September 13, 2009

Banana Snickerdoodles

What to do with overripe bananas?  That's the age-old question, isn't it?  And it seems like I ask it every time I buy a few, since bananas go from green to overripe in about 2 days here in our Texas summer.  I can't stand to eat them after they get the first freckles, and I'm not a big fan of banana bread.

So, where does that leave me? Looking for new recipes, and I think I found a good one!  Lisa is Cooking recently posted on Noble Pig's Banana Snickerdoodle recipe that was adapted from Going Berserk.  Get all that?  No worries; all you need to know is that these cookies are fabulous!  Just follow the links to the recipes.

I only changed one little thing.  The recipe called for baking the doodles at 400 degrees for 9 minutes.  I did that for the first batch but they were a touch too toasty for me.  I  lowered the temp down to 375 and the cooking time to 8 minutes for the rest of the batches, and they were perfect.  This recipe made a whopping delicious 4 dozen Banana Snickerdoodles.

Stack o' Snickerdoodles

~BigSis

January 22, 2009

I've had some amber agave nectar and organic coconut oil in my pantry for a while, and it's been recently screaming to be used in baking.  Once I saw that Anna at CookieMadness had whipped up a batch of Agave & Honey Oatmeal Cookies, I was reminded that it was time to put those 2 healthy ingredients into action.

My recipe was adapted from Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Cookies in Baking with Agave Nectar by Ania Catalano.

Baking with Agave Nectar

It's similar to the recipe Anna used and to RecipeGirl's variation with M&Ms.  I baked the full recipe instead of scaling it down, and I got 24 cookies.  I substituted coconut oil for all of the butter, and agave was my only sweetener.  I also used ground flax seeds instead of wheat germ, and omitted the raisins since I'm allergic and skipped the M&Ms to make these as guilt-free as possible.

As soon as I got these scooped out on the cookie sheets, I was wishing that I had added some sunflower seeds and chopped walnuts to the batter.  Once these were out of the oven, it was clear that those additions would have been scrumptious, so next time I'll do that!  I may also add some dried cranberries or cherries, and perhaps a little shredded coconut to complement the coconut oil's great flavor.

I hesitate to even call these cookies, to me they're more of a healthful substantial pre-workout or post-workout snack.  They're sturdy and cakey, and not very sweet which is a plus for me since I'm not a big sweets eater.  A slight little sprinkle of turbinado sugar on top of each cookie before baking might even be called for!  I loved these chunky cookies, and they got thumbs-up from my coworkers.  I'll definitely make them again.  I love that they're tasty, but they seem to be such great fuel for our bodies!

Agave Coconut Oatmeal Cookie

Agave Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup organic coconut oil
3/4 cup amber agave nectar
2 extra large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 3/4 c oats (not quick cooking)
1/4 c flax seed (pulverized in coffee grinder)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or release foil.

Beat the coconut oil in a large bowl with the agave nectar for about 2 minutes until it's well blended and slightly fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time and then add the vanilla.  In another smaller bowl, combine the flour, oats, flax, cinnamon, soda, and salt.   Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir until just combined. Drop onto cookie sheets by heaping tablespoons and flatten out slightly.  Bake for about 12 minutes until the bottoms are slightly browned and the tops are dry.  Don't overbake.

~BigSis

December 18, 2008

LilSis, you know that I always accuse you of being too hard on yourself when it comes to baking.  You're a better baker than you give yourself credit for. HOWEVER, having said that, I do know you pretty well and I have to caution you against this cookie.  I think it's a recipe for a stress attack!  I'll tell you why:

1. This is a roll-out cookie so it's fussier than a drop cookie or bar.  That means it'll take more time, and it may stick to your work surface.  I'm not saying it's rocket science; it just takes more time and attention.  Do you even have a rolling pin?
2. Once the cookies are done, they have to be dipped in the white chocolate.  Again, not a difficult process, but a time-consuming and messy one.

All in all, I can't recommend that you make this cookie.  I agree that it looks beautiful, and I love the combo of peppermint and chocolate.  How about this recipe for Peppermint Chocolate Sandwich Cookies from Giada De Laurentis instead?

Peppermint Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

I haven't tried them – I'm on a baking holiday for a couple of days – but they look cute, the flavors sound yummy, they're easy (they use refrigerated sugar cookie dough) and I think you could bake these without needing cocktails.  The directions say to roll out the dough and cut it out with a cutter, but I don't see why you couldn't cut slices from the log, as usual.  What do you think?

~BigSis

December 18, 2008

You may have noticed from my previous post on Christmas Cupcakes and Candy, that I really like peppermint.  There's just something about the little candy canes and the red & white color of the candies that are so festive for decorating Christmas cupcakes, cookies, and candies.

I finally had a few minutes to flip through my Martha Stewart Living December 2008 issue and discovered, to my delight, the Cookie of the Month is Chocolate-Peppermint Cookies.

COOKIE OF THE MONTH

I would really like to make these for some friends, but considering the mess I made of the bark at Halloween, I'm not sure if I'm ready to work with melted chocolate again! I learned the hard way that the different brands of the chocolate discs/wafers definitely melt differently. And microwaving for longer won't make it thinner! “Nuff said”!  This calls for real white chocolate instead of the little disks, so I'm not sure if that'll make it easier or not.

BigSis, would you take a peek at the recipe and let me know if you think I'm getting in over my head!

~LilSis

December 12, 2008

Lots o' baking is going on in my itty bitty kitchen this week!  I've tried to choose recipes that have universal appeal, and that are holidayish.  Most are pretty easy to make, with a decent “profit margin” but I've thrown in a few that are a bit more challenging and expensive to keep me on my toes!

I thought you might like to see what's coming out of my kitchen, since this IS the primo baking season and perhaps you're in the market for a good sweet recipe.  So far, just since last Saturday, I've already prepared multiple batches of each of these:

• Gingerbread from Cooks Illustrated.  A subscription is required to access this recipe, but don't be put off by that.  Cook's Illustrated is the only food site that I pay a fee for, and to me it's totally worth it.  Their product reviews alone are invaluable, and their recipes always work.  They have total credibility with me.
• Chocolate Sheath Cake – it's a classic recipe that you can find lots of places, including on RecipeZaar.  Moist, chocolaty, delicious!
• Super Moist Pumpkin Bread with walnuts (vegan) from AllRecipes.  This is a unique recipe with coconut milk but no eggs and no dairy.  It's fabulous!  I made lots of them for our last bake sale.
• Cranberry Pumpkin Bread from RecipeZaar. I first found this recipe when my freezer went on strike recently and I had to use up a giant bag of thawed cranberries.  It's very easy, extremely moist, and the combination of flavors is surprisingly good.
• Strawberry Bread.  I've been making this forever, and don't know where I originally got the recipe, but this version from RecipeZaar is similar to mine. In this bread, the pecans are non-optional in my book.
• Root Beer Bundt Cake from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. This was a new recipe to me, and I'm glad I tried it.  It's really really moist and deeply chocolate.  I don't get that much root beer flavor without the icing, but it's wonderful regardless.
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars from the back of the Nestle's package.  You can find the recipe on RecipeZaar too.
• Texas Pecan Pie Bars from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather. This recipe makes a ginormous batch of these wicked bars, but I still made a second batch.  They were that good.

Still on the agenda for this weekend:

• Almond Toffee from CookieMadness.net.  Absolutely an A+ recipe!  I made bunches of it last year, and got rave reviews.  You MUST have a thermometer to make this!
• Soft Peanut Brittle from CookieMadness.net.  Another great one from Anna!  I don't usually care for traditional peanut brittle, but this is nothing like that.  It's flavorful, tender, and just delicious!
• Pralines from The American Family Cookbook by the Culinary Arts Institute. I think this cookbook is out of print, but I've seen it on ebay.
• Outrageous Oreo Crunch Brownies from Culinary in the Country.  Christmas Oreos and brownies together in a recipe adapted from the Barefoot Contessa?  How bad can that be?  I'll also do some without the Oreos.
• Chocolate Fudge from the back of marshmallow cream jar.  You know the one.
• Mrs. Busch's Caramel Bars – a finalist in the Dallas News' cookie contest a few years ago.  The recipe's been taken offline, darnit.  I'll post it another time if these come out as good as I remember them.
• Razz-Ma-Tazz Bars from CookieMadness.  I've never made these, so I'm trusting the Cookie Queen that these will be incredible.  I'm doing them with my homemade cranberry jam instead of raspberry since that's what I have.

That's it!  I've already eliminated 2 or 3 things from the weekend's list, and I still have more than one little elf can do!  I better eat my Wheaties this weekend, you think?  All of the expense and all of the work will be SO worth making some money for this incredible charity!

~BigSis

December 11, 2008

I'm always in a baking mood at Christmas, but since I'm in “Bake Sale Mode” this year, I REALLY have cookies on the brain.  Lots of other folks do too:

• Recipe Girl shares her favorite Christmas Cookies and Candies
• Paula Deen's favorite Christmas Cookies are in Good Housekeeping
• Marye from Baking Delights has some favorite Christmas Cookies
• The Food Network has 12 Days of Holiday Cookies
• Martha Stewart has a Holiday Cookie feature of course
• Southern Living's Santa's Cookies are shortbread cookies 8 ways
• Gourmet Magazine's Favorite Cookies span 1941 to 2008
• Dallas News has a bunch of Holiday Cookie stories

Bake on, elves!  I'll be back on Friday with the scoop on what I've been baking this week for the SPCA Bake Sale.

~BigSis

November 6, 2008

• CookieMadness whipped up these brownies from the new cookbook called Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, which I just ordered and can't wait to get!  Can you ever have too many great brownie recipes?  I say, heck no!
• I've had a lot of biscotti, but NEVER with banana so I'm really tempted to try Picky Palate's White Chocolate Dipped Cinnamon and Banana Bread Biscotti.  These would make beautiful Christmas gifts!
• Joe from Culinary in the County reminded me of a delicious recipe I used to make frequently called Cowboy Cookies.  They're hearty and full of goodies!
• I'm SO dying to make this Guatemalan Hot Chocolate Bread, thanks to Culinary Concoctions by Peabody!  Chocolate and bread together?  Count me in!
• Bakerella just proved that there IS a new cookie under the fall sun!  It's Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Maple Brown Butter Frosting.  They look tender and full of flavor!
• It's a Vegan Sushi Party over at the Post Punk Kitchen. The Elephant Roll is calling my name!

~BigSis