Tag Archives: baking

Cheddar Garlic Biscuits

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Today in the Bay Area, it finally feels like Fall. Gloomy weather, a little bit of rain, and colder temperatures. It’s one of those days where it’s hard to get out of bed.

But one thing that does help is heating up the oven to warm up the house and making some freshly baked goods. I purchased buttermilk to make cake last week, but since then, I’ve just had buttermilk sitting in the fridge. I hate when things go to waste, so I decided to make some delicious buttermilk biscuits! To make it even yummier, I added garlic flavoring and freshly grated cheddar.

Biscuits Cover

I’ve been told they taste like the ones from Red Lobster (I have to admit, I’ve only been there once, a long time ago, so I don’t actually know!). But I know people love the biscuits there, so I take it as a compliment! I’ve even been asked from a few people for the recipe so here it is!

Ingredients:
12 biscuits

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 6 tablespoons of cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • 6 ounces of freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 3/4 cup of buttermilk, cold (can be substituted with whole milk)
  • 3 tablespoons of melted butter (for brushing on)
  • Dried parsley (for sprinkling)

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, garlic salt. Using your hands, mix the cubed butter the flour mixture until flour is able to form crumbs. Mix in the cheese. Add the buttermilk. Combine thoroughly.
  3. Drop the dough into 1/4 cup portions and bake for 16-18 minutes, until golden brown.
  4. Take the biscuits out of the oven, brush on the melted butter, and sprinkle the parsley. Serve these little delights warm.

Final

These treats take less than 30 minutes to whip up. Your home will smell deliciously of biscuits! Your belly will be filled with warm garlicky goodness! Promise you won’t be able to eat just one. Flakey. Crisp on the outside. Fluffy in on the inside.

If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, put them in the fridge and heat them up for 10 seconds in the microwave. It’s just as tasty!

What do you think? Is this something you can make?

Noms away!
Jay
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Recipe adapted from Handle the Heat

Cran-Orange Cookies

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This is my favorite cookie recipe of all time! 

And the recipe calls for:

Oranges

Yup, oranges. This is a fruity cookie!

The cookie is a bit tart, zesty, and just the right amount of sweetness. The tartness balances well with the sugar. If you’re one of those that cannot eat super sweet, decadent desserts, this cookie is perfect for you. I can’t just eat one of these, and I have to stop myself if I’ve had half a dozen. I make them for friends, and they gobble them up!

Recently I made these cookies for my sister’s boyfriend’s family (Hi Luus!). They told me that the cookies were delicious, and I’ve been reminded, more than once, to post the recipe on my blog. So here you go! I dedicate this post to you.

Cookie

Cran-Orange Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter, room temperature and softened
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1 orange
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups chopped cranberries
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the over to 375° F.
2. Prepare your orange zest and orange juice. Grate the entire orange so that you have 1 1/2 teaspoons of zest. Then juice the orange so you have 5 tablespoons of orange juice. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl or with your mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until smooth. Beat in the egg, 1 teaspoon of orange zest, and 2 tablespoons of orange juice until well blended.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Then mix the dry and wet ingredients together.
5. Mix in cranberries and walnuts until evenly distributed.
6. Drop tablespoons of cookie dough onto a cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown. Then let cookies cool on a rack.
7. Finally the icing – in a small bowl, mix together 1/2 teaspoon or orange zest, 3 tablespoons of orange juice, and confectioners’ sugar until it has a smooth consistency. Drizzle over the tops of cooled cookies. Let it set for 5-10 minutes.

And you’ll get these things!

Baked

Delicious

I present to you, Cran-Orange cookies!

Presenting...
^^^ My younger sister <3

Have you ever had these cookies? Like or love? What other recipes do you enjoy that have fruit involved? Fruit makes sweets healthy right…

Fruity Tutti,
Jay

Ooey-Gooey Cookie Recipe

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It’s Valentine’s Day this Friday! I’m sure you already have something planned for your snuggle muffin (yep, that’s what I call MG). But do you have something prepared for your friends and coworkers?

Remember in elementary school when you decorated your brown paper bag so that your friends could give you Valentine’s Day cards? I picked out the best ones for your best friends (Don’t lie, you did this too). Maybe even add a piece of candy here and there. Those were the days… when your biggest decision was “which card to give whom?”

For this Valentine’s Day, remember what this day is really about – showing people that you love them. I don’t know what that means to you, maybe it’s a nice dinner to set aside time to catch up apart from your busy lives. That’s definitely the case for MG and I. He’s been really busy with work, so we’ll be going out to dinner on Monday for a date night. It will be time well spent, and I’m looking forward to a special date night out.

Another way to show love is to bring treats to work on Valentine’s Day. It’s such a nice way to give someone something without having to spend too much money. My go-to treat, cookies! Simple recipe, you can make them in bulk so it won’t take a lot of time, and they are easy to carry to work.

Cookies

This chocolate and caramel cookie is one of my favorite recipes! The chewiness of caramel makes for a delicious cookie. Crunchy on the outside, chewy in the middle with bits of chewy caramel, and melty gooey chocolate throughout.

Ooey-Gooey Cookie Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 2 cup and 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter (at room temperature)
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs (at room temperature)
  • 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup of caramel bits (I use Kraft)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Beat the eggs, then add the vanilla extract.
  3. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl.
  4. Mix the granulated sugar and brown sugar together. Then blend the butter into the sugar until light and fluffy.
  5. Blend the eggs and vanilla into the sugar mixture. Add in the dry ingredients.
  6. Mix in the chocolate chips and caramel bits.
  7. Form dough balls onto a baking sheet. I like to make bite-sized cookies, so I use a 1 teaspoon measuring spoon to help me form the dough balls.
  8. When the oven is ready, put the tray into the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Dough balls
Whenever I have extra dough, I freeze it. You never know when you might have guests so prepped homemade cookies is the perfect sweet!

Displayed
Got this sweet stand as a wedding gift – from the Royal Albert collection at Macy’s 

Cookies
I can easily eat a dozen of these! Though I must’nt

Yum
Ready for Valentine’s Day with my red nails and pink lips!

Do you bring goodies to your friends and colleagues for Valentine’s Day? What will you be bringing this year? What are some other items you like to give?

All my love,
Jay

Baking Tip – Flour the Pan

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Now that we’re getting into the Fall season, there will be a lot of baking involved! If you rarely bake, I challenge you to make some goodies this season. Your friends, family, and coworkers will love it. They get sweets, and you get compliments. Win, win situation!

Did you ever notice that sometimes when you grease the pan, it can still be difficult to get your baked good out? It’s so annoying, and the bottom of your cake looks so ugly! Here’s a tip that I learned from a good friend.

I use a bit of oil, spread it around, and then sprinkle some flour. A little bit of flour goes a long way. It helps the baked good come off the pan easily. Give it a try!

Oil and sprinkle flourGrease the pan and sprinkle flour so your baked good comes off clean and easy! 

It works great for cakes, bunt cakes, and breads.

Clean pan
I just flipped my chocolate cake upside down. Look how clean it comes off!

Have you heard about this before? What kinds of things do you do to get a clean baked pan?

Get to baking those yummy treats!
Jay

Reece’s Pieces & More Pieces

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Candies

Cleaning is fun when you find random surprises. The best is when you find money! Though I didn’t come across any cash, I did find a 25lb box of Reece’s Pieces. You might not be so lucky, unless you had a roommate that owns a yogurt shop. Because that’s what happened to us and fortunately winner, winner, chicken dinner… err Reece’s Pieces, you know what I mean.

25lb box

Obviously snacking is a good choice for these little, circular goodies. Also baking!!!

If you don’t bake often, here are a few helpful tips.

  • Mix the dry ingredients separate from the wet ingredients.
  • Butter and eggs should always be at room temperature.
  • In case you’ve forgotten to take the butter and eggs out to sit, you can heat the butter in the microwave in 5 second bursts until it’s softened. You can also submerge the eggs in warm water for 5 minutes for room temperature.
  • Freeze the dough if there’s too much! That way you can always bake cookies when guests come over or if you’re craving freshly baked cookies.

Onward to two delicious cookie recipes for you to try.

CookiesRegular Reece’s Pieces cookies on the left. Reece’s Pieces Muesli Cookies on the right (I call them my healthy cookies).

Reece’s Pieces Cookies
(makes 4 dozen large cookies)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cup and 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter (at room temperature)
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs (at room temperature)
  • 2 cups Reece’s Pieces

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Beat the eggs, then add the vanilla extract.
  3. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl.
  4. Mix the granulated sugar and brown sugar together. Then blend the butter into the sugar until light and fluffy.
  5. Blend the eggs and vanilla into the sugar mixture. Add in the dry ingredients.
  6. Mix in the Reece’s Pieces.
  7. Form dough balls onto a baking sheet. I like to make bite-sized cookies, so I use a 1 teaspoon measuring spoon to help me form the dough balls.
  8. When the oven is ready, put the tray into the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes, or until golden brown.
  9. Eat them!

Reece’s Pieces Muesli Cookies
(makes 2 dozen large cookies)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of muesli
  • 3/4 cup of flour
  • 1/2 cup of butter (at room temperature)
  • 3/4 cup of brown sugar
  • 1.5 cups of Reece’s Pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg (at room temperature)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Beat the eggs, then add the vanilla extract.
  3. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl.
  4. Mix the granulated sugar and brown sugar together. Then blend the butter into the sugar until light and fluffy.
  5. Blend the eggs and vanilla into the sugar mixture. Add in the dry ingredients.
  6. Mix in the muesli and Reece’s Pieces.
  7. Form dough balls onto a baking sheet.
  8. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

These recipes are amazing. When I make them, my husband can eat a dozen in a sitting, and people are always grabbing for more!

With so many Reece’s Pieces, I had to make a Reece’s Pieces cake too.  I baked chocolate cake from the box, put on frosting, and then places the Reece’s Pieces on top. This is going to be such a hit for Fall.

CakeIsn’t it so pretty?

Cake

What else should I make with Reece’s Pieces? Any ideas?

Get in my belly,
Jay