TWD: Honey-Wheat Cookies

These cookies are a perfect illustration of one of the reasons that I love being a part of the Tuesdays With Dorie group. If they hadn't been "assigned" to me for this week, I would have never made them, and that would have been a shame. I may have a new "almost-favorite" cookie!
I never would have thought that I'd make a cookie that contained wheat germ. Heck, I didn't know what one would do with a jar of wheat germ! But I bought a jar, and I'm glad I did! (And I did buy the "honey crunch" flavor, because I thought it just sounded tasty!) These cookies are so simple...some of the ingredients include wheat germ, lemon zest, and honey. I loved the flavor of these cookies. They were sweet from the honey, but I loved the slight lemon flavor. They taste like something I've had before, but I can't put my finger on it.

As I was rolling these cookies out, dredging them in the wheat germ, and pressing them into rounds, I found myself thinking about my grandfather, Grandydaddy. He owned and worked a cattle farm that I grew up on. He was on the farm every single day, and I loved to go "help" him, especially when I was little. He had a barn full of cats, and I loved to try to catch them! The farm was the one he grew up on, and "The Ol' Homeplace" is still there. It was his parents' house (my great-grandparents), but now it's in a state of disrepair. Anyway, he had a refrigerator in the house that held two things: Pepsis and Zagnut candy bars. I remember loving to stop by that house for a can of Pepsi and a Zagnut with Grandydaddy. And the whole time I was rolling, dredging, and pressing, I remembered eating those Zagnuts with Grandydaddy. He passed away about 10 years ago, and guess it's been even longer than that since I've had a Zagnut. These cookies didn't taste anything like a Zagnut, but I was so glad to have those memories while I baked!

If you're interested in these tasty little cookies, visit Flourchild's blog. It looks like she had a ton of fun baking these cookies with her daughters, so I guess Honey-Wheat Cookies will hold lots of memories for her, too! Please, don't let the wheat-germ freak you out or turn you away from these cookies. If it hadn't been for TWD, I'd have never made them, but I'm so glad I did! Yum!

TWD: My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a confession to make. (It seems like I do that a lot around here...) Anyway, I don't like to bake cookies. I like to bake cakes, pies, tarts, but not cookies. You know why? Because you constantly have to tend to them and watch them. I like to mix up one big batch of stuff, stick it in the oven, then come back about 45 minutes later to some kind of delicious confection. But cookies? There's scooping, baking, removing to a cooling rack, letting the cookie sheets cool, etc. On and on until you finish the batch. And there's another thing about cookies. One cookie isn't a satisfying snack. I need to eat three or four to feel like I've had something. But one piece of cake or pie is satisfying! Anyone agree with me?
Another problem I have with cookies is that I haven't perfected a cooking method. I like chewy cookies, but I always let mine cook until they're crispy. And I'd rather have no cookie than a crispy cookie. And my cookies always spread out and get really flat. What's with that?
Anyway, Dorie's cookies solved at least one of my problems!

Even though I let the first batch cook a little long, they were still chewy after they'd cooled! And the next day, they were still chewy too! Thank you, Dorie, for a chewy chocolate chip cookie! These did still spread an awful lot, but I can take a thin, chewy cookie. These cookies had a great chocolate chip flavor...they were better than the Tollhouse recipe, which is the only chocolate chip cookie I've tried. They were very well received at the Super Bowl Party (everyone loves chocolate chip cookies!), and David and I snacked on them for a couple of days afterward. These will definitely be my chocolate chip cookie recipe from now on! Kait, of Kait's Plate, picked these cookies. If you'd like the recipe, head on over to her website.

TWD: Brownies for Julia

I've got conflicting opinions on these brownies. The flavor is absolutely wonderful. They are sinfully chocolatey. But they're...too gooey. I love a fudgy, gooey brownie, but these go beyond the beyonds. Maybe I underbaked them, but I'm not so sure. After reading Dorie's description and checking out the other TWDers, I think they pretty much turned out like they were supposed to.
See? They've got the dry, crackly tops. When I inserted a thin knife in the middle, they were still "pretty gooey."

But then, I started cutting them, and this happened...

Yikes! I salvaged the brownies around the edges for the Super Bowl party, but I think only one or two were eaten. I put the gooey brownie mud back in the fridge, and I've been eating it bit by bit with a spoon. Oh, it's good. If you're a batter-licker (like me), you will love these. I just had a hard time serving them to other folks because I was terrified that someone would get sick. Or think I can't cook. Yes, I could have cooked them longer, but I was hosting a Super Bowl party and was on a deadline! I had cookies, dips, and pizzas to cook, too!

If you want to try your hand at these delicious (but gooey) brownies, visit Chocolatechic's blog. That lady loves her chocolate!

TWD: Cocoa-Nana Bread

Hi everyone! The Sweet Life is back after a little hiatus. We've been in the new house for a little over a week now, and it's beginning to feel like home. For several days, I was very uneasy whenever I was in the house, because it just didn't feel like "home." But now that it's a little lived-in, I'm feeling better. It's still not quite "home" yet, but we're closer. At least I don't feel like jumping up and driving back to the old house or my parent's house anymore!
Anyway, I'm LOVING my new kitchen. I have so much more space now than I did at the old house, and I've got crazy amounts of countertops. If you're interested in seeing the new kitchen, take a look at this post.
I decided to make my "comeback" with the Tuesdays with Dorie assignment for the week: Cocoa-Nana Bread, chosen by Steph at Obsessed with Baking. It was a great assignment for my first TWD in my new kitchen: simple ingredients that I could find easily, as I'm still finding my way around the new house. I even had a couple of past-their-prime bananas begging to be used. I felt a little bad for Steph as I looked at the P & Q for this week's pick...it seems lots of people are uneasy about the combo of bananas and chocolate. And that's something I just don't get (kind of like how I don't understand how so many people have an aversion to raisins in baked goods), because they seem to be perfect companions to me. In fact, one of my favorite snacks is a banana drizzled with Hershey's syrup (or covered in Nutella). Anyway, this recipe is a keeper. It's a quick bread, so it's not rocket science. Dorie's description was right on: the first bite is chocolate-chocolate, then you get the banana taste. It was a perfect dessert after dinner tonight...still warm from the oven! Yum!
Thanks, Steph, for choosing this delicious bread! I love the chocolate and banana combo! If you want to try the recipe, visit Obsessed with Baking.

Moving Day!

Well, we're finally moving into our new house! We don't have the TV or Internet hooked up yet, so it might be a little while before I can post something delicious on The Sweet Life. But stay tuned, I'll be back soon! Take care, and happy baking!

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancake Mix

When I asked my Dad what he wanted for Christmas this year, he said, "Nothing. You and David are building a house, and I'd rather you use your money on that. [Pause] Wait, how about something homemade and delicious?" It was music to my ears! Another excuse to get in the kitchen and create! My dad is a breakfast guy. He likes cereal, of course, but he loves pancakes. I thought it would be nice to make some kind of a pancake mix that he could use to whip up a batch of delicious pancakes whenever he wanted. It just so happened that earlier that week, Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe posted a recipe for a pancake mix that she uses regularly and that her kids love. While I've never had these pancakes, just reading her description was enough to make me feel good about mixing up a batch for Dad.
The recipe makes about 10 cups of mix, which can keep for awhile (2 weeks or so) at room temperature. Or you can keep it on the fridge indefinitely, although I'm pretty sure Dad will need a refill before long. The remaining ingredients for the pancakes (besides the dry mix) are pretty typical things you'd have in your kitchen. I'm sure they'll be perfect for you if you're "breakfast people".

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancake Mix

My Kitchen Cafe

3 1/2 cups rolled (quick) oats

3 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 cup vegetable oil

Mix all dry ingredients together in a mixer with a paddle attachment, or by hand. With the mixer on low speed, gradually drizzle the vegetable oil in while the mixer runs. When all of the oil has been added, stop the mixer and grab a handful of the mixture. If it clumps together when you squeeze it and stays there, it's just right. If it is too crumbly to stay together, drizzle in a tablespoon of oil at a time until the mixture will stay clumped together. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks, or in the refrigerator or freezer indefinitely.

To make the pancakes:

Whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup of buttermilk (or 1/2 cup yogurt and 1/2 cup milk will also work), and 1 egg. The mixture may seem thin, but the oats will soak up some of the moisture while your griddle heats. Heat a griddle and drop the batter onto the griddle. When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface but don't break, the pancakes are ready to flip.

A cup of mix will make 6 or 7 four-inch pancakes.

Sweet and Salty Cracker Candy

First, a warning. If you have trouble saying no to sweet and salty treats, don't make this. It's diet disaster waiting to happen. I only make this at Christmas, and that's why David and I lovingly refer to this delightful candy as "Christmas Crack." When it's in my house, I can't help but eat it. It's a compulsion. As long as it's in the house, I have to have it. Be warned.
The first time I had cracker candy was when I worked at the prison. One of my coworkers brought us homemade candy for Christmas, and when I had my first bite, I said, "Jessie, what is this?! It's delicious!" She grinned from ear to ear and said, "It's cracker candy!" I had to have the recipe, so she sat down at her desk and wrote it out for me. Can you believe that the sweet, crunchy toffee layer is made from regular ol' unsalted saltines? Me neither. It just gets better from there.

There are a million variations of this candy on the Internet, and I've made several of them. This is probably the most simple version, and it's wonderful. It's a great starting point for new recipes, as well. One year, I used graham crackers and semisweet chocolate and topped it with chopped pistachios. AMAZING. But this year, I got ahold of some super-salty mixed nuts (score!) and decided that they would be the perfect flavor to go in my Christmas Crack. What could be better than Sweet and Salty Cracker Candy?

The recipe I use varies from year to year (mostly because a lot of times I can't find the same recipe!). This time, I used a recipe I found over at A Southern Grace. Feel free to use the recipe as a jumping off point for your own creative combo!

Sweet and Salty Cracker Candy

A Southern Grace

1 cup butter (salted or unsalted, your preference)

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

40 saltines (I used salted ones)

extra-salty mixed nuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray. Lay down one layer of saltines. Melt butter and brown sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 5-6 minutes. Pour this mixture over the crackers and spread so the cracker layer is covered evenly. Place pan in oven and bake for 5-8 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let cool for 3-5 minutes. Scatter chocolate chips over cracker/toffee layer. Let them soften for a minute or so (or you can put them back in the oven for a few seconds) and spread evenly over cracker layer. If you plan to add a topping to your cracker candy, now is the time to do so. Let cool completely. Using aluminum foil, lift cracker candy from pan. Peel off aluminum foil and break into snack-sized pieces.