Posted in Food and Beverage

Wookie Cookies

Happy May the Fourth!!!

I love science fiction and fantasy. I grew up watching Star Trek with my parents and later fell into Dr. Who and Star Wars. 

Now I’m not into it enough to get a tattoo for star wars, but it has a special place in my heart. 

I’d love to make an elaborate party and have everyone dress up in costumes. I would love to do a couple-costume with my partner. We would be the perfect R2-D2 and C-3PO. 

These cookies would be perfect for any Star Wars themed party or a Star Wars fan in your house. 

The Wookie Cookie is not a new idea. I’ve seen so many versions of this, and each one is so perfect. 

I started with a simple chocolate cookie recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla 
  • 2 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Chocolate frosting 
  • Sprinkles

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F
  2. Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Mix in the egg and vanilla
  3. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. 
  4. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until well combined.
  5. Place dough onto a lightly floured parchment paper or baking mat. Roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness with a lightly floured rolling pin. 
  6. Use a cookie cutter to cut dough and press with a fork to make the fur.
  7. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before decorating. 
  8. Once cookies are cooled, decorate as desired. I used a piping bag without a tip to pipe Chewbacca’s sash and then added sprinkles. 
Posted in Blogmas, Food and Beverage

The Fudging Best

Guess who finally learned what fudge is?

That’s right it’s me.

After years of watching How The Grinch Stole Christmas and the holiday cheermeister scene and the Whos shoving different foods down the Grinch’s throat I finally stopped and said what is fudge?

The fact that fudge is a cream candy made of butter, sugar, milk, and usually chocolate. It’s so easy to make.

I had to make some. Luckily a friend of mine had a recipe and was willing to share. Of course she was confused how I never had fudge before.

I’m sure I did as a kid but I didn’t remember.

So we made fudge and watched the Grinch.

And of course I have the recipe.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups dark chocolate chips,
  • 1 14- oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 2 tbsp caramel topping

Directions

  1. Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving the ends hanging over the sides. Be sure to press it down.
  2. In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and condensed milk. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir. Return to the microwave and heat for an addition 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, until smooth when stirred.
  3. Stir in the vanilla extract and half the walnuts. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread into a single, even layer. Sprinkle with the remaining walnuts.
  4. Warm the caramel sauce until its of spreading consistency. Drizzle over the fudge. Cover with foil and chill at least 2 hours or until Fudge sets completely.
  5. When the fudge has set, remove the dish from the refrigerator. Carefully run a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen any fudge that is touching the side of the dish. Use the ends of the parchment paper to lift the fudge and place it on a cutting board.
  6. Cut the fudge into your desired size.
Posted in Blogmas, Food and Beverage

Santa Cookies

I know im late with this post but I had to see a woman about a cookie.

I confused a few people when I said I wanted Santa cookies instead of Christmas cookies a couple of days ago.

No they aren’t cookies that look like Santa.

These are called Santa cookies because they are Santa’s favorite cookies. I know you think your grandma’s recipe for chocolate chip cookies are his favorite, but they aren’t.

I would love to take credit for these, but they are a friend’s cookie recipe. 

My friend and her mom make these during the holiday season. 

While my family and I make dozens of tamales, my friend makes dozens of cookies. 

Now you can make these all year round, but they like to make them at Christmas time just cause it makes it more unique and gives us something to look forward to.

Now my friend hasn’t made the cookies yet. And I’m fiending for them. I can eat my body weight in these. So I begged for the recipe. The original recipe, not the version they currently use, makes 100 cookies at a time.

Luckily my friend’s mom took pity on me and gave me the recipe. And she even gave me permission to share it. I’m so excited i plan on making them tomorrow.

They did preface by saying it is not a unique cookie recipe and that they don’t know if the grandmother made this up or found it in a magazine. So humble of them to downplay it.

They make two types of cookies. The cookie base is the same for both Christmas and traditional versions. I love the classic cookie better. But maybe you prefer a more festive cookie. 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup shortening 
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed lightly
  • Two eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 6 oz chocolate chips

Directions 

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening on medium speed for one minute until smooth and creamy. 
  3. Gradually add in both sugars, vanilla, and eggs. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each.
  4. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into the wet ingredients and combine well. 
  5. Add chocolate chips and oats to the batter. (For the Christmas version, add half a cup of chopped walnuts or pecans and half a cup of shredded coconut, and replace half the amount of chocolate chips with festive M&Ms.)
  6. Shape the batter into small balls using your hands and place them on a greased baking sheet. Leave a few inches between cookies for them to spread.
  7. Bake for 13 to 18 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let cookies cool on the tray for 3-4 minutes before moving them to a wire cooling rack.

Do you prefer to eat traditional cookies or something with an added festive flair? Either way, you’re going to love these cookies!

Posted in Food and Beverage

Mini Brownies and A Girls Night.

So I’ve been in a bit of a funk lately. Mentally and physically I have been feeling worse than ever. I quit my job and couldn’t really remember the last time I felt okay. I needed to feel like myself again and an excuse to hang out with my friend.

Luckily I got the chance when Peacock announced The Vampire Academy tv show. Now before you judge us for our amazing tv choices and having an entire watch party for this tv show. People plan Super Bowl parties months in advance this is no different.

My bestie and I are the types that get together every few months and play catch up on each other’s lives. It sucks that life gets busy and we’re both working adults and it seems harder sometimes to see each other, and we don’t text as often because we feel like we annoy the other person. Also, I’m a shitty texter.

Saying this best friend date was overdue is an understatement. Now all I knew was going into this that we would be watching tv and drinking wine. The only dessert I could think of that fit that theme was brownies, mini brownies, precisely.

Let me start by saying our friend date was so freaking cute. I felt so loved and spoiled. I will have to find a way to make her feel the same way at our next get-together.

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup dark chocolate unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup buttermilk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Note: my favorite buttermilk substitute is 1 cup whole milk and 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar or lemon juice for each cup of buttermilk. Mix together and let sit for about 10 minutes to thicken.

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. I used two mini muffin pans and sprayed them with Pam. (Note: a 13×9-inch baking dish works, just like with parchment paper.)
  2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine butter, cocoa powder, and oil. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine granulated sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Slowly whisk in the butter mixture. Add in flour, baking soda, and salt, and stir just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
  4. Pour into the prepared baking dishes and bake for 20- 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

I store these in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

These paired perfectly with a charcuterie board and Stella Rosa Blueberry Fruit Wine. I used to be so ashamed to tell people I drink Stella Rosa because it’s like, you know, but after spending $45 on a fancy and disgusting wine, I will stick with the cheap shit.

Posted in Food and Beverage

Frosé Rosé Sorbet

Rosé wine in sorbet form?! Yes, way rosé.

This is the perfect treat to beat this crazy end of summer heat wave.

Sorbet is so easy to make. All you need is some fresh fruit, simple syrup and any mix ins for flavor.

Did you know September is California Wine Month? We have a whole month to celebrate!

  • 8 oz blackberries
  • 8 oz raspberry
  • 8oz blueberries
  • 2 cup sugar or sugar substitute
  • 1 bottle of dry rosé

Add the berries, wine and sweetener to a powerful blender or food processor and blend until smooth and the berries are fully broken up. 

You can enjoy this right away as slushy or freeze to enjoy as a scoopable sorbet. Pour the slushy mixture into a large 10 cup loaf tin or any freezer safe container, cover and freeze for 4-6 hours.

Keep store in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Since this sorbet contains alcohol, the sorbet will not freeze completely.

Desserts and cocktails all in one.

Enjoy September Wine Month!

Posted in Food and Beverage

Coconut Dessert Bites

One of my dear friends is allergic to life. Not really, but he has celiac disease and a long list of allergies that can quite literally kill him.

For those who don’t know celiac disease, it’s a disease that the immune system will attack against its own body’s tissue-it’s triggered mainly by gluten. I’m not a doctor, and I may be wrong, but that’s always been my general understanding of the disease.

Side note, but If you go to Disney and have any allergies, Hungry Bear Restaurant is the place to go. The Hungry Bear Restaurant offered Gluten/Wheat, Egg, Fish/Shellfish, Milk, Peanut/Tree Nut, and Soy Allergy-Friendly and Plant-Based options.

The last few years, it’s been trial and error trying to find food that tastes good and won’t hurt him. So today, we tried to make a few different recipes, and we had significant success!

We were craving desserts. When it comes to baking, we either use Bob’s red mill 1 to 1 gluten-free baking flour or Bob’s red mill gluten-free coconut flour.

I COCONUT BELIEVE HOW GOOD THESE ARE! Coconut dessert bites.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup coconut flour
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup of coconut milk
  • ½ cup coconut oil
  • One tablespoon vanilla extract
  • Six eggs

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F
  2. Mix flour, sugar, and salt
  3. Whisk in coconut milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract
  4. Add dough to a baking pan. (I used one madeleine baking pan and a mini cupcake pan)
  5. Bake for 15- 20 minutes

I made two batches. The first used a mini cupcake pan, and I rolled them in powdered sugar-which was terrific. The second I left plain and made a chocolate dipping sauce for them.

The chocolate dipping sauce is dairy-free and straightforward.

Four Ingredient chocolate sauce

  • One teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Six tbsp cocoa powder
  • One cup water
  • One cup sugar
  1. Add sugar, water, and cocoa powder to a saucepan. Whisk continuously until syrup reaches a boil.
  2. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla
  3. Cool to room temperature

The syrup will last for up to three weeks

Posted in Food and Beverage

Pumpkin Pasties

He had never had any money for sweets with the Dursleys, and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry — but the woman didn’t have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bettie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

If you’re a Potterhead like I am, the term pumpkin pasty won’t be too unfamiliar. 

Though I can’t make chocolate frogs jump, create sugar mice that actually squeak, or snack boxes to get you out of class (not, at least, without contravening several health laws), I can make a pasty. A quick Google search reveals that I’m certainly not the first to try to recreate this snack, nor the last. 

Now call it what you want, pasties, hand pies, turnovers, or empanadas. They are all practically the same; the only difference is the crust. I’m not familiar with how Cornish pasties are made. I know they tend to be more savory. Myself personally, I prefer sweets.

Since I was a little girl, pumpkin empanadas have been my absolute all-time favorite empanadas. They were the only kind I chose at the Mexican panadería (bakery). I learned the terms hand pies and pasties and turnovers later in life from tv shows and movies. After reading harry potter for the first time, I remember forcing my mom to call pumpkin empanadas pumpkin pasties. 

Ingredients: 

For the Pumpkin Filling:

  • 2 cups homemade pumpkin puree (or canned)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon butter

For the dough:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature (cut in cubes)
  • 6 oz. butter, room temperature

Egg Wash:

  • 1 egg, slightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

For the Pumpkin Filling:

Combine the pumpkin puree with the sugars and spices in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved and the pumpkin puree is heated through. Remove from heat and stir in the butter; set aside and cool to room temperature.

For the dough:

Place the flour, cream cheese, and butter in a medium bowl. Using your hands, cut the cream cheese and butter into the flour until no large pieces are visible. Continue combining the ingredients with your hands until the dough forms a ball.  (This can be done in a food processor as well.)  Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out circles with a 3-inch round cookie cutter or empanada mold.

Spoon about a teaspoonful of filling into the center of the dough circle. Fold the dough over the filling to make a half-moon-shaped pie, crimp the crust’s edges together with a fork, leaving little fork lines in the dough. Gently lay the empanadas onto the prepared baking sheets. 

Combine the 1/4 cup of granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Brush the uncooked empanadas with the slightly beaten egg, then sprinkle a little of the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top.

Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes or until light golden brown. 

Posted in Blogmas, Food and Beverage

Stone Cookies

Some random day this week I woke up at two in the morning, in a panic. My mind waited until I was dead asleep to remind me, I still had to come up with a recipe for a dessert to take to my office Christmas party.

So I had the grand idea to make a Harry Potter recipe.

I should start by saying I haven’t read the books in a while, and it was 2 in the morning. I decided I wanted to make stone cookies. It was just a random Hagrid recipe. And since I don’t have the best memory, I decided to Google it.

I googled harry potter stone cookies and billions of harry potter cookies but nothing about hagrid making cookies.

So I try again. I’m smarter this time; I google hagrid rock cookies and find dozens of recipes for rock cakes. But I’m looking for cookies, not cake or scones or biscuits. At this point, I have 100% convinced myself Hagrid made cookies, and it is just one of those tiny little forgotten details that only people who read the books would know, like Winky.

Turns out I was wrong. When I finally go to get my quote from the book. Turns out they were rock cakes. And rock cakes are a very common British recipe. A traditional rock cake is a scone-biscuit baked good. Which makes way more sense why I was seeing people make scones.

So please enjoy my Stone Cookie recipe.

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups choco rocks

Directions:
Cream together butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in flour, cocoa, soda, and salt. Stir in choco rocks. Drop by rounded Tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are set, but the centers are still puffy. Let cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

I like the imperfect look of the cookies and I just imagine they look like something Hagrid would make.

Posted in Food and Beverage

The Forgotten Fruit

When you think of fall you think of pumpkins, apples, persimmons and squash.

Pears are the ultimate fall fruit.

That’s right more pear recipes until people start to acknowledge the fruit as a fall fruit Like how Christmas is more than peppermint.

I don’t think this recipe has a real name. My mom always called it little pear pies.

Ingredients

  • 4 small pears
  • 1 sheet of ready made puff pastry dough, thawed
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup honey
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1 vanilla bean, seeded with hull reserved
  • 3 sticks of cinnamon
  • 6-8 whole cloves

Instructions

1) Peel pears and core from the bottom. Cut the bottom of the pears strait across, so they will stand upright. Set aside. 

2) In a medium saucepan, combine the 4 cups water, 2 cups sugar and 1 cup honey. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. When the sugar has melted, add the pears, vanilla seeds and hull, 1/2 lemon, cinnamon and cloves. Simmer until the pears are fork tender. This can take 20-40 minutes, depending on the ripeness of your pears. 

3) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4) When the pears are soft, remove them from the pot and allow them to cool slightly. Discard solid pieces from saucepan and reserve 1 1/2 cups of the poaching liquid. While pears are cooling, cut the puff pastry into 1/2″ strips. One sheet of puff pastry will cover 4 small pears. Large pears will need a second sheet of puff pastry to compensate.

5) Wrap cooled pears with puff pastry starting at the bottom and working upwards. When you come to the end of a pastry strip, brush it lightly with water and press to adhere to the next pastry strip. Continue wrapping until you reach the top of the pear. Tuck the end of the last pastry piece behind the previous dough spiral. Place wrapped pears on a parchment lined jelly roll pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until puff pastry is golden brown. 

6) Simmer the reserved poaching liquid over medium heat until thick and syrupy. Plate pears and top with syrup.

I also found a similar recipe to this a few months back. And I tried it for the first time today. And it was amazing.

Posted in Food and Beverage, Lifestyle

Where did the time go?

My nanowrimo took an abrupt halt as did the rest of my plans for the month.  If I’m being honest I thought it was still the beginning of the month. 

I woke up on the 19th and felt dazed and confused. Where did the month go? All I knew was I was looking at a terrain run, a friendsgiving dinner and thanksgiving all in the same week. To say I was unprepared and feeling very overwhelmed  was an understatement. 

November moved at the speed of light and left me behind. Even now I’m scrambling to pick up the pieces and the only way I know how is with food. Desserts make my life better. Which is probably why I gained more than 40lbs in the past two very stressful years. 

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.

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I had to scramble a bit and finally n decided to make cheesecake since that’s my friend’s favorite. 

I found the perfect recipe for a caramel apple cheesecake. It just screamed autumn to me. 

I actually had Hector make this recipe. So I know for a fact it’s an easy recipe and everyone can make it.