New Year’s Eve Cookie Clock

Posted in food & flavor & recipes, holidays by Rosemary Lynn

Cookies are always a good idea.

Seriously.

So why not bake a giant cookie to help you ring in the New Year?

Since I wanted our giant cookie to look like a clock, I used melted chocolate to make some numbers. I used dark cocoa chocolate melts, but you could also use regular chocolate chips for this, too.

I melted them at 50% power in a baggy, then cut off a small corner to squeeze out the chocolate onto some parchment paper. I let these harden while we made the cookie.

And the easiest way to shape your cookie into a circle is by using a circular pan. I don’t have any fancy “giant cookie pans” or anything, so we smushed our cookie dough into a regular cake pan. On top of a piece of parchment paper, though, that I had cut into a circle just smaller than the pan. The paper keeps the cookie from sticking.

Use your favorite cookie dough here. I went with chocolate chip, and I even used a box mix since we had some of those BOGO deals from Publix taking up room in the pantry, but you could use any recipe you like.

You need to watch it as it’s cooking. Since it will be thicker than a regular cookie, the middle will still be a little soft when the edges are done. You just kind of have to judge. Usually the middle will feel a little underdone to some people (unless you overcook it), but that’s what I love about them. It’s kind of like a cookie-brownie.

When you take the baked cookie out of the oven, let it sit for a minute or two, and then lay the chocolate numbers on top of the cookie, very gently pressing to make sure it stays in place.

The heat from the cookie will melt the bottom of the chocolate numbers and as the cookie cools the numbers will harden again.

To make the pattern easier, put the 12, 3, 6, and 9 on first, and arrange the other numbers in between them.

I drew on the hands of the clock afterwards, since I wasn’t really sure what size I’d need. You could draw the hands ahead of time when you make the numbers, though. And if you really want to make them ahead of time but you’re really worried about the size, make a few and choose the best when the cookie is done.

Once the cookie and numbers had finished cooled, I stuck some candles in it and we sang Happy Birthday to Mother Earth in celebration of the New Year. My girls loved blowing out the candles at the end of the song.

Oh, and I did actually remove the cookie from the pan after we took out the candles and before we cut it. It only cracked a little on the edge when I stuck a cake server under it to transfer it to a plate, but I didn’t take any photos after that. Was too busy eating. :)

Do you have any special New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day foods? Let me know!

23Dec2013

Ultimate Norwegian Spice Cookies

Posted in food & flavor & recipes, holidays by Rosemary Lynn

These Norwegian Spice Cookies are my mom’s favorite Christmas cookie.

I know that, originally, we had copied the recipe from a magazine. Many years ago I typed it up and put it in my recipe binder. Unfortunately, I don’t know the original source. But I’ve made a few changes over the years anyway (to turn them into the proclaimed “ultimate” spice cookie), and so my own version of the recipe is featured here, along with a printable version.

But first, all the yumminess my camera could capture:

I just love how the shadow of the mixer in the mixing bowl looks like a Christmas tree. :)

This is the butter and sugar about to be creamed together, with the eggs and vanilla waiting patiently nearby.

When you blend together the dry ingredients (flour and spices) be sure to thoroughly sift them together. I use a fork for this. You want the spices to be evenly distributed.

I know it looks like a lot of spice when you’re measuring it out, but don’t worry, it won’t look like that much once it’s all mixed – and the flavor is fantastic!

The gooey, spicy, luscious dough…

Once it’s blended, it’s pretty soft. At this point you need to divide the dough in half, shape each half into a disc, wrap the discs in plastic wrap, and refrigerate them for an hour.

I’ve found that the easiest way to do this is to lay out a sheet of plastic wrap on the counter and scoop the dough into the center of it. Fold the plastic wrap over the small mountain of dough and shape generally into a flattened circle as you pull the wrap over and around the dough.

It’s sticky, so using the plastic wrap to shape it instead of your hands saves you some time and aggravation.

After you’ve had an hour to clean the mixer, sort through your cookie cutters, place some parchment paper on your baking sheets, and dance to a few Christmas songs, then the dough will be ready to be rolled out.

You could actually leave it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, but I don’t think I’ve ever left it overnight. After a few hours the butter in it gets too hard to roll out and then it needs to sit at room temperature for awhile, but if you leave it too long then it gets too soft, and that just makes my life complicated… so, really, between 1 to 2 hours is best.

Usually, in the midst of Christmas cookie baking marathons, I’ll make this dough, put it in the fridge, make and bake another cookie (like chocolate chip, for example), and then cut out and bake these. Works out pretty well that way.

And look at the spices in those snowflakes: you can SEE the cinnamon, the cloves… *mouth waters* …mmm, you should smell the magnificence.

And these reindeer cookies are a great way to illustrate that flour helps you cut out the cookies. The dough is soft and will stick to the cutters, but dipping the cutter in a dish of flour before stamping out a couple of cookies will help the dough to fall right out of the cutter.

Also, peeling away some of the dough surrounding the cookies before trying to lift them will help. As will using a spatula like the one pictured below, or like this.

But, sometimes I peel away the extra dough, and sometimes I don’t bother. I certainly don’t pull away ALL of the dough… except for in the above photo because I thought it would make a neat picture. :)

But you really only need to do a little at a time to help with transferring the cookies to the baking sheets.

If you’ve rolled out the dough without enough flour under it, the cookies will stick to the counter. Just dip your spatula in flour before sliding it under the dough to loosen them.

And remember, with soft cookie dough like this, flour is your friend:

You should put flour under the dough, on top of the dough, on the rolling pin, on the cookie cutters, and on the spatula. I mean it: flour party.

If there is too much on the finished cookie, just blow off the excess before baking. Any extra at that point will be absorbed by the egg wash that you put on the cookies just before baking.

Although, I have to admit, I sometimes forget to add the egg wash. But that’s okay. It’s not essential to the cookie, but it does add a nice shine and a silky smoothness to them.

The above picture is what was left of my dough after I collected all the scraps, rerolled them, cut out more cookies, and did it all again. I got two small stars out of the last roll.

But we don’t waste food in our family.

Especially cookies.

So, I rolled up these scraps into a circle, flattened it into an oval, and placed it on my last sheet of cookies to bake. After all, sometimes these last-of-the-scraps creations are the best part of making cookies. :)

And really, these cookies are great two ways: thick and soft or thin and crunchy. My mom likes them crunchy, I prefer them soft. Luckily, that’s an easy problem to solve when baking multiple trays: just cook some longer.

So, even tho the directions call for 10 to 12 minutes, I’ve cooked some larger ones up to 14 or 15 minutes. Just keep an eye on them, to prevent burning.

Once the cookies were fully cooled, I sprinkled them with powdered sugar. This step is not necessary, and I wouldn’t suggest doing it until you are ready to eat/serve them, but it is a nice touch.

Oh, and I didn’t bake them in that little metal pan – it was just to keep the sugar contained. :) The cookies need to cool on racks before you add the powdered sugar.

These ultimate spice cookies go great with coffee:

And with Christmas trees:

Ultimate Norwegian Spice Cookies

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg white mixed with 1 teaspoon water
Powdered sugar (optional)

Combine flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt in a bowl until well blended.

Beat butter and sugar in a bowl until creamy. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture.

Divide dough in half, flattening each piece into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Roll dough about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness on a well-floured surface. Cut out cookies with cookie cutters that have been dipped in flour. Place cookies on ungreased baking sheet, preferably covered with parchment paper, and brush with the eggs white mixture.

Reroll scraps and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until just browning on edges. Cool on wire racks. Store covered.

Before serving, as an optional step, you can sprinkle them with powdered sugar.

*****

Click for the FREE printable PDF: Norwegian Spice Cookies

Merry Christmas!

And Happy Baking! :)

22Dec2013

Elf-Sized Chocolate Chip Confetti Cookies

Posted in activities for kids, holidays by Rosemary Lynn

Elf Sized Chocolate Chip Confetti Cookies

Actually, all I had intended to do was make mini chocolate chip cookies… until my daughter said, “I want to put sprinkles on them!”

Whoa.

How did I ever come up with creative ideas before I had a 3-year-old to guide me???

Seriously.

Elf Sized Chocolate Chip Confetti Cookies

Anyway, as you can see from the batter, we actually poured the sprinkles right into the mix so they would be spread throughout the miniature cookies.

Elf Sized Chocolate Chip Confetti Cookies

And when we scooped them onto the cookie trays to bake, we made them smaller than normal, about a half of a teaspoon each.

Perfect for elf-sized hands. :)

Elf Sized Chocolate Chip Confetti Cookies

Elf-Sized Chocolate Chip Confetti Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/8 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup rainbow sprinkles

Preheat oven to 375F. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.

Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl, with a mixer or by hand. Add egg.

Gradually blend in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and sprinkles.

Drop a half teaspoon of batter onto baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Cool on wire racks. Store covered.

*****

Click to PRINT the free PDF of the recipe: Elf Sized Chocolate Chip Confetti Cookies

And, of course, don’t forget to share some cookies with your elf.

Merry Christmas! :)

9Dec2013

Chocolate Christmas Tree Brownies

Posted in food & flavor & recipes, holidays by Rosemary Lynn

Chocolate Christmas Tree Brownies

December can be dangerous.

Especially when I find myself inspired to make things like chocolate Christmas trees that perch on sprinkle-coated brownies.

And it all started because I was hungry when I walked past the candy melts in the grocery store. Never shop hungry.

Anyway, the result was these adorable chocolate Christmas trees, which I placed on top of little, square brownies that represent crunchy Christmas presents. :)

Making Chocolate Christmas Trees

Before baking the brownies, I coated the top with nonpareils. While the brownies were baking, I melted the green candy in a baggy in the microwave (at 50% power).

Once the chocolate was melted, I snipped off a very small point on the corner of the baggy, and squeezed out the chocolate onto waxed paper in the pattern of a Christmas tree.

To make the trees, I went back and forth, tracing out a triangle shape. Make sure the lines are thick enough and enough of them are touching each other. If the lines are too thin and too far apart, the trees will probably break. Also, be sure to draw a “trunk” at the bottom of the tree, so that you can stick it into the brownies.

As soon as you draw a tree, stick a flower or star-shaped large sprinkle at the top, preferably in yellow to represent the tree star, and sprinkle nonpareils over the rest of the tree, to represent the ornaments.

I used Christmas colored nonpareils, but you could also use the normal multicolored ones. I used the same nonpareils for the brownies and trees. And for the tree star, I used flower sprinkles that are available year round. Those are easy to reuse for other holidays, since all I needed were a handful of the yellow ones.

Chocolate Christmas Trees

Let the trees completely cool and harden. A couple hours is best. You could also draw them on a cookie sheet that you place in the fridge if you’re in a hurry.

Once the brownies and trees are both completely cooled, cut the brownies into squares. In the center of each brownie, use your knife or a toothpick to break through the shell of sprinkles and make a little hole for the trees.

The chocolate trees are fragile, so you don’t want to have to put much pressure on them to get them into the brownie. Gently, but securely, insert the trunk of the tree into the hole in the brownie while holding the tree as close to the bottom of the “branches” as possible, instead of pushing it from the top.

Chocolate Christmas Tree Brownies

You don’t need a whole bag of candy melts to make trees for one tray of brownies. About half should do it.

But I made extras because these chocolate trees will keep fresh in a container for, well, at least the rest of the season. I’m saving my extras for the cookie trays. :)

9Dec2013

Honey Granola with Quinoa

Posted in food & flavor & recipes by Rosemary Lynn

Honey Granola with Quinoa

I know many people eat granola all by its lonesome, just in a bowl with milk, but I prefer it with yogurt.

The first time I saw someone eat it this way was when I was at a hotel breakfast buffet in Germany. Someone spooned yogurt into a dish and sprinkled granola over the top.

I was intrigued.

And then I was addicted.

The silky smooth, fruity yogurt intensified the sweet and crunchy granola. It seemed an ideal breakfast, indeed.

But I hadn’t made my own from scratch yet. That needed to change.

Honey Granola with Quinoa

I began with a recipe by David Lebovitz that was based off a recipe by Nigella Lawson. Then I made some changes.

I knew I wanted to increase the amount of honey, and I wanted to incorporate quinoa. Plus, I love walnuts, so I swapped out the almonds for them.

You can see these changes in the photo above, which shows the dry ingredients, minus the spices and sugar. Incidentally, I used dark brown sugar, although light brown sugar would work as well. I prefer the stronger flavor. And I used honey-roasted sunflower seeds instead of plain sunflower seeds – again, to increase the honey-ness of the granola.

Honey Granola with Quinoa

The long list of ingredients can appear a little intimidating at first, but the process is incredibly simple.

You mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl and the wet ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat the wet ingredients, then pour them over the dry ingredients, and mix well.

Honey Granola with Quinoa

Spread the granola over two cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, and bake for an hour, stirring occasionally.

That’s it: you’ve got homemade granola!

Honey Granola with Quinoa

And, of course, I suggest serving it over yogurt for breakfast. Strawberry yogurt, specifically. But feel free to play with it. Perhaps you’d prefer it over vanilla ice cream? Leave a comment to let me know how you enjoy it best!

Honey Granola with Quinoa

Here’s the recipe, and scroll down for the printable version:

Honey Granola with Quinoa

5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
3 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup honey roasted sunflower seeds
1 cup quinoa
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 300ºF (150ºC).

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients: oats, walnuts, sunflower seeds, quinoa, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

In a small saucepan, mix the applesauce, honey, and oil. Stir over low heat until just warmed and combined.

Pour the applesauce mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until well combined and all the dry ingredients are coated.

Pour granola evenly over two cookie sheets. Bake for one hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes.

Cool completely. Store covered for up to one month.

**********

Get the free printable PDF of the recipe:

Honey Granola with Quinoa

Enjoy!

Roaming Rosie Signature

23Nov2013

Honey Cinnamon Apple Pie a la Mode

Posted in food & flavor & recipes by Rosemary Lynn

Honey Cinnamon Apple Pie a la Mode

So there was store bought apple pie at my house. I love apple pie. But I wanted to spruce it up a little bit, and ice cream alone just wasn’t going to cut it.

I’d been eating a lot of honey lately, to help soothe my much abused throat which has been enduring endless coughing. I hate being sick. But I love honey. So, what else could I add it to … well, why not pie??

I was NOT disappointed.

And, it was a super simple dessert to put together.

I took a slice of apple pie, cut it in half and put it in a bowl. Microwaved the bowl. Scooped some vanilla ice cream on top. Then came the real awesomeness: a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar.

I just squeezed the honey over the ice cream and pie, and then shook my pre-made cinnamon and sugar mixture over the top of it all. The mix is about 4 parts white sugar and 1 part cinnamon. I don’t measure it. Just mix (or shake) until it’s the color I want. But you can also buy cinnamon sugar at the store, if you prefer.

Either way, sweet, spicy, juicy deliciousness.

17Nov2013

The Most Dangerous Video on the Web

Posted in food & flavor & recipes by Rosemary Lynn

WARNING! I am about to share with you a video of something very, very dangerous:

A Magic Chocolate Lava Cake.

I actually found this video by way of some gifs that reached into my chest and stole my breath straight from my lungs. Some people would call this a gasp, but it’s really more of a gasm.

An ooey, gooey, luscious, shivering foodgasm, that is.

You can watch the the chocolate miracle being made right before your eyes:

And you can find the recipe at How To Cook That.

I now have the desire to throw a party for the sole purpose of serving this dessert.

8Nov2013

Gooey Grilled Cheese Rolls

Posted in food & flavor & recipes by Rosemary Lynn

gooey grilled cheese rolls

These are a fun way to change up your traditional lunch menus.

I originally found the idea on Pinterest, but now the pin doesn’t lead anywhere, and there are examples of this recipe all over the internet, so I’m not really sure who created it.

Anyway, it’s a simple concept: put a slice of cheese on a slice of bread, roll it up, fry with butter.

Of course, if you roll the bread a little flatter and larger with a rolling pin, it makes it a little easier, but I didn’t feel like it. Works without it, too. Besides, finger food in general is pretty popular with my girls, whether or not it’s as picture perfect as my inspiration. :)

So, here is a collage of the making-the-gooey-grilled-cheese-rolls process:

making grilled cheese rolls

Enjoy!

And let me know if you try any fun variations!

29Oct2013

Garlic-Infused Parmesan Popcorn Recipe

Posted in food & flavor & recipes by Rosemary Lynn

I’ve always loved cheese on my popcorn. And I love garlic.

So, one day, I’m browsing recipes and I start looking over ways to infuse olive oil. Then I thought – hey, I use olive oil to cook my popcorn… I wonder what it would taste like if I used an infused oil instead?

I was not disappointed.

What I love about this recipe is the subtle but certainly noticeable garlic flavor, and, since I’m also a big fan of garlic flavor in my pizzas, I was delighted with the garlic and cheese combination.

I think Parmesan is a perfect match for popcorn. But, you’ll notice I also added pepper to mine. That’s because it balances out the saltiness of the cheese while complementing the spice of the garlic.

Overall, I’ve found the final result to be quite enjoyable. And addictive.

Seriously, I’ve eaten a whole batch of this stuff myself.

Anyway, first things first: infusing the olive oil.

You’ll peel and smash the garlic and bring it to a gentle simmer in the olive oil over medium heat, then turn it to low heat.

You need to be careful here – burnt garlic has an awful and bitter flavor, so you’ll want to keep an eye on it. It should only bubble a little while it cooks.

Since it simmers for 10 minutes but then has to steep for an hour, I will usually stick this pot on the stove while cooking dinner, and let it sit while we eat dinner and clean up. Then later, when I’m ready to make the popcorn, the oil is ready, too.

You could always make a larger batch of the olive oil, I suppose, but I’ve always done it this way.

Here is the garlic steeping. You can see that it is a little browned, but not too much.

I usually turn the cloves only once while they’re cooking, and swirl the pot just a couple times.

I’ve thought about keeping the boiled garlic and using it for something else, but I haven’t found anything to suit that purpose yet. I’m open to ideas, but mostly, it seems best fit for compost after this. The flavor has really left the cloves at this point.

And here is the popcorn, freshly popped. It’s important to note that, while I infused the olive oil in a small saucepan, I popped the popcorn in a much larger skillet.

Most people use a deep pot for this purpose, but, luckily, I’ve got a large, high-sided skillet that’s perfect for this amount of popcorn. And easy to clean.

And the finished product. Mmmmmmmm… every time I look at this photo I get hungry!

On to the details:

Garlic-Infused Parmesan Popcorn Recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup popcorn kernels
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. pepper

Peel the garlic cloves and gently smash them to release their flavors while still holding their shape.

Place the olive oil and garlic cloves in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat until the oil begins to bubble around the garlic. Turn the heat to low and continue to very gently simmer the garlic for 10 minutes. The garlic should be only slightly browned. Do not let it burn!

Take the pan off the heat and let it sit and steep for one hour.

Discard the used garlic.

In a large saucepan or pot, add the flavored olive oil and 2 or 3 kernels. Warm over medium heat until the kernels pop, then add in the rest of the popcorn. Cover.

Leave over medium heat until the popping stops, gently shaking the pan now and then. This should take only a couple of minutes.

Once the popcorn is done, transfer it to a large bowl. Drizzle the melted butter over the popcorn and mix well to coat all the pieces.

Mix the parmesan and pepper in a small dish, then sprinkle over the popcorn. Mix well. Store loosely covered.

*****

To PRINT the PDF copy of the recipe, click here:

Garlic Infused Parmesan Popcorn Recipe

Enjoy! :)

28Oct2013

Pumpkin Streusel French Toast Recipe

Posted in food & flavor & recipes, holidays by Rosemary Lynn

Pumpkin French Toast Recipe

After carving up my pie pumpkin for the pumpkin seeds, I baked it, covered in foil, at 350 degrees F for an hour. Then I scraped out the roasted pulp.

But what do I make with my fresh pumpkin?

French toast, of course!

I found a few nice recipes online, including this recipe from Cooking Classy. But, in the end, I changed around a few things, so I’ve posted my own printable PDF for the recipe I used (below).

It was a big hit. The mild pumpkin flavor paired well with the maple syrup. The interior was soft and moist, but with a crunchy, sugary streusel highlighting every bite.

I usually make my French toast with slices of bread on a griddle, but I needed something easy for guests, so something that could be made ahead was a huge plus.

I made both the french toast and the streusel topping the night before, storing them separately in the refrigerator until the next morning.

Pumpkin French Toast Recipe

The pumpkin puree, eggs, and milk were whisked together with the sugar and spices.

Pumpkin French Toast Recipe

I made my casserole with Challah bread. It’s an egg bread, but you could use any bread you wanted, really. I often make french toast from wheat bread or homemade bread. You could even try cinnamon raisin bread.

Pumpkin French Toast Recipe

Cut the bread into one-inch chunks.

Pumpkin French Toast Recipe

Layer half the bread in a greased pan. Slowly spoon or ladle the milk mixture over the bread, covering every piece. Add the rest of the bread, and the rest of the milk mixture.

Pumpkin French Toast Recipe

Then, refrigerate it for 2 hours or overnight.

Pumpkin French Toast Recipe

I couldn’t find my pastry cutter, so I used two knives to make the streusel topping. That was also stored – separately – in the refrigerator until the next day.

Pumpkin French Toast Recipe

Before baking, it sat out for a half hour, to bring it to room temperature. You know it’s done when it’s bubbling around the edges and the topping looks deliciously crunchy.

Pumpkin French Toast Recipe

Doesn’t that look amazing?? Tell me that doesn’t look mouth-watering … I dare you!

Seriously, though. You should check out the photo with the maple syrup again. Yum.

Whipped cream is another great option, but I forgot to buy heavy cream, so I couldn’t make it. Didn’t miss it, though. You could eat this without any toppings and still love it.

Anyway, here is the printable PDF recipe:

Pumpkin and Streusel French Toast Recipe

Enjoy! :)