The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies - Day Five - Oatmeal Pumpkin Raisin Pecan cookies

It's been awhile since I posted, but I've been busy.  In a few weeks I'll be graduating from FAU with a Master's degree in Public Administration.  With honors.  Not something I expected to say at 65 years old, but there it is.

This recipe is a cross between oatmeal raisin cookies and pumpkin pie.  It's a really good cookie for the holidays.  I make it with pecans but you can use walnuts if you prefer, or leave out the nuts entirely.  You can also substitute cranraisins for the raisins.  It's a very versatile recipe and one I think you will enjoy.

You will need the following ingredients:

2 cups flour                             1 1/3 cups oatmeal (uncooked)

1 cup white sugar                    1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark, packed)

1 cup canned pumpkin            1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

2 eggs                                      1 tsp. baking soda 

1/2 tsp salt                               2 tsp. cinnamon                        

1 tsp nutmeg                            1/2 tsp. ginger                           

1/2 tsp allspice                        1/4 tsp ground cloves   

1 tsp. vanilla                            1 cup raisins (optional)

1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts, also optional)

In a large bowl, cream the butter and white sugar until light and fluffy.  The easiest way to do this is to use an electric mixer and start on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, then turn to high and run it for a full two minutes.  These next two photos are at the beginning of the process and once the ingredients are fully mixed.

Add the eggs one at a time and mix well between each.

Add the brown sugar, the canned pumpkin and the vanilla and mix well.

In a separate large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients except the nuts and raisins.  Mix very well so it looks like this:

Using about a third of the dry ingredients, mix it into the batter mixing well after each addition.  It will get thicker with each addition but it will mix thoroughly.

At this point, if you're using a hand mixer you'll want to put it away and use a spoon for the rest.  If you're using a stand mixer, switch to the paddle attachment.  Now add the nuts and raisins, if you're using them.

And mix well.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat and drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough on the cookie sheet, spacing them about an inch or so.

Pour some sugar into a small bowl.  Using a smaller bowl or glass, press the bottom into the sugar and then onto each cookie.  

Press back into the sugar between pressings so every cookie gets pressed and has sugar on top.  They will look like this:

Bake at 350º for 15 minutes and remove to a wire rack to cool. 

I used a 1 tablespoon ice cream scoop to measure these and I made 75 cookies.  If that's too many, you need to eat more.  It's the holidays.  Stop worrying about your diet.

Bon appetite!

        

             

The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies - Day Four - Chocolate-Butterscotch Bars

 These are one of the easiest cookies to make because they mix and bake in the same pan.  Everything you need to make them is pictured here:

On the left is a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish.  Inside is a stick of butter.  Next to it is 1 cup of chocolate chips, 1 cup of butterscotch chips, 1 1/3 cups shredded sweetened coconut, 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup of chopped nuts (I'm using walnuts but any nut will work) and 1 can of sweetened condensed milk.  Make sure it's not evaporated milk.  

Place the butter in the baking dish and place in the oven.  Set to 350º and allow the butter to melt while the oven heats.  Once the butter is completely melted remove from oven.

Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs into the melted butter.  If necessary, smooth out with a rubber spatula.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the graham cracker crumbs.

Sprinkle the butterscotch chips next.

Follow with the chopped nuts.

Sprinkle the coconut on top, covering as much of the chips and nuts as you can.

Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the entire surface.  Do not heat the can to make it pour faster.  Just let it pour at room temperature and work your way from one end to the other and then from side to side.  It does not have to completely cover the entire surface.

Bake at 350º for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and it will look like this:

Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool for five minutes.  Then use a rubber spatula around the edges to pull them away from the pan.  Let cool completely before cutting into 24 pieces.

The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies - Day Three - Jelly Thumbprints

 

Thumbprint cookies are fairly easy to make.  Their ingredients are simple, and any competent baker will have everything already on hand.  In the photo above, from the lower left and going clockwise we have 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, vanilla extract (1 tsp, not the whole bottle), 1 stick of butter at room temperature, one large egg, a jar of strawberry preserves (you can use any kind of jelly or preserves that you like) and 1/3 cup granulated sugar.

I like this particular recipe because it's done entirely by hand.  Start by mixing the butter with the powdered sugar.

Add the vanilla and egg and mix together.

Add the flour and mix until blended.

This recipe will make 48 cookies.  You can measure them out by the spoonful, or divide the dough in half and make each into 12 balls.  The dough will be a bit sticky.  Roll the balls in between your palms, then roll in white sugar (not powdered sugar).

After rolling them in sugar, roll them between your palms again (they will have lost their roundness in the rolling).  Then place them two inches apart on a baking sheet.  I use a silicon baking pad on my cookie sheets.  

Dip the bottom of a glass in the sugar and lightly press the cookies down.

Using the handle of a wooden spoon or your fingers, make an indentation in the dough.

Here I made the indentations with a bottle cap.

Take a small amount of the jelly and mix it up.  This will make it easier to work with.

Drop small spoonfuls into the indentation in each cookie.

Bake at 325º for 15 minutes.  Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

When cookies are completely cooled, dust with powdered sugar.

Omelettes

Omelettes are one of the easiest things to make.  Essentially, they're just eggs, water and something in the middle.  For this example I'm using ham and cheese.

Whether you use two eggs or three is up to you.  I find that a three egg omelette is too much for me.  Whisk the eggs with about a tablespoon of water.  Do not use milk.  Milk changes the consistency and it won't work as well.  Water makes the egg mixture more supple and easier to work with and it won't change the flavor.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in the frying pan and have your egg mixture ready:

Pour in the egg mixture and let it cook for a few minutes over medium heat.  When the edges are done, use a spatula and pull the edges toward the center, allowing the uncooked liquid to flow to the edge of the pan.

Continue pulling the edges toward the center.  Here you can see the cooked portion bunching up in the center of the pan:

As the liquid flows to the edges of the pan it will also cook and in this way, the entire omelette will cook.  You might need to tip the pan to get the liquid to flow to the edge.  I couldn't take a picture of that because I ran out of hands.

When the omelette is cooked on the bottom, it's time to add whatever it is you want to put in it.  For this example I took a slice of ham and chopped it into small, bite sized pieces.  Beneath the ham is a slice of provolone cheese, torn into smaller pieces.  You can use just about anything for an omelette; bacon, sausage, mushrooms, onions, peppers and garlic are all good additions.  You can also add spices to the egg mixture.  I sometimes use garlic or sage.  Dill is good too.  Be adventurous and throw in a dash of basil or oregano and see what you think of the flavor. 

Notice in the picture that the filling ingredients are only on half of the omelette.  Put them on the half closest to the handle.  Then, while holding the handle with one hand, slide the spatula or turner (they're not the same thing -- look it up) under the other side and flip it up and over.

And it will look like this, only not quite so blurry.  I guess I shook the camera a little.  You can see some of the ham is coming out, which is fine.  I actually used more than I needed to, but it doesn't hurt anything.  Cook it on this side, then flip it and cook the other side.  You want the cheese to melt and the inside to completely cook.

And you wind up with a breakfast of ham and cheese omelette with toast and mango jam.  A perfect start to a Sunday morning.

Bon appétit!

Crustless Spinach (and Chicken) Quiche

Throughout most of 2016 my friend Erik was living with me.  Erik is gluten intolerant, so I needed to find recipes that I could whip up in a hurry (I never have a lot of time to cook), that would taste good and that did not contain gluten.  This is one of my favorites.

I put "and Chicken" in parenthesis in the title because you can leave it out if you prefer this to be meat-less.  It can't be vegan because it contains eggs and milk but if you're a vegetarian who eats those, just omit the chicken.

For this recipe, I'll include the chicken, so start with two boneless, skinless breasts.  If you prefer dark meat, use thighs but increase to three. 

Cut them up into bite-sized pieces, like this:

Then toss them into a frying pan coated with either olive oil or cooking spray.  I prefer the spray for this.  When they're done, they'll look like this:

Whether you include the chicken or not, the following steps will be used.  Chop an onion (or use a cup of chopped onion) and sauté it in two or three tablespoons of olive oil.  Add to the onion one 10 ounce package of frozen, chopped spinach, thawed.  Cook the two together until the moisture is out of the spinach.

While the spinach is cooking, heat the oven to 350 degrees and assemble the rest of your ingredients, which are five eggs, three cups of shredded cheese and 1/4 cup of milk:

For the cheese, use any variety you like.  In the picture I used a Mexican blend.  I've also used others in the past, including Swiss and Cheddar.  Often, I prefer a blend of several cheeses because I like the way the flavors mix.  Or I use whatever is on sale.

The milk I use here is whole milk but half and half or cream will work just as well.

Mix the eggs and milk and add the spices.  I haven't mentioned these yet because I rarely use the same spices.  I recommend you start with no more than a teaspoon of each and decide if that's enough for you.  If not, the next time you make it, add more.  The spices I generally use are a combination of oregano, basil, sage and garlic powder.  I only used about a half teaspoon of garlic.  You can also use dill, marjoram and paprika.  Each one has a different flavor so it changes the finished product.  Experiment and decide which one or ones you like best.

Once the spices are mixed in, stir in the cheese and continue stirring until it's all incorporated.  Then add the onion/spinach and do the same.  Finally, if you're using chicken, add it now and blend it in with the rest.

Take a pie plate and spray it with cooking spray.  Be sure to spray all the way up the sides as well as on the bottom.

Just before putting it in the oven, it will look like this.

Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  When it's done, remove it from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes before cutting into it.  This is what the finished product looks like:

My favorite way to eat it is with Frank's Hot Wing Sauce poured all over it.  

Bon appétit!