Sure Thing Sugar Cookies

When I decided to make sugar cookies, finding the cookie recipe was quite easy; I have used the same simple recipe all my life. However, the icing was an entirely different matter. In the States, I would have made buttercream frosting with shortening; unfortunately, my shortening supply is quite limited here. After an extensive online search, I settled for this extremely simple frosting, which was very tasty - though more of a glaze.


Sure Thing Sugar Cookies
(yields 5 dozen)

1 c. shortening
4 c. flour (sifted)
½ c. milk
2 eggs
1½ c. sugar
2 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
½ t. Vanilla

Cut shortening ino flour using a pastry blender, until the mixture is a consistency of corn meal and small peas. Combine the rest of the ingredients and mix with the flour-shortening mixture. Roll Dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into various shapes with cookie cutters. Bake on cookie sheet, at 350°F (177°C) for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned on edges.


Simple Frosting

3 c. sifted confectioner's sugar
¼ c. milk
½ t. vanilla
Dash of salt

Combine sugar, milk, vanilla and salt; mix well. Add food coloring.

Cinnamon and Sugar Goodness

I generally consider to the snickerdoodle to be my very best cookie (I don't know why, but I just always seem to have good results with them.) I was a little worried that I would be unable to bake this cookie since I have been unable to locate cream of tartar anywhere on my island. However, with a little help from Google, I was actually able to find an excellent cookie recipe that used baking powder instead! Although the cookies are a little flatter than those that I made in the States, the taste is very similiar. However, the thing that was perhaps most impressive with baking these cookies was the delicious smell that filled my apartment. At one point after completing the cookies I took the trash out; when I returned, I was simply overwhelmed by the wonderful cinnamon and sugar smell.


Snickerdoodles
(yields 6 dozen)

2¾ c. all-purpose flour
½ t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1 c. butter
1½ c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla

coating:
1/3 c. sugar
2 t. cinnamon

Beat butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Add remaining ingredients in parts. Preheat oven to 400F (205C). Roll 1 in. balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Chocolate Chips, Part II

After my less-than-satisfactory results with the Nestle recipe last week, I decide to email my Mom for her own chocolate chip cookie recipe - one guaranteed to give great results! I ended up with a nice "cake-y" cookie, just like Mom always made!


Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies
(yields 7 dozen)

2/3 c. shortening
2/3 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
3¼ c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Mix shortening, butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet (2 in. apart.) Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before removing from cookies sheet.

Peanut Butter Madness...

I spent the entire afternoon working on these peanut butter cookies (though I did have a long break since the recipe required chilling the cookie dough for 2 hours before baking.) I was actually quite impressed how well they turned out.

Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
(yields 5 dozen)

1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. peanut butter
½ c. shortening
½ c. butter, softened
2 eggs
2½ c. flour
1½ t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
½ t. salt

Mix sugar, peanut butter, shortening, butter, and eggs. Slowly stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Heat oven to 375°F (190°C). Form 1¼ balls and flatten with a fork. Bake 9-10 minutes.

Damn You, Nestle!

I had hoped to make some delicious chocolate chip cookies as part of a Christmas gift for all my co-workers; sadly, I made the mistake of choosing the wrong recipe when I started this venture. I thought Nestle Toll House would be the definitive source for all things chocolate chip. Unfortunately, once I mixed the batter and baked my first batch of cookies, I learned that the Nestle recipe produces a very unattractive, flat cookie (I was hoping for something more along the lines of a fluffy, soft-batch cookie.) I quickly looked online in hopes of finding a "quick fix", but it seems I was too late for any of the recommendations I could find.

Fortunately, the cookies taste quite good - so I decided to give them to the other Westerners living in my building (they care far less for appearance than the people at my school.) Now I just have to find another chocolate chip cookie recipe that doesn't fall flat...

Nestlé Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
(yields 5 dozen)

2¼ c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 c. (2 sticks) butter
¾ c. sugar
¾ c. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 large eggs
2 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375° F. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixing bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Muffin-y Goodness

This evening, I decided to give my little toaster oven another shot. Since the cupcake pan was too large for my oven, I returned it in favor of individual silicone baking cups (which work perfectly!) I found this wonderful recipe (listed below) online this afternoon, and decided that I had to try it.

Banana Nut Muffins Recipe

(yields 12 muffins)

2 c. all-purpose flour

1½ t. baking soda

½ t. salt

4 overripe bananas

1 c. brown sugar

¾ c. (1½ sticks) butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

½ c. pecans, chopped (I substituted walnut)

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mash bananas with sugar. Add melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients. Fold in the nuts. Bake for 18-20 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean.)

The Ups and Downs of Cake

I had hoped to make chocolate cupcakes for my first toaster-oven attempt; however, I discovered that the 6-cupcake pan I purchased was just too big for my tiny oven. Since I didn't want to give up, I decided to go ahead and bake in the larger 9" cake pan I'd purchased earlier in the week. I used a basic chocolate cake recipe (listed below), which filled the pan halfway.

During the baking process, the cake batter completely overflowed the pan and spilt on the oven's bottom. Then, the cake collapsed and fell back onto itself. Although the end result is not the most beautiful cake I've ever produced, it did at least taste good.


Basic Chocolate Cake Recipe:

½ c butter
1 c sugar
1½ t baking powder
2 eggs
½ milk
a pinch of salt
1¼ c flour
¼ c cocoa powder
½ t vanilla

Cream butter and sugar. Gradually beat in eggs one at a tme. Stir in milk. Mix flour, salt, cocoa powder, and baking powder and combine with wet ingredients. (Batter will be the consistency of thick pudding.) Bake at 350°F (180°C) until a knife comes out clean.

And So It All Begins...

Having lived in South Korea for the past several months without an oven, I discovered that I desperately miss home-made bake goods and have to do something about it! Since my apartment is incredibly small, my only practical option was to venture into the realm of "toaster oven" baking. Hopefully, I'll be able to master the art of toasting to create fabulous cakes, pies, and cookies...and maybe the occasions "healthy" food.