Brown Sugar Sugar Cookies!

I've been on a snickerdoodle kick lately and felt like making some more today....but I didn't really have a lot of sugar left. Instead, I made Brown Sugar Sugar Cookies! I'm glad I did they are delicious!

I found the recipe here: http://bakingbites.com/2011/03/brown-sugar-cookies/ and increased the amount of vanilla to a tablespoon instead of 2 teaspoons.

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar 
2 large eggs
1 tbs vanilla extract

You're going to preheat the oven to 325 and cream the butter and sugar together. When you have a nice creamy mixture you'll add the eggs. 

Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda along with the salt next and then add that mixture to the sugar/butter.

Don't worry about making a mess...I never do.

Taste the dough! It'll be yummy.

\

Now, the key to a good sugar cookie is the pattern on the cookie itself. You MUST do this to ensure a proper tasting treat. I mean it, this is important. I cannot stress this enough. Take the time, get a fork and make a grid on every single cookie. 

Throw the pan in the oven and bake it for a few minutes until they are done. I'm not sure how long; I don't really time it when I make cookies. I guess I should start doing that....well just bake them until they're done.

TA-DA!

Enjoy the cookies!

Han Solo's Corellian Chocolate Chip Cookies!

While stationed on Echo Base, General Han solo took time to share his chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I was lucky enough to get the recipe after the assault. I'm pretty sure it's what Lord Vader was looking for.

What you'll need:::

1 cup of white sugar
1 stick of softened butter
1 large egg
1 tsp or about vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1 1/4 cup of flour
1/4 tsp of sea salt but you don't have to if you don't have to.
Chocolate chips!! Lots and lots of chocolate chips!!!

What you'll do::

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Mix the sugar and butter together and resist the urge to taste it. (It's really, really good). Mix the egg, vanilla, and that baking soda to the delicious buttery sugar mess. Stir. I used a fork because I don't have a mixer of any kind. So stir a lot if you have a fork, I'ld imagine not so much if you have an electric mixer.

Combine the flour and salt in a separate bowl and then put in the mix. Then pour in the chocolate chips and eat a few if you want to. (I would) Mix the batter, mix it, MIIIIIX IIIIIT and eat some of it. Then mix the batter some more and eat another spoonful or two.

Place the dough on the cookie sheet and bake! The waiting is horrible but you can eat some more cookie dough to feel better.

Bake for about 18 minutes or until they obviously done.

Let the fresh cookies sit on the pan for five minutes.

Grab some milk and enjoy!

A Perfect Day for Bananafish Bread

I love making banana bread. I've been using this simple recipe I found online and just love it. The bread is always moist with a great texture and taste. 

So, here's the recipe I use:

• 3 or 4 Bananas. Make sure they are all soft and the peels are horrible and black.
• 1/3 cup butter. The original recipe calls for melted butter but I use super softened butter instead. 
• 1 cup sugar. With this particular loaf I was running low on sugar and only used 3/4 with no ill effects.
• 1 egg. Beaten! Beat that egg!!
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• A bit of salt
• 1 1/2 cup of flour

Preheat the oven to 350.

Smash the bananas in a large bowl. I don't smash them completely but enough. Mix the butter in with the bananas to create a buttery banana goop. Mix the sugar, egg, and the vanilla to the goop. Then mix the baking soda and salt in. Last add the flour and mix your heart out!!

Put the goop in your loaf pan and bake for one hour. ONE HOUR! God it takes forever and after the thirty minute mark your kitchen is going to smell like banana bread and it is going to drive you crazy! But hold fast, refuse to peak and wait for that hour. In that time you can clean the kitchen, the house, do laundry, walk the dog or just smoke a joint but make certain that after that hour you pull out that loaf and behold the splendor that is Banana Bread.

I dubbed my banana bread Bananafish Bread because I'm a nerd. 

My First Try at Biscotti

Made a simple coffee flavored biscotti today. I fancied them up with some star sprinkles and frosting. Next time I want some almonds to add to the biscotti and maybe dip them in chocolate.

The biscotti loaves before the second baking.