Meet the birthday Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with Chocolate Ganache! ‘Tis birthday season at our house. Bytes has a birthday at the end of March and Bytes Big Brother (the short one) has his birthday in the first half of April. They had the same due date, too – neither one was on time! Birthday celebrations are a little more challenging since they outgrew the pirate and Star Wars themes – although new Star Wars movies are still a big priority! Celebrations are an important part of life. But birthday cakes or themes don’t have to be the star of the day. The Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with Chocolate Ganache is a perfect celebration in a pan. This recipe goes together just like a chocolate chip cookie. It has wonderful flavor – not too sweet – and a nice smooth ... [Read More]
Cookie
Crescent Mini Chip Cookies
The trickiest part of Crescent Mini Chip Cookies is shaping the crescent. I rolled the refrigerated dough into balls just under an inch in diameter and poked and pulled until the crescent formed. That worked but seemed to take forever –and I didn’t have any enthusiastic kid helpers at the moment who would enjoy shaping the dough. The fastest way was to scoop up a scant tablespoonful of dough and push it off onto the parchment lined baking sheet. I put one finger next the dough and used the spoon to mold a crescent around the finger. Went much faster! Experiment until you find what works for you. Crescent Mini Chip Cookies Print Prep time 15 mins Cook time 10 mins Total time 25 mins A festive Christmas soft cookie with chocolate chips and your choice of ... [Read More]
Toffee Crisps
Toffee Crisps seemed a bit unusual to me in that it was a baked cookie recipe using graham cracker crumbs for thickener and condensed milk for sweetener. It is a very goooood combination!! If you crush the graham crackers, you’ll need about 32 squares to make 2 cups. That’s about the most complicated thing in making these delights. Very quick and easy. The dough is thick and can be shaped into a relatively uniform circle very easily as you push them off a tablespoon., although a cookie scoop makes the job easier. I’ve also rolled them into balls between the palms of my “very clean” hands – but that is not necessary. What IS necessary is keeping a close eye on the baking time, as these go from brown to overdone very quickly. Toffee Crisps Print Prep time 10 mins Cook ... [Read More]
Fruitcake Cookies
Fruitcake Cookies studded with candied citrus rinds, maraschino cherries, nuts and a symphony of spices -- truly stellar!! I love fruitcake. I confess I feel lonely in this obsession sometimes – especially with the jokes-- but there must be other fruitcake lovers somewhere. (Aren’t there? Please??!) True, there are good recipes and bad recipes and some commercial fruitcakes are not worthy of the name. Still I’ll gladly sample and discard the bad in order to find and savor the good fruitcake! This is the good -- and in just the right portion! Fruitcake cookies go together quickly in the order given. Mix the spices with part of the flour and they will be evenly distributed in the cookie, with no hot spots of nutmeg or cinnamon. Mixing the fruitcake bits of candied citrus peel and ... [Read More]
Dirty Bones
Meringues are really very easy to make. You just need to be aware of a few facts before starting. No big deal, because everything in life is easier when you know a few facts ahead of time. Room temperature eggs are easier to separate and will whip faster than cold eggs. If you don’t have time to let them set – or if like me, you forget to set them out – you can set them in a bowl of warm water to speed up the process. Separate eggs very carefully one at a time over small bowl. When separation is successful, place yolks in one bowl to set aside for another use. Put egg whites one at a time into larger bowl for whipping. If there is the slightest bit of yolk in a separated white, do not add it to the larger bowl. THROW IT OUT. Or better yet, put it aside for another use. Even the ... [Read More]
Macaroons dipped in chocolate
Coconut Macaroons with Chocolate would be a perfect Valentine gift. Or an any time treat! Cookies are extra chewy because they are loaded with coconut. I love coconut. And chocolate. Put the two together – heavenly! My brother Jay was also a big coconut fan and between the two of us we could consume a bag of coconut in an afternoon. Much to Mom’s consternation. And to the younger kids loss. Because no matter where Mom hid the coconut for her planned culinary endeavors, Jay and I would find it. Eventually she quit buying it. The four other siblings missed the clandestine consumption of coconut! They had to wait until later to find the joy! I’ve learned to discipline myself and leave the bag unopened until time to use it. This recipe is great since it uses the entire ... [Read More]
