Saturday, December 29, 2012

Peppermint Oreos


Hello there! I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas :)
These cookies are a holiday version of my beloved homemade oreos. Just because Christmas is over doesn't mean you can't enjoy peppermint!
They're great if you're looking to make something easy that will wow the masses at your New Year's Eve gathering.
Homemade Oreos with Peppermint Creme Filling
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Yield: ~20 sandwich cookies
Ingredients:
Flour- 1 1/4 c
Unsweetened Dutch process cocoa- 1/2 c
Baking soda- 1 tsp
Baking powder- 1/4 tsp
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Sugar- 1 to 1 1/2 c (use less if you don't want the cookies to be super sweet)
Unsalted butter- 1/2 c plus 2 tbsp (1 1/4 sticks), room temperature
1 large egg
{Creme filling}
Unsalted butter- 1/4 c (1/2 stick)
Vegetable shortening (Crisco)- 1/4 c
Sifted powdered sugar- 2 c
Peppermint extract- 2 tsp
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a food processor, or in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine flourcocoabaking sodabaking powdersalt and sugar. Process/beat, make sure it's combined well!
3. With the mixer running, add the butter, then the egg. Continue beating/processing until the dough forms a mass.
4. Take rounded teaspoons of the batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, approx. 2 inches apart. With moistened hands, lightly press the dough to flatten.
5. Bake for 8-9 minutes (8 if you want them a little soft/chewy), rotating pans once for evenness. Set on baking rack to cool completely.
6. {For the creme filling} Beat butter and shortening in a mixing bowl until combined. Add powdered sugar gradually, then add peppermint. Turn mixer on high and beat for 2 minutes.
7. Place creme filling in a pastry bag fitted with a jumbo pastry tip. Pipe onto half of the cooled cookies, then sandwich them with their matches. Serve with a glass of milk!!!

Enjoy!

Monday, December 17, 2012

Homemade Hot Cocoa

I'M HERE! I'M HERE!
I don't think I've ever gone this long without a post... To be fair, though, I don't remember the last time I was as busy as I've been the last two weeks. I think it was in high school.
Finals are over, Christmas break has started, and- wait. Christmas eve is a week away?! WHAT?! I'm usually pretty on top of Christmas shopping, but this year, nada. I'm in for a crazy week.
In the meantime, I'll drink this hot cocoa. I made two batches of it and put some in a few mason jars for my friends at school. It's delicious!
If the holidays are as stressful for you as I'm pretty sure they'll be for me, you might want to try a fun concoction Chris and I came up with last night. You take his drink, "the Girl Scout," and mix it with this hot cocoa. o.m.g.
Homemade Hot Cocoa
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
Yield: ~5 medium-sized mason jars
Ingredients:
Nonfat dry milk powder- 3 c
Powdered sugar- 2 c
Cocoa powder- 1 1/2 c (Dutch-processed is best)
White chocolate chips- 1 3/4 c
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Boozy twist (aka The Girl Scout)
Creme de menthe
Creme de cacao
Godiva chocolate liquor
Directions:
1. Grind white chocolate chips in a food processor until smooth.
2. Pour chips into a large bowl, and add milk powder, powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Stir together.
3. If using a big food processor, whack all the ingredients together. If using a small one, do it in batches. Grind until smooth, and sift (DO NOT SKIP THE SIFTING!) back into large bowl. Divide into mason jars, if you wish.
4. To make the hot cocoa, stir 1/3 c of the mix into 1 c of hot milk.
5. For the Boozy twist, stir in 2 tsp creme de menthe, 2 tsp creme de cacao, and 1 tsp chocolate liquor. Ratio is totally changeable depending on your preference.
Don't forget the whipped cream and/or marshmallows!

Enjoy!

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf


The end of the semester approaches...
And with it comes chaos. Lots and lots of chaos.
But last week came with this chocolate chip pumpkin loaf! My momma made it for me. It makes two loaves, and is best served a la mode :)
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf
Yield: 2 loaves
Ingredients:
Flour- 3 c
Sugar- 3 c
Baking soda- 2 tsp
Baking powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt- 1 tsp
Ground clove- 1 tsp
Ground allspice- 1 tsp
Ground cinnamon- 1 tsp
Canola oil- 1 c
4 eggs
Water- 2/3 c
Canned pumpkin- 2 c
Semi sweet chocolate chips- one 12 oz package
Directions:
1. Mix together all ingredients except pumpkin and chocolate chips. Blend well.
2. Add pumpkin to the mixture, then chocolate chips.
3. Divide mixture between two greased and floured 9x5x3 loaf pans.
4. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.


Enjoy!

Copyright © Kelly's Konfections | Blog Template by Lilipop Designs