I'm hopeless

So many days, weeks and months just slip by ... not doing much of anything..but, somehow away they go.  Plenty of baking and cooking going on...but, not much writing about it... oh, well....the cookie jar is always full... hahahha..

Want a cookie?

Sorry, I know it's not nice to tease.   But, it's almost that easy ... I'm giving you the recipe for these.  I love them.  Kind of like a breakfast cookie if you know what I mean.

A great thing to do with those leftover Rice Krispies that have been sitting there too long...and then, guess what?  You will be forced to go buy some more to make another batch of these.  Well, that's what happened around here anyway.

I thought I was doing a good thing; using up some past due Krispies .. and lo and behold, the recipe was so good and so versatile... I make them often now.

And, ...   I've discovered they don't make small boxes of Krispies anymore.....man... I had to buy a HUGE box.... so, I baked several batches...with different nuts, raisins, some with cranberries...and froze 'em.  Still working on the box ...but, hey...it's good til 2014 ... I'll definitely be buying a new one before then...even if it is a whopping 500 grams of snap, crackle, pop!

They are called Crunchy Jumbles... but, I call them Rice Krispie Cookies... and it's from a magazine I bought a few years ago.  Says it makes 36, but they'd have to be tinier than I make.  I usually get about 32.

115 g or  1/2 cup butter

225 g or  1    cup sugar

1    egg

5 ml   or   1 tsp. vanilla

175 g or   1 1/4 cups plain flour

2.5 ml  or  1/2  tsp. bicarbonate of soda

        pinch of salt

115g   or   2   cups crisped rice cereal

1    cup chocolate chips  (needless to say this is waaay too much for me!)

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.

Sift together flour, soda.  Add cereal.   Fold into the creamed butter mixture.

Add chocolate chips, nuts etc and mix thoroughly.

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto lightly greased cookie sheets.

Bake in 180C /350 F or Gas 4 oven..... for about 10 - 12 minutes.

(for crunchier cookies add 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped, with cereal and only 1/2 cup of choco chips and use a couple teaspoons less butter.)  (I've also taken to adding sunflower seeds or raisins, or dried cranberries, ..whatever I have on hand.)  I don't grease sheets ...but, it will depend upon what type of cookie sheet you use... test bake one.  Sometimes, I also add a tiny 'sprink' of nutmeg, cinnamon or maybe even ginger... these are so versatile...just add or subtract whatever you like after you try your first batch and get a feel for them.

okay, I"m off to make a cuppa and have one ....or two ...  or three....  sigh..... they are a bit like popcorn...can't just pop in one kernel can you?

Cookies from a Christmas past....

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies  

These intrigued me a few years ago and now have become a tradition at our house.  Absolutely perfect for Valentine's Day too.
They are simple, if a little fiddly, and look pretty darn amazing if I do say so myself...and I do.  




















Thank goodness I had an extra set of hands to help with them ... it is killer on the shoulder blades to sit and put the little bit of chocolate dough around 51 cherries!










... and .... he does such a great job too!










Even the smallest foil cups still seem a bit large to me ... I suppose I could put a bit more dough around each one... making them fill it. Or... squeeze it onto the dough a bit before baking. 













but.... they still look pretty special.










Wonder if it might help to leave a few out for Santa?










Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

2 10 oz. jars maraschino cherries with stems
2 tbsp. cherry brandy or maraschino cherry juice
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Drain cherries, reserving juice. Lightly toss cherries with brandy if using...and drain. Let stand for 20 minutes.
Beat butter or margarine in a large mixing bowl with electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder; beat til combined. Beat in egg and 1 teaspoon of the reserved liquid. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour with a wooden spoon.
Shape a scant 1 teaspoon of dough around each cherry. Place each ball in a 1 inch foil or paper bake cup. Place cups 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet.
Bake in 350F oven for 10 minutes or til tops look dry. Transfer cookies to wire racks. Frost warm cookies with about 1/2 tsp frosting. (I waited til they were very cool... not enough energy... they worked very well cooled.) Makes 48 (I ended up with 51)

Chocolate Cherry Frosting
Stir together 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces and 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk in a small heavy saucepan. (I had a bowl in water in the pan..worked perfectly) Cook over low heat just til chocolate is melted, stirring occasionally. Sir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of reserved cherry liquid to make of spreading consistency. Makes plenty.

Biscotti Toscani

I'll write out the recipe later.... I see part of it is obliterated by some glare..

My favourite cutter for biscotti?  A hacksaw.... which I keep in the kitchen.  No piping is cut with this one.... just cookies... makes a nice clean cut.

Weeks have passed.....

I've been busy...honest I have.  Baking each week as usual....suppers as usual... I cook every day.  Just keep putting off posting til I do something else and all of sudden it is midnight and then...I think I'll do it in the morning...which I don't because that's when I read your blogs...and then..it's noon and then...well...you see what happens.

These were yesterday's strawberry scones.  I made them for my garbage guys.  Yep....I bribe them.  This is what they took away with smiles on their faces.  I told them straight out that I was bribing them as well as saying thank you for always taking everything I put out there.  They said "bribes are good" .... and cheerfully loaded up the 5 bags of grass, leaves and shrub clippings...as well as 5 twined 4 foot long bundles of Nanking bush ...  an old length of garden hose and a complete, full grown, dead spirea shrub.   I love my guys....  they treat me well.

However, one of them did mention they wondered why they hadn't seen me for some time.... to which I said..uh, oh.... I must be falling behind on the muffin quota.  Sorry...I'll attend to that straight away.... so, two weeks in a row they've had warm from the oven goodies.  Next week, if it is not raining... I don't know...they could be out of luck, I may be out golfing....finally.  But, yesterday they picked up two more houses after ours..turned the corner and parked the huge truck in front of my neighbour's ...and proceeded to have their coffee and fresh scones.  Hahahahha.... that did make me laugh.   Doesn't take much to amuse me.... it made my day.

Thanks guys!!  I love ya...

Next week.... double chocolate chunk cookies....

add some cherries......

Chocolate Chunk Cookies....

I made them earlier this year and we really enjoyed them. At the time I did muse about perhaps adding some cherries for a little extra flair. MMMM.... yep it works!

It is an easy recipe... they look great and taste pretty darn amazing.

Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Cherries

1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sifted cocoa
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
::optional... drained, chopped maraschino cherries

Cream butter, brown sugar and cocoa in large bowl or mixer bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla ..mix til fluffy.
Add remaining 5 ingredients. Mix well. Add some chopped maraschino cherries at this point.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto greased cookie sheet. (I have enamel sheets and they didn't need greasing..test bake one to check on your sheets.... but, they probably won't need much at any rate...)
Leave as drops or flatten slightly with glass or fingers.... put a bit more cherry on top if you like. Bake at 350 F or 170 C for 10 to 12 minutes. Remember...it's chocolate... keep an eye on them! Mine barely needed 10 minutes.

(I only used about 3/4 cup semi sweet dark and white chocolate squares chopped into chunks..it was plenty...)
 (1/2 cup was enough... I toasted them beforehand... better flavour)...

I'm a delinquent...

...but, I have excuses..... oh, yeh...I remember now...nobody wants to hear them.

Well, in honour of me finding half an hour while my slave driver is having a bath....I'm doing a post about something beginning with a big D.... maybe he won't notice that I'm not painting doorframes......

Dark and delicious.... chocolate!!














here's the picture...and mine.....

They are from the Company's Coming Chocolate Everything book by Jean Pare. Somebody named them white chip cookies...huh? ...terrible...I call them Double Chocolate Chunk cookies. .. cuz I used chunks of white chocolate instead of chips.

Here they are. You'll notice I always throw in my own twobits as I tell you the recipe... sometimes I think they put in too much of this or that ... suit yourself....but, here it is straight from the book.......

Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sifted cocoa
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup white chocolate chips (I only used about 3/4 cup semi sweet dark and white chocolate chopped into chunks..it was plenty...)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (1/2 cup was enough... I toasted them beforehand... better flavour)...

Cream butter, brown sugar and cocoa in large bowl or mixer bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla ..mix til fluffy.
Add remaining 5 ingredients. Mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto greased cookie sheet. (I have enamel sheets and they didn't need greasing..test bake one to check on your sheets.... but, they probably won't need much at any rate...)
Leave as drops or flatten slightly with glass or fingers.... Bake at 350F or 170C for 10 to 12 minutes. Remember...it's chocolate... keep an eye on it! Mine barely needed 10 minutes.

Says it makes 3 dozen.... only made 23 of my tablespoon size...... hmmmmm.... my tablespoons must be bigger... *grin*** .......

Ohhhhh.....are they delish!! I just made them last night and already only 5 left... but, I did take a few for the old guys at the golf course today...and gave a few to my neighbour..... .........

my kingdom for a cookie.....

ahhhhh..... love...... or is it? ... methinks she is dreaming of cookies... not just any cookie ... one of her special Empire Cookies......of the realm I suppose....

Delicate, soft, sweet ... with lovely berry jam sandwiched in every bite...... ohhhhhh how I wish I had one myself right now! Along with a cup of Earl Grey from this lovely teapot ...













Sadly...they disappeared very quickly .... pronounced every bit as good as the ones we used to get at a fav little bakery that no longer exists.

I tried to find out why they are called Empire but didn't see much except the vague suggestion that perhaps, since they seem to be very British, ... they being an Empire and all... so, if anyone has seen any info on this... please point me in that direction.













This particular recipe appears to have been clipped from a booklet of recipes using brand names.. Robin Hood flour... Crisco etc.. I have it in my Christmas Recipe Album that I've made up using my personal favs along with family recipes and pictures...a 3 ring binder type of thing. At the top of the recipe.. the great suggestion.... "this is a favourite at Christmas, but don't limit it to the holiday season"... somebody knew me well.










I only put little glistening cherries on a few for a photo... somebody was standing there grinning...waiting for the taste testing.....













At first I rolled them the suggested 1/8" thickness ... hahahahha...yeh ...right ... almost "see through" thin it was... and just try to get them off the counter! Next chunk..I rolled closer to 1/4"..but not quite. I had much better luck...but I also discovered a new trick at this late stage in life. Instead of just pressing down, turning a bit and lifting off with my flour dusted cutter... I turned it back and forth a few times and almost tried to lift it off at a bit of an angle.... .. so that it actually lifted a corner of the dough with it as I did the lift out of the dough. Hah! that really loosened things and I could then easily slide my floured spatula under each and transfer it the cookie sheet. Sigh... sometimes!........











Empire Cookies

3/4 cup golden Crisco shortening ( I used butter)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt ( I always omit because I use salted butter)

Filling and frosting

1/2 cup raspberry jam
1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 1/ to 2 TBSP hot water

Cream shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl on med. speed of electric mixer until light and creamy. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until well blended. If desired, chill 1 hour for easy rolling. (I found this a must..it is pretty sticky) Roll out dough, a portion at a time, on lightly floured surface to 1/8" thickness. ( I went slightly thicker for ease of handling) Cut into 2" rounds..re-roll all leftover pieces at once to avoid over handling. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 F (180 C) for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned around edges..(watch them like a hawk) .. Cool completely before handling.

Filling and frosting ::: spread half of cookies on the underside with jam. Top with the remaining cookies. Combine icing sugar, extract and enough hot water to make a thin icing. Frost tops of cookies. Decorate with small piece of cherry. Store in airtight container overnight. (At this point they were still sort of crispy and hard..not at all how I remember them being when I used to buy Empire cookies... but... left overnight... magically they became soft, delicate to bite into.... yes... finally almost the exact thing!)