Day 90 - Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

I saw these GORGEOUS cookies on Amanda's website, i am baker.  She does absolutely beautiful work and inspired me to decorate some today. My intention was to bake some cookies and decorate them in baseballs and with my son's school logo for today's playoff baseball game.  It could be their last or they could advance, who knows?  So, regardless of the outcome, my plan was to bring cookies.
Who doesn't like a good cookie, especially a nicely decorated one?
"Boys don't like cookies."
Was what I heard when my husband came home from work and asked what I was doing.
Really?
Hm.
What the heck does THAT mean?!  Boys don't like cookies?
Time was passing pretty quickly this afternoon and between some errands and going to the baseball game, I wasn't going to have time to decorate the cookies anyway - scratch the cookies for the game.  I come home from one errand and who's sitting in his recliner eating a cookie?
"What are you doing?"
In the best little boy voice he can muster, "I'm havin' a cookie," replies Mr. 365.
"How many have you had?"
Still using that voice, "I wasn't sure if they were gonna be good or not, so I picked a number and that's how many I got."
I'm over at the counter, "1, 2, 3...you had 5 cookies???!!" These are not small cookies.
"Yup, they're good!"
I'm sure.  For a "boy" who doesn't like cookies. Hmpf.
He later explained that, "guys don't want to eat cookies after a game.  What do you think Big Papi feels like having after he hits a walk-off home run, a cookie?  NAAHHHH!"  Ok, I get it.
But you could have expanded your answer the first time!
I finished frosting after we came home from the game. 

But can I tell you because I really do need to boast - just a little bit?
The team won their game and my son played the game of his life.  He's first in the line-up and for his first at bat, he hit an in the park home run.  I don't know if I've ever seen him run so fast around third base!  It was SO cool!  He's running, and I'm screaming, "Run. Run!!!"  Not that my yelling made him go any faster.
He made a great defensive play later and then was able to knock in the winning run. 
It was wonderful because he's struggled this year and has decided after many years of baseball that this season will be his last.  He's decided to play volleyball in high school and both sports are in the spring here.  So, this is kind of his last hurrah.  I was really very excited for him, and even Mr. Cookie told him he'd done a great job playing a perfect game and gave him a hug.  I love my life!
At dinner, even my son agreed that his teammates wouldn't have wanted cookies after the game.  Oh, well.

I adapted this from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook, p. 612; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies - made 26 cookies

¼ pound butter (1 stick)
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 ½ cups flour, approximately (Note: only enough so that it can be rolled without being sticky. I used an additional 3 tablespoons after the 1 ½ cups)
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Cream the butter, then gradually add the sugar, beating until light.
Add the egg, vanilla, cinnamon, and milk and beat thoroughly.

Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder together, add to the first mixture, and blend well.

Roll ¼ inch thick and cut into 3-inch circles.

                                    

Bake on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and bake for about 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Here's the link for the frosting recipe from i am baker.  I really enjoyed using it and it was a good consistency to work with.  I should have made it thicker though and used a different tip for writing the letters on the black cookies.  They didn't come out so hot. 
Next time.
To frost the tops, I used about 2 teaspoons of frosting for each cookie base and then finished the decoration.

I started with the ones on the top and finished with the two on the bottom.
They're supposed to be the initials D C.



Mr. Cookie said he preferred to eat them without the frosting.  With it, he thought they were just too sweet.  I liked them both ways.  The rating system I use everyday is on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and these cookies earned 3 rolling pins.

Channel your inner baker!



Day 46 - Baked Doughnuts

     My son goes nuts for doughnuts, so when I saw this recipe in one of my books I knew I had to try it.  No, they're not Dunkin' Donuts (my fave), or Krispy Kreme, but they'll do and of course, for all intents and purposes, the doughnuts have to be baked.  I used the Fannie Farmer Cookbook Thirteenth Edition for this, p. 531-532; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, division of Random House; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.
    





     Baked Doughnuts

     2 packages dry yeast
     1/3 cup warm water
     1½ cups milk
     1/3 cup vegetable shortening
     ¼ cup sugar
     2 teaspoons salt
     2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
     2 eggs, lightly beaten
     4½ cups all-purpose flour, approximately
     ½ cup melted butter
     1 cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon

     Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a small bowl and let it dissolve for 5 minutes.  Put the milk and shortening in a saucepan and heat until the shortening is melted.  Cool to lukewarm.  Pour the yeast mixture into large mixing bowl and add the milk mixture.  Stir in the ¼ cup sugar, salt, nutmeg, eggs, and 2 cups flour.  Beat briskly until well blended.  Add the remaining 2½ cups flour and beat until smooth.

 Cover the bowl and let double in bulk, about 1 hour.  Dust a board generously with flour and turn the dough mass onto it.  The dough is soft and needs enough flour on the board to prevent sticking, but is easy to handle.  Pat the dough into a round about ½ inch thick.  Use a 3-inch doughnut cutter to cut out the doughnuts, placing them (and the doughnut holes) on greased baking sheets, 1 inch apart.  These don't spread much; they rise.

Preheat the oven to 450ºF.  Let the doughnuts rest and rise for 20 minutes, uncovered.  Bake about 10 minutes, or a little longer, until they have a touch of golden brown.  Remove them from the oven. 

Have ready the melted butter and a brush.  On a sheet of waxed paper spread the cinnamon sugar.  Brush each doughnut and doughnut hole with butter and roll in the cinnamon sugar.  Serve hot.

     Everyone really liked these and decided they should be given a rolling pin rating of 3.  The rating system is from 1-4 with a 4 being one of the absolute most delicious things I have ever made.  I liked them, too, but was really wanting the Dunkin' Donut Old Fashioned taste, so was disappointed.  I have high expectations, what can I say?  You can see that I also buttered a couple and rolled them in some powdered sugar, but they tasted much better with the cinnamon sugar.  The part that took the most work was brushing them with butter and rolling them in the sugar.  By the time I was done with that there was no WAY that they were going to be served hot as the recipe suggests (although there were two large mouths and four quick hands very close to me as I placed the finished doughnuts on a cookie sheet, so those were warm - they've become vultures now when I'm taking something out of the oven).

     Happy baking!

Day 42 - Blueberry Pie

     Really this post is for Wednesday, March 9, 2011, I just wasn't able to post it before midnight.  I don't want anyone thinking I skipped a day!      Blueberries have been on sale at our favorite grocery stores this week.  Can you tell?  Today's post and the one Sunday with Blueberry Muffins, and the blueberry pancakes I made for dinner on Monday have officially made it Blueberry Week here at 365.  I don't think I'll do another blueberry recipe before Sunday though - my family may revolt.
     I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself.  I've been nervous about making a lattice topped pie crust, but have always wanted to do it.  Today was the day and since the pie crust needed to be vented anyway I figured why not give it a shot.  It was a success!  Remember, it's good to try new things and take a risk because you never know how it will turn out or what fun you'll have in the process!
     Blueberry Pie

     Filling:
     3/4 cup sugar
     2 tablespoons cornstarch
     ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
     ½ cup water
     3 cups blueberries
     1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

     Pie Crust
     2 cups all-purpose
     1 tablespoon sugar
     1 teaspoon salt
     3/4 cup shortening
     1 egg
     2 tablespoons water
     ½ tablespoon vinegar
    
     Flour for dusting
     Sugar for sprinkling on the top

     For the filling, combine the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and water in a medium saucepan.  Heat rapidly until thickened. 

Set aside to cool as you make the pie crusts.  When the mixture is cooled, add the blueberries and the lemon juice.
     Preheat oven to 425ºF.
     Combine flour, sugar, and salt.  Cut in shortening.  Whisk together egg, water and vinegar.  Add to flour mixture and toss lightly with a fork.  Turn out onto a lightly floured board and combine dough using your hands.  Separate into 2 single crusts. 

Line the bottom of a pie plate with 1 of the crusts.

     Pour filling into dough-lined pie plate. 

Place second crust over top, cut vents, and flute the edges.  Sprinkle a small amount of sugar on top.  Place the pie on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350ºF and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes.

      I really think the recipe could've have used 4 cups instead of the 3 cups of blueberries.  There seemed as if there wasn't quite enough and it may have cut down on the sweetness just a tad.  As I said before, I really wanted to attempt the lattice crust, so I found this video on youtube.  It really wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.  I did mess up in the beginning, but after a while got the hang of it and didn't have any problems (except for a couple of end crust pieces breaking off as I lifted them, but it didn't make a difference).  I think I'm hooked now and will have to do more of these.  It was very pretty and fun to do.  I also took quite a bit of time rolling out both crusts so that they were pretty evenly rounded.  I wanted to make sure this pie was just right!  AND I finally figured out how to get the crust off the board and into the pie plate!  That was a huge accomplishment in itself.  I know I've seen it done on cooking shows, but I've had problems in the past.  I just rolled it right onto the rolling pin and unrolled it over the dish.  Voila!  There are definitely more pies in my future.

     I have a rating system of 1-4 with 4 being the best.  Both my husband and son thought it was a little too sweet, but my neighbor said it was the best blueberry pie he's ever had (and no, I'm not making that up and I didn't pay him to say that).  I really, really liked it, too!  So, I'm giving this baby a rating of 4 rolling pins!  I think the lattice crust was what sealed the deal and I really like the fact that because of the lattice there wasn't too much crust.
     I'm starting to feel sore because of my workout today.  If you haven't checked the weigh-in page, take a look, I updated it today.  So if my arms are as sore as I think they'll be tomorrow, it might be a challenge putting something in the oven. Ha Ha.  I guess I'll just have to make sure the dish or pan isn't too heavy.
     Happy baking!

Day 38 - Cincinnati Coffee Bread

     Ok, so today the blog should be called 365 Days of Baking and Lynne's Mishaps in the Kitchen.  Today was one of those days.  I awoke with a pounding headache, so I'm blaming the brain fart I had on the dose of caffeine in the Excedrin I took.  Good grief!  The recipe says to mix the milk, sugar, butter, and salt in a large bowl and cool to lukewarm.  Doesn't sound that difficult, right?  Well, it isn't until you have a huge mess all over your kitchen.  I want to know how 1 cup of milk, 1/3 cup sugar, 5 tablespoons butter and 1 teaspoon of salt can spread so far and wide over a kitchen?  So few ingredients.  I really don't know what I was thinking.  I heated the milk up on the stove and had put the other ingredients into the Kitchen Aid mixer, granted the butter was not melted and was a chunk which probably should've been my first clue.  So, I poured the milk into the bowl and turned the mixer on.  Not a pretty site.  Milk started flying, butter chunks were darting all over the kitchen, landing on the cat who ran for cover, droplets of milk, sugar, salt and somewhat melted butter all over the floor, kitchen table, mixer, counter, and of course, me.  In my attempt to shut the mixer off (ok this can be labeled as the second brain fart), I of course, pushed it in the wrong direction and turned it up to a higher speed.  OH!  MY!  GOSH!  I know it's good to make mistakes and there are times that I do appreciate them, but not when I have a physical mess to clean up.  Ok, so now it's comical.  I started from scratch again and this time decided to melt the butter in with the milk while it was heating and then mixed everything together with a spoon.  Much better, until I went to add the flour and dropped that bowl into the liquid mixture.  It dropped with a thud and there was another, but smaller, mess to clean up.  It seems as if the baking gods are against me this morning.  The batter's rising in the oven now.  We'll see what happens next.  I'm sure I'm going to be finding greasy spots all over my kitchen for the next few days.
UGH!!! My husband who was out for a run when all of this happened was just messing with my head.  I'm using his laptop to type this and he took his remote mouse over to the counter.  While pretending to dry his hands on a towel, he's using the mouse to move the cursor and scrolling the page up and down.  It really freaked me out because I put my hands in my lap and things were still moving all over the place. MEANIE!!  It's a good thing after 20+ years I still find him humorous.  I wouldn't trade him for anything.
     I found the Cincinnati Coffee Bread in my Fannie Farmer Cookbook Thirteenth Edition, p. 523; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., a division of Random House; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.

     Cincinnati Coffee Bread
     1 cup hot milk
     1/3 cup sugar
     5 tablespoons butter
     1 teaspoon salt
     1 package dry yeast
     ¼ cup warm water
     2 eggs, well beaten
     4 cups white flour

     Filling
     1 cup bread crumbs
     3 tablespoons sugar
     1 tablespoon cinnamon
     4 tablespoons butter, melted

     Mix the milk, sugar, butter, and salt in a large bowl and let cool to lukewarm.  Stir the yeast into the warm water and let stand for 5 minutes to dissolve.  Add the dissolved yeast, eggs, and flour to the first mixture and beat very well. 

Cover and let rise until double in bulk.

Stir down with a spoon and beat thoroughly.  Spoon into a buttered loaf pan.  Mix the filling ingredients together and stir them into the batter, just barely swirling the filling through.

  Cover the pan, and let rise again until double in bulk. 

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Bake loaf for about 40-50 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool on rack.

     Hm...the batter was not really "spoonable" after the first rising.  I imagined just swirling the filling into the batter, but that certainly wasn't the case.  It was definitely more the consistency of dough, so I attempted to "swirl" the filling, but it was more like poking it into the dough with the spoon.  It is in the oven for the second rising and I'm interested to see what it looks like when it comes out.  I think the filling is going to be spilling all over the cookie sheet I put underneath it because most of it is just sitting on the top.
     The bread tasted good, was slightly sweet, but not too sweet and the filling...yeah, it was more like topping than filling.  The stuff I "poked" into the batter really didn't spread as I had hoped it would, so it all just kind of sat on the top and left the bread plain.  It's tough to cut, too because the cinnamon, sugar, bread crumbs combo. all fall off everywhere and onto the counter.  As far as breads go, it's ok, but I don't think we'll be eating all of it.  Maybe I'll try it toasted tomorrow morning with a cup of coffee.  My rating of 1-4 with 4 being the best: the Cincinnati Coffee Bread earns 2½ rolling pins.
     Happy baking!

Day 30 - Snickerdoodles

     Sssnnniiiccckkkeeerrrdddoooooodddllleeesss.  I love that word.  Isn't it just awesome the way it rolls off your tongue?  Try it.  You need to say it slowly enough in order to get the full effect. 

SSSNNNIIICCCKKKEEERRRDDDOOOOOODDDLLLEEESSS

It's so much fun to say.  I wonder what it sounds like in other languages and if it's as much fun.  If anyone knows how to say snickerdoodles in another language, I'd love it if you could comment and let me know.  I'd like to add it to the post.  That'd be cool!

     The snickerdoodle has been and I'm sure will always be, delicious.  I don't think there's any way one can screw up a snickerdoodle short of forgetting to add an ingredient or leaving them in the oven for too long.  They are a great sugar cookie with that hint of cinnamon.  This was an easy recipe, too.  Once again, taken from the Food Network website.  The recipe address is:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/snickerdoodles-recipe/index.html .  They are from The Emeril Live Show.  So easy and so quick, I made them in under ½ hour -  prepping ingredients, mixing and baking.



Shortening and butter creamed.

Sugar added and mixed til fluffy.

The flour and the eggs.

The eggs added to the sugar, shortening and butter.

After the flour, baking soda and salt are added.

Rolled in sugar and cinnamon and flattened on the cookie sheet.

Mmmmmm....delicious!

    

     The rolling pin rating for snickerdoodles: the family voted that it's 3½.  The were going to give them a four, but are holding out I suppose for a really super-to-die-for cookie.  I wonder what that will be.  Remember, anyone that can post a comment telling us what snickerdoodle is in another language, I'd love to add it to the post.  I look forward to hearing from you!

     Happy baking!

Day 28 - Flu-Fighter Cookies

  Yes, a recipe that took me by surprise.  I was searching for a cookie recipe on the http://www.foodnetwork.com/ website and saw a delicious looking recipe that I'll definitely be trying, but when I was scrolling down the page this one caught my eye.  I had never heard of a cookie named the Flu-Fighter Cookie.  The thought of it just really doesn't sound too appetizing; which is why my teenage daughter probably turned her nose up at them and wouldn't give them a try besides the fact that they contain nuts (not that she's allergic, she just doesn't like to eat them).  The name sounded so unappetizing to me and yet at the same time, was so very much intriguing!  And it is completely filled with ingredients.  It's like someone took a pantry and spice cupboard and dumped it all in a bowl - really bizarre.  There are 18 different things in this one cookie!  And soooo many different flavors! I can't post the recipe, but I can give you the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/flu-fighter-cookies-recipe/index.html (I still haven't figured out how to link words to websites yet.  It's on my list of things to do, so please bear with me.)  I am going to list the ingredients for you though, you ready?
flour
baking powder
baking soda
salt
ground cinnamon
freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
unsalted butter
dark brown sugar (I went to two different grocery stores for different things today and forgot it each time.  I had some light brown sugar at home, so I just used that.)
eggs
molasses
Greek yogurt (I always have that in my fridge)
freshly grated ginger
grated lemon zest
old-fashioned oats
golden raisins
dried cranberries
chopped toasted walnuts
See?  That's quite a list, isn't it?  They're so much in them that I was concerned about how they would taste, but then I'm thinking the Food Network isn't going to put crappy recipes up on their site and it's so different that I'm just going to have to try it.  Besides, people around these here parts have been quite sick with the flu and whatever else is going around, so maybe these will help to boost people's immune systems.  I know I'm going to be eating them for a while.  Heck, they're healthy, too (ok, at least they appear to be - it says each cookie has a calorie count of 174).  Any excuse I have to eat a cookie, I'm all over it and again, if you read my weigh-in post today, I didn't gain any weight this week.  I'm ok.
     The ingredients:  oats, flour, brown sugar, butter, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, salt, cinnamon, and, eggs.

Golden raisins, toasted walnuts, dried cranberries. molasses, and Greek yogurt.

 Lemon zest, grated ginger (behind it is ginger juice), and grated nutmeg.

After grating the nutmeg, (grating those lil' buggers is hard!  It was rolling around in my fingers and wouldn't stay still.  I need to get me one of those microplane graters) something which I had never done before, I sliced it to make sure I was grating the proper part.  I had no idea.  It smelled good as I was grating, so I figured I was doing something right.  I couldn't buy just one piece, had to buy a jar of nine for $7.9something, and four of which are stuck in the bottom of the bottle.  How the heck am I going to get those out of there and when am I going to use the rest of it?  Guess we'll be making more things with nutmeg in them.  It doesn't expire until sometime in 2014, so we're good.  The smell reminded me of some rice pudding I used to eat, so there's one idea.
I thought the inside of the nutmeg was cool:

My sous chef, Charlie.  He kept watching the mixer, but really he's waiting for me to feed him because, you know, the world revolves around the cat.

The flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves combined.

 The butter and brown sugar creamed.

The second egg added to the butter and brown sugar.

The molasses, lemon zest and ginger added to mixture.

The flour mixture added to previous ingredients.  Hanging off the blender are the fibers from the ginger.  I was really thinking this wasn't going to be a good part of the cookie and would be stringy.

Oats,  ½ of each of the cranberries, walnuts and raisins added.

Ready for the oven.

Baked and ready to be eaten.

     The aroma that filled the house while these were in the oven was wonderful!  It smelled like gingerbread.  I have to say I wasn't looking forward to trying these and was thinking that they were not going to be eaten.  But, wow!  For a cookie with so much in it, it's like a taste party in your mouth!  Unbelievable.  It's gingery, with a taste of cinnamon; a touch of lemon and I'm not tasting that ginger stringy-stuff I thought I would; crunchy from the nuts and chewy because of the raisins and cranberries; and it has just the right amount of sweetness!  These probably are the healthiest tasting cookies I have ever had.  It's a good cookie to send in a care package to your college student who is stressed, doesn't eat well or get enough sleep and is around a lot of sick people, especially this time of year.  You can bet I'll be sending some of these out to my daughter.
     The rating for Flu-Fighter Cookies: 3½ rolling pins.
     So, here's to your immune systems, happy baking!

Day 26 - Cinnamon Rolls

Mmmm...cinnamon rolls.  This recipe I found in the Fannie Farmer Cookbook Thirteenth Edition, p. 530; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., a division of Random House; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.

Cinnamon Rolls
1 package dry yeast
¼ cup warm water
4½ cups white flour (approximately)
1 cup lukewarm milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup raisins (I omitted these)
Milk
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 teaspoons warm water

 Stir the yeast into ¼ cup warm water and let it stand for 5 minutes to dissolve.  Add the dissolved yeast and 3 cups of the flour to the milk and blend well.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk.  Add the granulated sugar, salt, cinnamon, eggs, butter, and 3/4 cup of the flour and blend. 

Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead gently, slowly adding the remaining 3/4 cup of flour until the dough can be easily handled.  Knead in the raisins.  Pull off pieces of dough the size of medium lemons, roll each about 8 inches long, and wind it into a coil. 

Arrange on two buttered 9-inch cake pans, cover and let rise until double in bulk, then brush tops with milk.

They certainly did rise!

 Preheat oven to 375ºF.  Bake rolls for 25 minutes.  Mix the confectioners' sugar and vanilla with 4 teaspoons warm water to make a glaze, and spread a thin layer on rolls immediately after removing from the oven.

The house is filled with the smell of cinnamon.  How is it that because we live at a slightly higher elevation and I need to leave things in to bake longer than the recipes call for that these cinnamon rolls were left in for exactly 24:35 (when I removed them because it smelled as if I should (you know what I mean)) and the tops and bottoms were darker than they should've been?  What the heck?  There's something wrong with that picture.  I walked into the kitchen at the 24:30 mark and was very happy that I did.
     Despite the browned outer layers, the inside was very soft and delicious.  The creamy icing was really good, too.  I doubled the icing because we like them ooey-gooey-sticky-all-over-your-fingers-good.  My grandmother used to make her own cinnamon rolls when I was a kid, but I don't have that recipe.  There are quite a few recipes I am going to need to retrieve from my aunt (oh my gosh!  I just pronounced it 'ant' in my head!  I've never said it that way aloud or otherwise.  I'm from back east, we say 'ahnt' - guess I've been away too long).  Grandma's, if I remember correctly, had a sugar and cinnamon mixture rolled up in the middle.  The ones I made had the cinnamon mixed directly into the dough and it was quite good that way, too.
    The rating:  3 rolling pins.
     Happy baking!