Recipes...

Bean_head

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@RBKWP - completely agree, the precise nature of baking has made me try to stay away

@Betty - cookies would be a good shout. Any nice chocolate chip recipes? I tried triple choc chewy ones a few weeks. It was fine until the baking; then they all merged into one huge cookie in the oven lol.

Was fun eating it though.
 

nudeyorker

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Bean_head these are really easy and delicious!

1/2 cup rolled oats
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 eggs
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grind oats in a food processor or blender until fine. Combine the ground oats with the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

Cream together the butter, sugars, vanilla, and lemon juice in another medium bowl with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and mix until smooth.

Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture and blend well. Add the chocolate chips and nuts to the dough and mix by hand until ingredients are well incorporated.

Spoon rounded 1/4-cup portions onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Place the scoops about 2 inches apart. You don't need to press the dough flat. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until cookies are light brown and soft in the middle. Store in a sealed container when cool to keep soft. For the best results, chill the dough overnight in the refrigerator before baking the cookies.

Makes 20 cookies.
 
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Betty_Cocker

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btw
did you take your username from .... either way, i take your kindly advice on board ha

Recipes & Cookbooks

off topic... Yes, I love to bake and my friends call me Betty Crocker, so whe joining here it was pretty much a no brainer to drop the first "r" in the last name ..LOL


@RBKWP - completely agree, the precise nature of baking has made me try to stay away

@Betty - cookies would be a good shout. Any nice chocolate chip recipes? I tried triple choc chewy ones a few weeks. It was fine until the baking; then they all merged into one huge cookie in the oven lol.

Was fun eating it though.

A few tips on baking cookies:
1. spacing - make sure they are far enough apart so if they spread they don't join.
2. Humidity/altitude affects baking.
3. Chill your dough. (very important)
4. Don't "overcream" the sugar/butter, and don't "overbeat" after adding the dry ingredients. Overcreaming will make your cookies runny, overbeating will make them tough.
5. Timing is everything! For the perfect cookie, follow the directions and bake precisely. Use a timer for the perfect cookie.
For exampel: If you want it soft and chewy, typically 10 minutes will do the trick (depending on the size, thickness of the cookie.) That is for an average cookie. If you want it crunchy, bake for 2 minutes longer.

Good luck. Her is a basic chocolate chip that I WOULD say is foolproof, but... we all know how that goes... haha.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 cup COLD butter flavored shortening
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs (straight from the fridge... not at room temp.)
2 teaspoons Mexican vanilla extract (Mexican Vanilla ROCKS!!)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter flavored shortening, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. (You may have to stop the mixer and scrape the beaters to make sure that all the shortenig and sugars are fully incorperated.)

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, stopping the mixer to scrape the sides of the bowl; then stir in the vanilla .

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. (I use a very large tablespoon and just drop the dry ingredients in by spoonfuls as the beaters combine the wet/dry together.)

Finally, fold in the chocolate chips and pecans.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. (I use a large melon baller for perfect cookies.)

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until the sides are light brown. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. (8 minutes = soft chewy cookies; 10 minutes = darker cookies that will be more like cookies you get at the store.)
 

ladristo

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A few tips on baking cookies:
1. spacing - make sure they are far enough apart so if they spread they don't join.

I was pretty pleased when one of my roommates in college didn't remember this one, biggest cookie I have ever had. :biggrin1:
 

nudeyorker

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This is another cookie that I make during the holidays. (Your house will smell divine while these are baking)

Holiday Cookies (makes about 7 dozen cookies)
4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups plump moist currents chopped (you can use raisins but I don't like raisins)
1 TBL orange juice
12 oz unsalted butter softened (3 sticks)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs (room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup milk (room temperature)
1 1/2 cups lightly roasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tsp lemon juice

In a large bowl combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt and whisk together and set aside. In a small bowl combine the currents and orange juice and set aside.
In a mixer with paddle attachment (or by hand) beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time beating on medium speed for about a minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla, preserves and milk.
On low speed gradually add the flour mixture until well incorporated. Stir in the nuts and reserved currents into the dough. Cover with plastic wrap lightly and chill overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll the dough in your palms to make walnut sized balls. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet 1.5" apart and bake for 10-12 minutes until the tops look dry (they may crack which is fine) Transfer cookies to a rack to cool slightly and repeat with the remaining dough.
For the glaze combine the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and 3 tsp water in a bowl and whisk until smooth. While the cookies are still warm dip the tops in the glaze and transfer to a rack to cool completely.
 
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185248

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Bought a yoghurt maker for $20 while at the supermarket yesterday. We eat a bit of it so thought why not. The sachets were between two and four dollars and they each make up a kilogram of youghurt. Tried it overnight as it takes 8-10 hours for the process to work after following 3 very simple steps. Tasted it this morning. Tastes great. Won't be buying it from the fridge at the supermarket again. Plus the good bacteria contained in youghurt is there in larger quantity because it's fresh. Also came with some good recipes in the box. I tried the natural greek style, but added two tablespoons of honey to the mix.
 

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Your welcome Bett. I first thought yeahhh, ok, for 20 bucks. Then next thought, I will be careful when opening it and using it so if it does not work it could go in for a secret santa present....:) :) But whadyaknow, it works, and works very well indeeed.

Pretty good xmas presi I thought too. :)
 

Bean_head

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I use Crisco butter flavored shortening... just refrigerate it to chill it.

I would use Salted butter if substituting .. but that is just my preference.

Brilliant - thanks Betty!

Bought a yoghurt maker for $20 while at the supermarket yesterday. We eat a bit of it so thought why not. The sachets were between two and four dollars and they each make up a kilogram of youghurt. Tried it overnight as it takes 8-10 hours for the process to work after following 3 very simple steps. Tasted it this morning. Tastes great. Won't be buying it from the fridge at the supermarket again. Plus the good bacteria contained in youghurt is there in larger quantity because it's fresh. Also came with some good recipes in the box. I tried the natural greek style, but added two tablespoons of honey to the mix.

My mum makes Greek Style Yoghurt from scratch, its so easy.

  1. Heat a good quality whole milk at low heat until it looks like it is just about to boil, steams and has a film on top. This heating makes the milk creamy but not curdle.
  2. Allow to cool slightly and add a small amount (roughly 300ml) of 50% shop bought Greek style yoghurt and 50% water mixture. Once you start to produce your own the yoghurt you can substitute your previously made yoghurt with the shop bought. My mum and aunts have a great network of home produced yoghurt's so if one of them fails they'll get a small amount from one of them to kick start this process again. You must do this step as this is where the active cultures come from.
  3. Mix well, insulate (I use a metal container, tea cosy and towel) and leave in a cool place overnight. You want it to remain warm during this stage.
  4. In the morning it should have solidified like Greek style yoghurt; refrigerate
  5. Alot of people will then sieve and pass through a cheesecloth but I like mine runny.

Now you've produced it, always save a bit to produce your next batch!
 
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185248

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Thanks Bean, there is nothing like making something from scratch. Just that the quickness, and only one container to wash was a bonus. I went down and bought 4 yesterday, so guess what my sisters and brother are getting for Xmas. :)
 

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I usually make these during the summer but got deeply involved making peach and strawberry preserves this year. Never fear though because Costco gets great cherries from South America in the winter so I'm doing this today...

Cherries In Wine (I usually make a double batch if cherries are available and still eight pints don't last until cherry season rolls around again)
For a single batch you need---
2 quarts red wine
2 cups sugar
2 cups orange juice
24 whole cloves
16 three inch strips of orange zest
4 pounds Bing cherries (pitted about 8 cups)

Bring the wine, sugar, oj and cloves to a low boil in a pot to dissolve the sugar, stirring so it does not burn. I always sterilize my jars for 10 minutes and keep them in a hot (slightly less than 200 degree oven to keep them sterile) but people say you can just scald the jars and bands because you are processing them for over 10 minutes (I'm one of those better safe than sorry people and it's really not all that more work to take the extra step) But the choice is yours.
Simmer new lids in a pan of hot water for a few minutes to soften the flange.

Add the cherries to the wine and simmer for 10 minutes until they are soft but not collapsed. Remove the cherries with a slotted spoon and ladle them into the hot jars. Reduce the wine mixture remaining in the pot by half it's volume for about 10 minutes. It will be very viscous. Strain and pour over the cherries in the jar leaving 1/2" headspace at the top of the jar. Wipe the rims set the lids on and screw on the bands fingertip tight. Place the jars in a pot of boiling water fitted with a rack and make sure the jars are covered by at least 3" of water. Lower the heat to medium and gently boil the jars for 20 minutes to process them. Turn off the heat and allow the jars to rest in the water bath for five minutes before removing them. You should hear the lids pop shortly after removing them from the water. If not reprocess them. (I've never had one not seal properly) Allow them to cool untouched for about 6 hours. You can store them in a cool place for up to a year (I've never had them last that long) Refrigerate after opening. These preserves work great for both savory and sweet dishes. They are also excellent served over ice cream and make a great gift if you know a cook.
 
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Hotrocker

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Bailey's Irish Cream

Yield: 1 Servings

1 c Light cream
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 2/3 c Irish Whiskey
1 ts Instant coffee
2 tb Hershey's chocolate syrup
1 ts Vanilla
1 ts Almond extract

Combine all the ingredients in a blender set on high
speed for 30 seconds. Bottle in a tightly sealed container
and refrigerate. The liqueur will keep for at least 2
months if kept cool. Be sure to shake the bottle well
before serving.
Makes 4 cups.
 

Bean_head

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I usually make these during the summer but got deeply involved making peach and strawberry preserves this year. Never fear though because Costco gets great cherries from South America in the winter so I'm doing this today...

Cherries In Wine (I usually make a double batch if cherries are available and still eight pints don't last until cherry season rolls around again)
For a single batch you need---
2 quarts red wine
2 cups sugar
2 cups orange juice
24 whole cloves
16 three inch strips of orange zest
4 pounds Bing cherries (pitted about 8 cups)

Bring the wine, sugar, oj and cloves to a low boil in a pot to dissolve the sugar, stirring so it does not burn. I always sterilize my jars for 10 minutes and keep them in a hot (slightly less than 200 degree oven to keep them sterile) but people say you can just scald the jars and bands because you are processing them for over 10 minutes (I'm one of those better safe than sorry people and it's really not all that more work to take the extra step) But the choice is yours.
Simmer new lids in a pan of hot water for a few minutes to soften the flange.

Add the cherries to the wine and simmer for 10 minutes until they are soft but not collapsed. Remove the cherries with a slotted spoon and ladle them into the hot jars. Reduce the wine mixture remaining in the pot by half it's volume for about 10 minutes. It will be very viscous. Strain and pour over the cherries in the jar leaving 1/2" headspace at the top of the jar. Wipe the rims set the lids on and screw on the bands fingertip tight. Place the jars in a pot of boiling water fitted with a rack and make sure the jars are covered by at least 3" of water. Lower the heat to medium and gently boil the jars for 20 minutes to process them. Turn off the heat and allow the jars to rest in the water bath for five minutes before removing them. You should hear the lids pop shortly after removing them from the water. If not reprocess them. (I've never had one not seal properly) Allow them to cool untouched for about 6 hours. You can store them in a cool place for up to a year (I've never had them last that long) Refrigerate after opening. These preserves work great for both savory and sweet dishes. They are also excellent served over ice cream and make a great gift if you know a cook.

This sounds really festive, can you use morello cherries instead of bing cherries Nudey?

Bailey's Irish Cream

Yield: 1 Servings

1 c Light cream
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 2/3 c Irish Whiskey
1 ts Instant coffee
2 tb Hershey's chocolate syrup
1 ts Vanilla
1 ts Almond extract

Combine all the ingredients in a blender set on high
speed for 30 seconds. Bottle in a tightly sealed container
and refrigerate. The liqueur will keep for at least 2
months if kept cool. Be sure to shake the bottle well
before serving.
Makes 4 cups.

This sounds epic!!!