Cinnamon Rolls

So I know this is cheating, but technically my mom did bake these...she just...didn't put all of the ingredients together. haha My Aunt J dropped off the already-made dough and the recipe and ingredients for the icing (from a fundraiser). YUM! Not too sweet. I've decided that this would be an awesome gift or random surprise for someone--already-prepared dough. Hmmmm....

Crispy Sesame Chocolate Chip Slice-'n'-Bake Cookies W/ Cacao Nibs

I looked for a slice-and-bake recipe because I wanted to make the dough ahead of time and then just throw some in the oven the day before my East Coast trip (I gave some cookies to the grad student that hosted me at the first city). I had plenty of extras for my relatives.
What I liked about this recipe: It was easy to add whatever extra ingredients I wanted, it made a lot of cookies, the cookies were crispy, and the raw slices didn't have to look perfect because they just flattened out into the same shape while they baked.
I put sesame seeds in some of them just to test them out. I liked theThis was also my first time using cacao nibs in cookies, which ended up being great. They are a good nut replacement! Crunchy but very subtle...with a little bit of chocolate flavor without the sweetness (they're actually kind of bitter since they're roasted c bean bits without added flavors or sugar).
Recipe below.







Original recipe here (a very religious name for a blog).

Recipe I followed (original recipe + adjustments I made):

1 cup shortening
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 - ¼ cups flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 - ½ cup extras (chocolate chips + sesame seeds + cacao nibs)

(1) In mixing bowl, cream shortening & sugars
(2) Add eggs & vanilla
(3) Combine flour, salt & baking soda; dd to the creamed mixture & mix well
(4) Fold in extras - chocolate chips & cacao nibs (I put sesame seeds along the outside of parts of the logs just to experiment)
(5) Shape into three 2-in. wide logs & wrap tightly w/ plastic wrap
(6) Chill for two hours or up to one week
(7) To bake, cut into slices & place 3 inches apart on ungreased sheet
(8) Bake at 350 for 10 minutes
(9) Cool 5 minutes & remove to wire racks

Easy Kale Chips

I know I usually just post about desserts/sweet things, but this is a cool recipe, and it does involve baking.

Pretty good...healthy...and different. Very light and crispy. The Food Librarian was right--these are similar to nori (Japanese dried/toasted seaweed), although the taste is different. Sorry for the shadow.


This is only about a third to a half of the kale I baked:

Raw kale:


Here is the original recipe from The Food Librarian.

Here's the really easy recipe:
* 1 bunch of kale
* 1 T olive oil
* Salt

1) Heat oven to 350 degrees
2) Line baking sheets with parchment paper
3) Wash kale & strip out the center core/stalk
4) Tear kale into small pieces
5) Dry kale w/ towels or a salad spinner
6) Coat kale with olive oil & salt
7) Spread kale into SINGLE layer (might need to make several batches)
6) Bake for 10-15 min, turning once about halfway through. Chips should be dry and light.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pecan Scones

Baked 12/17/09.

Buttery and not too sweet.







Original recipe here from Allrecipes.com (Change I made: I used chocolate chips & pecans)

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup cold butter
• 1 cup chocolate chips + however many/much chopped pecans you want
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• milk for brushing
• extra sugar & cinnamon to sprinkle

(1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) & lightly grease a baking sheet
(2) Sift together wheat and all-purpose flours, baking powder, salt, sugar & cinnamon into a large bowl
(3) Rub butter into dry ingredients until it resembles fine breadcrumbs
(4) Stir in pecans & chocolate chips. Mix in the milk, just until blended and form dough into a ball.
(5) Put dough onto a floured surface
(6) Roll out & cut into a circle about 1/2 inch thick (I used a cup)
(7) Place scones on a greased baking sheet & brush with milk
(8) Sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar mixture
(9) Bake in preheated oven until risen and golden brown (10 to 12 minutes).

Snow Balls/Russian Tea Cakes/Mexican Wedding Cookies

These are SOOO good. So simple but so good. The recipe doesn't make enough. I made these little bags for the teachers I help and my co-workers. It just so happens that the cookies match the design on the bag. I did notice the contradiction between the fall leaf background and the snowy bag/cookies. Oh well. Recipe below.







Russian Tea Cakes recipe (original HERE):

• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar for decoration

1. Combine all ingredients & mix well
2. Refrigerate dough until chilled
3. Roll dough into 1-inch balls
4. Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven
5. Once baked, roll while still hot in confectioners' sugar until coated
6. Let cool
   
7. Lightly dust with more confectioners' sugar
   

Apple Cake

Yes...I got stuck using the stupid metal pan again. I want to just throw this out. haha! I made these apple cake bar things for a work potluck/staff development day deal. Got the recipe from The Food Librarian (her pictures there are way better). Honestly...not my favorite, but it's easy, and my aunt, cousin, and mom said they liked it. Recipe below or at the link above. I'd recommend it to apple lovers who want a quick apple fix.


The Food Librarian's Mom's Apple Cake Recipe (original here):

2 eggs
3/4 c oil
1 c sugar
1 t vanilla

Sifted together:
2 c flour, 1/4 t salt, 2 t cinnamon, 1 t baking soda

4 large green apples
1 c walnuts (optional --> I didn't use any this time because I had a limited amount of time)

1) Peel & slice thin 4 apples
2) Beat eggs with oil until foamy
3) Add sugar, vanilla, and sifted dry ingredients
4) Fold in apples and walnuts (if you add them)
5) Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan
6) Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds!

I finally baked/toasted pumpkin seeds leftover from the pumpkin I carved at work (I work at a preschool). YUM! I hadn't had these in so long. My mom or dad (neither remembers this) used to make them with shoyu (Japanese for "soy sauce") and salt, so I tried that (a random amount on half of the seeds), and it worked. I lost the recipe, but it was pretty simple. All you have to do is search Google or some other search engine for toasted/baked/whatever pumpkin seeds. Because I didn't want to wait all night for them to dry out, I took the boiling route instead and then put them in a 375-or-400-degree oven. I don't remember the time. I'm a sucky food blogger now that I've gotten lazy. Dang. Sorry. I think I had the recipe bookmarked, and then my computer crashed. I usually email myself things so I can't lose them, but oh well.