Chocolate Frosted Maple Cookies

Okay, I obviously lean toward chocolate and desserts on this blog; this post adds another in that column. Maybe I should have called it Domestic Family Desserts!

This is a recipe I came across in a brochure called 'Pure Facts'. The recipe wasn't even named and it made an extremely small batch. So I've tweaked and doubled to come up with a recipe that produces more and lets us eat a little longer on the sweet treats.

Chocolate Frosted Maple Cookies
Yield: 2 dozen 2.5-3" cookies

Ingredients for cookie batter:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. maple extract
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Ingredients for chocolate frosting:
1/2 cup chocolate chips, semi-sweet
6 Tbls. milk
2 Tbls. butter
2 cups powdered sugar

Cookie Directions:
1. Combine brown sugar and softened butter in a mixing bowl. Beat until light and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla extract, maple extract, and eggs. Beat well.
3. Add flour, baking soda, and salt; mix well.
4. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour to make it easier to handle. (I've skipped this step quite often ... impatient, I guess ... but no ill effects)
5. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Drop by cookie scoop (we prefer the large cookie scoop - 2 Tbls. size) onto the cookie sheet. Press lightly. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until slightly browned at the edges. *NOTE: if you decrease the cookie size, you'll need to decrease the baking time.
7. Immediately remove the cookies and allow them to cool on a rack.

Frosting Directions:
1. Place chocolate chips, milk and butter in a small saucepan and melt chips over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the powdered sugar. Add more if needed for spreading consistency.
2. Frost the cooled cookies**. Allow frosting to set before storing them. The cookies do freeze well.

** A quick way to frost is to hold the cookie upside down and dip it in the frosting. There is plenty of frosting for 2 dozen large cookies when frosting in this manner.

Sour Cream Sourdough Coffee Cake

Coffee Cake Ingredients:
1/2 cup King Arthur sourdough starter (I'm sure any sourdough starter will work)
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2/3 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt

Cinnamon Filling:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter

Directions:
1. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and sourdough starter. Beat until smooth, then stir in sour cream.
2. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and vanilla. Mix until blended.
3. Grease and flour a tube pan or bundt pan (I used cooking spray with flour).
4. Spread half the batter in the pan. Spread the filling over the top, then top with remaining batter.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

This is one of the lightest coffee cakes I have ever made. I'm going to try it out in a 13"x9" pan with the filling sprinkled over the top. If it works, I'll make it for our upcoming homeschool book sale's breakfast menu.

I've always wondered, do coffee cakes count for breakfast or dessert ... maybe it just depends upon when you eat it!

Chocolate Chip Scones

Family Review: ***** Absolutely yummy!*****

Chocolate Chip Scones
Yield: 32 scones


Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 Tbls. baking powder
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into slices
1 cup mini-chocolate chips
2 large eggs
2 tsps. vanilla
1/2 to 2/3 cup whole milk


Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
4 Tbls. water or enough for a thin glaze
1 tsp. vanilla


Directions:
1. Whisk together all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the butter; it's okay to leave some larger pieces of butter. Stir in the chocolate chips.


2. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla and milk together. Add liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until moistened. Add additional milk if the mix won't hold together.


3. On a well-floured surface, roll the dough into an 8" x 8" square. Cut the dough into 2" squares, for a total of 16 squares. Cut each square diagonally to form 32 small triangles.


4. Transfer to a parchment lined (or well greased) cooking sheet. They can be close together.


5. While the oven is preheating to 425 degrees F, place the pan of scones in the freezer, uncovered.


6. Bake the scones for 19 minutes and allow scones to cool on the pan.


7. Prepare the glaze. I transferred the glaze to a sandwich baggie, snipped a corner, and drizzled the glaze over the scones while on the parchment (less mess). You could also spread the glaze over each with a spatula.


** Sorry no pictures. Take my word for it, though, these are incredibly easy to make and taste great! I think I may try substituting blueberries for chocolate chips. I like the texture of this scone. They are not dense like some recipes, and neither are they too much like quick bread.

Gryo Meat

Gyro's are another favorite meal. I got hooked on them in Kearney, NE where my husband and I lived during the first couple years of our marriage. I've always wanted to attempt making them at home, but hadn't found a recipe(s) until a few months ago. Then, it was searching for ground lamb! I looked near and far for fresh lamb; finally one store carried it in the frozen meat section ... success.


Traditionally made with a lamb and beef combination, gyro's also have a special sauce called Tzatziki. They are usually on pita bread and include wonderful fresh veggies. My favorite Greek restaurant, Santa Lucia's, makes their gyro's wrap style. I recently sampled their gyro's again at the Fargo Street Fair ... first a helping of shredded lettuce, then a sauteed mix of onion, zucchini, peppers, and lamb. It's all topped with a dollop or two of Tzatziki and wrapped up in foil. Messy, but yummy. They might be prepared differently in the restaurant; I cannot remember.


As gyro's require a couple ingredients with 'steps' and time to prepare, today, I'm only baking the traditional gyro meat. I plan to freeze it in thin slices for a future gyro meal.

Gyro Meat
Yield: Approx. 10 servings


Ingredients:
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 lb. ground lamb
1 lb. ground beef
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground marjoram
1 1/2 tsp. ground rosemary
1 tsp. ground dried thyme
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. sea salt


Directions:
1. In a food processor, process the onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, black pepper and salt until finely ground. Mix the meats and onion/spice mixture together in a bowl. Mix well with your hands until well combined. Pack the mixture into a 3x7 inch loaf pan. Wrap tightly and refrigerate overnight to let the flavors blend.


2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.


3. Remove the wrap and bake the gyro meat until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F (approximately 1 hour). Drain all liquid that has accumulated in the pan. Remove the loaf from the pan and place it on a rack set above a baking dish, to catch drips. Continue baking until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (approximately 15-30 minutes more). Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before slicing. The finished loaf will be firm and slightly dry. Slice thinly.





*I forgot to take any pictures during the 'making' of the loaf. So, you'll have to settle for the 'baked' and finished product photo!


** I wrapped both loaves in plastic wrap, sealed them in a freezer ziploc bag, and froze them for later (when I have all the necessary ingredients). I also read that it's easier to thinly slice the loaf when it is slightly frozen.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

The Rhubarb I transplanted from our Fargo home established itself quite well in the big garden (located on Grandma & Grandpa Green Acres property). I'd had the strawberries and rhubarb ready to go on Saturday, but just couldn't squeeze in canning.



Today, with Angelina up at Grandma Green Acres' and the boys in town for baseball/haircuts, I DID the canning. I hadn't taken out my canning supplies, but they're in one place, so it wasn't time-consuming. If supplies and ingredients are prepped, canning goes very smoothly. Plan canning for a time when you most likely won't be interrupted; I have afriend who cans at night ... after kids are in bed.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
Yield: 6-8 (8oz.) half pints

Ingredients:
2 cups crushed strawberries
2 cups finely chopped rhubarb
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp. butter
5 1/2 cups white sugar

I followed the recipe in the Fruit Pectin box, although I did look in a couple other places. This recipe followed the quantities I had available better than others. There aren't as many pics to go with the steps ... it's just too hard because canning moves pretty quick and I just didn't have time. Here goes ...



1. All my supplies and ingredients were prepped first. I always clean an extra two or three jars; many times I'll need one for foam and often I end up with more jam than the recipe predicts. Start the water boiling in your canner so it's ready when the jars have been covered.*

The second pic shows the rhubarb, crushed strawberries, lemon juice, pectin, and butter mixed together. This mixture is brought to a full rolling boil - that means the boil cannot be stirred down - over high heat, stirring constantly.



2. All the sugar is added to the fruit. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Once again, the mixture is brought to a full rolling boil. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim any foam, if necessary. **If there is foam, I skim it into a jar to be used. It still tastes good on bread!









3. Ladle the jam into jars. I always end up with more jam than the recipe predicts.











4. The jars have all been filled, leaving about 1/4"- 1/2" headspace (the distance between the layer of jam and the top of the jar). My next step is to wipe the jar rims with a clean damp cloth to remove any sticky jam. If you skip this step, there is a chance your jar won't seal.

5. Next, place the lids and screw-bands. Tighten the screwband until just tight.











6. Move the covered jars to the canner. Once a full boil is reached, set your timer for 10 minutes and cover the canner.












7. When the timer signals the end of processing, remove the jars to a towel covered wood board or cutting board. The lids should seal within 24 hours ... mine usually seal within the first minute. When the top is pressed, it won't flex up and down when sealed. Let the jars cool for 12-24 hours, undisturbed.



8. Once cooled, label the jars or write on the lids with permanent maker (lids aren't reusable). The jam is good for one year, but I have used mine after a year ... as long as it's sealed and if upon opening it is not discolored and smells good.


*Many times, I'll start my canner to boil well before I start mixing the jam ingredients. It saves time in the long run, and it's better to put 'hot' jars into the canner. You do not want the jam to cool down between being ladled into jars and being placed in the canner for processing.