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cathubbard@hotmail.com
No, this is not a typo. These are really called Samocolate Chip Cookies. You see, I love Samoas and I love chocolate chip cookies – so why not combine the two? These are some ridiculously good cookies…
Samocolate Chip Cookies
Yields approximately 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (160 grams) bread flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups (9 ounces) chopped semisweet chocolate
½ cup (2.5 ounces) finely chopped milk chocolate
2 cups toasted coconut (to toast coconut, place in the preheated 350 degree oven for 6 minutes until lightly browned)
1/2 pound CC Confectionary Madagascar Vanilla Bean Caramels or another variety of fine caramels
Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the center of the oven.
Cut your caramels into pieces that are approximately 1/2″ x 1/2″. You should get approximately 48 pieces. Roll each caramel ball in the toasted coconut. The will look like this:
Once completed, set aside the remaining toasted coconut, which will be added to the cookie batter later.
Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until mixture is light and fluffy, about five minutes. Stop the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and the paddle itself a couple of times. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract on medium speed until thoroughly combined, two to three minutes.
In a separate bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add both chocolates and remaining toasted coconut to the flour mix and toss to combine. Turn the mixer to low speed (or continue to use a wooden spoon if mixing by hand) and slowly blend the flour-chocolate-coconut mixture into the butter-sugar mixture. Mix until the flour mixture is totally incorporated and the dough is completely mixed.
Using a 1 T. ice cream scoop, drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper about 3 inches apart. Place one caramel square in the center and top with another tablespoon of dough.
Bake until cookies are lightly golden brown on the edges and soft in the center, approximately 9 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days. The unbaked dough can be stored for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge.
I am not sure if it is the kids, everyday life or what, but I have come to really enjoy a cocktail or two every now and again. Combine that with my never ending desire to try something new in the kitchen and I just had to try making my own Kahlua.
I love bread and I especially love baguettes. There is something so warm and comforting about a fresh, crusty baguette that is warm out of the oven with a healthy slathering of butter. My mouth waters just thinking about it.
Although I love to bake, I have avoided making bread because I always thought it was too daunting, but on a recent trip to Costco I saw that I could buy a HUGE amount of yeast (about 3 cups worth) for about $4, so I thought I would give my bread making a try. Boy was I glad I did! First off, homemade bread is SO delicious and it is SOOOOO cheap! I am amazed at how cheap it is. For just pennies, you can make bread that is more delicious than what you would pay several dollars for in the store. I also have to add that it is easy. With the help of my Kitchen Aid, which does all the kneading for me, the only hard part is waiting for the bread to rise. Seriously, that is it. Here is my recipe for baguettes. I hope you give them a try.
Super Easy Baguettes
Ingredients
1-3/4 Cups Warm Water (Approximately 105ºF)
1 tsp Active Dry Yeast
1/2 tsp. sugar
4-1/2 Cups Flour Plus Extra for Dusting
2 tsp Salt
Vegetable Oil for Greasing
Directions
Combine the water, yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and blend well with a fork until the yeast is completely dissolved. Wait about 5 minutes until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour, salt and mix the dough hook on low speed just to incorporate. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, 10-12 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Fold the dough gently, then let rise for another 45 minutes. It will look like this:
Fold the dough over on itself, pressing gently to release the gas. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, cut into 4 equal pieces, and round each piece into a smooth ball, pinching the seams together at the bottom of the ball. Cover the dough and let rise, seam sides down, until relaxed, about 30 minutes.
To shape the baguettes, on a lightly floured surface, press each ball of dough into a rectangle. Holding the short edges of the rectangle, lift and stretch the dough until the rectangle is as long as you would like. Roll the dough into a cylinder, pressing the seam closed with the edge of your palm. Transfer the dough, seam side down, to a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover the loaves and let rise until increased in volume by three-quarters, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425ºF. Score each loaf in several places by making diagonal slashes just through the outer layer of the dough with a very thin blade.
Transfer bread to the parchment lined baking sheet. Just before baking the bread, brush or mist each baguette lightly with water. Brush or mist the bread 1 or 2 more times during the first 5 minutes of baking time. Bake until the loaves are golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 30 minutes. Remove the loaves from the oven and let cool on wire racks before serving.
This September a major hurdle has come in my life – both of my boys are in school full time. Like most moms I have had days when this day couldn’t come soon enough and I have also dreaded this day like you can’t imagine. Someone once told me, “the days go by slow, but the years go by fast” and boy is that true. I remember tripping over countless squeaky toys while stressing out about whether or not my newborn infant was getting enough tummy time to have a strong neck and how will I ever get them to sleep through the night. Now, it is so much different. Will they be OK at recess? Will they have someone to play with? If they fall, who will kiss their scrape and hold them?
My babies are growing up and I have some sad days. Today was one of them, so I decided to make myself a special treat to warm my insides up. It is a Cinnamon Café au Lait with Spiced Whipped Cream. It was nothing close to having the arms of one of my boys wrapped around me, but for now, this will have to do – and it is pretty, darn good.
Cinnamon Café Au Lait with Spiced Whipped Cream
1 ½ cups low-fat milk
3 cinnamon sticks
5 whole cloves
4 cups strong coffee
2 T sugar + ½ T. Sugar
1 ½ t. pure vanilla extract + 1 t. pure vanilla extract
1/3 c. very cold heavy whipping cream
¼ tsp. grated nutmeg
Directions
Bring the milk, cinnamon sticks, and cloves to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the milk mixture to steep for 15 minutes. Strain the mixture, discarding the spices and bring it back to a simmer. Add the brewed coffee, 2 T. of the sugar and 1 ½ t. of the vanilla, and stir over medium-low heat until the sugar melts and the flavors are blended, about 5 minutes. It will look like this:
Meanwhile, beat the cream, nutmeg and remaining sugar and the remaining vanilla in a bowl, just until soft peaks form.
Pour the hot coffee into the heated mugs and add a dollop of the spiced whipped cream. Garnish with more nutmeg or cinnamon if desired.
Also, I had to add a picture of the angels I miss so much. They are the best…
I LOVE bread. Never once did I think I cold ever do one of those low-carb diets. It simply is not in my DNA. I NEED unrefined, processed, bleached flour. Preferably with butter. Unfortunately my efforts to make bread haven’t been very successful. It is not from a lack of trying, but if I do end up with a worthwhile product, often times I can’t honestly say it was worth the effort. I mean really – you can pick up a good loaf of bread at most grocery stores now days with zero effort. All this has changed now with this recipe…
Seriously, it takes TIME (you know the dough rising and all that), but in terms of actual hands on time, it is maybe ten minutes for the whole recipe. You dump everything in your mixer, let it mix for a few minutes, then let it rise, covered with a cloth overnight (in the same bowl – no transferring the dough to an oiled bowl or anything). The next morning shape it into a loaf, let it rise for one hour and then pop it in the oven for thirty minutes. Voila! Crusty, warm, homemade bread. Delicious!
Country Bread
Adapted from King Arthur’s Flour
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups water (temperature doesn’t matter, you don’t need to proof the yeast – LOVE THIS!)
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax (if you don’t have this, just up the whole wheat flour up by another 1/4 cup)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. active dry yeast
Directions
Stir together all of the ingredients in a stand mixer with the dough hook. The dough will come away from the sides of the bowl and look like this:
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a cloth and let it rest overnight or for at least 8 hours.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into the loaf shape of your choosing on lightly greased sheet pan. Let the dough rise for 1 hour. It will look like this:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake for about 25-30 minutes until the bread is golden brown. That’s it – how easy was that?!
