Look to the Cookie!

Inspired by yet another episode of Seinfeld:

The Black and White Cookie
Printable recipe

Ingredients:

(yields about 1 dozen 6-inch cookies)

Cookies:

•     2 cups all-purpose flour
•     1 3/4 cups cake flour
•     3/4 teaspoon baking powder
•     1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
•     2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
•     1 1/2 cups sugar
•     4 large eggs, room temperature
•     1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, at room temperature
•     3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
•     1 batch each of vanilla and chocolate glazes (recipe follows)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350º and line two cookie sheets with parchment.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 3/4 cups cake flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

 3) Using a mixer, cream together butter and sugar on medium-high speed for at least 5 minutes, or until the mixture is smooth and has significantly lightened in color.

4) Set the mixer to its lowest speed, adding in eggs one at a time, stirring 30 seconds after each addition.

 5) Scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir in vanilla extract.

6) Add half the dry mixture then, once fully incorporated, add about half of the buttermilk. Repeat with remaining flour and butter milk until incorporated into the batter.

7) Using 1/4 c cookie scoop (4 Tbsp), drop 3 mounds of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, spacing each mound about 3 inches apart.

8) Use a spatula to flatten out the mounds slightly.

9) Bake the cookies 18-20 minutes or until the edges are lightly brown.

10) When the cookies are ready, remove from the oven and let rest on the pan for 5 minutes before loosening with a spatula and turning out to cool on a wire rack.


Glaze Cookies:
1) Fill icing bottles with vanilla and chocolate glaze.

2) One at a time, outline half the cookies with vanilla first.

3) Fill in the outline then smooth out with a knife.

4) Once all the cookies have been done, use any remaining icing by going over the iced side, icing will smooth out on its own.

5) Repeat with chocolate. If necessary, warm in the microwave 15 seconds at a time, shaking bottle between intervals.

6) Let the glaze set before storing or eating the cookies. Store the cookies in an airtight container, layered between strips of wax paper, for up to 1 week.

(Glazes follow)
Two races of flavor living side by side in Harmony. It's a wonderful thing isn't it? 

Glazes:
Printable recipes

Vanilla Glaze:

•     2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
•     2 1/2 tablespoons milk,
•     1 tablespoon light corn syrup
•     3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze:

•     3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
•     1 tablespoon unsalted butter
•     1 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
•     2 tablespoons boiling water, plus additional as needed
•     1 tablespoon light corn syrup
•     3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla Glaze:
1) Sift confectioner’s sugar into a large bowl
2) Whisk in milk, corn syrup, and vanilla.
3) Add additional milk or confectioners’ sugar as needed until slightly stiff but drips smoothly from whisk.

Or, as in my picture, spatula.

Chocolate Glaze:
1) In a glass bowl, melt chocolate and butter in microwave for about1.5 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth.

2) Stir in corn syrup and vanilla extract.

3) Add half the sugar and then 2Tbsp boiling water.

4) Repeat with remaining sugar and an additional 2 Tbsp boiling water.
5) If chunky or thick, microwave at 15 second intervals, stirring in between.

You Got Peanut Butter in my Chocolate

Get the best of all worlds with these crispy, creamy, chocolatey, peanut buttery crinkle cookies!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray or parchment paper
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
• 3/4 cup peanut butter chips
• 2 cups powdered sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1) Pre-heat oven to 350ºF.
2) Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray, or lay a sheet of parchment paper on it.
3) Melt the chocolate chips in a glass bowl in your microwave, stirring twice, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.

4) Using electric mixer with whisk attachments, beat egg whites in a large bowl to soft peaks.

5) Gradually beat in 1/2 c sugar. Continue beating until mixture starts to look like marshmallow fluff.

6) Mix 1 cup sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt together in a medium bowl.

7) On low speed, beat dry ingredients into the egg whites.

8) Mix in chocolate, then stir in the peanut butter chips. Dough will be somewhat stiff.

9)  Place remaining (1/2 cup) sugar in a small bowl.
10) Roll rounded tablespoons of dough, individually, in the sugar...

...ctoating thickly.

11) Place on baking sheet about 1.5" apart.

12) Bake 9-11 minutes until cookies puff and crack.

13) Cool on baking sheets 20 minutes before transferring to cooling racks. 

14) Store in an air-tight container. Makes 22-24 2-inch cookies.

Pizza Pizza!

I totally forgot about these:

English Muffin Pizzas
Printable recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 Package English Muffins
• Pizza sauce
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Pepperoni or other toppings

Optional:

• Oregano, red pepper flakes and/or Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350º.
2) Using your fingers or a knife, split English Muffins in half.
3) Place "nooks and crannies" side up on a baking sheet.

4) Spread a layer of pizza sauce on each muffin.

5) Sprinkle a layer of cheese over sauce and add toppings if desired.

6) Bake for 6-9 minutes.
7) Sprinkle with oregano/Parmesan cheese/red pepper if wanted.
8) Serve and enjoy!

Love it? Do it!

I've only posted a few of these, but this week I am diverging from the regular Treat Tuesday format and welcoming guest blogger: Sreesha from Love it? Do it. Her blog is filled with awesome recipes so you should go check them out! I would actually love to use Treat Tuesday for more guest recipes so if you are interested email me at about.to.blog(a)gmail.com! Okay now, without further ado I bring you: Sreesha's Summer Salad recipe.

"I'm delighted to be doing a guest post at Lauren's blog. She is such a lively ball of energy, and her enthusiasm is contagious. I decided to fix myself a salad for lunch and it turned out so delicious. The sun decided to show up today with slight traces of spring approaching on us in Birmingham, UK. I thought it would be ideal to fix a light summer salad just to get into the groove of welcoming spring. I was a little weary about the combination in the beginning but it worked. This salad makes for a light lunch, exactly what I wanted."

Sreesha's Summer Salad
Printable version

Ingredients:
1 cup boiled chestnuts
1 cup light mayonnaise
1 cup red or green grapes, halved
1/2 cup sweet canned corn
1/4 cup sugar
7 cups fresh broccoli florets
some Craisins to taste

Directions:
1) In a large bowl, stir together mayonnaise, grapes, chestnuts, corn and sugar.
2) Add broccoli and stir to coat.
3) Cover and chill in the refrigerator for up to 30 minutes.
4) Garnish with Craisins and enjoy!

Chickity China the Chinese Chicken

So I was at home thinking how much I wanted Chinese but also how much I didn't want to have to order it. I already had chicken so I looked up a recipe and was quite pleased with how it came out!

It was a bit of a hassle with the deep-frying but I felt it was worth it!

General Tso's Chicken

Printable recipe

 Ingredients:

• 1-1½ lbs boneless chicken breasts,
•      cut into chunks
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 4 small dried chilies, seeds removed (I used arbol chiles)

Sauce:

• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp water
• ½ teaspoon fresh garlic , minced
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp sherry or white wine
• 1 cup chicken broth

Batter:

• 1/4 Tbsp soy sauce, low sodium preferred
• 1 egg , beaten
• 3/4 cup cornstarch

Directions:
1) Mix batter in a large bowl. It should seem thick almost putty like. Add chicken and use a wooden spoon to coat the chicken evenly.

2) Set deep fryer to 350º or fill a sauce pan with 2-3” deep oil and monitor temperature with a cooking/candy thermometer.

3) Mix the sauce ingredients together in a separate bowl and set aside.

4) Using wooden spoon and a fork, remove 7-9 chicken pieces, letting the excess mixture drip off, and drop into the oil. Fry until golden brown and crispy, about 3-4 mins.

 

5) Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

 

6) While frying chicken, in a saute pan, add a small amount of oil over medium heat.

7) Add green onions and hot peppers and stir fry about 30 seconds, then add the sauce mixture.

8) Stir sauce until thick, making sure to keep an eye on your frying chicken!

9) Add chicken to sauce and cook until bubbly. The quicker this is done the crispier the chicken stays.

8) Serve over rice and enjoy!


OMG Remember this song!?