Cookie 101

After speaking with many of my friends and family members, it became evident to me that not everybody thinks they have the baking gift. Now I have always been told that a person can either bake or cook and that finding someone that can do both well is rare. I have to say that I don't agree with this. I can both cook and bake but when it boils down to it I enjoy baking much more then cooking. Cooking I do to feed myself and my family, baking I do because I love it. I think that baking is more scientific in the ingredients and measurements that are used to achieve perfection and that this concept is what frustrates people and makes them believe they can't bake. I found the perfect article to explain all the basic ingredients that are found in each cookie and hopefully this will help out with any frustrations people maybe having with baking. Another helpful tip I would add to this article is don't always go by the suggested baking time in a recipe, it is just a guide and every oven will differ. Start with the lowest time and check on them from there, it is easier to fix an undercooked baked good then an overcooked baked good. Happy Baking and I hope the following article helps with those that maybe struggling in their baking.
 
The really helpful article :)
http://allrecipes.com/howto/perfect-cookies/

Happy Birthday to Me

One week ago today I turned 25 for the third time. Now I know some may say this is impossible but for some reason for me its not. I decided a few years back that 25 was the oldest age I was ever going to say I was and after discussing this with people discovered there are lots of people that say they aren't aging past 25. Well seeing as it was my birthday I decided to make myself one of my favourite cookies and chocolate chip cookies are and will probably always be one of my all time favourites. Now I know some of you may think that this is boring and how can a girl that loves cookies have such a plain choice as a favourite but since I can remember back these have always been one of my personal favourites. There is nothing like a chocolate chip cookie fresh out of the oven with a big glass of ice cold milk! The smell of them baking alone is enough to make me want to make these everyday. I have attached a link of the recipe I use and hope you will enjoy it too, I chose to leave out the walnuts it asked for this time but I know this won't be my last time making them, so next time to mix it up a bit I'll probably add the walnuts. Cheers and here's to hoping my 28th year is just as good as my 27th was.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe Link
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-chocolate-chip-cookies/

 

Mexican Cinnamon Cookie Salsa Mix

Just in case you need a salsa mix for your soon to be new favourite cookie

Viva La Mexico

Riviera Maya, Mexico is one of the most beautiful places I have ever had the privilege of visiting and I strongly suggest if you ever have the chance to visit this haven you do. I spent a week there and the week consisted of beaches, pools, sun, margaritas, and zip-lining. The Mexican culture is something I have always enjoyed. I love the music, the food, the people and the language. After numerous days of laying around in the sun me and my other half decided it was time to do an excursion. After much deliberation and debating we agreed to do a trip called Xplor, this excursion consisted of zip-lining, swimming in underground caves and paddling canoes through these underground caves as well. It was a great day and at the end of the day we stopped at a natural juice bar for some refreshments. It was here I discovered an amazing cookie which I had never even heard of before. It was a little round cookie that had huge cinnamon flavour and I was so impressed. Not only had I experienced an exhilarating day of zip-lines and underground caves but here in the Riviera Maya I was able to discover a new cookie that I absolutely love. Talk about the best vacation ever! So after an unbelievable much needed relaxing week in Mexico I returned home determined to find the recipe for either this great cookie I had there or something very similar, the following recipe is what I discovered in my searches and after baking these, my whole family has a new appreciation for cinnamon. They are easy to make and they don't require a lot of ingredients either. So, if you are a cinnamon lover like I am and you have a little time to bake, I strongly suggest you try out the following recipe. As always, don't forget the music and for these I recommend a nice salsa or meringue mix while baking and if you can, why not make a batch of margaritas to further this experience even more.

Mexican Cinnamon Cookies









Ingredients
1 c. Butter
1/2 c. Icing Sugar
1/2 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 c. Flour
1 c. Icing Sugar
1 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 F and grease baking sheet. Combine together 1/2 cup icing sugar and softened butter until smooth. Stir in vanilla, salt, flour and cinnamon. Once dough is stiff form it into 1 inch balls. Mix together in a separate bowl 1 cup icing sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Roll balls in this mixture before placing on baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

 

Recipe Link

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/polvorones-de-canele-cinnamon-cookies/



Peanut Butter Cookies With a Twist

This week has been an extremely busy one for me as I am almost done my program so the assignments are getting loaded on. Top that with the fact that I leave for vacation in 2 days and you can imagine the chaos that is my life this week. Not that I am not thrilled to be going away but getting ready for that alone seems to be consuming quite a bit of my time. There is a light at the end of this stress tunnel though and it is called Mayan Riviera. In two days from now I will be escaping the freezing winter and laying on a beach with a beverage in hand. I believe in life there has to be a balance of stress and stress relievers or people would just internally combust. So with all thats been going on I still had to find time to make some cookies and because I was short on time this week I made one of my personal favourites which are not only delicious but very fast to make. I call them peanut butter kisses and they are bite size, which also makes you feel less guilty about eating more then one because I doubt you'll be able to eat just one. I also have a blog site posted that will help you with stress relief if your life is chaotic like mine usually is. Hope you enjoy!

Peanut Butter Kisses










Ingredients:
1/2 c. Butter Softened
3/4 c. Peanut Butter
1/3 c. Brown Sugar
1/3 c. White Sugar
1 Egg
3 Tbsp. Milk
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 c. Flour
1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp. Salt
3/4 c. Chipits Skor Toffee Bits
1 Bag Chipits Hershey Mini Kisses

Preheat oven to 350 F. Beat together first seven ingredients. Add in gradually flour, baking soda, salt, and toffee bits. Mix until dough is consistent. Shape dough into 3/4" balls and roll in additional white sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheet  and bake for 5-6 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately place one mini kiss into centre of each cookie.

Here is the link for the recipe I follow, I add in the toffee bits for extra added sweetness
http://www.hersheycanada.com/recipes/en/recipe-details.aspx?id=6336&name=Tiny-CHIPITSreg-Mini-KISSEStrade-Peanut-Butter-Blossoms

For stress relief and to further your knowledge on stress management please take a look at the following blog:

http://calmingyourchaos.blogspot.ca/

If you need some musical inspiration while baking

Love is in the air...and so is the sweet smell of chocolate

Seeing as Valentine's Day has just passed and chocolate and that day always seem to go hand and hand I was thinking it only made sense to make cookies that are loaded with chocolate. Gone are the days when you have to express your love via a box of chocolates or a rose. When something is homemade it not only shows you care but also shows there was time and effort put into the process as well. These are not your average everyday chocolate cookies,they contain chocolate, almonds, cherries, and of course more chocolate and are finished off with a pretty vanilla drizzle. The great thing about these is even if you didn't have a "Valentine" this year, there is absolutely no reason why you can't enjoy these fabulous cookies by yourself or with friends and family. I made these cookies for my loved ones recently and they were a huge success.They are delicious alone or for an even sweeter treat, they could be topped off with some ice cream. So turn on some music nice and loud and get ready for a chocolate lover's dream come true.

Cupid's Chocolate Cookies

 Cookie Ingredients:

1 c. Flour

1 Tsp. Baking Soda

1/4 Tsp. Salt

1/2 c. Cocoa

1 c. White Sugar

1 Egg

3/4 c. Butter (softened)

1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

1/2 c. Dried Cherries

1 c. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1 c. Almond Slivers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix first five ingredients in a bowl. Slowly mix in egg, butter and vanilla extract. Once batter is consistent, add in cherries, chocolate chips and almond slivers. Put on baking sheet in the oven. If you desire once cookies have cooled use teaspoon to drizzle vanilla icing on.

Cookies before icing

Vanilla Drizzle Recipe I used

1 1/2 c. Confectioners Sugar

1/4 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

5 Tsp. Milk

In a small bowl combine until mixture is desired consistency and then drizzle on the cooled cookies

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Vanilla-Drizzle

Finished Product with Icing