Chewy Molasses Crinkles

Here we go again...another weekend, another recipe.  Such hope for perfection....

Dan was craving Molasses cookies and I had seen one in Martha Stewart's Cookies cookbook.  So, of course, after my last cookie mishap, I decided to give it a shot:

Here is what we need:

Next, put butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 c granulated sugar in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Mix in eggs one at a time, followed by the molasses and oil.

Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and salt:

Cover dough with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight:

Preheat oven to 325 F.  Put remaining 1/4 c granulated sugar in a bowl.  Using a 1 3/4 inch ice cream scoop, form balls of dough.  Roll balls in sugar to coat, and space 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are flat and centers are set, about 17 minutes.  Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.

And now, here is my final product:

 

Sigh....yes, they went flat, just like my other cookies.  The only thing mistake I can think of is that I over mix my batter and deflate my poor cookies.  They taste fantastic, they do pass the taste test, but still, I'm failing miserably at presentation.  So, Martha may send me an email some day forbidding me to ever use her cookbook again.  I can't say I blame her...

 

Recipe (Martha Stewart's Cookies pg. 83):

• 1/2 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1C packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 C granulated sugar, plus 1/4C for rolling
• 1/2 C unsulfured molasses
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 C All purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. allspice
• 1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1. Put butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 c granulated sugar in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.  Mix in eggs one at a time, followed by the molasses and oil.

2.  Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and salt.  Cover dough with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight.

3.  Preheat oven to 325 F.  Put remaining 1/4 c granulated sugar in a bowl.  Using a 1 3/4 inch ice cream scoop, form balls of dough.  Roll balls in sugar to coat, and space 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are flat and centers are set, about 17 minutes.  Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.  Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 5 days.

Banana Bread

Redemption (from Dictionary.com):

1. an act of redeeming or the state of being redeemed.
2. deliverance; rescue.

You see, I feel a bit better...I made banana bread and it turned out...and it didn't look too bad either.  I feel I have redeemed myself somewhat.  We had almost a half-dozen nearly brown banana's and what better way to use them up than throwing together a loaf of aromatic banana bread?  I adapted the recipe from allrecipes.com: Banana Bread Recipe

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

I can't wait to get a new digital camera and a flash so I can start taking really good pictures of my food as well!  But, my bread turned out very well, tasted good, and was a hit with the entire family.  Finally, a bit of redemption...at least until next time!

Lime Meltaways Recipe

I forgot to post the recipe for my Lime Meltaways and the following lime cheesecake, and I want to credit those who created the recipes (because I'm not brave enough to "wing" it on my own yet).

Lime Meltaways

Martha Stewart's Cookie's Cookbook, Pg. 121

• 3/4 C unsalted butter, room temp.
• 1 C confectioners' sugar
• 2 Tbl fresh lime juice
• 1 Tbl. pure vanilla extract
• 1 3/4C plus 2 Tbl. all purpose flower
• 1/4 Tsp. coarse salt

1. Put butter and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar in the bowl. Mix on medium until pale and fluffy. Add lime zest and juice and vanilla, mix until fluffy.

2. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Add to butter mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined.

3. Divide dough in half. Place each log on an 8x12 in. sheet of parchment. Roll in parchment to form a log 1 1/4 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log. Refrigerate logs until cold and firm, at least 1 hour.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove parchment from logs; cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Space rounds 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake until barely golden, about 13 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool slightly, 8-10 minutes. While still warm, toss cookies with remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a re-sealable plastic bag. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

 Key Lime Cheesecake recipe from Allrecipes.com

This is the recipe I used to make my very tasty cheesecake.

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon grated lime zest
• 2/3 cup key lime juice

1. Combine cookie or graham cracker crumbs with butter or margarine. Press into bottom and partially up sides of 9 inch springform pan. Refrigerate.
2. In a large bowl, beat with an electric mixer the cream cheese, sugar, lime peel, and cornstarch until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, blending just until smooth. Add key lime juice with mixer on low. Finish mixing by hand. Do not overbeat, or cake will crack during baking. Pour batter into prepared crust.
3. Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 55 to 65 minutes, or until set. To minimize cracking, place a shallow pan half full of hot water on lower rack during baking.
4. Turn oven off, and let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes with the door open at least 4 inches. Remove from oven. Refrigerate cake overnight, and up to three days.

Both recipes are tremendous...I just have to fix my mistakes!

Cookie Challenge

Okay, I will admit right off the bat that my baking skills are not exceptional, but I've always thought that I am about average.  After this past attempt, I may have to reconsider my own confidence when it comes to the kitchen!

I just bought Martha Stewart's Cookie cookbook and so many of them look delicious.  Before I decided to start a food blog, I made AWESOME snickerdoodles!  They are some of the best cookies that I have ever made, if I don't say so myself.  Of course, I have no pictures, no proof, and after you read about my Lime Meltaway cookie disaster, you will probably doubt the authenticity of my Snickerdoodles.

So, anyway...I LOVE lime, and lime in a cookie can't go wrong, can it?

I followed the recipe, made the dough, put the dough in the fridge to chill, just like it said.  The only delineation I made in my cookies is that my two rolls were quite a bit smaller than an inch and a half in diameter.  I'm still not sure if that was my mistake.  I cut the cookies, baked them and this is how they turned out:

 

Please note what happened when I tried to pick up a cookie...it just crumbled!

This is a close-up (Yes, my photography skills need some serious improvement as well).  My cookies fell very very flat!

So, since eating these delicious smelling cookies were out of the question, my hubby suggested using the cookies as a crust for a cheesecake.  Perfect!  So, right away, I found a key lime cheesecake recipe out of one of my cookbooks, and put it together. 

And here is THAT product:

Now, besides the HUGE crack running through it, I thought, visually it turned out looking quite well.  I was so excited to cut into it...

Hmmm....not so pretty anymore!  Let me point out my mistakes:

1. Undercooked
2. I forgot to grease the pan before I put in the crust, so it stuck...bad.

As for flavor - my "crust" turned out very good!  The cheesecake had a wonderful tart flavor. 

I have a lot to work on....yes, my baking skills need some improvement.  At some point, I will revisit my cookie recipe and try it again.  I REALLY want to try those cookies!