously hosted by Bridget of Bake at 350. Hop on over and you'll find some fabulous ideas freely shared by many highly creative people.





Gadgets that Work







I love my Wear-Ever Super Shooter and although it's no longer made, you can still find them at local garage sales and on Ebay. I bought my extra Shooters at local garage sales and church rummage sales and neither had even been used and were completely intact including manual and in the original box. I think I paid around $5 for each of them but I would have paid much more. Just the thought of having to go back to a manual cookie press makes my hands hurt!

The Super Shooter is very easy to use. Just fill the barrel up with cookie dough, choose a cookie die and pull the trigger et viola...a cookie is born!

All Super Shooter parts are dishwasher safe except the actual gun which houses the motor and this can be easily wiped down with a damp cloth.

There are other brands of Electric Cookie Presses on the market now, some are even cordless. I did try the Salton and it was returned within a week. I'll stick with my Wear-Ever Super Shooter which is still going strong since 1986!





All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Nuts to You! **Almond Cookies with Chocolate and Apricot

There's really no reason why I chose Bon Appetit's Chocolate and Almond-Dipped Sandwich Cookies as my seventh cookie for our 12-Days of Cookies Extravaganza except I thought the cookies were pretty! It's just an innocent cookie and I had no idea I would be heading into cookie combat! But I was not taken by surprise and since I had chocolate on my side and apricots as my right flank, I was very prepared. Bring it on........

Okay "Bon Appetit" this is my first official smackdown!

I have baked cookies forever. I've made 100's of recipes. I've created my own cookie recipes. I've added this and that, sweet and savory, even used fresh fruit and have always produced a good cookie. But yesterday I had my first cookie failure and it was a total failure. Nothing I tried saved this recipe. I know some will say "it's your flour" or "it's your oven" and I'm going to flat out say the problem was the recipe!

I knew this recipe was going to be touch and go when I was mixing it up. The cookie dough had the consistency of frosting. How in the world can you make cookies with dough that is soft like frosting? So I thought if I refrigerated the dough for 24 hours it might help. But in the morning the dough was still much too soft.

Since the dough was like frosting, the logical thing to do is pipe the cookies. So I got out my pastry bag and largest star tip and piped 2 1/2" bars. And after baking and cooling the bars, I thought I'd dip one end of the cookie into chocolate, sprinkle with chopped nuts and the cookies would look delicate and Christmasy and gorgeous!! The cookies piped beautifully and as I popped the full cookie sheet into the oven, I thought all the problems were behind me. But within three minutes of baking the cookies were completely melted into one big paper-thin mass of cookie dough! FAIL! Double FAIL! No, make that a Triple FAIL!

So I got to work and made a new cookie dough, MY WAY! For reference I used Bon Appetit's Chocolate and Almond-Dipped Sandwich Cookies which is the recipe that failed and King Arthur's Almond Cookies with Praline Chocolate Filling.

And my Almond Cookies with Chocolate and Apricot were fantastic and so much fun to make!







Almond Cookies with Chocolate and Apricot
Recipe developed by Big-Black-Dog

Cookies:
1/2 c. butter, room temperature
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c. confectioner's sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla
1 egg, slightly whipped
1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. Almond Meal

Topping or Filling:
8 oz of semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
4-5 dried apricots, finely minced

Mix the sugar and butter. Add vanilla, egg, salt and almond meal. While mixing gradually add flour.

Chill at least 4 hours.

Cookies can be rolled out to 1/4" thick and cut into shapes. Or 1 tsp of dough can be rolled into a ball and flattened by crisscrossing with a fork or palm of hand or you can use a cookie press or cookie mold.

Bake at 350 degrees until cookies are lightly browned on the edges. Remove to cooling racks.

Chocolate Decoration:
Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool melted chocolate until slightly thickened but still pourable, about 10 minutes.

You can either drizzle by dipping a fork into melted chocolate, then wave fork back and forth over cookies. Or you can dip half the cookie into the chocolate and place on parchment paper. Sprinkle minced apricot on top of chocolate while it is still warm.

And you also can make a sandwich cookie: Place half of cookies, bottom side up, on work surface. Spread chocolate on the back of 1 cookie careful to leave a small border near the edge. Sprinkle the chocolate filling with some minced apricots. Top each with another cookie, gently pressing to adhere.

Set chocolate by placing cookies in refrigerator for 8-10 minutes.


Below is a picture of the Walnut Cookie Mold I used to make my cookies. I've had the molds for a long time now maybe 4-5 years and as I remember I ordered them from Amazon. Molded cookies are easy, yet time consuming to make but I love the effect of a molded cookie!!




Susan @ Thoughts from Over the Rainbow is having a Deck the Halls Party and I'm entering my Almond Cookies with Chocolate and Apricot. Please visit Thoughts from Over the Rainbow and see some more wonderful holiday ideas, I know you will enjoy it!







Please visit the rest of our 12-DaysofCookies Crew and see what they've baked today!

Andrea of Andrea's Recipes.(honorary member and our founder but not participating this year)
Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen
Courtney of Coco Cooks <--Glamorous Courtney
Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook
Judy of No Fear Entertaining
Kelly of Sass & Veracity<--Sweet Kelly
Michelle of BigBlackDog <--Hey that's ME!
RJ of Flamingo Musings <--Feathered Friend Renee
Sandy of At the Baker's Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project








All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Gingerbread Trees with Juniper Berry Glaze

Juniper berry; A juniper berry is the female seed cone produced by the various species of junipers. It is not a true berry but a cone with unusually fleshy and merged scales, which give it a berry-like appearance. The cones from a handful of species, especially Juniperus communis, are used as a spice, particularly in European cuisine, and also give gin its distinguishing flavour. According to one Food and Agriculture Organization (FOA)document, juniper berries are the only spice derived from conifers.

The flavor profile of young, green berries is dominated by pinene; as they mature this piney, resinous backdrop is joined by what is describes as "green-fresh" and citrus notes. The outer scales of the berries are relatively flavourless, so the berries are almost always at least lightly crushed before being used as a spice. They are used both fresh and dried, but their flavor and odor is at their strongest immediately after harvest and decline during drying and storage.

Juniper berries are used in northern European and particularly Scandinavian cuisine to "impart a sharp, clear flavour" to meat dishes, especially wild birds and game meats. They also season pork, cabbage, and sauerkraut dishes. Traditional recipes for choucroute garnie, an Alsatian dish of sauerkraut and meats, universally include juniper berries. Besides Norwegian and Swedish dishes, juniper berries are also sometimes used in German, Austrian, Czech and Hungarian cuisine, often with roasts.







There are many reasons I chose the Gingerbread Trees with Juniper Berry Glaze as my sixth cookie for the 12-Days of Christmas Cookies Extravaganza. I happen to love Gingerbread, so much so that I can remember the first time my Mom made it. We were living in Cuyahoga Falls, OH and I was about 10 years old. I remember the chunk of dark, luscious Gingerbread sitting in front of me, topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with Nutmeg. With my first bite I knew it would always be a favorite of mine and it still is!

I discovered Juniper Berries were used in cooking several years ago and I've wanted to do something with them ever since. The berries have a gentle odor of evergreen and smell so fresh and clean. On the other hand, my childhood memories of Juniper Berries were as a much sought after weapon. We used to pick the berries off our evergreens and wing 'em at each other all the time!

I've been very good about not changing any of the recipes so far for the Christmas Cookie Extravaganza but from now on I'm busting out! It's difficult for me to bake when I know I can make the recipe better or at least better for us. So, yes I did change this recipe. Since I wanted to enhance the Juniper Berry taste I increased the Juniper Berries to 1/2 cup. And for the cookies I added 1 egg and cut down the Molasses to 2 TBL and eliminated the Allspice.

I loved these cookies and they are my favorite so far!! They were not easy to roll out even with chilling the dough overnight in the refrigerator. So once again I just took a small amount of dough and patted it down with my hands to about 1/4" and cut the cookies. The Juniper Berry was not as pronounced as I would have liked, in fact it was barely detectable at all which was a disappointment. But I was very happy with the cookie overall and I will try and find some fresher Juniper Berries for future experimentation.







Gingerbread Trees with Juniper Berry Glaze
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit's Holiday Cookie-a-Day Collection

2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice (I skipped)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses (I used 2 TBL)

My addition: 1 egg, slightly whipped

Glaze and decoration:
3/4 cup half and half
1/3 cup (1 ounce) juniper berries, lightly crushed (I used 1/2 c.)
1 pound powdered sugar
Assorted decorations (colored sugars, nonpareils, and dragées)

For the cookies:

Whisk first 6 ingredients in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in molasses. Beat in dry ingredients. Gather dough; divide into 4 pieces. Shape into disks. Wrap; chill at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Roll out 1 dough disk to 1/8-inch thickness. Using 3 1/2-inch cutter, cut out cookies. Transfer to sheet. Gather scraps; chill.

Bake cookies until almost firm in center, 12 minutes. Cool on sheets 2 minutes, then cool on racks. Repeat, using all dough. DO AHEAD Store airtight at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 weeks.


For glaze and decoration:

Bring first 2 ingredients to simmer. Cover; chill 5 hours. Strain. Place powdered sugar in bowl. Whisk in half and half by spoonfuls until glaze is spreadable. Frost cookies; decorate. Let stand until glaze sets. DO AHEAD Store between sheets of waxed paper in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.






Susan @ Thoughts from Over the Rainbow is having a Deck the Halls Party and I'm entering my Gingerbread Trees with Juniper Berry Glaze. Please visit Thoughts from Over the Rainbow and see some more wonderful holiday ideas, I know you will enjoy it!






Please visit the rest of our 12-DaysofCookies Crew and see what they've baked today!

Andrea of Andrea's Recipes.(honorary member and our founder but not participating this year)
Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen
Courtney of Coco Cooks <--Glamorous Courtney
Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook
Judy of No Fear Entertaining
Kelly of Sass & Veracity<--Sweet Kelly
Michelle of BigBlackDog <--Hey that's ME!
RJ of Flamingo Musings <--Feathered Friend Renee
Sandy of At the Baker's Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project








All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Chocolate Mint Cookies with Pearls and Gold

My fifth cookie choice for 12-Days of Christmas Cookies Extravaganza was not a hard decision at all. I happen to love Chocolate and Mint, but this particular dough was awful sticky and difficult to work with. The directions say to roll the dough into a log and chill for two hours and then just slice the cookies. WRONG! The dough, thoroughly chilled for a good four hours, was still too soft and even though I used my porcelain knife I could not cut through the dough and the cookies were a squished mess.

So rather then try and roll out the dough and fight with my rolling pin I chose to just pat the dough down with my hands in small amounts and cut the cookies. After the cookies were baked and I had a chance to taste them and I honestly think my own Chocolate Mint Cookie Recipe taste much better and the dough is not difficult to work with at all!

Of course I had to get foo-foo fancy with the chocolate and gold dragees and edible pearls but it's Christmas and I love decorating cookies! I must have at least a 100 different varieties and colors of sprinkles, sanding sugar, non-pareils and jimmies. A month or so ago I organized the basement closet that holds all my cookie confections and candy making equipment and if you'd like to take a peek just click here.







Chocolate Mint Cookies
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit's Holiday Cookie-a-Day Collection

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 large egg

Topping: 6 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Whisk flour, cocoa powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend.

Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth.

Beat in peppermint extract and vanilla extract.

Beat in sugar in 3 additions. Add egg and beat until blended.

Add dry ingredients and beat just until blended (dough will be sticky).

Divide dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap.

Using plastic wrap as aid, form dough on each into 2-inch-diameter log. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate dough until well chilled, at least 2 hours. (Dough can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Position 1 rack in center and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 350°F.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap cookie dough logs; roll briefly on work surface to form smooth round logs.

Cut logs crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.

Bake cookies until tops and edges are dry to touch, about 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheets with cookies to racks; cool completely.

Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool melted chocolate until slightly thickened but still pourable, about 10 minutes. Dip fork into melted chocolate, then wave fork back and forth over cookies, drizzling melted chocolate thickly over cookies in zigzag pattern. Refrigerate cookies on baking sheets until chocolate is set, about 10 minutes. (Cookies can be made 1 week ahead. Refrigerate in airtight container between sheets of parchment paper or waxed paper.)







Please visit the rest of our 12-DaysofCookies Crew and see what they've baked today!

Andrea of Andrea's Recipes.(honorary member and our founder but not participating this year)
Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen
Courtney of Coco Cooks <--Glamorous Courtney
Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook
Judy of No Fear Entertaining
Kelly of Sass & Veracity<--Sweet Kelly
Michelle of BigBlackDog <--Hey that's ME!
RJ of Flamingo Musings <--Feathered Friend Renee
Sandy of At the Baker's Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project




All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Holiday Biscotti with Cranberries and Pistachios and a Christmas Cloche Party

Well here I am with my fourth recipe for 12-Days of Christmas Cookies Extravaganza and I decided to make the Holiday Biscotti with Cranberries and Pistachios. I keep at least one cake plate with dome on the island in my kitchen and it's always full of goodies. I noticed that anyone entering my kitchen was always looking around to see what was available to eat and so I thought I'd just make it easy for them! And here's all my cookies decked out for Christmas.







I have to admit I'm not a Biscotti lover, in fact I've only made it once before and as I remember I was just married so that will give a hint how long ago it was. It's not that Biscotti tastes bad, it's just that I prefer soft, cake-like cookies. But this Biscotti was so Christmasy with the white chocolate, red cranberries and green Pistachios, I just could not resist making it and Mr. Tastebuds loved it!



I only made a few changes to the recipe. I used Vanilla Almond Bark instead of White Chocolate and I sprinkled the Bark with a little coarse sugar to give it some Christmas sparkle!


I also made a trip to the Dollar Store...don't you just love that place! And I picked up the cutest stuff to dazzle up my Christmas Cookie photos! I bought a roll of red felt snowflakes, big red and green lollipops, miniature ornaments, teeny tiny garlands and I even bought a bag of Christmas M&Ms to sprinkle around my light tent!







Holiday Biscotti with Cranberries and Pistachios
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit's Holiday Cookie-a-Day Collection

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon whole aniseed
1 cup dried sweetened cranberries
3/4 cup shelled natural unsalted pistachios

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift first 3 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl to blend well. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in lemon peel, vanilla, and aniseed. Beat in flour mixture just until blended. Stir in cranberries and pistachios (dough will be sticky). Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Gather dough together; divide in half. Roll each half into 15-inch-long log (about 1 1/4 inches wide). Carefully transfer logs to 1 prepared baking sheet, spacing 3 inches apart.

Bake logs until almost firm to touch but still pale, about 28 minutes. Cool logs on baking sheet 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

Carefully transfer logs still on parchment to cutting board. Using serrated knife and gentle sawing motion, cut logs crosswise into generous 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place slices, 1 cut side down, on remaining 2 prepared sheets. Bake until firm and pale golden, about 9 minutes per side. Transfer cookies to racks and cool.

Line another baking sheet with waxed paper. Stir white chocolate in top of double boiler over barely simmering water just until smooth. Remove from over water. Dip 1 end of each cookie into melted chocolate, tilting pan if necessary; shake off excess chocolate. Place cookies on prepared sheet. Chill until chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes. (Can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight between sheets of waxed paper at room temperature.)







The Holiday Cloche Party is the brilliant idea of Marty of A Stroll Through Life Please visit Marty's blog and see some wonderful creative ideas for the Holidays all freely shared by many generous people.



Please visit the rest of our 12-DaysofCookies Crew and see what they've baked today!

Andrea of Andrea's Recipes.(honorary member and our founder but not participating this year)
Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen
Courtney of Coco Cooks <--Glamorous Courtney
Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook
Judy of No Fear Entertaining
Kelly of Sass & Veracity<--Sweet Kelly
Michelle of BigBlackDog <--Hey that's ME!
RJ of Flamingo Musings <--Feathered Friend Renee
Sandy of At the Baker's Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project




All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Hazelnut Shortbread Sticks

My next cookie selection for 12-Days of Christmas Cookies Extravaganza is Hazelnut Shortbread Sticks. This is my least favorite cookie so far, not because the cookie itself was not good but because the chocolate is a little over powering for the delicious buttery, nutty taste of the cookie. If I was making these again I would skip the chocolate and just top with chopped hazelnuts or maybe just a slight drizzle of White Almond Bark and a sprinkle of finely chopped hazelnuts.

I did make an error with these cookies. I was dipping the cookies in chocolate and making Almond Chicken for dinner and I accidentally sprinkled the cookies with crushed almonds rather then the hazelnuts! Ooops! And I was so distracted prepping for dinner, feeding the dogs, letting the dogs out, watching the news and dipping cookies in chocolate I was almost done sprinkling with almonds before I realized I had grabbed the wrong nut!







Hazelnut Shortbread Sticks
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit's Holiday Cookie-a-Day Collection
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup finely ground husked toasted hazelnuts (about 2 ounces)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces high-quality milk chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), chopped
1/3 cup coarsely chopped husked toasted hazelnuts

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Beat in 1/2 cup finely ground hazelnuts and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture until just combined.

Shape dough by tablespoonfuls into 3-inch-long logs. Place on prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies until light golden brown around edges, about 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool cookies completely.
Stir milk chocolate in top of double boiler over barely simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Place 1/3 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts in small bowl. Dip 1 end of cookie into melted chocolate, then into coarsely chopped hazelnuts. Return to rack. Repeat with remaining cookies. Let stand until chocolate is set, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD Cookies can be made 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.








Please visit the rest of our 12-DaysofCookies Crew and see what they've baked today!

Andrea of Andrea's Recipes.(honorary member and our founder but not participating this year)
Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen
Courtney of Coco Cooks <--Glamorous Courtney
Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook
Judy of No Fear Entertaining
Kelly of Sass & Veracity<--Sweet Kelly
Michelle of BigBlackDog <--Hey that's ME!
RJ of Flamingo Musings <--Feathered Friend Renee
Sandy of At the Baker's Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project



All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Triple-Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

I am double posting today to catch up with the other 12-DaysofCookies Crew because my blog was a bit jammed up yesterday with other obligations. I honestly never in my wildest dreams thought I would run into scheduling problems with my blog! If you have a minute just scroll down to the next post and see my Hazelnut-Butter Cookies with Mini Chocolate Chips or you can just click the link.

I chose to make Triple-Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies for my next cookie for the 12-Days of Christmas Cookies Extravaganza. It was not a hard decision because I love oatmeal cookies and I love cranberries. And I also love to drizzle chocolate although I do need practice and tend to get carried away and just keep drizzling and drizzling and drizzling! But even with my squiggly drizzling the cookies were very good...in fact amazingly good!

I've had a hard time working with white chocolate in the past so this time I bought Vanilla Almond Bark. The Vanilla Bark was so much easier to work with then the White Chocolate. And it has a nice white color compared to the White Chocolate which has a yellowish cast to it and can make baked goods look like they've been sitting for a while!







Triple-Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit's Holiday Cookie-a-Day Collection

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
2 ounces milk chocolate or white chocolate, chopped (for drizzling)

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl to blend.

Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and oats and stir until blended. Stir in all chocolate chips and cranberries.

Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until edges are light brown, about 16 minutes. Cool on sheets 5 minutes.

Transfer to rack; cool completely.

Stir chopped milk chocolate in top of double boiler until melted and smooth.
Using small spoon, drizzle melted chocolate over cookies in zigzag pattern. Let stand until milk chocolate sets, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.








Please visit the rest of our 12-DaysofCookies Crew and see what they've baked today!

Andrea of Andrea's Recipes.(honorary member and our founder but not participating this year)
Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen
Courtney of Coco Cooks <--Glamorous Courtney
Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook
Judy of No Fear Entertaining
Kelly of Sass & Veracity<--Sweet Kelly
Michelle of BigBlackDog <--Hey that's ME!
RJ of Flamingo Musings <--Feathered Friend Renee
Sandy of At the Baker's Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project



All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Hazelnut-Butter Cookies with Mini Chocolate Chips

Hmmmm....a new baking group is forming. And the plan is to make 12 different Christmas Cookies and post on 12 consecutive days. I want to play but........

Let me introduce you to some friends of mine, Ms. Push and Mr. Pull.

Push: I want to join the 12-Days of Christmas Cookies Extravaganza!

Pull: Michelle do you really need another thing to pile onto the load you're carrying? I mean really, don't you think you have enough in your life? And you do not need 12 different batches of Christmas Cookies..now do you? And remember that job you have...the one where you make no money?

Push: Well, come to think of it, I love making Christmas Cookies and making cookies does not take that much time. And besides I already have most of the ingredients in my pantry. So what's the problem? And about the job...why am I working for no money?

Pull: Let me just say that I only have your best interest at heart. And since you apparently want a list, for one thing you've done absolutely no Christmas shopping yet! And the cats only have a day or so of food left. The windows are getting awfully grimy and for crying out loud you have not even hung the artwork in the living room yet. As for the job, YOU own the company, right?

Push: Let's see...the artwork can wait, I'm the only one that goes into the living room anyway so what's the diff? And it's almost winter and no one's looking out the windows again until at least March. My cats are working cats and there's plenty of mice in our pastures and I can do my Christmas Shopping at Amazon. And since I own the company, I guess it's none of your business!

It was a tough decision but I knew that the cookies would prevail. They always do.



Let the cookie baking begin!



OH I had so much fun deciding what cookies I will make from the wonderful list at Bon Appetit's Holiday Cookie-a-Day Collection.

I had my recipe selection all done and printed out and then discovered that I had chosen 15 recipes instead of the 12 I needed. I let Mr. Tastebud's do the final elimination and I also let him pick the first cookie. Of course he picked the recipe that closely resembled Chocolate Chip Cookies being he's a Chocolate Chip fanatic to the point where I have to hide my bags of baking bits! Well he hides his socks so I can't wear them, so I don't feel guilty at all hiding my chocolate chips! What's with men and their socks any way?

I made this recipe exactly as written except I added some of the swirled chips to give the cookies some spark. And since the cookies were sort of plain looking I did roll them in Coarse Raw Sugar which gave them a nice Christmas sparkle! I loved the Hazelnut Butter in these cookies! It added just enough flavor to make the cookies unique and I will definitely be buying more of the nut butters with Almond and Pecan next on my list to try!






Hazelnut-Butter Cookies with Mini Chocolate Chips
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit's Holiday Cookie-a-Day Collection

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup creamy unsalted hazelnut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 12-ounce package semisweet mini chocolate chips (2 cups)

My Additions:
1/4 cup Swirled Chocolate Chips
Coarse Raw Sugar to roll the cookies in before baking.

Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter, hazelnut butter, and both sugars in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Soften dough slightly at room temperature before shaping.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using 1 level tablespoon for each cookie, roll dough between palms of hands into 1-inch balls. Arrange 1 inch apart on prepared sheets. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are golden brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets on racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool. DO AHEAD Can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight between sheets of waxed paper at room temperature.







Please visit the rest of our 12-DaysofCookies Crew and see what they've baked today!

Andrea of Andrea's Recipes.(honorary member and our founder but not participating this year)
Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen
Courtney of Coco Cooks<--Glamorous Courtney
Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook
Judy of No Fear Entertaining
Kelly of Sass & Veracity<--Sweet Kelly
Michelle of BigBlackDog <--Hey that's ME!
RJ of Flamingo Musings<--Feathered Friend Renee
Sandy of At the Baker's Bench
Tiffany of The Nesting Project




All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Thanksgiving Dinner 2009 -- So good, so fun, so full!

This was probably the most organized Thanksgiving I've ever had and it was wonderful. I baked my buns off on Wednesday and wasn't even tired....unbelievable! And then Thanksgiving morning I did sleep in but I was still not late getting started.

Mr. Tastebuds's cooks the turkey and makes the dressing and he even cleans up his mess. Then I take over with all the side dishes, salads and breads. And then I clean up, watch a little football, serve dinner and dessert and then do the big clean up afterwards.

The dishwasher ran three times today and it was packed for every run. I ran out of room in our two refrigerators so just put the cleaned vegetables and salads out on the patio..heck outside was as cold as our refrigerator although I did have to dog-proof the area! Darn dogs think anything outside is far game!

All the new dishes and tweaks on old favorites turned out great! Loved the Oven Baked Mashed Potatoes and the Carrots with Dill were fabulous. But truly the hands down winners were the breads. The biscuits were melt-in-your-mouth fabulous and originally posted on Kim's blog Stirring the Pot! I can not describe how good the biscuits were!! And Judy of I Cook - He Cleans, posted her Outback Steakhouse Bread recipe and this week I made it not once but twice! It is delicious and so easy to make!

I posted all the recipes for the dishes on Monday and if you'd like the recipes for any of these dishes please click here or scroll to the very next post on this page.



Outback Steakhouse Bushman Bread
Recipe adapted from Judy of I Cook - He Cleans







Grandmother Walters's Biscuits
Recipe adapted from My New Orleans






Oven Mashed Potatoes
Recipe adapted from Sioux City cookbook "Cornsilk" published 1985






Broccoli and Dried Cranberry Salad with Cashews
Recipe adapted from my sister, Sherry






Quick Steamed Baby Carrots with Dill
Recipe adapted from @kittykim on twitter






I posted all the recipes for the dishes on Monday and if you'd like the recipes for any of these dishes please click here or scroll to the very next post on this page.

To find the recipe for the Outback Steakhouse Bushman Bread recipe please visit Judy of I Cook - He Cleans.




Foodie Friday is graciously hosted by Michael of Designs by Gollum. Please visit Designs by Gollum and see more wonderful creations!









All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Thanksgiving Menu for Spend-a-Buck Farm

Since my blog is on hiatus until after Thanksgiving, I thought I would post my proposed menu. I can't make too many changes or else Mr. Tastebud's gets upset! Poor guy is still recovering from when I brined the turkey in a trash can last year so I can't push it too much. The brined turkey turned out gorgeous but Mr. Tastebuds was very nervous.

Of course I'm serving turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes and gravy, but I thought I'd try a few new things and tweak some of the old.


Mr. Tastebud's picked up the dill today on the way home from work. And he also picked up huge portobella mushrooms on sale 2@$1. Here's the recipe for the Stuffed Mushrooms.


Stuffed Mushrooms with Italian Sausage
Recipe adapted from Southern Food

20 large fresh mushrooms (I'm using 6 HUGE mushrooms)
8 ounces sweet Italian sausage
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 TBL + 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
2 TBL finely chopped parsley
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c water

Wash mushrooms well. Remove stems and chop finely. Remove outer casing from sausage and put in skillet with chopped mushroom stems, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Cook, breaking up sausage, until browned. Add 1 teaspoon of oil, parsley and the Parmesan cheese. Fill mushrooms with sausage mixture and put in shallow baking pan. Pour 1/4 cup water and remaining tablespoon of oil into bottom of the pan. Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes.
Serves 4.



I thought this year I would try the Pre-salting Method with the turkey. It's a very easy process and all you need is salt and big garbage bag. I do the the pre-salt all the time for roasted chicken but have never tried it with turkey.


Salt Brined Turkey
Recipe adapted from the Los Angeles Times

Note: This is more a technique than a recipe. It makes a bird that has concentrated turkey flavor and fine, firm flesh and that is delicious as it is. But you can add other flavors as you wish. Minced rosemary would be a nice finishing addition. Or brush the bird lightly with butter before roasting.

1 (12- to 16-pound) turkey

Kosher salt

1. Wash the turkey inside and out, pat it dry and weigh it. Measure 1 tablespoon of salt into a bowl for every 5 pounds the turkey weighs (for a 15-pound turkey, you'd have 3 tablespoons).

2. Sprinkle the inside of the turkey lightly with salt. Place the turkey on its back and salt the breasts, concentrating the salt in the center, where the meat is thickest. You'll probably use a little more than a tablespoon. It should look liberally seasoned, but not over-salted.

3. Turn the turkey on one side and sprinkle the entire side with salt, concentrating on the thigh. You should use a little less than a tablespoon. Flip the turkey over and do the same with the opposite side.

4. Place the turkey in a 2 1/2-gallon sealable plastic bag, press out the air and seal tightly. Place the turkey breast-side up in the refrigerator. Chill for 3 days, turning it onto its breast for the last day.

5. Remove the turkey from the bag. There should be no salt visible on the surface and the skin should be moist but not wet. Place the turkey breast-side up on a plate and refrigerate uncovered for at least 8 hours.

6. On the day it is to be cooked, remove the turkey from the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

7. Place the turkey breast-side down on a roasting rack in a roasting pan; put it in the oven. After 30 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and carefully turn the turkey over so the breast is facing up (it's easiest to do this by hand, using kitchen towels or oven mitts).

8. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees, return the turkey to the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted in the deepest part of the thigh, but not touching the bone, reads 165 degrees, about 2 3/4 hours total roasting.

9. Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer it to a warm platter or carving board; tent loosely with foil. Let stand at least 30 minutes to let the juices redistribute through the meat. Carve and serve.




I have such a hard time getting the mashed potatoes on the table while they're still hot. So when I found the recipe for Oven Baked Mashed Potatoes on My Slice of Heaven I knew I had to try it.


Oven Mashed Potatoes
Recipe adapted from Sioux City cookbook "Cornsilk" published 1985

5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed (I use red potatoes)
1 8 oz. package cream cheese softened (I use 2 oz cream cheese)
1 cup half and half
1 stick of butter, melted (4 TBL butter)
1 tsp. minced dry onions (fresh chives)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. seasoned salt (skip)
Paprika

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Cook potatoes until tender but firm, about 15 minutes; drain. In large bowl, mash potatoes with half of the melted butter and the half and half. With hand mixer, beat in softened cream cheese and seasonings. Beat until very fluffy. Pile in large casserole dish. Add rest of butter on top and a dash of paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Potatoes should be slightly browned on top when done. These can be made the night before and reheated the next day.



For our salad I make my sister's recipe, Broccoli and Dried Cranberry Salad with Cashews, which I make every year and we love it and it looks so pretty on the table. This year I am using Orange-flavored Cranberries.


Broccoli and Dried Cranberry Salad with Cashews
Recipe adapted from my sister, Sherry

DRESSING:

1 c. Mayonnaise
1/2 c. Sugar
1 TBL Vinegar

SALAD:

2 Bunches Fresh Broccoli cut into florets (I use a about 1/2 bag of florets cut in half)
1/2 lb cooked, crumbled bacon
3-4 Green Onions including tops, cut up into small pieces
1 c. cashews or more if you like (I like more)
About 3/4 c. Dried Cranberries or you can sub dried cherries

Combine all ingredients for salad and then toss with dressing.



Instead of Candied Yams I decided to try a totally different recipe. And I'm not sure if it will be accepted or not.


Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette
Recipe adapted from Epicurious

4 lb sweet potatoes (8; preferably long)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Cover potatoes with cold salted water in a large pot, then bring to a boil. Simmer until slightly resistant in center when pierced with a sharp small knife, 25 to 30 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Drain well. When cool enough to handle, peel potatoes with a sharp small knife and quarter lengthwise.

Prepare grill for cooking.

Whisk together lime juice, salt, and pepper and add oil in a slow stream, whisking. Whisk in cilantro.

When fire is hot (you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 1 to 2 seconds), grill potatoes in 2 or 3 batches on lightly oiled grill rack (over coals if using a charcoal grill), uncovered, turning, until grill marks appear and potatoes are just tender, 3 to 6 minutes total.

Serve potatoes warm or at room temperature, drizzled with vinaigrette.


One of the vegetables I want to try is super easy!


Quick Steamed Baby Carrots with Dill
Recipe adapted from @kittykim on twitter

20 or so baby carrots
2 TBL butter
1 TBL minced fresh dill

Steam the carrots until just barely soft. Remove to bowl and add the butter and let it melt and toss. Remove to a serving dish and sprinkle with minced fresh Dill.



And to throw just one more change into the mix, I am making biscuits instead of rolls and I found the recipe on Kim's blog Stirring the Pot. I'm pretty sure this will not be a problem but who knows......


Grandmother Walters's Biscuits
Recipe adapted from My New Orleans

2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold butter, preferable European style, diced (Definitely use salted butter**)
1 cup whole milk (I will use Buttermilk)

Preheat the oven to 425F. Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt into a mixing bowl. Using a fork or pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles cornmeal. Add the milk, stirring until the dough just comes together to form a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Gently pat the dough down with your hands and fold it over on itself. Pat the dough down and fold it over once or twice more. Loosely cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for a half hour or so.

Being careful not to overwork the dough, roll it out until it is 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Cut dough into biscuits using whatever cutter you like. Grandmother used an inverted juice glass, which was really an old preserves jar. For more biscuits, use a smaller glass.

Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake until uniformly golden brown, 10-14 minutes.



Now for dessert, I have to make my Mom's Pumpkin Pie. I love it and I've not found a better recipe yet.


Mom's Pumpkin Pie
Recipe adapted from my Mom

2 eggs
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. canned pumpkin
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. evaporated milk
1/2 c. cream

Combine all ingredients and mix. My Mom always tasted it and then adjusted cinnamon by adding a shake. Pour into prepared pie shell. Bake at 425 degrees for about 40 minutes.


And it just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without Pumpkin Cheesecake and this recipe is the best!


Pumpkin Cheesecake
Recipe from the back of a Libbys Canned Pumpkin label

12 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. sour cream
1 TBL cornstarch
2 eggs, room temperature
1 c. pumpkin
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ginger
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1 TBL Dark Rum

Crust:
1 box of Zwieback Toast
4 TBL sugar
4 TBL melted butter
1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Pre heat oven to 325 degrees.

Crust: In the food processor put about 1/2 the box of Zwieback Toast. Pulse until finely crushed but we careful it does not turn to mush. Place crumbs in small bowl and add sugar and cinnamon and then drizzle in melted butter.

Rub the sides and bottom of a 9" spring form pan with butter or Crisco. Press crumb mixture up against sides and bottom about 1/16" thick. Set aside.

Cake: With an electric mixer cream sugar and cream cheese. Add sour cream, eggs, cornstarch, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla and rum and mix until thoroughly blended.

Pour cream cheese mix into prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from oven and thoroughly cool before removing the cake from the pan. This cake is best if refrigerated over night and served cold.









Have a great Thanksgiving filled with good friends, family and fabulous food. See you on Friday!



All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Zoe François and Pumpkin Pie Brioche

Zoe François, baker extraordinaire, teacher, cookie maker, pastry chef, consultant, mother, wife and co-author with Jeff Hertzberg MD, of two wonderfully popular books, “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” and "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day".

Zoe began her culinary adventures while studying art at the University of Vermont when she began making and marketing gourmet cookies! After marrying her husband, Graham, she advanced her culinary career and attended the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). In 1997 she began teaching and presenting and is currently teaching at Cooks of Crocus Hill, Whole Foods, the University of Minnesota and other cooking schools around the country. To add more to Zoe’s already hectic schedule she works as a product development consultant for General Mills and several upscale restaurants in the Minneapolis area. She also maintains her own website, Zoe Bakes. Zoe currently lives in Minneapolis, MN with her husband and two very active sons.

Psst...Doesn't Zoe look great in her chef whites!!

I distinctly remember when I first heard about the book “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” and I thought "bread in 5 minutes...no way". But I was amazed when I made my first loaf and it was so easy and so delicious! Earlier this year I heard that Zoe and Jeff were working on a new bread book emphasizing whole grains and being my husband was recently diagnosed with diabetes, "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" could not have come at a better time.

And to add to the excitement of a new cookbook, I am organizing a new baking group, HBinFive and we will be baking our way through the book, one recipe at a time! Since HBinFive was just announced and we're heading into the hustle and bustle of the holidays we will not be baking from the book until after the holidays. But to keep our new group busy, Zoe and Jeff are both donating a never before published recipe for November and December.

And below is the mouthwatering and ever so tempting bonus November recipe!







Pumpkin Pie Brioche
Recipe adapted from HealthyBreadinFive

Makes enough dough for at least two 2-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.

3 cups white whole wheat flour
4½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tablespoons granulated yeast, or 2 packets
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
1 1/4 cup water
4 large eggs
½ cup honey
¾ cup neutral-flavored oil, unsalted butter (or zero-trans fat, zero hydrogenated oil margarine), melted
One large pie (or “sugar”) pumpkin to yield 1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree, or use a 15-ounce can of unsweetened pumpkin puree
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water)
Raw sugar for sprinkling on top of loaf

1. If making your own fresh pumpkin puree: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Split the pumpkin in half starting at the stem and place cut side down on a silicone mat or a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 45 minutes. The pumpkin should be very soft all the way through when poked with a knife. Cool slightly before scooping out the seeds.

2. Scoop out the roasted flesh of the pumpkin puree it in the food processor. Set aside 2 cups for the dough and use any leftover in your favorite pumpkin pie recipe.

3. Mixing and storing the dough: Whisk together the flours, yeast, salt and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.

4. Add the remaining ingredients and mix without kneading, using a spoon, 14-cup food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle). You may need to use wet hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate if you’re not using a machine.

5. The dough will be loose, but it will firm up when chilled (don’t try to use it without chilling).

6. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.

7. Refrigerate in a non-airtight lidded container and use over the next 5 days. Beyond that, the dough stores well in the freezer for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. Freeze in 2-pound portions.

8. Defrost dough overnight in the refrigerator if frozen. On baking day, grease a brioche or 8½x4½-inch non-stick loaf pan. Cut off a 2-pound (cantaloupe-size) piece of dough. Dust with flour and quickly shape it into a ball. Place the ball in the prepared pan and allow to rest for 90 minutes.

9. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

10. Using a pastry brush to paint the loaf’s top with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

11. Bake near the center of the oven for approximately 45 minutes. Brioche will not form a hard crackling crust. Loaf is done when medium brown and firm. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in resting and baking time.

12. Remove from the pan and allow to cool before slicing or eating.






And we have a winner in our first drawing for a free signed copy of "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day".

Drum Roll Please!!!!

And the WINNER IS...........Kelly Stodola of MaxiFortend!

Our next drawing for a signed copy of "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" will be November 15th, so don't hesitate to join HBinFive!



© Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois, used with permission of the Authors

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Frosting

FINALLY!


Due to the pumpkin shortage I've not been able to bake anything pumpkin yet this year. I was near panic all week but on Saturday one of my local markets finally came through. Their canned pumpkin display consisted of a huge mound of box after box of pumpkin about 100 cases deep and stacked 10 cases high. YES!!!!! And I stocked up and have enough pumpkin for a few years now!

If you have not noticed I'm participating in the GreatHallowTweet, which is organized by my twitter buddy, Renee of Flamingo Musings. We've all decorated up our blogs for Halloween and I must say, we all outdid ourselves this year! Great job guys! If you have a minute please hop over to my sidebar and click on the links in the big orange banner. I promise you will not be disappointed. So fun!

The recipe I used for my cupcakes is all over the internet yet I've never made Pumpkin Cupcakes. I know hard to believe being I've had a pumpkin obsession for years now. But boy is this recipe a keeper, just fantastic!! Of course I had to have a little fun with Halloween and decorate the heck out of them.






Pumpkin Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from Leite's Culinaria

1/c c butter, softened
1 c packed dark-brown sugar
1/3 c sugar
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin

Makes about 16 regular sized cupcakes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the butter and sugars until well blended. Add the eggs, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, pepper and vanilla and mix well. Blend in the buttermilk and pumpkin then gradually add flour and mix until completely incorporated.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full of batter. Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean about 12-15 minutes. Remove cupcakes from tin and cool on a rack.








Maple Cream Frosting
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 TBL pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 c confectioners' sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add maple syrup, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar; continue beating until well combined and smooth.

I had to double the frosting recipe to have enough for all the cupcakes. But I tend to pipe a thicker frosting for cupcakes to get a nice top dome and ..well because I love it! But if you're frosting the cupcakes with a spatula, the recipe as is should be fine.






In case you've missed them, pictured below are more of my Halloween Treats. Just click on the title links for the recipe and post.


Halloween Lollipop Cookies





Snow-flecked Brownies






Candy Corn Kiss Cookies








All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog