Tag-Archive for ◊ white chocolate ◊

01 Nov 2010 White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

I love cooking seasonally.  There’s always something to thoroughly enjoy, and always something to look forward to. Now Halloween is behind us, it’s time to think Thanksgiving.  Turkey.  Sweet Potatoes. Cranberries.  Now is not the time to bake Chocolate Chip cookies.  Now is the time to bake  White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies.

This recipe is from the 1999 edition of the Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication “Christmas Cookies”.  I love that yearly magazine.  I have every edition since 1995.  The first, and only, edition I have been disappointed in? This year’s, 2010.  I found it uninspiring.  I didn’t fold down a single corner and I have no plans to try any of the recipes this year.  What’s up with that?  Pass me another White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies.  I’ll just have to console myself with this cookie until the 2011 edition comes out…

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup old fashioned or 5 minute oats (not instant)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2-3 teaspoons finely grated tangerine or orange peel

1/3 cup freshly squeezed tangerine juice, orange juice OR orange juice concentrate

2 tsp vanilla (OR 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon orange extract if you’d like a  stronger orange flavor)

1 cup white chocolate chips (Ghiradelli or Guittard, Nestle is pretty bad)

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Beat butter and powdered sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. In another bowl whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, and zest.  Beat flour-oat mixture into the butter sugar mixture. Stir in juice and extracts and beat until combined. Stir in chips, cranberries and nuts.

Drop dough by heaping teaspoonsful onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 12-14 minutes, or until edges are slightly browned.

Cool one minute on trays and then transfer to wire racks to cool.

Makes approx 3 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!  Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today.

Polly

31 Oct 2010 Pumpkin Spice White Hot Chocolate and Mochas

One of my daughters doesn’t drink coffee.  How she managed to grow up in this house and not drink coffee is a mystery.  She’s not into tea either.  It’s shocking!  She’s left out when the rest of us sit around enjoying the serenity and civility of  good cup of coffee (or tea, when the English relatives stay with us).  As a good Mama, I am trying out some hot chocolate recipes so she can join us for a cuppa.  Last year I found a winner in Chai Hot Chocolate.  This year, and just in time for Halloween and Thanksgiving, I have found another winner, Pumpkin Spice White Hot Chocolate, which I found posted at Good Life Eats.

Note:  I upped the cocoa powder a bit, reduced the white chocolate a bit and upped the milk a bit because I found it unbearably sweet at first.

When I tasted this concoction, it was just crying out (yes, crying out) for coffee.  So I gave it some. YES!  Beautiful!  Perfect!!!  So, not only do I have a delicious Pumpkin Spice White Hot Chocolate for my daughter, but the rest of us can enjoy Pumpkin Spice White Mochas!  (To make a mocha, combine equal parts of the base mixture and a very strongly brewed coffee–see recipe below).  YUM!

I love it when things work out like this!  Everyone in the family gets just what they like, with almost no extra work. Aaahhh, I can’t wait until they all get home and we canhave a cuppa together!  Having a cup of coffee, or a cup of tea, together is an honored ritual the world over, and for good reason.  Take the time!

Pumpkin Spice White Hot Chocolate

6 cups milk (I used 2%)
1 bag (11 ounces) white chocolate chips (Ghiradelli or Guittard, NOT Nestle)
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1  teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pure pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon cardamom
1/8 teaspoon allspice

In a heavy saucepan, combine 2 cups of milk, white chocolate, and cocoa powder. Cook over medium heat, whisking periodically, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is well combined. Whisk in the pumpkin puree, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, and ginger. Add the remaining milk, 1 cup at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. Makes six servings.  Top with whipped cream, if desired.

Pumpkin Spice White Mocha

Brew some very strong coffee, 1 cup ground coffee to 4 cups water.  For each serving combine equal parts of the strong coffee and the Pumpkin Spice White Hot Chocolate from the recipe above.

Isn’t this a perfect recipe for a family to enjoy together this time of year? Thanks SO much for stopping by my kitchen today!

30 Sep 2010 Chocolate-Chocolate Cherry Rice Krispie Treats

For years I had forgotten about Rice Krispie Treats (thinking of them as kid stuff) then a neighbor brought a batch to a block party.  I went wild. Rice Krispie treats are officially one of my danger foods now.  Don’t leave me in a room with a pan of them.  Ever.

Over the past few years I have amassed quite a collection of Rice Krispie Treat recipes, each one better than the last.  First it was Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats, then Toasted Coconut Rice Krispie Treats, then Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats and now, my current favorite, Chocolate-Chocolate Cherry Rice Krispie Treats. I HAVE tried some recipes that bombed, too…, the Butterscotch Rice Krispie Treats, a Chocolate Rice Krispie Treat and a Coffee Rice Krispie Treat.

In spite of the name, there is not much chocolate in these treats.  There’s white chocolate mixed in with the marshmallows, and some semi sweet chocolate drizzled on top, but that’s all.  The chocolates work very well with the exciting flavor of the dried cherries.

The original recipe for these Rice Krispie Treats was from a 2009 Cooks Country magazine, but it only made enough for an 8″ x 8″ pan.  Where’s the fun in that?  I upped the quantities to use an entire 1 lb bag of miniature marshmallows so the mixture would fit into the traditional Rice Krispie Treat pan, the faithful 9″ x 13″ glass pan.

Chocolate-Chocolate Cherry Rice Krispie Treats

4 tablespoons butter
1  16 oz. bag mini marshmallows (the white ones, of course)
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
7 1/2  cups Rice Krispies
1 1/2 cups dried sour cherries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted

Prepare a  9 x 13 inch pan be buttering, spraying with Pam or lining with foil, whichever method you are most comfortable with (I spray with Pam).

Melt butter in a large pot over low heat. Add marshmallows, white chocolate chips, and salt.  Cook, stirring constantly, until entire mixture is melted and smooth, about 8 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Remove from heat.

Off heat, stir in Rice Krispies and cherries.  Make sure all the cereal is evenly coated with the marshmallow mixture.  This will take some stirring.

When mixture is fully combined and there are no dry pockets of cereal, pour into prepared pan.  With greased paper (I use the paper off the butter) or a greased spatula, press on the mixture to even out the top and to eliminate all air pockets.

Melt semisweet chocolate chips in the microwave on low at 30 second intervals until smooth. Pour melted chocolate into a Ziploc bag (preferably a freezer strength Ziploc), move the chocolate into one corner of the bag. Using scissors, clip a tiny piece off the corner and drizzle chocolate over the Rice Krispie Treats in the pan.

Allow chocolate to cool and harden (if you are in a hurry, put the treats in the refrigerator) before cutting treats into serving pieces and serving.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today.  I’ll be busy transferring the other Rice Krispie Treat recipes from my “Polly, Julie, and Julia” Facebook page soon!

22 Sep 2010 Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate and Cherries

This recipe has been floating around the internet quite a bit lately.  Everyone is making it! I found the recipe at My Baking Addiction. My verdict?  This is a good seasonal cookie.  The white chocolate and dried cherries do elevate it to something special, but neither the pumpkin flavor nor the oatmeal flavor is pronounced, which is a negative in my book (You might be able to enhance the pumpkin flavor by upping the pumpkin pie spice by 50% or so). This is a good seasonal cookie though, don’t get me wrong.  It’s just not the best pumpkin cookie nor the best oatmeal cookie. It is, however, a nice change.  I think you’ll get a lot of really positive comments if you were to show up to your next event with a plate of these :).

I found this dough to be softer than most cookie doughs, it was a bit like a very thick cake batter, but the cookies cooked up just fine.  My butter was a bit too soft, so that might have created a softer dough. These cookies don’t stack well. After a day or so they start to stick together.  To prevent this, if you do stack, put a piece of wax paper between each layer.  This recipe makes about 48 cookies, but, of course, that depends on the size of your scoop!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

with White Chocolate and Cherries

2 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter; softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cherries; roughly chopped (I used dried sour cherries.  Certainly dried cranberries could be substituted)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper (this isn’t critical, but the cookies do seem to cook better when placed on parchment paper)

Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt in medium bowl and set aside.

Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy.  Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract; mix well.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture; combine until all ingredients are incorporated. Fold in white chocolate chips and dried cherries.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

I love the flavors of fall.  Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today.