Rachel Robin's Nest

Crafts, Projects and Recipes to Help Feather Your "Nest"

Christmas Things December 30, 2012

Filed under: Uncategorized — raediantphoenix @ 4:11 pm
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Sorry guys.  I did it again.  I disappeared from the blogesphere for several weeks with no explanation.  My only excuse is, it’s a REALLY busy time of the year.  Holiday parties.  Shopping.  Baking.  Cooking.  Cleaning.  Traveling.  I found myself with an ever-expanding to-do list and a huge load of stress I didn’t need, so I took a break.  I didn’t do any baking pre-Christmas travel.  I said, “Mom, I’m really sorry, but I just don’t have time to bake all the cookies myself.  We can bake when I get there.”  And we did (well, I baked and she ate cookies), and the world didn’t end because I didn’t bring the cookies with me.

So I guess I learned this holiday season that I can’t be Wonder Woman and do everything all the time, and that everything will be OK if I decide to bring Dunkin Donuts Munchkins to the team breakfast instead of baking something.  I’m sorry I neglected this blog so much, but it was one of the things that was stressing me out, and I didn’t want something that’s supposed to be fun to be a source of stress.

But now I’m back!  And I wanted to share with you a few images from my Christmas, because once I finally gave in and stopped trying to be everything all the time, I actually had a wonderful, relaxing time.

Pretzels

I made chocolate covered pretzel rods for our friends Nick and Nikki’s 2nd annual Christmas potluck dinner.  They were delicious and super easy to make.  I cheated and broke the pretzel rods in half, then dipped the broken ends in the chocolate, so I got twice as many pretzels!  I just used the little candy melt things you can get at Joann or AC Moore.  They were a total hit!

  Baking

I baked SO MANY cookies at my parents’ house.  Mom loves ginger snaps and Dad loves molasses cookies.  I made about 4 dozen molasses cookies first, and then tried to make ginger snaps, but accidentally started following a different molasses cookie recipe instead, so we ended up with about 6 dozen molasses cookies!  Then, the ginger snap recipe I have makes another 8 or 9 dozen cookies, so needless to say, we had plenty of cookies, and then some!

Christmas Morning

I woke up Christmas morning to a few inches of fresh snow on the ground, this beautiful tree with lots of goodies underneath, and a beautifully decorated fireplace just waiting to have a Christmas fire.  Santa brought me everything I could have wanted, including a label maker (be still, my OCD heart!) and an immersion blender (I’m going to make ALL the soups!).

Christmas Dinnah

Instead of the typical Christmas ham or turkey, Mom, Dad and I feasted on lobstah!  The vegans/veggies had their usual Tofurkey, and my picky older sister had (I think) jalepeno poppers.  Whatever floats your boat!

Five days off in the good old state of VT was exactly what I needed to decompress.  I had so much fun playing cards, drinking and watching old home movies with my family.  How was your Christmas?

 

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles September 23, 2012

Filed under: Recipes — raediantphoenix @ 5:08 pm
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Aaaah fall.  My favorite season.  Today, the high temp is 70*.  There’s a lovely breeze with just a hint of a chill, the sun is shining, and the sky is that perfect fall shade of cornflower blue.  Delightful!

I spent about 2 hours the other night pinning fall recipes, decorations and gifts on Pinterest.  In fact, I finally created a board just dedicated to Fall, because, well, why not?

One of the things I pinned to my “Fall” board were these Pumpkin Snickerdoodle cookies, and I simply had to bake some up today.  P.S. go check out A Bitchin’ Kitchen now, she’s got a great fall recipe roundup!

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies (via A Bitchin’ Kitchen)

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

  • 3 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar (I only had light brown-it worked)
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tsp vanilla

For the coating:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • dash allspice

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Whisk to evenly distribute.   In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars.  Beat in pumpkin, then egg and vanilla.  Stir in dry ingredients until just combined.  Don’t over-mix!  Cover dough and refrigerate for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350*.  In a small bowl, whisk together the coating ingredients.  Scoop small balls of dough and roll in coating mixture.  Place dough balls on prepared baking sheets.   Dip the bottom of a glass in water, then in the coating mixture, and use the glass to press dough balls flat.  Re-sugar glass as needed.  Bake for 10-12 minutes (mine went for 13, but I tend to make big cookies) or until centers are set.  Cool on wire racks.

I have to say, these cookies are awesome!  I’ve always been partial to Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, but these are less cakey, more dense and the spices are a cross between pumpkin pie and Christmas.  They’re very moist and absolutely delicious!

 

Summery Cake Mix Cookies July 26, 2012

Filed under: Recipes — raediantphoenix @ 1:22 am
Tags: , , , , , , ,

I’ve lived in Boston for almost 2 years now, and it’s taken me this long to get down to the Esplanade along the Charles River.  All I can say is, I wish I’d gotten there sooner!  Sail boats, kayaks and stand-up paddleboarders zip up and down the river, people and dogs jog along the paths, there are food vendors (Italian sausage and peppers, yum!), and there’s even a concert shell where they have live music!

Ben and I went for a picnic this past Saturday and it was absolutely lovely.  We filled the cooler with snacks, water and gin and tonics (shh, you’re not supposed to drink in public!).  I decided that we were going to need a sweet treat, so I whipped up some cake mix cookies using this box of Pink Lemonade Cake Mix I got on clearance for a whopping $0.62.

If you read my post on the Strawberry Cake Cookies, then you know that these cookies are quick, easy and delicious.  And the pink lemonade flavor was the perfect addition to our picnic.  Go grab some and try it out for your next picnic or barbecue!

Summery Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 box Pink Lemonade Cake Mix
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 egg

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Mix all ingredients well
  3. Spoon by tablespoon onto a baking sheet and bake for about 14 minutes, until the bottoms are just lightly brown
  4. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

 

Strawberry Cake Cookies January 19, 2012

Filed under: Recipes — raediantphoenix @ 7:05 pm
Tags: , , , , , ,

These cookies are affectionately known by those who make them as “Pink Cookies,” and they are a staple in the St. Pierre extended family.  My best friend, Mandy, and her mother have been kind enough to share the recipe with me, and I’m prepared to commit a possible breach of etiquette by sharing what may be considered by some to be a secret recipe.  But they are just so good I can’t help it!

First of all, just the fact that they are pink in color tickles me, well, pink!  And the strawberry flavor combined with chocolate chips is to die for.  Think strawberry ice cream drizzled with hot fudge sauce.   Yup.  There you go.  Now you’re on track.  The best part is, these are super duper easy to make.  We start with a box of cake mix (shameful, I know!), and tweak it to make cookies instead.

I once made these cookies for an office party, and they were gone in very short order.  My coworkers all wanted the recipe, and still ask me to make them every once in a while.  I had intended to make a batch of these for the office before Christmas, but I just got a little overwhelmed with all of the other preparations.  Since I had already bought the cake mix, I decided to make them on Sunday night, so that I’d have tasty, homemade treats to eat all week.

Strawberry Cake Cookies (from the St. Pierre family kitchen)

Ingredients:

  • One box of strawberry cake mix
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour and cake mix, breaking up any large clumps
  2. Mix in oil, water and egg.  Dough will be very greasy.  Do not over mix
  3. Fold in chocolate chips
  4. Spoon out onto parchment lined or lightly greased baking sheets, and bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes.  The bottoms will be just beginning to brown
  5. They will be soft, so leave them on the trays to cool for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack and cool completely

So pretty, so easy, and so tasty!  These would be perfect for a little girl’s birthday party, a bridal or baby shower, or for anyone who adores strawberry flavor.  I’ve been meaning to experiment with other cake mixes (hello, German chocolate.  Or lemon.  Or vanilla with sprinkles?) because if it works out the same way, the possibilities for fun new cookies are endless.  I’ve also been meaning to try using either butter or Crisco instead of oil, but I’m not big on experimenting when it comes to baking.  I’m more of a follow the recipe kind of girl.  But we’ll see.  Maybe next time!

How did your “Pink Cookies” come out?

 

Oatmeal Espresso Chocolate Chunk Cookies November 14, 2011

Filed under: Recipes — raediantphoenix @ 6:46 pm
Tags: , , , , ,

Last night at about 8pm, I had a sudden and intense craving for something sweet.  I simply could not put it out of my mind.  And wouldn’t you know it, I didn’t have anything already made.  Shame on me.  I therefore decided to whip up some cookies.

A few months ago, I made some REALLY excellent oatmeal cookies, with chopped walnuts and chocolate chips (I freakin hate raisins. Blech), and I wanted to try to recreate them.  Unfortunately, however, my King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion has not one, not two, not three, but FOUR different oatmeal cookie recipes.  And for the life of me, I couldn’t remember which one I had used.  Boo.

So I just picked one at random:  “Chewy Oatmeal Cookies.”  Sounded good to me.  I was craving sugar hard at this point, and willing to eat just about anything.  And I had a secret weapon up my sleeve:  Barry Callebaut Dark Chocolate Espresso Chunks.

I worked in a chocolate store that used only Barry Callebaut chocolate for almost six years, and as a result became an incurable chocolate snob.  It’s not that I won’t eat the crappy stuff, I just judge the heck out of it.  And it truly doesn’t taste as good.  Nestle chocolate chips are a cheap, sad imitation of real chocolate.  You need to read your ingredient labels, people!  But with these espresso chocolate chunks of heaven, I knew that my cookies would be AWESOME.

If you want to procure some of your own, I got mine at the King Arthur Flour Store and Cafe in Norwich, VT.  Barry Callebaut chocolate is also often found in health food/all natural stores like Whole Foods, and other specialty shops.

The Essential Chewy Oatmeal Cookie by King Arthur Flour Company

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract (I didn’t use this)
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 large egg
  • 6 tbsp light corn syrup
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 3 cups quick cooking oats
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 cup raisins (optional)
  • 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. In large bowl, cream together butter, shortening, sugars, extracts, spices, salt and baking soda, beating until fairly smooth.  Beat in the egg, scraping the bowl, then beat in the corn syrup and milk.  Stir in the oats, flour, raisins and nuts (or espresso chocolate chunks, or chocolate chips etc)
  3. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 11 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown.  Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool

These cookies definitely fulfilled my craving, and came out (I think) even better than the ones I was trying to make-golden brown bottoms, crispy outside and soft and chewy on the inside.  I think the corn syrup was the key ingredient for that awesome texture.  They are not too sweet, and the espresso-y goodness of the dark chocolate is a nice counterpoint to the spicy sweetness of the cookie.

What’s your favorite cookie recipe?

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies October 16, 2011

Filed under: Recipes — raediantphoenix @ 10:08 pm
Tags: , , ,

So clearly, I have a problem.  This is my second pumpkin related post in the last two weeks.  But I can’t help it!  Pumpkin is so tasty, and so seasonal, that it’s all I want to work with right now!

What’s great is, this recipe is tried and true.  It was given to me by my dear friend, Jaska, and it was developed by her grandmother.  The joke in her family was: “You  know it’s a Grammy recipe when it’s got 4 cups of flour in it!”  And yes, this recipe has 4 cups of flour in it.  But the resulting cookies are so flavorful, and so fluffy, you won’t even care that they are actually quite bad for you.  I steadfastly ignored this fact and had three cookies and a glass of milk for lunch today.. Oops!

I did however, make a tweak to this already amazing recipe.  Remember the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins from a few weeks ago?  How I mentioned that one might substitute apple sauce for the oil?  Well it just so happens that my lovely friend Deanna went apple picking last week, and transformed some of her 20 lbs of apples into homemade apple sauce.  And she gave me some.  Nomalicious!  So, I decided to swap the oil for applesauce, and boy am I glad I did.  It really gave the cookies additional depth and moisture, and there are actually tiny pieces of cinnamon-y apple in them.  SO. GOOD.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Jaska

Ingredients:

  • 2 c pumpkin
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 c oil ( or applesauce!)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tsp baking soda dissolved in 2 tsp milk
  • 2 c sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 c flour
  • 2 c chocolate chips
  • 1 c chopped walnuts (optional)
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, mix pumpkin, eggs, oil (or applesauce), sugar, soda, milk, and vanilla until well combined.
  3. Mix in the flour a bit at a time, stirring until just combined.
  4. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts, if using.
  5. Scoop onto parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 375 for about 15 minutes.  The edges will be just turning a golden brown.

I have to say, I’m really proud of myself, because this recipe is supposed to yield 4 dozen cookies.  Usually, I end up with less than three dozen, because I am physically incapable of making small scoops of cookie dough.  My cookies always turn out to be ridiculously large.  Jaska and her mom, Sabrina, always used to tease me about my XXL cookies.  HOWEVER, this time, I used a measured cookie scoop.  And I ended up with 4 1/2 dozen cookies.  Hooray!

See how nice and small and even they are?

I love making these cookies because Jaska, Sabrina and I used to get together each winter and bake them together.  It was always after Christmas, because we were always so busy during the holidays, but without fail, after New Year’s I’d get a phone call, and we’d set aside a date. I’d arrive first thing in the morning and we’d bake as many cookies as we possibly could-pumpkin, Grammy’s molasses cookies…whatever we had time for.  And when we were all done baking, we’d feast on cookies with organic milk, or strong coffee sweetened with molasses.

Making these cookies always brings me back to Sabrina’s warm, bright kitchen, and gives me the warm fuzzies all over.  I hope you love them as much as I do!

 

 
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 278 other followers