Crispy Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

On By sarafillmerIn Cookies, DessertLeave a comment

download (2)This recipe comes from the Cookies and Cups cookbook and was really delicious. I’m not usually a fan of white chocolate chips in my cookies because I feel like it makes them overly sweet, but this recipe struck just the right balance.

  • 1 cup salted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
  • 3 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and both sugars on medium speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, salt and baking soda and continue mixing until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Turn the speed to low and add the flour, mixing until incorporated. Beat in the coconut, then mix in the oats and white chocolate chips until evenly combined. Using a large (3 tablespoon) cookie scoop, drop the dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers have set. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

How To: Homemade Jiffy Cornbread Mix

On By sarafillmerIn Breakfast, How ToLeave a comment

download (1)I recently made a recipe that called for Jiffy cornbread mix but I didn’t have any on hand. Enter the Internet! This recipe is very easy to make and likely uses ingredients you already have in your pantry. Try it in Creamed Corn Spoonbread today!

  • 2/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Combine the first five ingredients until well incorporated. Whisk in the vegetable oil until no lumps remain. Add this into your recipe that is calling for the box mix.

If you want to just make the muffins themselves, combine the dry mixture with 1 egg and 1/3 cup of milk. Mix until just incorporated and fill well-greased muffin tins about 1/2 full. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

Creamed Corn Spoonbread

On By sarafillmerIn Side ItemLeave a comment

Sweet-Corn-Spoonbread-PinterestThis recipe comes out of the Magnolia Cookbook and is a true winner. When I told my husband I was going to try it he was like “Why not just make cornbread?” However, after he went back for seconds he told me that he was glad I didn’t just make cornbread. It makes a lot so would be a great potluck dish or I would even consider serving it for Thanksgiving dinner.

  • 1 stick of salted butter, melted
  • 1 14.75 oz can of creamed corn
  • 1 15 oz can of corn, drained
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 8.5 oz box corn muffin mix*

Preheat the oven to 350. Generously butter a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Melt the stick of butter and pour it into a large bowl. Add the creamed corn and corn kernels and stir to combine. Stir in the sour cream, eggs, sugar and salt. Add the cornbread mix and stir only until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Scrape into the prepared dish. Bake until golden on top and nearly set in the center, mine took about 45 minutes. It will look slightly undercooked in the middle but will set as it cools. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

*If you are like me and don’t have any boxed corn bread mix on hand, check out my homemade version!

Cheese pizza (let’s call it like we see it)

On By sarafillmerIn EntreeLeave a comment

IMG_20200410_175721This was first attempt making pizza completely from scratch. I was really pleased with how it turned out, and my kids raved about it so it had to make it here.

Tomato sauce:

  • 1 lb tomatoes, I used Campari
  • 2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
  • sprinkling of onion powder
  • 3 basil leaves, chopped or torn
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Pizza:

Preheat your oven to 400. For the tomato sauce, chop up the garlic and halve the tomatoes. Drizzle a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil and add your garlic, onion powder and tomatoes, halved side down. Roast for 20-30 minutes, or until the skin starts peeling from your tomatoes. Add the basil and roast for another 7 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and put the contents of the pan into a blender and blend until smooth. (I used an immersion blender, so just use whatever you have in your kitchen.) Season with salt and pepper to taste. Put in a jar and set aside.

Increase the temperature of your oven to 450. For the pizza dough, dust a cookie sheet with cornmeal and stretch or roll your dough out into a roughly circular shape. Spoon about a 1/4 of cup of tomato sauce onto the dough, then top with shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. At this point you can add whatever toppings you like on a pizza; I only had cheese on hand so that’s what I went with. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden and the cheese is melted and starting to brown.

How To: Homemade Pizza Dough

On By sarafillmerIn Bread, Entree, How ToLeave a comment

The-Best-Pizza-Dough-Recipe-5Another first for me during this quarantine is homemade pizza dough. I have really been making an effort to not shy away from using yeast so this was a logical next step. Again, I used instant yeast so it came together really quickly. It also made enough dough for two pizzas so you can make two pizzas at once or save it for another day. Recipe and photo courtesy of houseofnasheats.com

  •  1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
  •  2 teaspoons sugar
  •  2 1/4 teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast or instant yeast
  •  3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour (or all-purpose if that’s all you have)
  •  2 tablespoons olive oil
  •  2 teaspoons salt

Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. If using active dry yeast, let it proof for 5 minutes until foamy. If using instant yeast, there is no need to wait for the yeast to proof. Add flour, olive oil, and salt and stir well with a wooden spoon or mix in a stand mixer with a dough hook until combined. Knead for 5 minutes using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment or 6-7 minutes by hand until smooth and elastic. The dough will be tacky and slightly sticky, but should still be manageable to work with. Drizzle a clean bowl with a little olive oil, then place the ball of dough in the bowl and turn it to coat in the oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean cloth and let rise for at least 30 minutes (or up to 1 1/2 hours) until doubled in size.

Divide the dough into 2 or 3 balls (or more if you want to make personal-size pizzas). Roll, pat, or stretch the dough out until it is roughly 1/4″ thick, then top with 1/4-1/2 cup of pizza sauce, freshly grated mozzarella cheese, and other toppings.

1-Hour Rolls!

On By sarafillmerIn BreadLeave a comment

from-scratch-dinner-rollsI have tried a fair number of homemade roll recipes in my life, but I was really, really pleased with these. You can use instant yeast so from start to finish these rolls only took an hour and a half. They were super satisfying and made great slider rolls the next day.

  • 4 -5 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons rapid rise, instant yeast
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups warm milk , 110 degrees
  • 5 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 egg , room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter

Combine 3 cups of flour, sugar, salt, warm milk, butter and egg in the bowl of a stand mixer. Attach a dough hook and turn the mixer on to the lowest speed and mix until flour is incorporated, scraping down the sides fo the bowl as necessary. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of flour and blend with the dough hook until incorporated. Another 1/2 cup of flour and repeat, mixing at medium speed for another 2 minutes until a ball of dough is formed. Add additional flour as necessary. The dough should be slightly sticky and soft and pulling away from the edge of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Let rise for 30 minutes in a warm spot.

Remove the towel or plastic wrap and deflate the dough by punching down lightly. Pinch off pieces of the dough and form balls. I weighed mine and got 21 that weighed 2 oz each. Depending on how much flour you had to add you could get up to 24. Transfer rolls to a lightly greased 9×13 pan. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise for an additional 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375. Bake the rolls for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove the rolls and brush hot rolls with melted butter. Serve immediately or store cooled rolls in a plastic bag for up to 3 days.

Glazed Donuts a la Krispy Kreme

On By sarafillmerIn Bread, BreakfastLeave a comment

BB11L2p1I feel myself to be somewhat of a donut snob. I’m not a fan of cake donuts and grocery store donuts are usually too dry and boring. My all-time favorite donut shop is in Estes Park, but since that it is a bit of a trek from my house, I finally bit the bullet and tried my hand at making them homemade. The recipe is a combination of Pioneer Woman’s and a glaze I found online. The key to success with these donuts is to dip them basically as soon as you have pulled them out of the fryer. This will give you the Krispy Kreme-esque glaze on the top and if you eat it warm it will just melt in your mouth.  I know since this is a yeasted dough it takes some pre-planning on your part, but the results were worth it.

For the Dough:

  • 1 1/8 cup whole milk, warm
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons (one package) Instant Or Active Dry Yeast
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 1/4 stick unsalted butter (10 tablespoons), melted
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Shortening/oil for frying

For the Glaze:

  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • Enough cream or milk to thin, about 3 tablespoons (you want a consistency of school glue)
  • Dash of salt

Warm the milk until it is getting nice and warm when you dip your finger in it, about 105 degrees. I did this by microwaving my milk in 30 sec increments, testing it after each time. It took about 1:15 sec. Add the milk to a mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the yeast and stir to combine. Let the yeast rest for 5 minutes. Add the beaten eggs and melted butter to the bowl and stir to combine. While the mixer is running slowly, add the flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together. Mix for a whole five minutes to work the dough well. Turn off the bowl and let the dough sit in the bowl of the mixer for 10 minutes. After the rest period turn the dough out into a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 8 hours up to overnight.

To make the donuts, take the dough out of the fridge and roll out to 1/4″-1/3″ thickness on a lightly floured surface. Use a donut cutter or the largest round cutter you have, and use the smallest round cutter you can to cut the whole in the middle. I also just used a star shape because one of my sons really wanted to. Place them on baking sheets lined parchment or wax paper, cover with a clean tea towel and put in a warm spot to rise for about 1.5 hours.

When the donuts look like they have about doubled in size, heat up vegetable or canola oil in a sauce pan to 375 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer you can test the temperature with one of your donut holes. It should immediately rise to the surface when introduced to the oil. While the oil is heating up, combine your glaze ingredients in a medium size bowl so it’s ready for your donuts when they come out of the oil.

Fry the donuts in small batches, keeping a close eye on them. When you see they have browned on the bottom, flip them with a fork or spatula and cook on the other side. My donuts cooked extremely quickly here at altitude, so it can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 1.5 minutes, just watch them closely. After they are browned on both sides, take them out of the fryer and put them on paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Then, immediately dip them on both sides in the glaze. This will give them that nice shine. Let them drain on a rack so the excess glaze can drip down. Enjoy immediately and try not to eat them all at once.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Waffles

On By sarafillmerIn Breakfast, Cookies, DessertLeave a comment

delish-chocolate-chip-cookie-waffles-pinterest-still002-1581106468This recipe is so extra I won’t be making it very often, but with that said, it was such a fun and unique treat for my kids. It’s basically a chocolate chip cookie cooked in a waffle maker and topped with ice cream. They are extremely filling so don’t be upset if you have to split one.

  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until incorporated. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until just combined, then stir in milk. Stir in chocolate chips. Heat waffle iron according to manufacturer’s instructions on high and grease with cooking spray. Add about ½ cup of batter to center of waffle iron and cook until golden and cooked through, 2 minutes. Serve topped with ice cream and melted chocolate.

How To: Homemade Pita Bread

On By sarafillmerIn Bread, How ToLeave a comment

delish-190621-homemade-pita-0144-portrait-pf-1567692673One of my favorite sandwiches of all time is a gyro, and good pita bread is so essential to that equation. I found an easy homemade recipe on delish.com and it was really good and came together really easily. If you are not comfortable with baking with yeast this is a great recipe to get your feet wet with because it is very forgiving.

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 teaspoon active dry yeast (I used instant)
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

In a large bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar and stir until dissolved. Stir in ½ cup flour and let sit for 15 minutes, until mixture foams. (If you are using instant yeast, you don’t have to mix it separately, just add it directly to the the dry ingredients.) Add oil, salt, and 2 cups flour (reserving ½ cup) and stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy mass forms. Dust a clean surface with some of reserved flour and knead until smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes, adding more of the reserved flour if the dough is too sticky. Dough should be soft and moist. (You can cover the dough and let rest 10 minutes if you need a rest from kneading.) Place dough in a clean large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.  Lightly dust a clean surface with flour. Punch down dough and turn it out onto surface. Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll into balls. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rest 10 minutes.  Preheat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Working one at a time, roll each round into a ¼”-thick circle about 8” wide, sprinkling dough with extra flour if it starts to stick.  Cook each pita one at a time in skillet until an air pocket balloons, then flip, and cook 1 minute more. Cover baked pitas with a clean kitchen towel to keep warm.

Easy Fruit Dumplings

On By sarafillmerIn DessertLeave a comment

2295946365_d753a3a686_oI originally found this recipe on Pioneer Woman’s website and for some reason it took me a really long time to try it. The first time I made it was when we had company over for dinner and it was quick and easy to prepare. The second time was last night and my youngest preceded to ask if we could have it for dessert every night. With that kind of endorsement I knew it needed to end up here so I could access it easily and quickly. If you are serving a crowd double the recipe, but I’m posting it in the quantities as if I were making it for my family of four. This recipe would work really well with frozen/fresh peaches also.

  • 1 medium-large sized apple
  • 1 can of crescent rolls
  • 1 stick of salted butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • cinnamon to taste
  • 6 oz Sprite

Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 8 x 11 buttered pan. Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Pour Sprite around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

*If all you have are small apples in the fridge leave them in quarters and cut up two apples. That’s what I did last night and the ratio of apple to breading was perfect.