Quarantine Cookies

Well you don't have to be under quarantine or stay at home orders to make these cookies but these cookies will help you get through those days.  Now the reason these are called quarantine cookies is that you can go to your pantry and just throw together anything you have left over in you pantry and the cookies will be good. These cookies are great for that handful of dark chips you have left over or the bottom of the bag M&M's. Go look to see what you have in your pantry.  Another great thing, you can make these cookies several times and they will never taste the same twice.

I wanted to show off my bunny on my plate today. 

 This is a great base cookie.  What I mean is that if you have something you want to try in a cookie make the base in this recipe and just add what you want to try.  M&M's always comes out with some seasonal flavors and you could try them in this recipe.  They also freeze well too.  So you can bake a few then freeze the rest for a day when you need a warm cookie.  And during all this stay at home who doesn't need a warm cookie some days.

 Start with two softened sticks of butter.  I always use unsalted butter for baking.

 1 cup sugar and 3/4 cup brown sugar

 1 Tablespoon corn syrup.  I am seeing corn syrup a lot in cookie recipes these days.

 Now cream the sugars and butter until light and fluffy.  I will be honest I never know how long to cream.  There's the "beat it until the butter turns a light yellow color" and the "don't over beat your cookies or they will be tough" groups.  So what's a baker to do?

 Add two eggs

 1 teaspoon vanilla

 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

 2 teaspoons baking powder

 2 teaspoon kosher salt

 1 teaspoon baking soda

 Now mix that well.

 Here comes the fun part.  You need 1 1/2 cups salty things.  This can be pretzels (I thought I had some and I was going to add them), potato chip crumbs, any nut, even fritos.  Now I'm not sure how flavored chips or fritos would be but you can try it and let me know.

 Now you need a 1 1/2 cups of sweet things.  This can be any of your chips, candy, chopped up candy bars, Raisenettes, cocoa krispies.  Let your imagination be your guide.  Remember they can be different every time.

 Fold those things into your batter.

Scoop the dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.  With the cookies on the cookie sheet refrigerate for at least one hour.  You can leave them in the fridge for up to one week.  I froze the extras for another day.  When ready to bake place in a 350 preheated oven.  Bake for 9-11 minutes.

Enjoy a nice warm cookie.  Maybe this staying at home might not be too bad if I can have a nice cookie every once in a while.  I hope you are making the best of working and schooling from home.  I have been sewing a lot from home.  Explore the rest of my site for some more meal ideas.  I know it is getting hard to come up with new ideas for dinner.  Together we will get through this time and be back ready for football season this fall.  Here's hoping.

Quarantine Cookies Recipe

1 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sweet mix ins such as chocolate chips, candy, chopped candy bars, Raisenettes cocoa krispies
1 1/2 cups salty mix ins such as nuts, pretzels, chips, fritos.

Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes.

National Pie Day

Today is National Pie Day so I am sharing some of my favorite pies with you today.  I bet you can find one to bake.

Red Velvet Pie

Cherry O Cream Pie

Peach Pie

Peanut Butter Pie

Easy Cherry Pie

Triple Chocolate Pecan Cookies

The only thing better than chocolate is triple the chocolate.  This cookie is for the chocolate lover in your life. Semi sweet, bittersweet and white chocolate galore!!! You will love this cookie.

The recipe said to put three pecan halves on top but I made my cookies smaller and just added one.  I probably won't even add one to the tops of the cookies in the freezer when I bake them.  The cookie is fine without the extra pecan.

To get all that chocolate you use baking bars.

Start with 2 sticks of slightly firm butter.  Normally you have it softened but this time you do not.

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar.  Mix that well with the butter.  You will have to work a little harder because the butter is not soft.

Add two eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix, mix mix

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 2/3 cup all purpose flour

Now to finely chop those chocolate bars.  4 oz each of semi sweet, bittersweet, and white chocolate.

Then mix, mix, mix.

Scoop the dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Press the pecan or pecans into the top if you want to add them. Place in a 375 preheated oven.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Let cool on baking sheet for 4-5 minutes.

These are going into the freezer.

These are for enjoying now.

Triple Chocolate Pecan Cookie Recipe

2 2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter slightly firm
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
4 oz semi sweet chocolate chopped
4 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped
4 oz white chocolate chopped
toasted whole pecans for decoration

Preheat oven to 375.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Chocolate Orange Cookies

I don't know why we only find chocolate and orange together at the holidays.  Several years ago there were those chocolate oranges that you whacked on the table to break apart into the orange segments.  These cookies are a lot like that chocolate.  And they smell wonderful too.  The whole kitchen smells of oranges.  

These cookies are small but that pack a big punch.

The pecans are optional.  If you want to use another nut you can do that too.

Start with 2/3 cup softened butter.

1 cup sugar

Whip that well and add 1 egg.

Add 1 teaspoon orange extract.  The recipe says you can use orange essential oil in place of the extract.

1 Tablespoon orange peel.  This is what smells so good.

1/3 cup cocoa powder.  Mix well.

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans.  Mix all this up together.

In a separate bowl add 1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon orange peel

Mix that until the orange peel is mixed well with the sugar.

Scoop the dough into balls and then roll in the orange sugar.

These are going in the freezer.  To bake preheat oven to 350 and bake for 9-11 minutes.

They are really good warm so be sure and swipe one when they are hot.

Chocolate Orange Cookie Recipe

1 cup sugar
2/3 cup softened butter
1 Tablespoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 egg
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

In a separate bowl
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange peel

Preheat oven to 350.  Bake for 9-11 minutes