Stacy’s Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies

December 7, 2015

I have been to many the Christmas cookie swap in my day. I actually went to two just last week. One cookie that is ever impressive is the Chocolate Chip Cookie. It’s in need of no special decoration or presentation, a well made Chocolate Chip Cookie can hold it’s own in any crowd! To me the perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie must be chewy but also a little crisp on the edges and not cakey, but have some body to it. With being so particular, it’s probably no surprise to know that I have experimented with dozens of different recipes throughout the years. Finally I decided to take the best elements of each and combine them into one YUMMY cookie! Take a look at what I did…

Start with some softened butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Add in brown sugar.

Add in white sugar.

Once you have both sugars in with the butter, beat on medium high until creamed together.

Add in one egg at a time being sure to mix well after each addition.

This is what you should have when that is done.

Add in a shallow tablespoon of pure vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl add in flour.

Baking soda.

And salt. Whisk together until combined and no lumps remain in flour.

Add into the mixer in two additions and beat on low until just combined. Then scrape down the sides and mix for about 10 seconds on high until thoroughly combined.

Add in semi-sweet chocolate chips and stir by hand.

Scoop out into 1Tbs. scoops with the small Pampered Chef Cookie Scoop if you have it.

Place two inches apart on the cookie sheet.

Bake for exactly 10 minutes.

When the cookies come out of the oven, they won’t look quite done. They will have lightly browned edges and they will be very fragile on the cookie sheet itself. Allow them to cool on the cookie sheet for about 5-6 minutes before moving them to the cooling rack. Then allow to cool completely before moving to a cookie jar… Of course you could sneak one with a glass of milk on the way!

Stacy’s Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yields 30 cookies (using 1 Tbs. scoop)Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups All purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

Cream butter and sugars in an electric mixer using a paddle attachment. Cream for about 1-2 minutes. Once thoroughly combined add in 1 egg at a time until well combined. Add in vanilla, mix another 30 seconds.

In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to mixing bowl in two additions mixing until just combined. Scrape down the sides and mix on high for about 10 seconds.

Add in chocolate chips and mix by hand.

Scoop out using a 1 Tbs. cookie scoop onto a parchment lined cookie sheet leaving 2 inches between each scoop. Bake for exactly 10 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 5-6 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Witches Fingers Almond Cookies

October 23, 20151 Comment

Halloween is nearly here! But, the week and weekend before are always filled with lots of spooky events! How fun would it be to show up at your next Halloween party with a tray of Witches Fingers? And these almond treats are yummy too!

To start off, you’ll need to measure out some shortening… I put these pics in a little gallery for you because I am using the Pampered Chef Measure All cup, which in my opinion is the only way to measure anything creamy. Take a look.

Just slide the cylinder up to the measurement amount.

Fill.

Place over your bowl.

Then depress the cylinder.

And scrape the small remainder off the flat surface.

Measure out your sugar… I am using a regular Pampered Chef Measuring cup here.

Beat the shortening and the sugar together in the mixer with the paddle attachment.

Add in egg and extract to the shortening and sugar mixture.

Mix until egg is fully incorporated.

Now for the dry ingredients:

In a separate bowl, add in flour.

Baking powder.

Salt.

And wisk together… This is the Pampered Chef Stainless Steal Whisk

Now add the flour mixture into the mixer:

You should have a clay like texture.

Now for the almonds. I don’t have ground almonds so I used one of my new favorite products, the Pampered Chef Manual Food Processor to achieve what I need… take a look:

Add your ground almonds into your mixture… you will need to do this with clean hands.

Once it is all incorporated dump it out onto a clean work surface… I am using my Pampered Chef Pastry Mat.

Divide in half. Set half aside for coloring and work with the non-colored dough first.

Divide in half.

Next divide in half again.

Now divide each of those chunks again into six pieces.

Now you should have 24 small pieces of dough (and the other half of your dough which will make another 24 pieces is still set aside)

Shape each piece of dough into a nobby finger… I put a little bump right in the middle so it looks like a knuckle.

Place on your parchment lined baking sheet. And set aside while you prepare your almonds.

You will need blanched almonds to make your “finger nails”. You can buy blanched almonds, but I didn’t I just took a few minutes to blanch my own.

Bring water to a boil.

Count out 50 whole almonds. (I put in two extra to bar against breakage)

Add almonds into the boiling water.

Allow to boil for one minute.

Remove from the boiling water and place almonds immediately into very cold water.

The skins of the almonds will now peel right off.

And now you have blanched almonds.

Press one almond to the end of each of the “fingers” you have on the cookie sheet.

Place these in an oven that has been pre-heated to 350°F.

Now with your remaining dough, you will want to color them green!

Add in your best food coloring… I like a gel for this.

Be sure to add it in gradually so you don’t over do it.

You’ll want to achieve about this color.

You will also need to color your remaining almonds… I used a hot pink color.

Mix in and set aside so they have a few minutes to dry.

Now go through the same exact process with the green dough.

When they come out of the oven, be sure to let sit on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before removing. Then place all the “fingers” gently on a drying rack… This is the Pampered Chef Cookie Cooling Rack… I like it because of the small openings rather than others I have that are not in a cross hatch.

Witches Fingers Almond Cookies

Makes 48 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup Vegetable Shortening

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. almond extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup ground almonds

48-50 blanched almonds (see tutorial above)

1/4 tsp. green food coloring

4-5 drops red food coloring (or hot pink)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

Cream shortening and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add egg and extract. Beat until incorporated.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to shortening mixture in 2 additions. Mix well after each addition until smooth and clay like.

Add ground almonds. Knead until incorporated. Divide dough in 2 and set half aside. Divide the remaining dough into 4 parts, then take each of those 4 parts and divide into 6 parts. Shape into roughly a 3″ “finger”. Press a blanched almond into one end of each “finger”.

To the remaining dough, add in green coloring and knead until incorporated. Also, add in red or hot pink coloring to the remaining almonds. Divide dough in 2 and set half aside. Divide the remaining dough into 4 parts, then take each of those 4 parts and divide into 6 parts. Shape into roughly a 3″ “finger”. Press a blanched almond into one end of each “finger”.

Bak on a parchment lined baking sheet for 10-13 minutes. Remove from oven and let cookies sit for a few minutes before placing on a cookie drying rack.

Enjoy!

Sand Dollar Snickerdoodles

August 7, 2015

Ahhh Snickerdoodles, one of life’s great gifts to cookie jars across the nation! With it’s crispy edges, it’s chewy inside and that snap of cinnamon flavor, who could possibly resist something so utterly yummy? But, wait… To kick it up to the next level, we have converted the ever delicious Snickerdoodle into a “Sand Dollar” by simply adding 5 little sliced almonds to adorn the top… Now, they are set for my son’s “Surf’s Up” Beach Themed party this weekend!

On top of being a family favorite around here… they are super simple as cookies go. They require no refrigeration after the dough is mixed. They are fun for the kid’s to help with. And they keep for days and days (if you can keep them around that long!)

Let’s start with the basic dough ingredients… Sugar, butter, flour, cream of tartar, eggs, salt and baking soda…

Now, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar. I use unsalted butter. If you only have regular butter or margarine, cut the salt you are adding to 1/4 tsp.

Now take your baking soda, cream of tartar and salt and mix them together into one little bowl and then into the four.

Right in.

Be sure your butter is at room temperature.

Cream.

Now add in your flour mixture in two separate times.

Blend the flour

Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times throughout the mixing process.

Once your dough is complete, set it aside and mix your cinnamon and sugar.

Sugar and cinnamon… This is a bit more cinnamon than I really would use in a cinnamon sugar mix… However, our goal today is to make what will look like a sea creature that will be covered in sand.

Just a small cereal bowl is fine for this. It would also be great if you had a small to medium cookie scoop so that your Sand Dollars are all the same size, you also avoid getting your hands messy with one of these. I am using the medium scoop today. If you don’t have one, just use a spool and roll with your hands.

This is a very cinnamony mix… If you aren’t making actual Sand Dollars, you could use half the amount of cinnamon if you prefer. I happen to like a lot of cinnamon, so I’m good with it.

Now scoop out your dough.

Place it in the bowl

Roll around in the cinnamon sugar.

And this is what you get.

Place them all neatly on your parchment lined cookie sheet

Gently flaten each one slightly

Add 5 almonds to each cookie in sort of a flower pattern with the small end of the almond pointing in.

As you can see I didn’t press down too too much, the oven takes care of most of the spreading, the point is to have a surface in which to apply your almonds.

Add 5 almonds to each cookie in sort of a flower pattern with the small end of the almond pointing in.

Aren’t they pretty? Bake these at 325°F for 8-10 minutes.

And here they are. Allow them to sit on the cookie sheet for about 2-3 minutes when they come out of the oven… Then transfer them to a wire rack for cooling.

And there you have it… Sand Dollar Snickerdoodles… Enjoy!

Recipe for Sand Dollar Snickerdoodles:

(makes 32 3″ cookies)

1 cup butter or margarine, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 XL eggs

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 small bag of sliced almonds

For dusting:

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cinnamon

(sugar and cinnamon can be cut in half if you want less waste)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 325°F.

Prepare ingredients: Mix together soda, salt and tartar, add that to flour and wisk to mix. In the bowl of an electric mixed fitted with the paddle attachment cream together butter and sugar for about 2 minutes. Add in one egg at a time until each is fully incorporated. Then add in flour mixture in two additions. Be sure to scrape down the sides of your bowl a few times throughout this process.

Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a cereal bowl. Scoop out dough in with a medium scoop. Roll dough ball in cinnamon sugar. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet allow at least 1″ between each ball. Slightly flatten each ball. Apply 5 almond slices to the top of each cookie.

Bake for 8-9 minutes. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to a wire rack for cooling.

Enjoy!

“Portuguese Style” S’Mores (Bolacha Maria S’mores)

July 22, 2015July 22, 2015

So, I have decided to have a little fun with today’s blog entry. It’s summer, which means it’s fire pit and camping season here in New England. So I decided to think a bit outside the box and merge the Portuguese and American cultures together in a fun and simple way… The Portuguese being the Bolacha Maria cookie… The American being the time-tested camp fire favorite, the s’more.

Now unlike my earlier s’more posting (Peep S’Mores) this post will involve real fire and bona-fide marshmallow roasting technique. You will need to get ahold of three ingredients… regular size marshmallows… none of those crazy giant marshmallow, no colors or crazy flavors… just plain ole marshmallows. You will also need a package of Bolacha Maria cookies and a Hershey’s bar.

Let’s get started!

I like to use two marshmallows for my s’mores, no matter if they are American style with graham crackers or Portuguese style with a Bolacha Maria Cookie.

Now the trick here is not to place your marshmellos directly on the fire... you want to gently toast your marshmellos over the coals.

Now the trick here is not to place your marshmallow directly on the fire… you want to gently toast your marshmallow over the coals.

Constantly rotate your marshmallow over those coals and you will get a well toasted marshmallow perfect for building your s’more!

Place your Bolocha Maria cookie down on a plate.

Place your Bolacha Maria cookie down on a plate.

Unwrap a chocolate bar, cut in half.

Place the chocolate bar half on top of the cookie.

Add your toasted marshmallow on top of your chocolate bar.

Recipe for “Portuguese Style’ S’Mores:

(serves 1)

2 Bolacha Maria Cookies

2 marshmallow, Toasted

1/2 regular size chocolate bar

Directions:

Toast marshmallow slowly over hot coals. Then start stacking as follows: One Maria cookie, one piece of chocolate and then the marshmallows and top it off with the Maria cookie. Enjoy!

***The Portuguese American Mom is in no way suggesting that this is a traditional Portuguese recipe… this is entirely the an adaptaion of a classic American treat by The Portuguese American Mom

Portuguese Baking Soda Cookies (Bolachas de Bicarbonato)

June 24, 2015September 21, 20152 Comments

Portuguese people love to enjoy their sweets with a cup of hot tea. There wasn’t a day that went by that my Vavó didn’t have a cup of tea with either some homemade stove top pudding (Papas) or a cookie, some of her cake (see Vavó’s Cake). The trick is that most Portuguese baked goods are not overly sweet making them really very appropriate for that cup of tea. These Portuguese Baking Soda Cookies are no exception… Made from a very tender dough, these soft and cakey cookies are toned down enough to handle all the sugar you pour on top to decorate them with!

This week in preparation for Independence Day, I have taken this classic Portuguese cookie and made it into a celebration of America. These cookies normally decorated by children with different colored sugars are easy to turn into an accent for any special occasion or holiday.

Here are all the ingredients you will need for the cookie itself. This does not include the decorating ingredients.

Start with some butter and sugar.

Start with creaming butter and sugar with the paddle attachment of your stand mixer.

Properly creamed butter and sugar should look like this.

Your next step is to add in these three ingredients.

Add egg and be sure to scrape down sides!

Just mix in the egg for a few seconds.

Then add in your milk and vanilla… this isn’t the most flattering picture, but it is what it is.

Be sure ingredients are well combined.

Flour

Add the baking soda and kosher salt to the flour.

Add your flour in three segments. Combine using the lowest setting on your mixer for about 10-20 seconds at a time until well combined.

Dough will crumble a bit.

Knead dough by hand for a few minutes until it starts to come together when pressed.

When dough is ready to hold together, it should look something like this.

Flour your work surface.

Form your dough into a disc on your work surface. Remember, this dough is very tender. I work with about a half the dough at a time.

Roll out gently.

Turn half way each time you want roll.

This dough should be rolled out to about 1/4″ thickness.

Cut rows two inches wide to start creating your rectangle.

Turn and cut three inches wide creating a rectangle.

Place each cut cookie on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Leave about an inch between cookies.

Make a thick egg wash by combining two egg yolks with a splash of water.

Use a kitchen brush.

Brush cookies with egg wash.

To create the patriotic lines, just use a straight piece of paper just so.

Continue with the red stripes by using two pieces of paper to guide the sugar.

Bake for 16-18 minutes at 350°F until they start to beome slightly browned around the edges. Let stand on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before transfering to a wire rack for drying.

Bake for 16-18 minutes at 350°F until they start to become slightly browned around the edges. Let stand on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack for drying.

Let cool on a wire rack before serving.

Recipe for Portuguese Baking Soda Cookies (Bolachas de Bicarbonato):

(Yields about 2 dz 2×3″ cookies)

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 stick unsalted butter

1 egg

1/4 cup whole milk

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

For topping:

2 egg yolks

1 splash water

colored sugars

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Prepare two cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper.

Cream butter and sugar. Add in egg, milk and vanilla. Beat until fluffy. Be sure to periodically scrape down sides. Add in flour in 1/3 increments. Do not over beat. Dough will appear crumbly and soft.

Knead dough with your clean hands until it comes together when squeezed. Flour a work surface. Form a disc with half the dough. Roll it out to about 1/4″ thickness. Cut into 2″x3″ rectangles. (I also made smaller rectangles for the blue accent cookies)

Beat together two egg yolks with a splash of water to create the egg wash. Paint each cookie with the egg wash and decorate with sugar however you see fit. Pop into the oven for 16-18 minutes.

Let cookies stand on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack for cooling. Let cool completely on rack. Serve, enjoy with a cup of tea!