Tuesday Tip: Sticky Baking Ingredients

When measuring out sticky substances while baking or cooking, spray the measuring spoon or cup with cooking spray. So next time when you measure out corn syrup, honey, peanut butter or maple syrup, spray the measuring cup or spoon - it will empty into the bowl easier and clean up easier too. 

Mocha Roasted Almonds

These yummy snacks make great party fare, awesome little treats for gift baskets, and truly yummy snacks to keep in the office drawer.  I imagine you could easily swap any nuts for almonds if you liked something else better.

Mocha Roasted Almonds

• 4 Cups Whole Almonds
• 2 Egg Whites, Beaten
• 1 teaspoon Coffee Liqueur or Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
• 2 teaspoons Instant Espresso Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Mix together brown sugar, cocoa powder, instant espresso, and salt.  Beat together the egg whites and coffee liqueur until frothy.  Pour the egg white mixture over the almonds and toss together, add the spice mixture and stir until the nuts are coated.

Spread onto a parchment paper / silicone sheet lined baking sheet.  Bake for 45 minutes giving the nuts a stir every 10 to 15 minutes.  Allow to cool before storing in an airtight container. 

Andes Mint Brownies

I was going to do a great post this week about making homemade Egg Nog, but I've been under the weather and haven't really felt up to it.  I promise, however, I shall post it NEXT SUNDAY and how appropriate since it will be right before Christmas?  And we will all need a drink to celebrate surviving the Mayan Apocalypse!

This week, I needed to come up with something FAST for a holiday party at work.  Something EASY.  So I  made...

Andes Mint Brownies

Ingredients:

One box of ANY Brownie Mix.

Whatever ingredients you need to make those (usually 1-2 eggs, vegetable oil, water)

2-4 boxes of Andes Mints (my boxes had 28 mints each)

Following the directions on the box, make the brownies!  I used Duncan Hines Milk Chocolate Brownies for mine, but whatever is to your taste, as long as they are not frosted brownies.  While they are cooking, unwrap your Andes Mints and try not to eat all of them!  For my recipe, I used a 9x9 pan and I used a box and half (42 mints).

After the brownies are done baking, and while they are still hot, lay the mints across the surface of the brownies.  As you are laying them across, the heat from the brownies will make them melt.  When you have the desired amount of mints melting on your brownies, take a small spatula ans spread the melted mints across the top of the brownies.  Again, for a 9x9 pan, I used 42, use more if you want a thicker layer.   If you are using a 9x13 pan you will probably want at least 3 boxes.

And that is all!  Cool and serve!

(Sorry I don't have a picture of the brownies but well, by the time I thought of it... they were 3/4 gone!)  They were a big hit in my office!

Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies

I made these for a gathering last night and they went over so well (all 5 dozen disappeared!) I thought I would share with you!

The original recipe is from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food .

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp fine salt
1 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (2 1/2 sticks)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 cup white sanding sugar (*the magazine merely suggests that you use sanding sugar, but the cookies look so much pretty with the extra sparkle. If you don't have it though, you can use 1/2 cup regular white sugar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (Martha says, with racks in the upper and lower thirds. My oven is divided into quarters, I did the lowest rack and the 2nd from the top). In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and salt. In a large bowl, beat 1 cup butter and 1 cup sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy or about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add dry mixture to combine.

Place the 1/2 cup sanding sugar in a small bowl. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls, then roll in sugar to coat. Place balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 1 inch apart. Bake 5 minutes, remove from oven and with a small melon baller or the bottom of a small spoon, make an indentation in the center of each cookie. **

Return to the oven and bake 4 minutes longer, until cookies are just set but still look moist, Be careful not to overbake. Cool completely on wire racks.

** Really Martha? They are called thumbprint cookies. I used my clean thumb to make the indentations. And because my oven bakes hot, I made the indentations prior to baking and baked for only 6 minutes total.

In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and remaining 1/4 cup butter and peppermint extract. Microwave in 10 second increments until melted, stirring frequently. Let cool until thick enough to pipe. Spoon into zip-top bag and snip 1/4 inch hole into one corner. Pipe chocolate into indentations. Let dry completely. ***

*** I have zero luck with piping anything from a zip-top bag. I used a teaspoon and did not wait the 5 minutes till the mixture was cool enough to pipe, but chose instead to spoon it immediately while it was still warm and pliable.

Like I said, they came out fantastic and I was left with zero!

Friday Favorites: Holiday treats edition

Right now, my focus is on baking Christmas cookies. And so I've been digging through recipe site after recipe site to find a few that have consistently good feedback and meet our picky Santa's tastes (mmmm. shortbread!)

Here's the ones that made my cut:
Ina Garten's Shortbread
Russian Tea Cakes
Holiday Biscotti
Raspberry and Almond Thumbprints
World's Best Butter Cookies

We also do Caramel Popcorn for the holidays, too.