This cute recipe comes from Betty Crocker. These are sure to be a kid pleaser! Since these take a little time to roll and twist the dough, get the kids to help out. What I found to be helpful was to roll 3 balls of each color together to 8″, this will make them bigger and easier to twist. Roll them on a clean lightly floured surface, not in your hands or they will melt and stick. To get the candy to stick, take the cookies out of them oven 1 minute early and sprinkle them, then place back in the oven for a minute.

Candy Cane Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 egg
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red food color
2 tablespoons finely crushed peppermint candies
2 tablespoons sugar

Stir together 1 cup sugar, the butter, milk, vanilla, peppermint extract and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Divide dough in half. Stir food color into 1 half. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Heat oven to 375ºF. Stir together peppermint candy and 2 tablespoons sugar; set aside. For each candy cane, shape 1 rounded teaspoon dough from each half into 4-inch rope by rolling back and forth on floured surface. Place 1 red and white rope side by side; press together lightly and twist. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; curve top of cookie down to form handle of cane. Bake about 9 minutes or until set. *Immediately sprinkle candy mixture over cookies. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

If you love pecans you’ll love this pie. It’s not as sweet as others, and it’s packed with nuts. I used another recipe for the crust, found here.

Prepared 9″ pie crust
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons honey
1-1/2 cups pecan halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large bowl, combine eggs, 1/4 cup brown sugar, white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla extract, and chopped pecans. Mix well. Spoon mixture into unbaked pie shell.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove and cover edges of pastry with aluminum foil. Return to oven for 20 minutes.

To Make Topping: Combine 1/3 cup brown sugar, butter or margarine, and honey in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves - about 2 minutes. Add pecans. Stir just until coated. Spoon topping evenly over pie.

Keep foil on edges of pastry and return pie to oven for an additional 10 to 20 minutes, until topping is bubbly and golden brown. Cool to room temperature before serving.

Recipe found here, with my photography here.

French toast is my favorite! Have you ever had overnight baked french toast? It’s not like your traditional fried french toast, it’s more like a custard bread pudding-like french toast. The insides will be soft and delicious, especially with this cream cheese filling. I have posted other recipes before, but here is another version I came up with. Brown sugar, orange, pecan with cream cheese overnight french toast. Mmm mmm mmm. This would be perfect for holiday guests staying over the weekend - just double the recipe so there will be enough to go around.

Baked French Toast 

12 slices day old french bread loaf (sliced 1″ thick)

5 eggs

2 1/2 cups milk

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1-2 tsp. cinnamon

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Zest and juice from 1 orange

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Additional pecans and zest for garnish

In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon; set aside. In a mixer combine cream cheese, brown sugar, zest and juice, mix well until softened.

Spread some of this between half of the french bread slices, top with a second slice to make a sandwich, sprinkle with some pecans.

Arrange sandwiches in a greased 9×13 baking dish. Pour egg mixture over all in pan (the bread will absorb most of this by morning). Cover and refrigerate for 8 hrs or overnight.

Remove each sandwich from pan and place on a lined baking sheet. Garnish with additional pecans and zest. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 35-40 mins.

Photography by myself.

I was browsing my all-time favorite site of trusted recipes, Allrecipes. I came across this homemade pizza crust and sauce. They both had such great reviews, I knew they must be good. Then I saw the buffalo chicken pizza on another food blog, and was reminded of the yummy one that Pizza Hut used to make. I’m not one for spicy, but I could handle their pizza. I knew it’d be on our menu real soon.

I prepped the dough and had it risen and ready when we got home from school at 4 pm, just in time to bake it and eat dinner. I let the kids make theirs into Hawaiian - Canadian bacon and pineapple with 2 cheeses. They had a blast doing it.  I made the other Buffalo Chicken. I had roasted 2 big bone-in chicken breasts earlier in the day and shredded them in big chunks (season chicken, roast on baking sheet 425 degrees F for 45 min to 1 hr).   

These came out great! I’ll definitely be making homemade pizza more often.

Pizza Crust:
makes 1 large pizza

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (I had to use more, just depends)

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.

Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour* until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour.

Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza recipe.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately.
If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it.
Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

-(I used a Silpat on a baking sheet, and let the topped pizza sit for a bit; baked up nice and puffy)

Pizza Sauce:
I doubled this for 2 pizzas and have some leftover

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
6 fluid ounces warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons honey (or less, I used 1 Tbl and a little sugar)
1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional, I did not use)
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used a shake of this)
1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (I used a tiny pinch)
Salt to taste

In a small bowl, combine tomato paste, water, Parmesan cheese, garlic, honey, anchovy paste, onion powder, oregano, marjoram, basil, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes and salt; mix together, breaking up any clumps of cheese.
Sauce should sit for 30 minutes to blend flavors; spread over pizza dough and prepare pizza as desired.

Buffalo Style Chicken Pizza

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cooked and cubed or pulled apart
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (2 ounce) bottle hot sauce (I used 3 TBL)
1 (8 ounce) bottle blue cheese salad dressing (I used both pizza sauce & about 1/4 C. dressing)
1 (16 inch) prepared pizza crust
1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese

In a medium bowl combine the cubed chicken, melted butter and hot sauce. Mix well. Spread whole bottle of salad dressing over crust, then top with chicken mixture and sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Recipes from Allrecipes and photos by myself.

I’ve had this bookmarked and decided to whip these up. Smitten Kitchen made hers as Whole Wheat Apple Muffins, but I made ours as whole wheat banana crumb muffins. Here are the ingredients I used.

1 cup (4 ounces) whole wheat flour
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed*
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk
3-5 bananas, chopped* (depending how much banana you want)
Crumb topping*

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour an 18-cup muffin tin and set aside.
Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix in the buttermilk gently. (If you overmix, the buttermilk will cause the mixture to curdle.) Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks (or bananas).

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top (or crumb topping). Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

*The crumb topping I found here

¼ cup pecans
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup packed brown sugar
Pinch of salt
4 tablespoons butter, cold, cubed

In a food processor, grind ¼ cup of pecans. Add the flour, brown sugar and salt, and pulse until blended. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (You will have leftovers, just keep stored in the freezer for next use.)

Recipes found at Smitten Kitchen and Lindsey’s Luscious. Photos from myself.

]]> http://justbaking.net/2008/11/12/whole-wheat-banana-crumb-muffins/feed/ http://justbaking.net/2008/10/10/pumpkin-cream-cheese-muffins/ http://justbaking.net/2008/10/10/pumpkin-cream-cheese-muffins/#comments Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:38:08 +0000 Rachelle S. Recipes Muffins http://justbaking.net/2008/10/10/pumpkin-cream-cheese-muffins/

I love fall. The cooler weather, the leaves turning colors, soups and stews and just getting ready for all the holiday baking that’s to come. I mark these muffins as my first recipe of the fall season. I love pumpkin anything, so when I came across these, I decided I’d share them with you. The flavor reminds me of a pumpkin roll, and they sure make your home smell wonderful.

Muffins:

3 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of cardamom
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil

Cream Cheese Filling:

6 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 

Crumb Topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350. To make the cream cheese filling, beat cream cheese, sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside. 

Make the crumb topping: In a medium bowl, combine the flour with the brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the melted butter, then pinch the mixture until it forms pea-size clumps. Set aside.
Mix muffin ingredients together except cream cheese filling. Fill muffin tins (greased or paper cups) 3/4 full. Put 1-2 tsp cream cheese filling in each muffin and lightly swirl (I used a plastic bag snipped as a pastry bag). Top with 1 generous tablespoon of topping.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the muffin. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to racks to cool completely. Makes 24 muffins.
 

This muffin recipe comes from Sheila of Musings of a Mommy. I used a cream cheese filling I had found some years ago and the crumb topping comes from Food & Wine. I adapted her recipe to accommodate this recipe. Photography by myself.

 

]]> http://justbaking.net/2008/10/10/pumpkin-cream-cheese-muffins/feed/ http://justbaking.net/2008/09/09/banana-bran-and-raisin-muffins/ http://justbaking.net/2008/09/09/banana-bran-and-raisin-muffins/#comments Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:06:09 +0000 Rachelle S. Recipes Muffins Breakfast Beginning Baker http://justbaking.net/2008/09/09/banana-bran-and-raisin-muffins/

Looking for a healthier muffin to bake, I opted for some sort of a bran muffin. I came across a few I wanted to try, but didn’t have all the ingredients on hand. I did have some bananas that needed to be used, so these were perfect! I liked the fact that these had diced bananas instead of mashed in them.

Banana Bran and Raisin Muffins

2 cups Kellogg’s All-Bran cereal
1-1/4 cups milk
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 banana, cut into small chunks
1/2 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray or line with cupcake papers.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine bran cereal and milk. Let stand for about 2 minutes to soften the cereal.  
3. Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. Into the softened bran mix stir the egg and oil. Beat well. Stir in the banana and raisins. Add the flour mixture, stirring only until combined. Divide the batter evenly into 12 muffin cups.
5. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Best served warm.

A recipe from Cookie Baker Lynn, photos by myself.

]]> http://justbaking.net/2008/09/09/banana-bran-and-raisin-muffins/feed/ http://justbaking.net/2008/08/29/quaker-oatmeal-cookies/ http://justbaking.net/2008/08/29/quaker-oatmeal-cookies/#comments Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:01:17 +0000 Rachelle S. Recipes Cookies Beginning Baker http://justbaking.net/2008/08/29/quaker-oatmeal-cookies/

These are a simple classic oatmeal cookie. They are soft and chewy and stay that was for a few days, that is if you can make them last!

• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Heat oven to 350°F.

In large bowl, beat brown sugar, shortening, and granulated sugar until creamy. Add egg, water, and vanilla; beat well. Add combined oats, flour, salt and baking soda; mix well. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

*Add 1 cup of any one or a combination of any of the following ingredients to basic cookie dough: raisins, chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or shredded coconut.

Recipe from Quaker Oatmeal, photography by myself. 

 

]]> http://justbaking.net/2008/08/29/quaker-oatmeal-cookies/feed/ http://justbaking.net/2008/08/27/mango-streusel-bread/ http://justbaking.net/2008/08/27/mango-streusel-bread/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:21:16 +0000 Rachelle S. Recipes Bread http://justbaking.net/2008/08/27/mango-streusel-bread/

This is originally a recipe for blueberry muffins, but I changed it up by making it into a mango loaf. This bread comes out soft and moist, just like a muffin.

3 cups flour

1 cup sugar

3 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cup milk

2 eggs

1 cup melted butter

1 cup diced mangoes

Streusel Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease & flour loaf pans. In large bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in milk, eggs, and butter. Mix until flour is just incorporated. Do not overbeat. Gently stir in mangoes. Pour half the batter into each pan.

For topping, combine sugar and flour. Cut in butter until mixture resembles course crumbs; sprinkle half over each loaf. Bake for 40 minutes.

Makes 2 loaves.

Recipe found online here and streusel recipe found here.

]]> http://justbaking.net/2008/08/27/mango-streusel-bread/feed/ http://justbaking.net/2008/08/18/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/ http://justbaking.net/2008/08/18/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/#comments Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:21:05 +0000 Rachelle S. Cookies http://justbaking.net/2008/08/18/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/        

What a great back to school treat either for the lunch box or after a hard day in class. Maybe even a late-night snack with a cold glass of milk. However you enjoy these chocolate chip cookies, you’ll love how soft they are.

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Hardware:
Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)
Parchment paper
Baking sheets
Mixer 

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer’s work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown and Food network, photography by me. ]]> http://justbaking.net/2008/08/18/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/feed/