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Thursday Recipe Exchange: Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookies
Time for cookies. Chocolate chip cookies to be specific. JeffreyW cleaned out his pantry one day and came up with the ingredients for his Awesome Cookies w/Coconut.
JeffreyW’s Awesome Cookies w/Coconut
There are a few recipes I get requests for often. My dark chocolate chip cookie recipe is hands-down the recipe that I get requests for the most. And instead of wanting a copy of the recipe, most people want me to make them, convinced they couldn’t get them to turn out as good. I disagree. There are a couple of simple tricks that make these foolproof. One is to melt the butter before mixing with the sugars. This gives you a crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside cookie. Another is to let the mixture rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or more, this brings out the toffee flavors in the dough. And finally, pull them from the oven just before they’re done and let them finish on the baking sheet for the last minute or so, this gives you a perfectly browned cookie and lets them set up just enough to transfer to a…PLATE. I’ve tried a baking rack and they are too gooey and get stuck on the rack. You can put parchment paper on it first, which I’ve done, but a plate works just fine.
Now, what’s your favorite type of cookie? Chocolate, fruit, sugar, peanut butter? I’m always on the look out for the perfect peanut butter cookie. I’m still looking…
Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 2 sticks butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp dash of salt
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 12 oz 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chips
- 1-1/2 cups walnut halves, roughly chopped
mixing bowl and cookie sheet
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Sift together salt, soda, and 2 1/4 cups flour, then add to butter mixture, blending well. Add more flour as needed. Add nuts and chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or longer. Keep remainder refrigerated while baking each batch. Spoon onto cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove just before done and let finish cooking on the baking sheet. Cool on plate or baking rack covered with parchment.
Melting the butter gives you a chewier, crispier cookie. Letting it rest in the refrigerator enhances the toffee flavor from the brown sugar. Big cookie bakeries let theirs rest overnight before baking. I don’t have that kind of patience, I want cookie! Though I’ve been known to double or quadruple this recipe and refrigerate in an airtight container for a week and make a fresh dozen each day.
You can also freeze the dough balls on parchment paper placed on a baking sheet and then store the balls in an airtight container for quick baking later.
Cross-posted at Balloon-Juice.
Crispy (and spicy) Chicken Breast Sandwiches
The other day on another blog, someone mentioned making chicken patties. There were some questions about the recipe, so I went and took a look. It sounded great and I thought, I should make that. But when I went to make it, remembered it called for ground, cooked chicken and thought, eh, too much work. I prefer a chicken breast cutlet with a crisp, spicy crust, anyway. So I decided to play with ingredients to come up with something that made me feel guilty eating it. All spicy and crispy. This what I came up with:
Crispy Chicken Breast Sandwiches
- 4 large boneless-skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup dill pickle juice
- 1 egg (if you’re going to bake, add 1 tbsp of olive oil to egg)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup panko
- 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
- Olive oil
Spice Mix
- 1 tsp of salt
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 2 tsp dried sage
- 2 tsp dry basil
- 2 tsp of celery seeds
- 1 tsp of black pepper
- 1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp of paprika
Sandwich Fixin’s
- 8 crusty sesame sandwich rolls
- Mayonnaise
- Tomato slices
- Lettuce
- Dill pickle (or for extra spice, jalapenos – my choice)
skillet
Fillet breasts to make two thin fillets from each breast and then soak in pickle juice for 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to buttermilk and let marinate for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together panko, bread crumbs and spice mix. Beat egg.
Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture, dip in egg and then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating well. Fry in skillet with 1-2 tbsp of oil, turning until golden brown on both sides. Or alternately, bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes. (I covered it for the first 10-15 minutes to keep it moist, then uncovered to get it crispy).
Serve with sandwich fixin’s.
Cooked fillets can be frozen and reheated in the oven at 450 degrees until heated through.
I Dropped the Slab of Bacon in the Deep Fryer….Now What?
Ok, I don’t really know how they came up with the idea of deep frying bacon, but don’t the best cooking ideas usually come from some kind of mix-up in the kitchen?
Photo from Chow.com. Click on the photo to see more photos there.
I was trying to catch up on the blogs I follow last night and what did I come across? Kirk Spencer’s post on Deep Frying Bacon, appropriately titled, “Drool”. I didn’t know if I should be inspired or horrified.
I have to admit, if someone offered me a slice, I’d take. The original story can be found here, along with all kinds of great pictures: Fried Bacon from Boucherie Fairmount
Thursday Recipe Exchange: Roasting
Tried to fit some actual cooking into what has been a very busy week. The weather is very warm here right now, so I want to rush out and buy plants and get summer underway. But even 90 degree (!) temps can be deceptive – at this altitude they still recommend planting after Mother’s day to be safe. We’ve had 90 degrees to freezing whiplash before.
JeffreyW's Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Carrots and Parsnips
This week I roasted Asparagus topped with mozzarella and tonight’s sweet potato recipe. And here is the link to JeffreyW’s Brussel Sprouts, Carrots and Parsnips.
For dessert I made a batch of Orange Brownies. I think for the weekend, though, I’m going to stick to stove top cooking and grilling. What’s on your menu this week? Does weather affect what you want to cook?
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 4 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1 or 2 inch pieces
- 2 medium red onions, cut in to 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- sprig of fresh time, cut into 4 pieces
- salt & pepper (about 1/2 tsp of pepper or more, finely ground)
Preheat oven to 425. Combine all ingredients in baking dish. Toss to coat the veggies and bake for 35 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender and onions are soft.
Next Week: Awesome Cookies
Orange Brownies
I started with Paula Deen’s recipe and after the first test batch it was apparent I would have to make some adaptations. Her original recipe was so over the top buttery and sweet it overwhelmed every other flavor. If you like gooey, buttery brownies, her recipe works well. I was baking for an audience that likes citrus more than sweet, so I adjusted accordingly. It’s a lighter, more tangy recipe.
Orange Brownies
Photo from Just a Pinch.com because my photos didn't turn out.
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate (do NOT add water)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp grated orange zest
- 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.
Whisk together flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add butter, eggs, orange juice concentrate, zests and vanilla. Using a handheld electric mixer beat until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until light golden brown and set. Remove from oven. Allow to cool slightly and pierce entire cake with a fork. See frosting directions.
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons softened butter
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, more as needed
- 2 tbsp orange zest
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons orange juice, more as needed
In a large mixing bowl, whip the butter and cream cheese together with a hand-held electric mixer. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until it is all combined and smooth. Beat in the orange zest and juice. The spread should be light, whipped and moist, not stiff or firm. Spread 1/2 over brownies while they’re still warm. After cooled completely, spread remainder.
Roasted Mozzarella Asparagus
Sorry for the light posts. I do have some fun things in mind though, starting with Orange Brownies tonight. So there’s that. Roasting is our menu exchange theme for tomorrow, so I thought I’d start things off with some asparagus which I think would go very well with JeffreyW’s flatiron steaks. He made them look so good, I’m going to try one this week. I usually go for sirloin, but these looked amazing, so I’ll give them a taste. I’ll let you know how they turn out. Now for a side:
Roasted Mozzarella Asparagus
- 2 pounds fresh asparagus
- Good olive oil
- Salt & Pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh, shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
Baking sheet
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Break off the tough ends of the asparagus. A quick trick is to keep the rubber band in place, snap off one or two to see where the tough break is, then use a knife to cut them all at that place. Remove rubber band and wash stalks thoroughly, pat dry.
Place the asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, then toss to coat completely. Spread in a single layer and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, until tender but still crisp. Spread mozzarella and lemon zest evenly over the top and broil for 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden.
If your weather allows, you can also do these on the grill, use a nice grilling pan and adjust the time according to grill temp.
Thursday Recipe Exchange: Zesty Lemon Chicken UPDATE w/Photo
Tonight was suppose to be about unusual fruits, but I never made it to the Asian Market to pick up the fruits I wanted to work with, so we’ll save it for another time. Instead I was in the mood to cook up a batch of this wonderful lemon chicken. It’s a bit labor intensive, so I don’t do it often, but it is oh, so good. Hopefully there’ll be pictures later, it’s about ready to go into the oven.
Let’s make this exchange about lemons and chicken. Do you have any favorite lemon recipes? Chicken? Lemon and chicken? And most importantly, what are your cooking plans tonight or this weekend? Hit the comments with your dinner plans. Next week: Mushrooms
Zesty Lemon Chicken
(adapted from Crème de Colorado – serves 6)
- 6 boneless chicken breasts
- 10 whole lemons, (enough to make 2 cups juice, reserve 2 tbsp for later)
- 1 cup flour
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup oil
- 2 tbsp lemon zest (grated peel)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup chicken broth*
- 1 whole lemon, sliced thin
- minced parsley for garnish
skillet, bowl, baking dish
In an airtight container, combine chicken breasts and lemon juice. Marinate for 1 hour. Remove chicken. Pat chicken with paper towel, but don’t dry completely. Mix together flour, salt, paprika and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture until well coated.
In large skillet heat 1/2 of the oil and fry breasts a few at a time until well browned, adding and heating more oil as needed. (about ten minutes) Arrange chicken in a single layer in a large baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with lemon peel and brown sugar. Mix chicken broth with reserved lemon juice and pour around chicken. Pace a sliced lemon on top of each breast and sprinkle with minced parsley. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until tender.
*I added the broth to the frying pan, deglazed it and then added it to the baking dish. Yum.
Toasted Oats
Thought this was a pretty picture, unfortunately I don't have an original credit for it.
I hate oatmeal. Something about the texture just does me in. But I love oats, oat bran, granola, Cheerios, oatmeal cookies – you get the idea. I was craving granola over the weekend, but because of the sugar and fat in most granolas, I try to avoid them. Lots of calories for a very small amount of oats. Never very satisfying and too, too sweet.
Instead I did something I’d been thinking about for a while. I toasted some oats to see if it would help satisfy my craving. The first batch I did was about 1/2 cup and it came out tasty enough that I went ahead and did 4 cups next. I keep it in a nice glass jar and have already used it in my strawberry frozen yogurt (homemade in my vitamix) and with milk and a bit of honey for breakfast this morning.
Here’s the recipe I put together:
Toasted Rolled Oats
- 4 cups rolled oats (not quick oats)
- 1/4 cup of butter, melted
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- dash of cinnamon
- dash of salt
bowl, baking sheet
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In bowl, toss oats with melted butter, sugar and spices. Make sure oats are well coated. Spread out on baking sheet. Place in oven and turn down to 300 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes, stir, continue baking for an additional 5 minutes or until oats are a golden brown. My first batch cooked in 10 minutes, my next 20 minutes, so keep a close eye on it.
Let cool and store in an airtight container.
TaMara
jeffreyww
LFern7
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