Cornbread Dressing
I can't believe it's the week of Thanksgiving! I don't know where this year has gone. My grandmother used to make this dressing every year when I was growing up in California. The smell of the sweet cornbread and savory vegetables on the stove brings me back to my elementary school years when I would "help" her make this. (aka I would crumble the cornbread while she did everything else). When I was in high school, she had me help more and more until I was making the dressing and she was just sitting back to supervise my effort. My Nana has been gone for many years, but I still make this every year, just so I can remember the times when I would be in her pastel pink kitchen, on my too-tall step stool, asking if it was time to crumble yet.
If you are short on time, this is a great dressing for your Thanksgiving feast!
Cornbread Dressing
2 1/2 cups homemade or store-bought prepared cornbread, crumbled
1 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
5 stocks of celery, chopped
1/2 Tbsp - 1Tbsp poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 chicken bullion cubes (or 2 cups of chicken broth)
2 cups of water (omit if using chicken broth)
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Bake cornbread, and let cool. Crumble and let sit for several hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add onions and celery. Saute until onions are clear and celery is soft.
Meanwhile, boil two cups of water. Add chicken bullion cubes and let dissolve. Remove from heat.
Add 1/2 Tbsp poultry seasoning to the onions and celery, and mix well. Stir in cornbread. Add salt and pepper, and more poultry seasoning to your tastes. Add one cup chicken bullion to cornbread mix, and stir well. Continue softening cornbread with chicken bullion until it is moist (but not mushy). Remove from heat and stir in pecans, if using.
Transfer to a 9x9 baking dish and cover with foil Bake for 30 minutes, or until heated through.
Source: My Nana
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
This time of year, I get two common requests: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies and Snickerdoodles. When I saw this recipe in my google reader, I knew it would be a winner this holiday season. We had multiple Halloween parties this past weekend, so I whipped up a double batch of these cookies and they surely did not disappoint. Try these for the Snickerdoodle lovers in your life. They will love them!
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
yields 3-4 dozen
For the cookies:
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
For the coating:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk to blend and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Blend in the pumpkin puree. Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Combine the sugar and spices for the coating in a bowl and mix to blend. Scoop the dough (about 2½ tablespoons) and roll into a ball. Coat the dough ball in the sugar-spice mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough to fill the sheets, spacing the dough balls 2-3 inches apart. Dip the bottom of a flat, heavy-bottomed drinking glass in water, then in the sugar-spice mixture, and use the bottom to flatten the dough balls slightly. Recoat the bottom of the glass in the sugar-spice mixture as needed.
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until just set and baked through. Let cool on the baking sheets about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Store in an airtight container.
Source: slightly adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from dlyn
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Happy Holidays to all my wonderful readers! As this year comes to a close, I've been looking back on this year, and I am so thankful for everything I have. This little blog is almost a year old, and I thank all of you for taking the time to read about my adventures in the kitchen. I plan to start to the new year strong with new recipes and plenty of blog posts, so stay tuned! Now enough of my rambling...
A friend of mine asked if I could make some cookies for her Christmas celebration, and I immediately said yes! She requested snickerdoodles and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. Since I had never made the latter, I went in search of the perfect recipe. And guess what? This is definitely it. My kitchen smelled amazing as they baked in the oven, and they tasted even better. Try them for yourself!
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
yields 1 1/2 - 2 dozen cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (chopped, if needed) macadamia nuts
2 cups white chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside. Beat together the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Whisk in the egg, then beat in the egg yolk and the vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture until just moistened. Stir in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips by hand with a rubber spatula.
Roll into balls or drop by spoonfuls onto a greased or lined baking sheet, and press down on the cookies with your palm a bit to flatten (not too much!).
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges look golden brown. Allow to finish cooling on a rack.
Source: adapted from Crepes of Wrath
Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies
These cookies are clearly chocolaty. Rich, chocolaty, coma-inducing, goodness. I made them small, and they fit perfectly in the boxes I shipped to friends and family. If you are baking this holiday season, I definitely recommend blowing everybody away with these chocolate delights.
Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies
Yields 42 cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Dark)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
16 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. instant coffee or espresso powder
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together, and set aside.
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water until completely melted and smooth; remove from the heat. (Alternatively, microwave the chocolate in 30 second intervals, mixing thoroughly in between, until melted and smooth.) In a small mixing bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla and instant coffee granules. Stir well with a fork to dissolve, and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds. Mix in the sugars until well combined, about 45 seconds – the mixture will look granular. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually beat in the egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds. Add the chocolate to the bowl in a steady stream and continue beating until combined, about 40 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer at low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated, being careful not to over beat. Fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the consistency is scoopable and fudge-like, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350° F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets with a 1 ¾-inch cookie dough scoop, spacing the dough balls about 1 ½ inches apart.
Bake until the edges of the cookies have just began to set but the centers are still very soft, about 10 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through baking. Cool the cookies on the sheets about 10 minutes, transfer to cooling racks and allow to cool completely. Cool the baking sheets before baking more batches with the remaining dough.
Source: adapted from Annie's Eats, originally Baking Illustrated
Snickerdoodles
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Now that the holiday season is in full force, I am starting to gather recipes for holiday baking. The National Aquarium in Baltimore had a bake sale last week, and Mrs. W asked me if I would mind contributing. I thought these would be perfect for the occasion!
Snickerdoodles
yields 3 dozen 3-4 inch cookies
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, with one rack in top third and one rack in bottom third of oven. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine. Chill the dough for at least an hour (or overnight) before scooping it.
Once dough has chilled, in a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon. Use a small ice-cream or dough scoop to form balls of the dough, and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place about two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are set in center and begin to crack (they will not brown), about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after five minutes. Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool about five minutes before transferring the cookies to the rack. They can be stored in an airtight container up to one week.
Source: adapted from Smitten Kitchen, originally Martha Stewart
Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Cookies
As Thanksgiving approaches, all I can think of is eating my weight in mashed potatoes the wonderful food that is in store for us. Unfortunately, dessert seems to take a backseat to the amazing meal. By the time dessert is served, everyone is leaning back, full and bloated, with the top button of their pants undone. (Or is that just me?) I love these cookies because I think they will be perfect for the "I'm too full to eat another bite" crowd. What's one more cookie, right? If not, they will make the perfect breakfast for Friday morning, before hitting the Black Friday hysteria sales. :)
When I first made this recipe, I thought they were going to be terrible. The batter was thin, runny, and unmanageable. I nearly threw it away, but decided to pop in a baking sheet anyway. I think I would have been devastated if I threw away these amazing cookies! They have a cake-like consistency, and are just scrumptious. If you are a pumpkin lover, you will truly be addicted to these!
Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Cookies
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in to the pumpkin mixture. Add flour mixture and mix well. Add vanilla, and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm. Move to wire rack to cool completely.
Source: adapted from My Baking Addiction, originally All Recipes
Maryland-Style Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
I know what you are saying. "Halloween is over, Mrs. D!" Well as long as there are pumpkins around, there are pumpkin seeds. I love roasting pumpkins, so inevitably I am roasting seeds up until Thanksgiving. Justin likes a little Maryland flair to his pumpkin seeds, so I generally pull out the Old Bay Seasoning.
Maryland-Style Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Rinse pumpkin seeds under cold water and pick out the pulp and strings. (This is easiest just after you've removed the seeds from the pumpkin, before the pulp has dried.) Place the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet, stirring to coat. If you prefer, omit the oil and coat with non-stick cooking spray.
Sprinkle Old Bay with abandon.
Bake at 325 degrees until toasted, about 25 minutes, checking and stirring after 10 minutes. Let cool and store in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
