Cookies * Bars * Sweet Breads

Operation Baking Gals : November

This is my first post and baking effort in supporting the troops as a member of Operation Baking Gals! And my shipment comes the day after Veteran's Day which seems appropriate somehow.

What a pleasure and honor it is to give a little something back to those folks who are away from their family and friends in a career that serves and supports our country. This decision to be in the military can at any unknown time cost them dearly their own lives or that of their comrades. It's not the easy life they have, and during times of war, tougher than any one of us can even imagine. Based on this, I am happy to support them in any way possible.The achey feet and exhaustion from a day of baking is nothing compared to what they go through and the thought of any measure of happiness a home baked cookie can give them, goes the distance for me in imagining a smile on their faces or the excitement to receive something from "Home".

I learned recently in my genealogy work on my own family tree that a many times great grandfather on my Dad's side is a 'Son of the American Revolution' and served proudly in the Revolutionary War in the Essex County - New Jersey Militia. It was a very proud moment for me to know that my family has played a role in serving our country and in looking at the actual documents, I was able to connect to that place in my family's history from here in 2012. Some of my family, on my sister Kim's side, still serve our country and I am grateful for their dedication and bravery.

For this month of November, I have baked for our U.S. soldiers: Zucchini Bread, Pfeffernusse Cookies, Chocolate Gingerbread Bars, and Pumpkin Harvest Dunking Cookies

Sound good? They were...and once again, I ate way too many samples but such is life!

Pfeffernusse Cookies

Zucchini Bread

Chocolate Gingerbread Bars

and....

Pumpkin Harvest Dunking Cookies

Recipes and notes are as follows:

Chocolate Gingerbread Bars / Recipe from Martha Stewart

Click on the hyperlinked name to go to recipe page online.

Crystal's Notes

• Martha's photo online is misleading in that the bars appear much thicker and larger than what they are for the 8" pan she recommends in her instructions. In doing a 'close up' shot, I can make it look that way too.
• Her instructions yield 16 bars...if you look at your 8' pan, you will realize they are tiny bars. If you want bigger, double the recipe and use a larger pan.
• Recipe did not taste as 'gingerbready' as I had expected. You could easily make modifications to this recipe to give it some extra ginger zing. 
• The chocolate chips makes this a very yummy bar and the powdered sugar does make it a perfect holiday treat in one. 

While I don't think it really lived up to its name, it's still a yummy bar!

German Pfeffernusse ("Pepper Nuts") Cookies / Recipe from La Fuji Mama Food Blog

click on the hyperlinked name to go to recipe page online.

Crystal's Notes

• People will differ on their interpretation of Pfeffernusse cookies based on their experience. I particularly like this recipe and have not ever tried the small bite size crunchy ones.
• I use excess powdered sugar cause that is my thing and that is why they look exceptionally white :) ...recommended to not eat outside on a windy day or near a breezy window!
• I cannot stand star anise (anise extract) which tastes like black licorice for those who need a reference. It is subtle in this recipe and I LOVE these cookies so if you have a 'hater' out there, these cookies may get a pass. They are on my favorites list for sure.
• Slight crunch on the outside, chewy on the inside

Zucchini Bread /Recipe from Mom

This recipe has been made since I was a kid and has always been a holiday favorite of mine. Several years ago, my Mom lost it (Aye!). We tried some online recipes but they weren't "it" and while some were close it just didn't fill that missing piece inside our hearts (or bellies). It was very very very disappointing. Since that time my Mom has moved house like 3 times or something. So you would think not a chance in H** we would ever see it again. About a month ago, I asked her if she had ever found that recipe. I don't know why I even bothered given the time that had passed and what has gone on between now and then with garage sales and getting rid of old stuff... and now that I think about it, not sure why she never told me that she had indeed FOUND IT!  OMG! What a great day it was.

In making this for our troops, I made an extra one for at home and it was the reunion I had hoped for. It was everything I remembered it to be. Simple but GOOD.

Ingredients

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups granulated sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3 cups flour

1 cup chopped nuts ( I always use walnuts)

2 cups grated Zucchini

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Optional:

1/2 cup raisins

1 can crushed pineapple, drain juice

( I do not add the optional items)

Instructions 

•  Mix dry ingredients
• Add oil/ eggs/ vanilla
• Add zucchini and nuts

Butter and flour loaf pans

Preheat to 350F   /  Bake for 1 hour- or until tops are browned and toothpick comes clean

Enough for 2 small loaf pans

Crystal's Notes

• Top of loafs are crunchy and inside is soft and yummy. Perfect!
• Taste great with a smear of butter.
• Great anytime!

Pumpkin Harvest Dunking Cookies / Recipe from Baked Elements

These were better than I expected them to be. The 'Baked' boys offer a suggestion in the book that these are indeed made for dunking and that you can and should let them bake up a little longer than you feel comfortable with since they are good for it. I did no such thing and baked for the suggested time. I hate a dry cookie and seeing as these have a journey ahead of them, I didn't want to risk them getting too dry, made for dunking or not! 

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

5 ounces dried cranberry (1 cup)

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 1 cup) (Optional)

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the egg, pumpkin, and vanilla, until incorporated.

Add half of the dry ingredients and mix for  seconds. Add the remaining dry ingredients and beat  until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and beat for 5 more seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the cranberries and chocolate chips. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Use a small ice cream scoop with release mechanism to scoop out the dough in 2 tablespoon-size balls (or use a tablespoon measure) and place the balls onto the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake for 14 - 18 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the cookies begin to brown. 

Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the individual cookies to the rack to cook completely.

These cookies can be stored, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.

Yield: 36 cookies

Best wishes to all our military folks and their families.

God Bless America!

Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins

Fall is here and even though I live on the west coast and a short drive from the ocean, I absorb the trappings of the season as even Southern California can present. Fall is my favorite season and not just because I was born in October but because I have a sincere fondness for the seasonal foods with the warm spices and the change in weather means cool ocean breezes are replaced by the annual warm Santa Ana winds that roll through the mountains and onto the Pacific.

 

I also live just a couple miles from the local Underwood Family Farm and each year I get to witness the excitement in local residents as they spend more time at the farm stands buying seasonal produce and sorting through the pumpkins up for sale to find just the right ones. This is also the start of hay rides and corn maize, mazes. These are all things I look forward to as summer ends and fall begins.

With all that said, doing our first official fall recipe in Club Baked is something I have been waiting to dig into albeit with some skepticism. A recipe with these types of ingredients that indicates a sweet/savory muffin left me wondering if I would like it, hate it, or if it would be sort of- whatever. The end result is that the Pumpkin Cheddar Muffin is surprisingly very tasty and I had to stop myself from eating more. In fact that is not true...I didn't stop myself! I am still eating them as I write this post.

RECIPE

1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups (about 4 ounces) grated sharp cheddar
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray each cup of a standard 12-cup muffin pan with a little bit of vegetable spray and use a paper towel to spread the oil evenly along the bottom and up the sides of each cup.

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and sour cream. Add the eggs and butter and whisk until combined.

In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, and brown sugar. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well, and fold until just combined. Fold in three-quarters of the cheese.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Spring the remaining cheddar and the pumpkin seeds on top of the muffins. Bake them for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the muffin pan cool on a rack for 10 minutes before turning the muffins out. Serve them warm.

Muffins taste best when eaten fresh, but they can be made ahead of time and reheated in a 200-degree oven.

CRYSTAL'S NOTES

• At the advice of the authors in the 'Baked Note' (on the recipe page) to try the "raw-milk" variety of cheddar cheese I went to a local store,Whole Foods, that carries a wide variety of more indulgent, organic, and gourmet products to see if I could hunt this product down. Unfortunately, I did not find it  (pretty sure I just didn't look hard enough) although I did buy some other delicious cheeses for snacking. In the end, I used an organic brand of sharp cheddar from Vons.

• I used the smaller pumpkin seeds for garnishing the muffin tops which I seasoned and baked prior to making the muffin recipe. I mixed the seeds with some sugar, butter, garlic powder, cayenne, chili powder, and Parmesan. I put the seeds on half of the muffins, the other half without. In the end both my roommate and I preferred the muffins with these sweet/savory seeds as they added just the right of amount of kick and the flavors blended beautifully with the muffin and added some needed textural crunch. My roommate and I discussed all the delicious crock-pot recipes this muffin would go great with in the coming months. It could easily take the place of a cornbread muffin with a savory winter chili

• The recipe does call out for a standard size muffin pan (yield 12 muffins) but I used a large 6 muffin pan since I am large muffin kind of girl.

Enjoy! 

 

Source: Baked Explorations