Caramel Pecan Cupcakes

Guess what!

I finally found some photography classes and I couldn't be happier! I signed up for 6-2 hour classes which are held on Saturdays from 10:00-12:00 pm, beginning March 13th. I am so excited! The classes are Digital Photography I and II, Introduction to DSLR Photography, Studio Lighting, Exterior/Interior Lighting and Filter Factor. I spoke to the instructor for at least an hour and she has so much knowledge and answered all my questions. AND if I need to brush up my skills, I can repeat a class for free..NO CHARGE!

And I bought a new lens for my camera...YES! I've been looking at lenses for a while now and after some trial and error I finally decided on the Nikon 60mm f/2.8G and I should have it by my birthday! Yippee! Now all I need is another set of Softbox Continuous Lights and a Tripod and I'll be all set as far as photography equipment. Mr. Tastebuds is very hopeful that I'll be set for a long time!

But I have to get to my newest Cupcakes which were over the top delicious! I had some of the Browned-Butter Caramel Frosting leftover from my last Cupcake Adventure, Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes, and it was so good I just had to use it again! So I made my favorite Vanilla Cupcakes and filled them with caramel cream which is always fun. Then topped with the Browned-Butter Caramel Frosting, drizzled with caramel cream and finally topped with Candied Pecan! And don't you just love ooey gooey!





Just Plain Good Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from "Small Batch Baking" by Debby Maugans Nakos

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 c flour
1/4 c buttermilk
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 c plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 5 muffin cups with baking cups and set aside.

Combine the buttermilk and baking soda in a small bowl and whisk to blend. Add egg yolk and vanilla and again whisk until thoroughly mixed.

Place the flour, sugar and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix. Add the butter and half of the buttermilk mixture. Beat with a hand-held mixer on low speed until the dry ingredients are blended. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the mixture is slightly increased in volume, about 45 seconds, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Pour in the remaining buttermilk mixture and beat on medium speed until well blended, 20 seconds. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl

Spoon the batter evenly into the 5 baking cups. Put a little bit of water in the rest of the empty cups in your Cupcake Tin to prevent the cupcakes from scorching. Bake the cupcakes until a tester comes out clean, about 20 to 23 minutes.

Remove from the oven and as soon as you can remove the cupcakes from the pan and let them thoroughly cool on a cooling rack.





Caramel Cream

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (for “stopping” the caramelization process)
2 TBL heavy cream, room temperature

In a small stainless steel saucepan mix 1/2 c. water and sugar. Turn on heat to medium high. Cook until sugar melts and turns an amber color.

When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump, sputter and spit so be careful and you may want to wear long sleeves and be prepared to step back.

Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly. Remove from heat.

Cool until you can touch the caramel with your finger without burning.

Add 2 TBL heavy cream and whisk well. Caramel should freely drizzle so you may need to add a tsp or so more of the heavy cream.





Browned-Butter Caramel Frosting
Recipe adapted from MyRecipes

1/4 c brown sugar
4 TBL Butter
6 TBL butter, cold but not firm
1/3 c heavy whipping cream
8 oz cream cheese, cold and firm
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Dash of salt
3 c powdered sugar

Place brown sugar and 4 TBL butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. As soon as it comes to boil remove from heat and whisk in cream, blending well. Pour into a small bowl and cool, stirring occasionally to incorporate butter.

Place remaining 6 TBL butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer until smooth. Since the butter and cream cheese is cold, it can take some time to blend so make sure to hold onto the edge of the bowl as you beat. Beat in vanilla and salt. With the mixer running, slowly pour in cooled brown sugar mixture and beat until smooth. Continue beating and add 1/2 c. powdered sugar at a time, beating well after each addition until completely smooth. Chill for 20 minutes.

NOTE: I used a small tip in my pastry bag and although the cupcakes look loaded with frosting, I was surprised to discover that I used about half the amount of frosting I would have with one of the larger tips. So I had quite a bit of leftover frosting. But Cream Cheese Frosting will keep in the refrigerator or I've had very good luck with freezing it. When needed, just thaw, whip it with a fork and it's good to go.





To Assemble

Bake the cupcakes. When the cupcakes are cool, carve a hole in the top but not completely to the bottom. Save the "cork".

Fill the cupcake with a tsp or so of the Caramel Filling. And place the "cork" back in place.

Dip whole pecans, 1 per cupcake, in the Caramel Cream. Lay pecan on a piece of parchment to dry.

Frost the cupcakes. Drizzle with Caramel Cream. Top with a Whole Candied Pecan.







All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog

Kung Pao Chicken

I think Oriental Recipes have to be one of the best choices for dinner when you've not had the best day and need something quick, delicious and colorful! And it seems as if you can substitute the heck out of the recipe and it always tastes great!

Mr. Tastebuds and I have completely different tastes in food. He craves vegetables of any kind and they are a must at every meal. Although I like vegetables, I could easily do without but lately I've been craving chicken and could easily eat chicken five times a week. So to satisfy both of our current cravings I decided to make King Pao Chicken, something I've never made before. I do have to be careful with some recipes due to the carbohydrates. The photos are actually my portion being I can eat just about anything. Mr. Tastbuds portion was served with 1/2 c. brown rice because it has a lower glycemic index of 55 when compared to white rice at 70.







Kung Pao Chicken
Recipe adapted from For Your Diabetes Life

Makes 4 servings
Per Serving: Calories 257.6; Carb 11.3; Saturated Fat .9; Total Fat 8.2

1 TBL canola oil , divided
4 c fresh broccoli florets (I used 3 c broccoli)
1 TBL fresh ginger root , grated (divided)
2 TBL water
1/2 tsp hot red pepper flakes
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts , cut into 1/4-inch strips
1/2 c fat free reduced sodium chicken broth
2 TBL hoisin sauce
2 TBL rice vinegar
2 TBL low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
4 garlic cloves , minced
2 TBL Nuts, peanuts, salted , coarsely chopped (I used 4 TBL peanuts)

My additions:
1/2 c. chopped fresh red sweet pepper
1/2 c. green onion, chopped

1. Pour 1 teaspoon of oil in a large frying pan; heat over medium-high heat. Sauté broccoli and 2 teaspoons ginger in oil for 1 minute. Pour in water and place lid on pan. Cook another 2 minutes. Take broccoli out of pan and reserve in a warm place.

2. Pour 2 teaspoons of oil in the same pan and heat. Add 1 teaspoon ginger, red pepper, and chicken to pan and cook for 4 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked, stir occasionally.

3. Whisk together broth, hoisin sauce, wine vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, and garlic. Pour mixture over chicken in the pan and cook, stirring until sauce thickens. Spoon broccoli back into pan and warm through. When ready to serve, top with peanuts.









I'm now starting my sixth week of the Ten in 10 Challenge and so far I've averaged working out three times a week! And I'm doing pretty well with my weight training too, although last week I missed a few days due to problems with my shoulder.




All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog

Banana Boats **Satisfying a Taste

Remember Girl Scouts?

I remember so much about Girl Scouts and cooking on an open fire which was so much fun. Whenever we had a Girl Scout camping trip, we would form small groups and select our own menus which had to be approved. And every time my group voted unanimously for Banana Boats for dessert and every time it would be x'd out and replaced with S'Mores. S'Mores are fine the first few times, but come on all ready, even S'Mores can get b-o-r-i-n-g!

Last week I had a taste for something sweet particularly something chocolate but I had no desire to make a dessert. I had a bag of Peanut M&Ms which was just not satisfying my needs! But then I remembered the Banana Boats and I knew I could whip up these babies in no time flat and I could be a wee bit creative too.

You can bake the Banana Boats in an open fire, on a charcoal grill or in an oven. The banana will darken on the tips but this does not effect the wonderful taste of warm banana and melted chocolate what so ever!







Ooey Gooey Banana Boats
Recipe as I remember from Girl Scouts

Whole Banana(s)
Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Miniature marshmallows
M&Ms
Heath Toffee Chips
Whipped Cream
Crushed Peanuts

1. Slice banana down the middle careful to not slice all the way through.
2. Carefully cut away a wedge section of the peel and discard.
3. Pinch the banana inward to open up the banana a little bit. Fill with chocolate, candy, marshmallows or whatever you want but make sure it will melt.
4. Wrap each banana in aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees until chocolate is completely melted.
5. Remove from oven, plate banana and top with whipped cream and crushed peanuts. Enjoy!


Okay, this is my first attempt, Banana, Milk Chocolate Chunks, Peanut M&Ms.







And this is my second attempt, Banana, Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips, Peanut Butter Chips or Heath Bar Chips. Topped with Whipped Cream, Crushed Peanuts and a Red Hot.






For some strange reason, I've been humming "Kum Bay Ya" for the last week!



All Rights Reserved 2008-10 © BigBlackDog

Welcome to the 2nd HBinFive Bread Braid

Whenever I bake my three Rottweilers like to keep me company in the kitchen but I can not maneuver in my kitchen with three fully grown Rottweilers under foot! So I've drawn invisible lines on the floor that are not to be crossed and the dogs know exactly where the lines are located. And my male Rottweiler, Archie, generally claims the most coveted spot safely outside the invisible line yet just close enough to spy any thing that falls on the floor! The dogs know that they can not begin a food search until I give the command "scavenge" and then all three bolt into the kitchen and the search is on!

In the below photo, Archie's wide-eyed, confused expression is because he knows he is well over the invisible line and he's wondering why I'm taking a photo and not correcting him. He's like frozen in place waiting for the correction-of-death which consists of a tug on his collar and then the final blow of "Bad Boy"! OH...the shame of it!





As I stood at my island rolling out dough, I had no idea what I was going to make and I glanced down at Archie and thought "This boy is definitely due for a pup pedicure". And then it hit me! Hmmmm.....Rottweiler Claws! And being I have wanted to make Zoe's Bear Claws for a while now, my decision was made. Of course I'd have to put my own spin on the pastry and I just happened to have absolutely everything I needed....YES!







Rottweiler Claws
Recipe developed by BigBlackDog

1/2 Recipe of Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest (Makes about 12 Rottweiler Claws)

My alterations and additions to the Whole Grain Challah Recipe:
2 c. AP flour
1 c. White Whole Wheat Flour
1 c. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1/4 c. soft butter
1 tsp Vanilla
Fresh Yeast

Filling:
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. golden raisins
Zest of 1 large Naval Orange
1/4 c. ground almonds

Topping:
Egg Wash (1 egg slightly whipped with a tsp of water) or Cream
Coarse Sugar
Whole Cashews

In a food processor add cranberries, brown sugar, raisins, orange zest and ground almonds and mince. Set aside.

Roll out dough to a little bit less then 1/4" thick. Cut into about 6-8" squares.

The filling will be sticky and easily formed into 5-6" logs. Place a log of filling at about the half mark.

Dampen the short end and down the sides of the square with egg wash and then flip it over the filling log and tap it down so that it adheres.



Trim the toe area to about 1" and then cut the 5 individual toes. I know dogs only have 4 toes and a dewclaw but only 4 toes looked silly...so I'm using my pastry maker's license.

Curve the Paw area into a crescent so that the toes separate and spread out.



I brushed with Egg Wash but it came out sort of blotchy where the sugar is and I'm not quite sure why this happened. I think if I had brushed with cream my Rottweiler Claws would have been prettier, if it's possible for Rottweiler Claws to be pretty!

Sprinkle with course sugar. Press 1 whole Cashew into each toe to make the claw.

Cover and let rise for about an hour.

Bake at 350 degrees until Claws are a nice golden brown.







Below are more of my creations I made with our Bonus December Recipe, Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest. Just click on the title link to find the post and recipe.


Poppy Seed Roll




Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest






If you are participating in the HBinFive Bread Braid, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general address.

Please leave a comment. Every once a while the Mr. Linky flies the coop and we can then find your photos by clicking on the comment links.

Don't forget to copy and paste the HBinFive Badge in your Bread Braid post or somewhere on your FB Page. Or you can mention HBinFive but your blog post must be identified with HBinFive.

Please be sure to link back to the host blog, Big Black Dog, so your fellow bloggers who are participating today, will get lots of visits, as well.

Please do not add your link below until your HBinFive post or pictures are actually published.

***If any HBinFive member is concerned about linking up to the Bread Braid Gadget please send an email to me at ms dot bigblackdog at gmail dot com with your name and the URL of your pictures and I will link you up as soon as I can.



Please feel free to click on any of the links below and visit some of our HBinFive Members and see their wonderful interpretations of this recipe!









Don't forget that December 15th is the last day to enter my A Bag and a Book Giveaway.

Every comment left on this post is one entry into the Giveaway!

The Bamboo Bread Bag is impeccably designed by Ann Arnold. And the book, "The Adventurous Chef: Alexis Soyer" was authored and illustrated by Ann Arnold.

And Ann has a special offer for all HBinFive Members!







All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Poppy Seed Roll

When I was growing up in Flint, Michigan, we had a neighbor down the street that my Mom and I would visit for late morning coffee. I was very young at the time and the family moved away when I was about 6 years old. I don't remember much about the family except that they had a large wooden kitchen table and there was always a Poppy Seed Roll sitting right in the middle. I have no idea if the Roll was homemade or not but I loved their Poppy Seed Roll and they always offered me a piece. And sometimes I was offered a second slice which I never turned down!

Since I've been wanting to try making a Poppy Seed Roll I decided to make another half recipe of the HBinFive December Bonus Recipe, Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest. But this time I adjusted the dough and used 2 c. AP Flour, 1 c. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, 1 c. White Whole Wheat Flour, 1 tsp Vanilla and I also used butter instead of oil and this made a huge difference. And the rise was truly amazing! I braided the top of the Poppy Seed Roll but since I drizzled with glaze and added so many sliced almonds you really can't see the braiding! I baked the Poppy Seed Roll for not quite 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

The Poppy Seed Roll was very good and quite different from anything I've made before. However, I do think the bread should have been just a little bit sweeter and if making it again I would use 1/2 c. Honey.







Poppy Seed Roll Filling

1 pound poppy seeds
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
1 cup seedless raisins
Zest from 1 medium sized lemon
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 egg yolk
1 egg white

I cut this recipe in half and had more then enough for 1 Poppy Seed Roll.

Rinse and drain the poppy seeds and spread them out on paper towels to dry. Then pulverize the poppy seeds, almonds, raisins and lemon zest in a food processor until finely minced.

In a heavy saucepan, combine 3/4 cup of the milk and sugar and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Reduce the heat to low. With a whisk, beat the 2 Tablespoons of flour into the remaining ¼ cup of milk, then slowly beat it into the simmering milk. Again bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick and smooth. Pour it over the poppy-seed mixture and stir well. Then beat in the egg yolk. In a separate bowl, beat the egg white until it forms firm unwavering peaks on the beater when it is lifted out of the bowl. With a rubber spatula, fold the egg white gently but thoroughly, into the poppy-seed filling.







Constructing the Braid/Roll

Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, 1/8-1/4 inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.

Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you have already made.

Spread a layer of the Poppy Seed Filling cream about 1/2" thick down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Brush the Roll with either egg wash or cream before baking.


Glaze and Topping

1/3 cup half and half
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 c. powdered sugar
Sliced Almonds

Place powdered sugar in bowl. Whisk in half and half by spoonfuls until glaze is spreadable. Drizzle glaze over roll. Sprinkle with almonds. Let stand until glaze sets.








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

Candy Corn Kiss Cookies

I love Halloween! Even when I was a kid Halloween was my favorite holiday. It was so much fun planning what we were going to wear and my Mom and Dad always made our costumes. I think they enjoyed Halloween even more then us kids! But the most fun was the actual Trick or Treating! I loved it!

We live on acreage now and have a very long driveway so no Trick or Treaters come to our house and I miss them. But that does not stop my fun..no sir! And this year I am starting early. I have plans for several Halloween treats so stay tuned!

One of my twitter buddies, Tracy of Sugar Crafter, made the cutest Halloween Cookies this year! So I decided to make my own version and used our family Peanut Butter Cookie recipe, chopped peanuts and a bag of Hershey's Candy Corn Kisses. Although the Candy Corn Kisses don't taste exactly like Candy Corn they are close enough for me and I love how the Corn Kisses melt in your mouth! You can find the Candy Corn Kisses at Target with the other Halloween Candies.

Our Peanut Butter Cookie recipe is a large recipe but it's easily cut in half. I usually use butter in cookies except for some recipes and this recipe is one. If you use butter in this recipe your cookie will be pretty flat, still chewy and delicious but flat. Because I wanted a more substantial cookie I used a good quality margarine and the cookies were perfect.







Peanut Butter Cookies
Recipe adapted from my Mom who adapted it from Aunt Phyllis

1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. peanut butter
1 c. shortening (I used a good quality margarine)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

For the Candy Corn Kiss Cookies:
1/2 c. chopped salted peanuts
1 bag Hershey's Candy Corn Kisses

Mix all ingredients. Roll a tsp or a bit more of dough into a small ball, drop on to cookie sheet and crisscross with fork. Bake at 350 degrees until slightly brown on bottom.

Candy Corn Kiss Cookies:
Mix dough as directed above. Roll a well-rounded tsp of dough into a small ball and roll in chopped peanuts. Drop on to a parchment lined baking sheet and press with the bottom of a glass. Bake at 350 degrees until just slightly brown on the bottom.

Remove cookies and cool. Press 1 Candy Corn Kiss in the middle of each cookie.



Of course I had to make Mr. Tastebud's some cookies too but sans the Candy Corn Kiss! But I gave him some real kisses instead!












Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Jen of Beauty and Bedlam. And Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays is hosted by Lisa of Blessed with Grace.

Please visit both of these sites to see some more tasty dishes!





All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Summer Strawberries!

Isn't summer fun! I love opening my refrigerator and seeing containers of fresh berries and it's so tempting to just grab a handful and snack! Berries are very versatile and everything tastes extra special when topped with fresh berries.

Even a simple salad comes alive with color and taste with the addition of berries, especially strawberries. I started making Fresh Strawberry Salad a few years ago and I have to admit that my first batch of Strawberry Dressing never saw a salad, I ate every delicious spoonful right out of the food processor!







Strawberry Basil Poppy Seed Dressing
Recipe developed by Big Black Dog

2-3 handfuls of whole fresh strawberries
2/3 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 TBL lemon juice
1 tsp honey (add more if you'd like it sweeter)
6-8 fresh Basil leaves
1 TBL poppy seeds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put everything sans salt in a food processor and blend until creamy. Taste if and if it needs a little salt add a shake. Keep refrigerated.

I usually serve this over a spinach and romaine lettuce salad topped with toasted sliced almonds and sliced fresh strawberries.







I served the Strawberry Salad with my new favorite summer wine, Sineann's Pinot Gris! I just love this wine and it's fairly inexpensive at $8.99 a bottle! And it has a very sleek glass cork which makes the wine so easy to open. And if you don't finish the bottle, the glass cork just pops back into the bottle with an airtight seal.







All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

A Bite and a Butterfly

I had a taste for cinnamon a few weeks ago and I decided to make an old favorite that some call Monkey Bread but I call it Cinna-Bites. I am very picky about the cinnamon I use and so far my favorite is Penzey's Extra Fancy Vietnamese Cassia. One might think that because the Vietnamese Cassia is a potent cinnamon I would use less, but NOOooooo, I use a little bit more. I buy Vietnamese Cinnamon by the pound. Love it!

A friend, Lou, gave me his recipe for Sweet Dough and to tell you the truth I've not found one better! It is a gorgeous dough that rises to the heavens, super easy to work with but it's a huge recipe. I've not tried to cut down the recipe, I just bake more..yep it's that good!

First I made my Cinna-Bites and then with the remaining dough I made some Butterfly Rolls. The Butterflies were so fun to make and they turned out so pretty.





Sweet Dough
Recipe adapted from my friend Lou

1/3 c. water, tepid
1/2 tsp sugar
2 pkgs of yeast (4 1/2 tsp)
2 cups of milk, room temperature
1 1/3 cup of Sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature and slightly whipped
1 tsp Vanilla (I usually skip the vanilla)
1/2 tsp Salt
3 c. flour to start (6-7 total ) enough to knead into a non-sticky soft ball

2-3 TBL oil to oil the rising bowl (I use EVOO, Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

Option: 1 c. WW flour can be subbed to make the dough more tender

Bread:

Stir the yeast in a 1/3 cup of warm water w. ½ tsp of sugar, for proofing.

In a large mixing bowl, or (KA mixer) place the milk and add the sugar, vanilla, salt and eggs.

Beat until the sugar is dissolved and add the Yeast and mix well.

Add 3 cups of flour and mix with either KA with dough hook or by hand.

Add additional 3-4 cups of flour until you make a soft ball of dough but not stiff. The dough should not stick to your hands. Sprinkle some flour on counter or pastry cloth and knead until smooth.

Put 2 TBL of Oil in the bottom of your largest mixing bowl. Take a paper towel and dip it in the oil and thoroughly oil the sides of the bowl. Put dough ball into bowl and then flip the ball over to make sure that the entire dough ball is covered with oil. Let rise until at least doubled in size.

Instead of putting a towel on top I put the entire bowl in a large plastic bag. Make sure that the bag is not too tight on the bowl and you give the dough ample room to rise.






Cinna-bites
Recipe developed by Big-Black-Dog

1 recipe of Lou's Sweet Dough
1 c. sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 stick butter
1 c. chopped pecans

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

Grease a bundt pan.

Melt butter in the microwave. Add the brown sugar to the melted butter and stir until sugar is completely dissolved and then add chopped pecans.

Pour about 1/3 of the brown sugar mixture into the bottom of the bundt pan.

Now cut off a piece of dough, smaller then a golf ball, and roll it in the sugar cinnamon mix. Place it in the bottom of the bundt pan on top of the brown sugar mix. Keep making the small balls and rolling them in the cinnamon sugar until you've completely covered the bottom of the bundt pan. Repeat to make a second layer of cinnamon balls.

Let the dough rise until it has doubled for a second time.

Pour the rest of the brown sugar mix over the top.

Place the bundt pan in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes.

Let cool for a few minutes.

Place a serving platter near the bundt pan. While the bundt pan is still warm turn it over onto the platter to release Cinna-Bites.

Now doesn't that look delicious!






Butterfly Rolls
Recipe developed by Big-Black-Dog

Remainder of Lou's Sweet Dough Recipe
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c. sugar

Topping:
1/2 c. sliced almonds
Coarse sugar
1 egg
1 TBL water

Toast Almonds: Keep a very close eye on the almonds because nuts burn very easily. Put almonds in a small frying pan over low heat. Every 15 seconds or so shake the pan to redistribute the nuts. As soon as they start changing color, remove the almonds to a small bowl and set aside.

Sprinkle a small amount of flour on a pastry cloth or kitchen counter and roll out dough into a rectangle 10" by 14", 1/4" thick.

Mix cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Melt butter in the microwave. With a pastry brush, brush butter over top of dough.



Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar completely covering the dough. (Picture only shows 1/2 dough with cinnamon/sugar mixture)



Carefully start rolling up the dough from the longest side. Careful to not press down when you are rolling up the dough.



With a sharp knife, cut the dough into squared-off triangular pieces about 1" on the shortest side by 3" on the longest side.



To form the butterfly wings: Place the handle of a long wooden spoon in the middle of the roll and firmly press down. You may have to press down several times to get the ends to open up.



Whip egg with water. With a clean pastry brush brush egg mixture over top of each roll.

Sprinkle with coarse sugar and toasted sliced almonds. Gently press the almonds into the dough.

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment. Place each roll on the baking sheet leaving about 2" in between each roll.

Cover and let rise until doubled about 30-40 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.







All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

I think I nailed it **The perfect Chocolate Cookie

I've been looking for a good chocolate cookie for years now. Finally took matters into my own hands, started experimenting and I think I've nailed it!

My Chocolate Peanut Roll Cookies are soft, chewy, deliciously rich in chocolate with a slight tinge of mint and a grand finale of crushed peanuts. GAWD, they are so good! I was not sure about the mint flavor with peanuts but it is excellent and this is definitely an adult cookie. It's a small recipe because I was experimenting, so I'm not sure if it would work well doubled or not. As written below it will make 10-12 cookies and I ate every single 1 of them.







Chocolate Peanut Roll Cookies
Recipe developed by Big-Black-Dog

1 stick of butter, softened
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. flour
1 egg
4 TBL unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp powdered instant espresso powder (see **NOTE)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp peppermint extract (or any kind of mint extract would work)
3/4 c. crushed salted peanuts


With a hand mixer or by hand mix butter and powder sugar until blended. Blend in egg. Add vanilla, mint, salt, espresso powder and chocolate powder. When I add chocolate powder I mix by hand. Add flour and blend only until flour is completely incorporated.

Dough will be very soft. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for a minute.

On a clean board or pastry cloth roll dough into a log about 10" long and 2 1/2" wide. Cookies do not raise during the baking process so the width of your log is the size the cookie will be after baking. Smaller cookies, 2", are better if you're making them for a party or buffet so just make the diameter of the log the size you want for the finished cookie.

Place the dough log on plastic and wrap it up tightly. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes until firm for not hard.

Crush peanuts. I have a nut grinder but you can use a food processor or put the nuts in a zip lock bag and crush with a meat mallet or rolling pin. If you use your food processor, just pulse until the peanuts are crushed.

Remove cookie dough from refrigerator and unwrap but leave the dough log on the plastic wrap. Sprinkle the crushed peanuts on the plastic wrap along one side the dough log. With gentle pressure roll the Dough Log over the peanuts embedding the crushed nuts into the dough, careful to completely cover the log the peanuts. You might have to roll the log over the peanuts several times to completely cover the log.

Rewrap the Dough Log in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours until very firm. Remove log, unwrap and with a sharp knife cut 1/2" slices. Even if you make your log a smaller diameter, I would still cut 1/2" slices.

Place sliced cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes or until cookies are barely firm on the bottom. Remove cookies and cool on a rack. Enjoy!

**NOTE: Espresso Powder enhances the chocolate flavor but so does Balsamic Vinegar. Next time I make these I'm going to add a little Balsamic and see what happens. I love to experiment with recipes!












Courtney of Coco Cooks is hosting the April's 10th Helping of "My Legume Love Affair" and my Chocolate Peanut Roll Cookies are my entry.



All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog