Keto Skickerdoodles

Playing around in the kitchen last night and came up with a Keto friendly recipe for Snickerdoodle cookies.  These are not incredibly sweet, but the almond flour offers a subtle hint of sweetness that partners well with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Keto Snickerdoodles:

Ingredients:
1 cup Almond Flour
1/4 cup Erythritol
2 tbsp. Kerrygold Irish Butter
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Combine the almond meal, egg whites, baking soda, salt, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl.  Roll the dough into 1 inch balls, dipping each in the butter then rolling it in the erythritol before placing on the baking sheet.  You can also sprinkle on additional cinnamon if you'd like.

Bake for about 20 minutes, allowing to cool before serving.

This recipe makes one dozen cookies.

Keto Snickerdoodles

Cranberry Pear Crumble Pie

This is a recipe I adapted from Kraft Kitchens.  Their recipe calls for a refrigerated pie crust, but I opted to add a special touch by making a batch of my Maw-Maw's pie crust.  This pie is the perfect balance of sweet and tart and is especially great at Thanksgiving.

Cranberry Pear Crumble Pie

Ingredients:
Your favorite pie crust recipe or 1 ready-to-use refrigerated pie crust (1/2 of 15-oz. pkg.)
24 Vanilla Wafers, crushed (about 3/4 cup)
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup butter, melted
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup chopped cranberries
3 large fresh pears, sliced (firm pears work the best, I used Bartlett)
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
Whipped Cream (optional)

Directions:
1.)  Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line 9-inch pie plate with crust. Bake 5 to 6 minutes or until lightly browned, then cool.

2.)  Meanwhile, mix wafer crumbs, sugar and butter until well blended.

3.)  Reduce oven temperature to 375ºF. Spread cream cheese carefully onto bottom of crust and sprinkle with half the wafer crumb mixture.

4.)  Combine fruit in large bowl. Add dry pudding mix and cinnamon; toss to coat. Spoon into crust; top with remaining crumb mixture.

5.)  Bake for 35 minutes or until fruit is tender and crust is golden brown. Cool completely. Serve topped with whipped cream if desired.

Truffle and Cookie Recipes from the Holidays

After a long break away from the food blog, I have a year's worth of recipes to post and comment on.  My New Year's resolution is to keep my blog up to date because looking back on a year's worth of food photos and trying to remember all of my recipes is a bit overwhelming.  This blog mainly serves as a place for me to make note of the recipes that my husband and I enjoy the most so that I have them for future reference, but if you happen to find one you want to try along the way, that is even better.

For a moment I am going to backtrack to the month of December when I stepped out of my comfort zone of cooking wholesome dinners.  I took on the task of making an abundance of truffles and cookies for neighbors, family, co-workers, and all of the employees of my husband's Home Depot.  It was a complete mess, but all of them turned out terrific and I'm making note of all my holiday recipes for these treats so that I can reference them next year when the holidays arrive.

Chocolate Pecan Turtle Cookies- These cookies received rave reviews

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg, separated, plus 1 egg white
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups pecans, chopped fine
14 soft caramel candies
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:
1.)Combine flour, cocoa, and salt in bowl. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture until just combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour

2.)Adjust oven rack to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk egg whites in bowl until frothy. Place pecans in another bowl. Roll dough into 1-inch balls, dip in egg whites, then roll in pecans. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using 1/2-teaspoon measure, make indentation in center of each ball. Bake until set, about 12 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking.

3.)Microwave caramels and cream in bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Once cookies are removed from oven, gently re-press existing indentations. Fill each with 1/2 teaspoon caramel mixture. Cool 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

 White Chocolate Nutella Truffles 

Ingredients:
7 ounces dark chocolate
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup Nutella
2 cups white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon oil (I used vegetable)
chocolate sprinkles (optional)

Directions:
1.) In a double boiler (or a glass bowl set over simmering water) melt together the first four ingredients. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. If you leave the mixture in the refrigerator for longer than 2 hours, it will likely become too firm to work with. So just allow it to soften at room temperature until you can.

2.)  Use a melon baller or spoon to form small balls. I powder my hands and spoon with cocoa, so the mixture is easier to work with and doesn't stick to everything. Once you have all the truffles formed, place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.

3.) In the mean time, melt the white chocolate and oil in a microwave safe bowl. I will microwave on high for 30 seconds, then stir, and repeat until the chocolate is melted. Dip each truffle in the melted chocolate to coat it, then place on a sheet of wax paper.

4.) Add the chocolate sprinkles as you work, before the white chocolate has time to set. Makes 30 truffles.

 Peanut Butter Cup Truffles- These taste identical to Reese's Peanut Butter Cups


Ingredients: 
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 lb powdered sugar
1 cup peanut butter
10-12 graham cracker sheets
dipping chocolate, melted

Directions:
Put graham crackers in a food processor or plastic Ziploc bag and beat until they are finely crushed. Mix butter, powdered sugar, peanut butter, and graham crackers together in large bowl. Roll into 1" balls. Place rolled balls on large cookie sheet (I lined my cookie sheet with parchment paper) and stick in the freezer for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, melt dipping chocolate. Once the peanut butter balls have set up, dip in chocolate and place back on cookie sheet. Let set up before serving/sharing with neighbors (but you can pop a few in your mouth just to test them and make sure they are safe to eat- it's a chance that I am always willing to take). Makes 7 dozen truffles.

Coconut Cream Bars

Ingredients:
24oz shredded coconut (divided)
14oz sweetened condensed milk
2 cups powdered sugar
24oz chocolate (melted)

Directions:
1.)  In a large bowl stir together 20oz coconut, condensed milk, and powdered sugar. Press into a greased 9x13" pan and freeze until firm enough to cut, about 1 hour.

2.)  Slice into small squares and dip into melted chocolate. Set dipped bars onto wax paper and sprinkle immediately with remaining 4oz coconut. Store in a sealed container. Makes 40 bars.

Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies- These cookies are courtesy of my friend, Jennifer and they were to die for!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (2 sticks) room temperature
2/3 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 2/3 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

heaping 1/3 cup Nutella

Directions:

Cream butter, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla together until smooth. Combine flour, baking soda and salt and add to butter mixture. Add Nutella in dollops over the top of the dough.  Use a butter knife to swirl the Nutella through the dough.  Do not over mix.  Chill the dough in fridge for 15 minutes before spooning onto cookie sheet to firm the nutella.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  Bake until slightly brown at edges.  Let cool a few minutes on cookie sheet before transferring.

S'more Cookies- This recipe came from my friend, Leah.  My co-workers loved them!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash of cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups miniature chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
2 Hershey bars, chopped

Directions:
1.)  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.)  In a medium bowl combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, salt, and dash of cinnamon. In a second larger bowl beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.

3.)  Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 8 minutes, and remove from the oven. Push 3 to 4 marshmallows and a few pieces of hershey bar into each cookies. Return to the oven and bake an additional 3-4 minutes until fully cooked. Cool cookies on a wire rack.  Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.

Dad's Birthday Pie: Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Coconut Icebox Pie

Last weekend was Dad's birthday.  Typically, he's a German Chocolate Cake kind of guy, but as we've been enjoying low carb foods, I found this recipe to be a good substitute for him.  It turned out excellent... particularly the toasted coconut crust and didn't last long once the family cut into it.  The next day dad called me and said, "I just ate a fourth of the pie for dinner."  What a compliment!

For the crust you'll need:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
11 ounces of unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup sugar substitute

For the filling you'll need:
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used Hershey's Extra Dark 60 percent cacao), finely chopped
1/4 cup sugar substitute

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a food processor, combine the butter, coconut, and sugar substitute until the mixture forms a ball.  Place into a medium size bowl.

In a 9 inch pie plate, press the coconut mixture onto the bottom and up the sides to form crust.

Bake until the center begins to brown, about 15 minutes.  Transfer the crust to a wire rack to cool completely.

Toasted coconut crust

To make the filling, bring the cream to a boil in a saucepan.  Coarsely chop up the chocolate and place in a mixing bowl.  Pour the hot cream over the chocolate.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes, then stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is combined.

Pour into the coconut crust and refrigerate until the pie becomes firm.

Sugar Free Strawberry Cream Pie

The past few years, my family has limited their carb intake, so this is a perfect recipe to accommodate everyone.  It was actually inspired by a friend, who makes a sugar free coconut pie.  The idea that crust can be made using egg whites is just awesome when you are cooking for those with dietary restrictions.

For the crust you will need:
4 eggs (separated, you only need the whites)
1/2 tsp vanilla
6 tsp sugar or sugar substitute
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Beat eggs and vanilla until they are frothy.  Gradually add sugar (substitute) and cream of tartar, beat until stiff.  Put in the bottom of a greased pie plate. Bake at 325 until browned.

The crust will look like this when finished.

For the filling you will need:
1 small package of sugar free strawberry jello
1 pint heavy cream
1 8 oz. package Neufchatel cheese
1/4 cup sugar substitute (6 packets)
1 quart fresh strawberries (sliced)

First, dissolve the jello with 3/4 cup boiling water, then add 1/3 cup cold water.  Allow the jello to sit in the freezer just until it begins to reach the gel form (about 25 minutes).

In a large mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream until it is stiff.  Fold in the Neufchatel cheese and sugar substitute.  Fold in the strawberry jello.  Stir in the strawberries, saving some for the top to garnish if you wish.  Pour the mixture on top of the cooled crust.  Keep the pie refrigerated.

Combining the heavy whipping cream and the Neufchatel cheese.

Add the jello and the strawberries.

Pour the filling over the crust, garnish with remaining strawberries, and keep the pie refrigerated.

Cranberry Orange Bread + Coffee = Heavenly

I find it funny that when I started the blog, I mentioned that I didn't consider baking a specialty and didn't attempt it often.  However, somehow all the baking recipes have made it on here, partially due to the holiday season.  This one is actually one that I was a little afraid to try since I'm also not too experienced with making bread.  I am so glad I did though, because it turned out to be amazing.  The tart fresh cranberries and citrus coupled with the sweet denseness of the bread make the perfect partner for a cup of coffee.

You will need:
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 cup of juice from an orange
Orange peel, zested from one orange
2 cups flour, (I used 1 cup white and 1 cup soy flour)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
2 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. hot water
1/3 cup milk

In a mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg.  Add the orange juice, peel, butter, hot water, milk, and vanilla.  Add to the flour mixture, stirring until it is just moistened.  Fold in the cranberries. Spoon into a greased loaf pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick to the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.  This will have a dense texture, much different than a cake.  Next time, I will be adding crushed walnuts or pecans.

Cranberry Orange Bread cooling.

Dark Chocolate Bacon Cupcake Challenge

It's no secret that my fiance, Nick and I both share a love of cooking and we're competitive.  So, after taking a trip to Galveston this summer an idea arose.  We visit Galveston every summer, mainly for the food.  A few summers ago we discovered La Kings Confectionery, a cool place with retro candy, fudge, ice cream, and Snickerdoodle coffee, that must be primarily caffeine, because I get a day-long jolt from it.  While there, we discovered chocolate covered potato chips, which we didn't try, but it got our thoughts rolling with the salty/ sweet combo.  We wondered if bacon could take the place of the chips and an idea was born.  Since then, Nick has convinced me that the groom's cake at our wedding must include bacon, so the experimenting began last night.

I decided to try my take on Dark Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes in honor of Nick's birthday.  They turned out amazingly rich, to the point that you only have to eat half to get your fix of dark chocolatey bacon goodness.  The coffee creates a great base that really adds to the flavor of the cake.

For the cake, you will need:

10 slices of bacon  (7 for the cake, 3 to top)
2 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, (I used the Hershey's Special Dark variety)
2 cups white sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup coffee, brewed
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Cook the bacon in a skillet, drain off the fat, then crumble into small bits.  Combine all other ingredients in a large bowl, then stir in about 3/4 of the bacon crumbles.  Like your muffin pan with liners and pour batter into the cups about 3/4 full.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes.  You'll know they are finished when a toothpick to the center comes out clean.

Batter ready to be poured into the cups.

Dark Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes on the cooling rack waiting to be frosted.

In the meantime, you'll make the perfect chocolate frosting.  Honestly, this frosting is so rich it could pass for fudge itself.

You will need:
1 stick of butter
2/3 cup Hershey's cocoa (I used the Special Dark variety)
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Wait until the cupcakes are completely cool before frosting, otherwise it will become runny.  This was the standard frosting recipe, but I had a lot left over after frosting the 24 cupcakes.  You could probably get away with cutting the recipe depending on how many cupcakes you are making.  Add the extra bacon crumbles to the top of each cupcake.

The finished product

Pear Crisp

Today I got a really good deal on some Bartlett Pears.  Pears, in my opinion, are the perfect fruit to spice up, especially during late fall.  I do use pears year round though and am always looking for different ways to use them.  Tonight I wanted a dessert, but not something with a full crust, so then came the idea for a crisp.  Here are all the ingredients:

5 large pears, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 stick butter, melted

Pretty Bartlett Pears ready for cooking.

You want the pears to be pretty firm since they will soften slightly after cooking.  These Bartlett Pears were perfect for the job.  Peel and core the pears, then chop them into small pieces.  I diced them, but thinly slicing them would work just as well.  Put the pieces in a bowl, along with 1/2 cup of white sugar and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Gently mix with a spoon.

Place pear mixture in a baking dish while mixing up the crumb topping.

Place the pears in a baking dish and in a separate mixing bowl, combine 1 cup all purpose flour, 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg.  Melt one stick of butter and slowly drizzle it into the crumb topping mixture.  As you drizzle the butter in, use a fork to combine until it is crumbly.

Pears with crumb topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Top the pears in the baking dish with the crumb mixture.  Cook on the bottom rack at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Switch the pan to the top rack and bake for 10 more minutes, or until the topping is golden brown.

Warm, bubbly, crispy goodness

Serve the Pear Crisp while warm.

Next time I make this recipe, I will be adding crushed pecans or walnuts to the topping.

The Namesake: When Life Gives You Apples, Make Apple Pie

After many, many requests to start sharing my recipes with people, I figure that the easiest way to do so is through a blog.  This will also give me some sort of a place to save recipes that I would like to use again... and even those that could use some tweaking when I make them again.  If I had to define my cooking style, it would be a girl cooking on a budget, but at the same time focusing on using as many fresh foods as I can.  My shopping cart is always 75% full of produce.  I do occasionally do some baking, mainly for special occasions, but my main focus is on creating a well rounded meal each day of the week, rarely resorting to food from a restaurant.

My first dish to be featured is actually where the namesake of my blog comes from.  Like I mentioned before, baking is not my strength, but my Maw-Maw is, in my opinion, is the most amazing baker I know.  Her pies are to die for, not necessarily because of the filling, but the flaky perfection of the crust.  When I set out to make my very first pie from scratch, I knew that I had to attempt to master the art of the crust.  The key... everything being chilled, including the pie plate.

Below, is a picture of the completed dough ball ready to be put in the refrigerator before rolling it out.  For perfect flaky crust, sift 1 1/3 cups flour and 1 tsp. salt together.  Cut in 1/2 cup cold shortening.  Add iced water, one tablespoon at a time until the dough forms a ball.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Next peel, core, and chop the apples.  I used 9 gala apples that I paid $3 for... as mentioned, great deals like this one.

For the filling, I was dealing with picky eaters who do not enjoy crisp apples, so I prepared the apples in a pan along with the filling.  If you prefer crisp apples, wait to put them in the crust, pouring the filling on top.  In a pan, start with 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 3 tbsp. flour, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and 1 tsp. nutmeg.

Now back to the amazing crust.  I made the mistake of not doubling up on my crust recipe, as I should have done in order to have enough for a full top crust.  However, I improvised by weaving the top crust instead.  Roll the dough ball out and place onto the cold pie plate.

Pour the warm pie filling into the crust.

Weave the crust over the top, or your second batch of dough if you'd rather have a covered pie.  Sprinkle with a little sugar and cinnamon.

Have your oven preheated at 450 degrees F.  Bake the pie on the middle rack for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350, baking for another 30 to 45 minutes.

My first apple pie got great reviews.  However, making it inspired me to use a similar recipe, yet instead of apples, use pears.  Now, I've got the itch to make more crust.