Cream Puffs

My middle made these for her French Class and I figured why not update this old post from 2008? You can find the original post here and below is the updated version. So easy to make and they taste so good.

Perfect Ginger Cookies

 These cookies are an old favorite. They are a little bit different than the Chewy Ginger Molasses cookies I have shared before. That post is a mess by the way and I need to update it. These cookies have a crispy edge but chewy center that still snaps. I think they are perfect. To give these cookies that crispy edge I use shortening, then I added butter for a chewy centers. You can use all butter but you'll have a softer cookie. All shortening will give you a crispy cookie. For the sugars I used both brown and granulated, I have two measurements for the granulated sugar because we like a less sweet cookie. These can be rolled in cinnamon sugar or in powdered sugar. The granulated cinnamon sugar will give you more of a caramelized crunch, the powdered sugar will give you a pretty crinkle cookie look.

Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookies (Chewy)

Rich, flavorful, chewy with crispy edges. I love chocolate chip cookies and this recipe has all the elements I just mentioned. The browned butter and dark brown sugar give these cookies a butterscotch toffee flavor and the dark brown sugar makes them chewy. I do have quite a few other recipes on this blog.  I can't help it. This one, the Gideon cookies, the Kiss Me  Chocolate Chip Cookies, so many yummy ones. Just pick one, the Skillet Chocolate Chip cookie is the easiest.

As far as this recipe I will definitely make them again. With or without the Toffee chips. I would love to put nuts in them, but my child can't eat nuts. I use less chocolate and toffee in these than most people would but we love the cookie like this.

This is a great batter to customize.

Coconut Cherry Pandan Cupcakes

These cupcakes are made with this Pandan Sponge cake batter here. My favorite cake. For the frosting, I made it as written but added coconut cream, a drop of red food coloring and almond extract along with the coconut extract. The pipette is a shot of cherry juice. SO yummy.

Nice and fluffy inside.

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Yorkshire Pudding (Sous Vide Bone-in Rib Roast)

Yorkshire Pudding. I have made these before. I haven't updated though that I love the combination of both ghee and drippings the most in these. They are so flavorful and I wouldn't make them any other way. You can, however, use either or as far as ghee and fat drippings. But both make such a great combination. 

I am also including my sous vide method for a bone-in rib roast (Prime Rib depending on the grade you have purchased.) It really is a foolproof method to cook the roast to get it cooked to your likeness all the way through.

Coconut Pandan Bread

Coconut and Pandan are one of my favorite baked good flavors. Coconut Pandan sponge cake is one of my top 3 favorite cakes. If you haven't had Pandan the aroma is sweet and floral like vanilla but it doesn't taste like vanilla at all. Pandan is used in many Southeast Asian desserts like you see vanilla used in the US. I use a Pandan extract for this recipe, you can find Pandan leaves in some Asian markets, I have some that I keep in the freezer. You can make your own extract with it. 

Coconut-Lime Bars, Lime Bars

Lime bars, and twist off of a yummy classic treat. During this shelter in place, my middle child has been baking up a storm. These Lime Bars are just one of the yummy treats she's baked. We have an abundance of limes, so I'll be freezing some of the juice also. We didn't add food coloring to these bars to make them green but the specks of lime zest against the yellow make them pretty. We also have used Natural Erythritol in place of the powdered sugar and it worked very well. I have two huge bags of this stuff that DH purchased. So if you want to make this with less cane sugar, you can use that.
The original recipe was for Lemon Bars, I'll post the Lime Bar recipe and then the Coconut-Lime Bar recipe below that. The Coconut-Lime Bars are a yummy twist. I used to make a coconut shortbread that is a favorite of ours.
Some tips:
Use a glass pan. Spray it with cooking spray then line it with parchment paper, then spray the parchment paper. The filling is a bit sticky and this will help you get your Lime Bars out of the pan.

Copycat Gideon's Bakehouse Cookies

I have so many Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes on this blog, but let's face it, sometimes you want them chewy, cakey, extra chocolatey. Mood. Right? For extra chocolate richness, this is the recipe you want. If you've ever been to Gideon's Bakehouse or the Polite Pig at Disney Springs you may know about these cookies. Voted the best cookie in Florida they are really yummy. There's rich chocolate, vanilla, and a tender cookie that's a little underbaked but not raw. They are in my top two favorite cookies at Disney Springs, the other being the Jammy Dodgers at Cookes.

Donut Bread Pudding

This is really good.  Dangerous but good.  The Dunkin donut's near our church gave us a bunch of donuts... so you know. Why not try a bread pudding with them.  I've seen it made before, but I've never had it. I've also never had that many leftover donuts. 

Butter Croissants

I use a combination of recipes and techniques from America's Test Kitchen and King Arthur Flour sites to make my croissants. It's a long processes but it's actually methodical and relaxing in many ways. You can find the recipes online. Here are some pictures of the process to show what I do.

Coconut Pandan Sponge Cake

If you ask me what my favorite cake is my answer would probably be this Coconut Pandan Sponge cake, Chinese bakery vanilla sponge cake, Chocolate cake... I like other cakes a whole lot, like Hummingbird cake, and Whole Wheat Carrot cake. I think this Coconut Pandan is top 2, top three at the least.  I got this recipe from a sweet girl on Instagram. I changed the flavors to what we like. It's so yum.

Fudgy Skillet Brownie

Fudgy Skillet Brownie.

Brownies. I like them crisp on the edges but fudgy on the inside. If they have that papery top, perfection. Easy is a huge plus, virtually no dishes makes it a winner. These brownies are rich and chocolaty. The edges get crisp, but they aren't dry or cake like. Perfect for an after school snack or dessert topped with berries and ice cream. Wrap them up for a tasty gift.
If you are looking for a fancier brownie, try these Fudgy Cheesecake Brownies.

Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you are having a blessed New Year. We had a wonderfully low key Christmas. We stayed home and played games and cooked. Just our immediate family. After Christmas we did have family visit through the New Year. There wasn't any snow and it's been unusually warm on and off here. It's been in the seventies and it's February. Too crazy. Have you all gotten much snow? I'm hoping we'll get at least one good storm.

Look at this ooey gooey filling.

Instant Pot White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

Look at this little beauty. Perfect for Valentine's day, Christmas, Saturdays... you know any time. This pepperminty treat is creamy and so good. I make this in the Instant Pot, but also have a recipe for the oven below. I'm planning on stocking our freezer with a few different cheesecakes for a get together in the Spring. Cheesecake freezes so well, and making these smaller 7 inch ones means more variety and flavors. The great thing about it is that you can use any flavor candy you like and switch it up. It's the Girl Scout cookie season, so Thin Mints would be a great crust and crumble in a cheesecake. Oreo crust and cherry cheesecake? Sounds perfect to me! What are your favorite cheesecake flavors and combinations?

Kitchen Sink Chunk Cookies

The weather is getting cooler around here, it's a rainy morning so I'm sitting down to update. With a cup of tea at my side and cookies... you know, so I can taste the to make sure they are still yummy. To post, because I don't want to post cookies that aren't still yummy. I better have two just to make sure :). I let my kids have one after breakfast, two days in a row now. I'm cool like that.
How is the weather where you are? I'm so ready for fall. My parents are planning a visit. I can't wait. They will get to see the leaves change color, come to a couple soccer games. It'll just be nice having them here. Maybe I should makes some of this cookie dough to keep in the freezer. Because cookies.
I like this Kitchen Sink Chunk Cookie recipe because it doesn't require me to think ahead and soften butter. I think most of the Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes and cookie recipes that I like use melted butter. I will say I like cookies that are chewy, so I prefer using bread flour. You can swap out AP flour in equal amounts if you prefer, or if that's what you happen to have on hand. Adding oats would also be easy to do, swap out some of the flour for rolled oats, or use some as your mix-ins. This recipe is easily tweaked. See the notes below for variations.

I used dried tart cherries and chocolate bars for this batch, because I didn't have any chocolate chips in the house! Yikes.

Chocolate Mint Cheesecake Cake

Okay, so I realize that my picture taking (lack of) skills are sad. You already know that, we're cool with that. Well, enter my photo shop collage making skills. I am not cut out for all this fancy stuff, I used a tutorial online. So... don't laugh okay? Just enjoy the goodness that is this amazing cake. And amazing it was. Cheesecake cakes aren't new, they are all over Pinterest, there's a gorgeous white cake one with crushed candy cane's that is just so pretty. I've seen Red Velvet ones that make me swoon, the Red Velvet one at The Cheesecake Factory is one of my favorites. My girls wanted Ande's mints though, so I went with that. This is very simple, I promise. If I can do it, you can do it. I am not a great baker. Nor can I frost cakes if you look closely you can see that.

For the frosting I only had enough whipped cream to cover the top. So sad, but I stabilized it and put it on the top. I used a regular chocolate frosting for the sides of the cake. 

 Use your favorite Chocolate cake recipe for this. You can bake the layers and put them in the freezer as you go.

Easy Peasy Cream Cheese Butter Cookies...

This is such an easy recipe. You can use a cookie press if you want, I just used a piping bag. To for them into shapes before baking. I was pretty stressed out this week and usually if I am stressed out I bake cookies, they don't take a lot of effort and thought, you do the same thing over and over again until all the dough is gone. It's relaxing. Actually being in the kitchen is therapy for me.