Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

Another comfort food for the Robber which he requested that his mother make for him when she came out to visit (she did make these). Nana used to make these a lot when the Robber was a wee lad, but had to stop when her seventh child had severe nut allergies. Still the Robber remembers them fondly, and jumped at the opportunity to have these in our non-nut restricted kitchen.

Ingredients:

For the bars:
1 C. flour
1 C. quick oatmeal
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 C. butter or margarine
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 C. peanut butter
1/4 C. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 package (2 cups) chocolate chips

For the frosting:
1/4 C. powdered sugar
2 T. peanut butter
2-3 T. milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a 9 x 9 glass pan.

2. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in eggs, peanut butter, milk and vanilla. Stir in the combined dry ingredients by hand.

4. Spread mixture in prepared pan and bake for 18-20 minutes. When bars are freshly out of the oven, sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and spread evenly as the chips melt.

5. For the frosting, combine all ingredients and blend thoroughly. Drizzle over the top of the melted chocolate and swirl while still melted if desired.

S. Olsen's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

My visiting teacher HW made these for me a few months back and gave me extra to take back to the Robber, which I did, and which he loved and I loved as they were excellent. So when I wanted to make some cookies to take on the plane to Thailand I thought of this recipe and got it from HW. I don't know S. Olsen, but that is the name that came with the recipe so there you have that. I have had quite a bad attitude about cookies in general lately and specifically my ability to make cookies and was hoping that this recipe would rescue it. However, when I was mixing the dough it was terribly dry and not nearly wet enough and I was despairing as I hadn't any milk and I was barely able to form small cookies together, not the big giant ones Heather had made. Alas! And yet-- oddly enough-- the cookies, baked, were quite soft! And the Robber ate them all over Thailand. Who knows. I think if I do make this again I will skip all the silly heaping-ness of the dry ingredients and see if that helps the too dry-ness of the dough out for me. Also, the big Guittard chocolate chips are really a must.

A gift from HW.

Ingredients:

1 C. margarine or butter

1 C. packed brown sugar

1 C. white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2+ cups flour (heaping the cups, for a total of 1/8 - 1/4 C. more flour)

1 heaping tsp. salt

1 heaping tsp. baking soda

3 heaping C. instant oatmeal

2 C. large milk chocolate Guittard chocolate chips (comes in the silver bag)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

2. In medium mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and oatmeal. 

3. In a large bowl, cream together margarine/butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

4. Add in dry ingredient mixture to creamed mixture 1/3rd at a time, stirring thoroughly by hand. Stir in chocolate chips.

5. Scoop on to cookie sheets in desired size. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350F. Take the cookies out of the oven when the edges are slightly tanning and the middles don't look quite done. Let cool for a few minutes on the sheet before transferring to a wire rack for complete cooling. Will be quite soft when done. 

Hello Dolly Bars

My sister TMP made these for our little graduation shindig at home last Saturday. My in-laws loved these and as my husband is, you know, an in-law he loved them too and insisted that we get the recipe. So here it is, dear Robber, for you.

From somewhere, didn't ask TMP where she got them.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C. (1 stick) salted butter, melted

1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs (ca. 1 1/2 packages)

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 C. chocolate chips (replace 1 c. with butterscotch or other chips, if desired)

1 1/2 C. chopped pecans, lightly toasted

1 1/2 C. sweetened shredded coconut

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

1. Mix the graham cracker crumbs and cinnamon with the butter and press into the bottom of the pan. 

2. Layer the chips, nuts, and coconut on top of the crust. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the lot. 

3. Bake at 350 for approx. 30 minutes, until nicely browned and a bit bubbly. Cool completely before cutting.

Yield: This quantity will make an 8"x8" pan of thick bars or a 9"x13" pan of thinner bars.

Raspberry Chocolate Tea Scones

So while it is true that a) I haven't baked a scone since September and was well over my scone fest and b) I have come to believe all you need is a few good scone bases to use and then you just throw whatever you want IN the scone, I have still come to this. I am still trying new scone recipes. Not that I don't have a few great bases-- I do-- and eventually I'll record which of the recipes I've blogged are the best and which are duds. But there is something still so tempting to me about new scone recipes. Maybe this one will be amazing! I say, and I fall for it all over again.

Sad to say, however, that this Eggs On Sunday recipe (like the other raspberry chocolate recipe on this blog) was a disappointment in terms of the scone base. Raspberry and dark chocolate, always a good idea and especially redeeming in January, but the scone underneath couldn't quite pull it off and ended up being too chewy and bland for my taste. So why blog this? you ask. Because this blog isn't meant to be life changing, it's meant to be life recording.

Note: I used Hershey Bliss dark chocolate cut up into small chunks (divine) instead of mini chocolate chips, and I also used fresh raspberries cut in half that I threw in the freezer for ten minutes or so before putting into the batter. And I omitted the egg wash, of course.

Which all that I present to you the recipe found online here:
http://eggsonsunday.wordpress.com/2011/02/12/raspberry-chocolate-tea-scones-recipe/#more-3286

Ingredients:

2 C. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 T. sugar
4 T. unsalted butter, chilled and chopped into small pieces
1 C. miniature chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate
1 C. frozen raspberries, chopped (keep frozen until you’re ready to add them to the dough)
3/4 C. heavy cream
1 egg, separated
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and sugar. Add the chopped cold butter and rub with your fingers into the flour until the bits of butter are roughly the size of peas. Stir in the chocolate chips/chunks.

3. Separate the egg; reserve the white for later use (you’ll use it to brush on the tops of the scones before baking.) In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the cream, egg yolk, and vanilla extract.

4. Add the chopped frozen raspberries to the flour mixture. Pour in the cream, and using light, quick strokes, stir with a fork until just moistened (there may still be some flour on the bottom of the bowl.) Use your hands to gather the dough into a ball and knead it lightly a few times, just to gather it together. Don’t worry if there’s still a little flour remaining on the bottom of the bowl.

5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide into two balls. Gently flatten each ball into a 1-inch high disk, and cut each disk into 6 wedges (for 12 scones total-- I made 8.) Place on baking sheet and brush the tops with the reserved egg white; sprinkle with sugar.

6. Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and scones are cooked through.

Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Swirly Fudge Cookies

I made these because my sister-in-law L. sent me the link with a really excited exclamation mark next to it. The recipe comes from this blog Picky Palate, which, no offense to the Picky Palate author, looks like a direct path to morbid obesity. The idea is that all the recipes on it would be enjoyed by say, a three year old. So while I am sure everything on the blog is very good, it's a little antithetical to what I am trying to do with my life right now. But the Robber and I had contracted to bring goodies to a family in the ward with a three year old, so why not give these a whirl? I'll be honest. The dough was very very good but the cookies were too crumbly in the peanut-butter parts and too tough in the chocolate parts unless warmed up into a goo-ball and overall not very exciting to someone who thinks cookies are the enemy. Nonetheless, I'll blog these because who knows? Some day I might have a three year old too.

From Picky Palate:

http://picky-palate.com/2011/08/01/chocolate-chunk-peanut-butter-swirl-fudgy-cookies/

Ingredients:

1 C. creamy peanut butter

2 sticks softened butter

1 C. sugar

3/4 C. brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 T. vanilla extract

1 3/4 C. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 C. good quality chocolate chunks (I used chocolate chips)

1 C. cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Place peanut butter into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.

2. In a stand or electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until well combined.

3. Place flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Add to wet ingredients along with cocoa powder, and chocolate chunks, slowly mixing until just combined. Drop dollops of frozen peanut butter into dough and turn mixer on for just a few turns of the mixer to get swirls of peanut butter through the dough.

4. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart from each other. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until cooked through. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Serve with milk.

Yield: Makes 3 dozen cookies

Chocolate Chip Scones

These were, by far, the easiest scones to make so far. So few ingredients. So easy to measure. No butter to cut in. Just fast and quick! The downside is the batter was very sticky so I am "flash" freezing it in a pie plate before I cut the dough and freeze the scones individually. I'm not sure how you "freeze" just a lump of dough, and am too scared to use a cutter, because I don't have a really good round one the right size. Anyway. It is going to take a while to "flash" freeze, but otherwise the recipe was a cinch! I used 1/2 heavy cream and 1/2 half-and-half. And of course didn't do the butter/sugar part at the end, because I'm not baking these yet.

A reviewer on Annie's blog recommended using some buttermilk, which sounds like a good idea that I might try if I make these again.

From Brown Eyed Baker, originally from Hershey’s, by way of Annie's Eats:http://annies-eats.net/2010/08/04/chocolate-chip-scones/

Ingredients:

1½ C. plus 2 T. all-purpose flour

¼ C. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 C. (6 oz.) chocolate chips (Annie prefers dark chocolate chips, I used them too)

1 C. heavy cream

2 T. butter, melted

Additional sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; stir to combine. Toss in the chocolate chips and stir to blend. Add the heavy cream to the flour mixture, stirring just until a dough forms and the dry ingredients are incorporated. Knead the dough very briefly with well floured hands to ensure even mixing.

3. Using a large dough scoop (or a large spoon), drop rounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with additional sugar (if using). Bake 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned.

Raspberry Chocolate Scones

These I also made fresh this morning and even baked one of them without any freezer time at all. The good news is that I think freezing the scones (at least overnight) works just fine, no worries. This scone was also among my favorites-- I think the fresh juicy raspberries just do it for me, and since the chocolate adds a contrasting flavor, I am happy. I would have to make it again and sample it all by itself though to offer suggestions on how to improve. Definitely a scone that tastes like a treat! I omitted the egg wash and just brushed the top of the scone with a little half-and-half and sprinkled on some turbinado sugar, which was just fine.

From the Joy of Eating by way of Annie's Eats:

http://annies-eats.net/2007/07/10/raspberry-chocolate-scones/

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

~1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips

¾ cup fresh or frozen raspberries

½ cup plain or vanilla yogurt

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg, lightly beaten

For egg wash:

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tbsp. milk or cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F and place rack in middle of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chunks (chips) and raspberries. In a small measuring cup, whisk together the yogurt, vanilla extract, and egg. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix.

3. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently four or five times and then pat, or roll, the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 11/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick. Cut the dough into eight triangles. Place the scones on the baking sheet. Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture. (Again, I just pressed it into a floured a pie plate and cut that into 8 pieces, I think this is the easiest way!)

4. Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm never quite happy with these when I make them, but somehow when Mom makes them they come out as the perfectest cookie ever. Hmmmmm.

Ingredients:

1 c yellow shortening
3/4 c brown sugar
3/4 c white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
2 1/2 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
12 oz (2 c) chocolate chips
1 c chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Sift together flour, soda, salt.

2. In separate bowl, cream shortening with sugars (brown and white). Mix in eggs, vanilla with beaters.

3. Fold dries into wets by hand; stir in chocolate chips.

4. Line outside of cookie sheets with foil. Bake at 350 F, on the upper shelf.

Sister Criddle's Chocolate Satin Pie

I first had this pie at Thanksgiving in California four years ago and had it again this Thanksgiving on the opposite coast! Delicious both times. I haven't tried it yet, but I thought I'd give it an old blog post so it will be around when I want to make my next pie. I definitely would like it if this pie appeared at my wedding. (The directions and notes are from Sis. Criddle herself!)

Crust Ingredients:

--The 2 pies amounts will make 3 or so one-crust pies

To make: (4 Pies) (2 Pies)
Amount: 2 crust pies 2 crust pies
Flour: 4 cups 2 cups
Salt: 2 teaspoons 1 teaspoon
Shortening: 2 cups 1 cup
Water: 2/3 cup + 2 T. 1/3 cup + 1 T.

Crust Directions:

1. Mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening with pastry blender. Make a well in the center.
First, add larger amount of water; only as necessary to get moist dough, add smaller amount.
(avoid too much stickness)

2. To roll out: Flour board well and rolling pin well. Mold handful into ball. Roll out to about 1/8 inch thick. Fold in half...lift into pie plate...unfold. Crimp edges. Cut off excess. Prick all over with fork (as shell will shrink as it bakes with filling inside)...pricking helps. Bake 375 for about 10 minutes (don't want brown...just slightly golden).

Filling Ingredients and Directions:

1. Melt in top of double boiler (old recipe! I use the microwave now...melt and stir till lumps gone):

12 oz. semi choc. chips (2 cups)
1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt

2. Stir till blended and smooth, cool slightly. (Not too much)

3. Add 4 egg yolks, one at a time (save the whites in another bowl), (If choc is still warm, add the yolks and beat well fast so they don't cook in lumps in the choc immediately....although I like the fact that the hot choc cooks them some)

Beat well. Add 1 tsp. vanilla.

4. Beat 4 egg white until stiff. Fold into choc., gently but well. (I think the years the pie turned out really heavy I think I folded too much)

5. Pour into baked pie shell....refrigerate at least 4 hours. Serve with whipped cream.

Baked Custard

My classmate E. and I promised to bake together Saturday night, and when the time came she had custard cups-- brand-new-- and I had nothing but some eggs (we even had to borrow one of those) and some chocolate chips, so we settled on this custard recipe from the Moosewood and a little Harry Potter V to go along with it. The dark richness of the custard... er paralleled... the scenes from the movie.

There are three variations of this recipe, we made the first.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CUSTARD

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups milk (lowfat works just fine)
3/4 to 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (depending on how deeply chocophilic you are)
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Preheat over to 350F. Have ready six ovenproof custard cups and a 9 x 13 baking pan. (We used just four custard cups and filled them up.)

2) Place the milk and the chocolate chips in a small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring occasionally, until all the chips are melted. Remove from heat and stir until blended. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes.

3) Place the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor. Add the milk mixture, scraping in all the wayward clumps of chocolate, and whip until frothy.

4) Divide the batter among the custard cups. Place them in the baking pan, and half-fill it with water. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until the custards are solid in the center when shaken.

5) Carefully remove the cups from the baking pan. Cool to room temperature, then cover each one tightly with plastic wrap and chill.

MAPLE CUSTARD

1) Omit the chocolate chips. Add 1/3 cup real maple syrup. Optional: Add a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg.

2) Omit step 2 above. Blend all ingredients together as in Step 3 and bake as directed above.

MAPLE-PEACH CUSTARD

1) Make Maple Custard batter. Divide 1 1/2 to 2 cups sliced fresh peaches among the custard cups, pour the custard over the peaches, and bake as directed.