Rocky Road Candy

I’ve been hauling this recipe for Rocky Road Candy, passed along to me by my mother, around for years.

The candy was one of my favorite things to nibble on during the holidays when I was a child (along with fudge).  Just knowing I planned to make it this Christmas brought back memories of paying annual holiday visits to friends of the family.  The adults stood or sat in small groups, sipping festive cocktails and sharing small town gossip.  The children played in another room, where we giggled when one of us would sneak to the food table on a kid-sized commando raid of Christmas cookies.  If successful, the brave child would return with a cocktail napkin opened to its full size, a platter to carry back so much tasty goodness it’s a wonder more holiday treats didn’t slip out of small hands to roll under chairs.  We’d inhale the sugar, then collapse off the candy high when our parents finally loaded us into the back seat of the car and home to bed.

I made these with milk chocolate chips and unsalted peanuts.  The candy tasted like a Reese’s, all chocolatey and peanut buttery.

Feel free to use your favorite chocolate (dark, white, bittersweet, semi) and a different nut.  These are fabulous with chopped walnuts.

Rocky Road Candy

• 12 oz chocolate chips
• 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 TBSP butter
• 2 cups dry roasted, unsalted peanuts
• 10 oz package mini marshmallows

1. In top of a double boiler, over boiling water, melt chips with milk and butter.  Remove from heat.
2. In a large bowl, combine nuts and marshmallow.  Fold into chocolate mixture.
3. Spread in wax paper lined 13 x 9″ pan.  Chill 2 hours or until firm.
4. Remove from pan, peel off wax paper, and cut into squares.
5. Cover and store at room temperature.

Made with milk chocolate and peanuts, this candy tastes like a Reese’s with marshmallows.

Please come back again to see what else comes out of the oven.

Until then, may your days be filled with tasty goodness!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I did my usual Christmas 2013 baking this year.  I made Sugar Cookies, Black & White Cowboy Cookies, and Palm Beach Brownies, because holiday baking in the Sweets’ household needs to include certain traditional treats.  I also make Rocky Road Candy, White Chocolate Macadamia Biscotti, and these Oatmeal Raisin Cookies because change is good.

Keep an eye out over the next couple of Fridays for the candy and biscotti recipes.

The flavor of these cookies was fantastic.  Just the right mix of nutmeg, sugar, oats, and raisins.  I made these as smaller drop cookies, rather than the large cookies suggested in the recipe (I’ve included instructions for both styles.)  Because I altered my cookie style, they came out a little crispy.  If you also decide to make smaller cookies, I suggest reducing the baking time by five or ten minutes.  Just keep an eye out for browning on the cookie edges and soft, puffiness in the middle.

The rest of the family loved and appreciated the crispy crunch, so if you and yours also like crispy cookies, just follow the instructions.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

(From America’s Test Kitchen – Best Baking Recipes)

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup (16 TBSP – 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1-1/2 cups raisins

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper middle and lower middle positions and heat the oven to 325°F.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.  Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg together in a medium bowl.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.
3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds.  Mix in the oats and raisins until just incorporated.
4. If you only want a couple dozen large cookies, work with about 3 tablespoons of dough at a time.  Roll the dough into balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart.  Flatten the cookies to a 3/4-inch thickness using your palm.
5. If you want more, smaller cookies, scoop up about 1 tablespoon of dough at a time.  Roll into balls, or drop onto baking sheet.
6. Bake the cookies until the edges are set and beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 22 to 25 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking.  If making smaller drop cookies, reduce the baking time by 5 to 10 minutes, still switching and rotating halfway through.
7. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Perfect flavor!

Six types of yummy cookies this year. All that tasty goodness makes a paper plate look like a serving platter, right?

Please come back again to see what else comes out of the oven.

Until then, may your days be filled with tasty goodness!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

It’s not often I participate in work food events.  For all that I keep a blog about baking, I’m not a big eater.  Work food events are always potluck, buffet style meals.  Sure, the goodies prepared by my co-workers are tasty, but it’s hard to only eat the usual small portions when there’s a plethora of goodies for the tasting.

I was going to skip this year’s Thanksgiving potluck like I usually do.  Why break with tradition?  But something stopped me.  Some little voice said I should go, to take a few moments out of the usual hectic, meeting heavy day, and just relax and be grateful for the blessings sent my way this year.

So I went and I baked a double batch of Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread to share.  The recipe is written for one 9″x5″ or 2 mini loaves.  If you want two large loaves of this yummy bread, do like I did and multiply every ingredient by two.

I know.  Math.  But sometimes it’s necessary for the greater tasty goodness.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

(From King Arthur Flour)

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 TBSP unsweetened baking cocoa
• 1/2 cup soft unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 medium bananas)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, mini preferred

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Lightly grease two 3-1/4″ x 5-3/4″ mini loaf pans or one 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.
2. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy.  Beat in the egg, then stir in the vanilla, banana, and sour cream.  Gently mix in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips until well incorporated.
4. Pour the batter into the pan(s) and bake for 45 to 60 minutes — bake for the shorter time for two mini loaves and the longer time for the larger loaf — until a cake tester and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Remove the bread(s) from the oven and allow to rest in the pan(s) for 10 minutes.  Turn the bread(s) out onto a rack to cool completely.

This was the perfect combination of chocolate and banana.

Please come back again to see what else comes out of the oven.

Until then, may your days be filled with tasty goodness!

Cheddar-Cranberry Soda Bread

To paraphrase Snoopy or, originally, the first sentence in Paul Clifford, a Victorian melodrama by Sir Edward George Earle Bulwer-Lytton, the 1st Baron Lytton, it was a dark and stormy Sunday afternoon.  Really dark and stormy.  Southern portions of Illinois were hit by tornadoes, spiral paths of devastation spotting the landscape.  Taking a moment away from the slightly snarky voice of this blog, please send gestures of grace and fellowship that direction, if you’re so inclined.

Back to our regularly scheduled sass —

In the Sweet’s household in our section of this Midwestern state, candles were lit to prevent a power outage.  (It worked.)  We were fortunate that the only real impact was an increase of leaves on the lawn rather than on the maple tree.  Our giant metal fish statue fell on its face when an impressive gust of wind leapt over the neighbor’s fence.  I suspect Freddy the Fish acquired a massive yard art headache, poor thing.  But Freddy’s imagined headache is a small price to pay compared to the loss others’ experienced that weekend.  We are grateful.

Sweets spent the day in the basement, tidying up his work bench.  I decided to spend my time baking because 1) it soothes me when the weather is dire and 2) I like it…obviously.  Why else would I keep a recipe blog?

A couple of weeks prior, I’d ordered some goodies from King Arthur Flour Company, one of which was their Vermont Cheese Powder, a necessary ingredient in their recipe for Cheddar-Cranberry Soda Bread.  The bread is awesome cheesy goodness, with the perfect tart tang of cranberries as contrast.

In case you decide to try this, rest assured the cheese powder won’t go to waste before you can use it again — it will keep for 12 months in the cupboard.  But I don’t think you’ll keep it that long; this stuff is great sprinkled on popcorn!

Cheddar-Cranberry Soda Bread

(From King Arthur Flour)

• 2-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Vermont Cheese powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2″ pats, then halved
• 2 cups (8 oz.) sharp or extra-sharp cheddar, grated
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1-1/4 cups buttermilk OR 3/4 cup plain yogurt + 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Lightly grease a loaf pan (8-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ or 9″ by 5-1/4″).
2. Combine the flour, cheese powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Work in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.  Stir in the cheese and cranberries (and walnuts if you’re using them).
3. Mix the buttermilk and egg and gently stir into the dry ingredients.
4. Scoop the dough into the pan, spreading it to the edges.
5. Bake the bread for 65 to 75 minutes, tenting it with foil for the final 10 to 15 minutes of baking, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  The internal temperature of the loaf should be about 200°F.
6. Remove the bread from the oven and loosen the edges with a table knife.  Wait 5 minutes, then gently turn it out onto a rack to cool.  Don’t slice while hot; it’ll crumble!

Look at all that yummy crunchy cheesy goodness on top! You know those little bits of cheese that bake and harden into something like cheese candy on the edges of pizza crust? The whole loaf top was like that. Yum!

This particular section doesn’t reveal the true quantity of cranberries, which were nicely dispersed through the loaf. I was afraid to wait for a better view because this loaf was going FAST!

Please come back again to see what else comes out of the oven.

Until then, may your days be filled with tasty goodness!

Sourdough Buns

Okay, I’m a total slacker.  Well, not really, because we’ve been super busy in the last few months (Do I keep saying that?  I do?  Really?  Whatever.  It’s true.)

Hockey Boy graduated from high school.  But before that, there was the end of hockey season, which was made epic-ly memorable when our state team, goalied by our own Hockey Boy, won the AHAI America’s Showcase championship, which is the premier National High School hockey event.  Pleased and proud don’t even come close to how we felt, and still feel.  Those boys will remember that tournament for the rest of their lives.

There have been numerous graduation parties to attend for his friends (There is one more this weekend.  These kids do not go quietly into college.)

There was a family vacation to take and enjoy and wish never had to end.  In fact, if the opportunity to visit Wyoming, in particular, the area around Jackson and the Tetons and Bridger National Forest and the Wind River Mountain Range, comes up, GO!  Do not hesitate.  Book a flight.  Gas up the car.  Saddle a horse.  Do whatever it takes to see this state.  Its beauty is jaw dropping.  Seriously.

There has been no time to bake.  That, and it’s been hot.  Who wants to fire up the oven when it’s hot?

Now, I did bake things for Hockey Boy’s graduation party because every great party should have tasty goodness…

These cupcakes (except I shaped them into a cupcake cake) —

Off to U of I – Urbana/Champaign

This brownie (except I used black cocoa — so good! — and stenciled the high school logo onto the giant brownie using powdered sugar) —

Made with BLACK cocoa!

And those cookies (which I made like I always do because some things are perfect exactly as is) —

Two full bags of chocolate chips!

But, as you can tell from the links, I’ve written about those already.

So I dug into my baking history for this recipe.  I feed my sourdough starter each week.  Once in a while, I actually make something with it.

These work nicely as dinner rolls.  Enjoy!

Sourdough Buns

(Recipe from King Arthur Flour)

Dough

• 1/2 cup sourdough starter, fed or unfed
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2-1/2 tsp instant yeast
• 1 TBSP sugar
• 1-1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 5 TBSP butter, softened
• 2/3 cup lukewarm water

Topping

• 4 TBSP melted butter, divided
• 1/4 tsp paprika, optional

1. Combine all the dough ingredients in a large bowl, mix, and knead to make a soft, smooth dough.
2. Place the dough in a lightly greased container and allow the dough to rise for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, until it’s just doubled in bulk.
3. Gently deflate the dough and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface.
4. Roll and pat the dough into a rough rectangle approximately 12″ x 16″.  Put 2 TBSP melted butter in a small bowl and add the paprika (if you’re using it — it’s for color only).  Spread the dough with the melted butter.
5. Starting with a long side, roll the dough into a log.
6. Cut the log in 1″ slices, using a sharp knife, a bench knife, or a piece of dental floss looped between your fingers.
7. Lighting grease two 8″ or 9″ round cake pans.  Arrange 8 buns in each pan.
8. Cover the pans and let the buns rise for 60 minutes, until they are noticeably puffy.  Don’t let them rise too long; they need to retain enough rising power to expand in the oven.  Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
9. Uncover the pans and brush each bun with some of the remaining melted butter.
10. Bake the buns for 22 to 25 minutes; they will only color slightly.
11. Remove the buns from the oven and turn them out onto a rack to cool.  Brush with any remaining butter.  Serve hot or warm.  To reheat, place the buns on a baking sheet, tent lightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 10 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven.
12. Wrap any leftover buns airtight and store at room temperature for several days.  For longer storage, wrap airtight and freeze.

See the color difference? I used the paprika with one batch and not the other to see if there was a difference in taste. There wasn’t.

Ready to eat! These make good dinner rolls.

Please come back again to see what else comes out of the oven!

Until then, may your days be filled with tasty goodness!