I haven’t really posted in some time. I came to either the notion or the realization that when I cook I want to spend time at it, and this isn’t for everyone, especially those just looking to eat. A few months ago my muse became shortbread. I found a recipe for a Morrocan cookie that was supposed to be heavy on the sesame seeds. I couldn’t find an economical source of sesame seeds. My memory told me they were sold in large portions in either H-mart or the Indian grocery store I went to a few years ago. I tried H-mart and didn’t have success so I made my version of their recipe with peanuts and pistachios.

I really enjoyed these cookies and learned a lot about shortbread. The question gleaned was what would happen if you made peanuts and peanut butter a significant ingredient in a similar shortbread cookie like in marzipan.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup unsalted peanuts
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 to 4 cups all purpose flour

Instructions:

1. In food processor turn one cup of peanuts into powder being careful not to go so far as to make them overly oily. Set aside for later.
2. In stand mixer with paddle attachment combine sugar, butter, and olive oil. Mix well.
3. Add peanut butter and make as homogenous as possible.
4. Add food processed peanuts and create the semi oily mixture you will now short your glutinous wheat flour with.
5. In mixing bowl whisk together flour and salt.
6. Add flour and salt mixture little by little to the bowl of your stand mixer.
7. You kind of have to do this by eye or feel. What you are looking for is a mixture, which you can make a ball out of without falling apart, but which is dry enough that your hands should only be oily after making said ball. Also the stand mixer should be kind of struggling.
8. When you have reached step #7, make approximately 1 1/2″ balls and space them on a cookie sheet.
9. Flatten balls slightly with a fork or spoon.
10. Bake at 275°F for approximately 30 minutes.
11. Shorter times make for more of a sand colored cookie, while longer times creates more of a chocolate color. Due to this being a new recipe I tried both. They were both good. With peanut butter as a large ingredient you have to be careful. It will go from sand to chocolate to char in short order. This is the primary reason for the low and slow baking temperature. Cooking I have found is all about shades of brown. Char equals fail.
12. Allow to harden slightly cooling on the pan.
13. Transfer to cooling rack.
14. If you like your cookies warmed, twenty minutes at 200°F in a toaster oven creates many benefits and almost no harm.

So this is an expirament from last week. I worked an extra day so my time off was shortened but this recipe made it seem successful. The last few weeks I have wanted to change up common desserts by using corn based flours and meals. I really liked the corny cake I had made the week before so I wanted to see if I could also make a cookie recipe. A note before I begin would be that I used a stand mixer with two different bowls to make this. I’m sure it could be done another way. So, on to the recipe…

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup sweet cream butter
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 15 Tbsp corn masa
• 10 Tbsp cornmeal
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1 cup plain m&m’s
• 1 4 oz bar of chocolate cut in pieces

Instructions:

1. In medium sized bowl combine dry ingredients.
2. Set aside for later.
3. In stand mixer with whisk attachment beat eggs and 1/4 cups sugar until thickened and foamy. This will be about 10 minutes.
4. In second stand mixer bowl with beating attachment cream butter and remaining 1/2 cups sugar.
5. Transfer creamed butter and sugar to bowl with egg mixture and keep beating attachment.
6. Mix until homogenized.
7. Add molasses and sweetened condensed milk.
8. Mix well.
9. Add dry ingredients a little at a time while mixing.
10. When all the dry ingredients have been exposed to liquid and chunks are very small, turn off mixer and remove bowl.
11. Add chocolate and m&m’s.
12. Incorporate with spatula to arrive at completed batter.
13. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
14. Drop cookie batter on cookie sheets preferably with silicon lining.
15. Place cookie sheets in oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until you can see cracks in the corn based batter.
16. Place on cooling rack.
17. Enjoy.

So I don’t like kernel corn. I pick it out of dishes to make them palatable. I eat most foods, don’t like onions, accepted them cooked because they lost most of the flavor, but don’t buy them as an independent, where I take care of myself.

I saw that corn cake was a Mexican dessert, so I made up a version that doesn’t have corn kernels. The jury is still out, and this version has one difference from the version I made, because I think it will improve the recipe. If I keep playing with this erudic compulsion, I’ll add amendments later. Anyways on to the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cups masa harina
• 1/3 cups cornmeal
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cups unsalted butter melted and cooled
• 1/4 cups extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cups granulated sugar

Instructions:

1. Mix flour, masa, baking powder, and salt in medium sized bowl.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients.
3. Place eggs and sugar in medium bowl of stand mixer.
4. With whisk attachment beat on medium speed until frothy, about 7-8 minutes.
5. Add butter, olive oil, cream, and sweetened condensed milk.
6. Mix until homogenized.
7. Add dry ingredients, a little at a time, until everything is mixed well.
8. Butter and flour a 9 inch round cake pan.
9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
10. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until center is no longer liquid.
11. Dust with powered sugar.
12. Enjoy.

So I stated while writing the recipe to egg roux quiche that since I don’t have much of an audience I was putting the recipe down for my benefit. This is a great place to store the invention of the wheel in a modern age.

I have now made the recipe two more times and have honed it. Rather than repeat the entire recipe, I will note the amendments.

First I used 1/4 cup of olive oil in the roux, upping the total fat to 1/2 cup. This caused the flour to be increased to 1/2 cup as well, with a 1 to 1 ratio of fat to flour in the common roux.

Second I changed one of the instructions. I let the roux mixed with the spinach and mushrooms to completely cool to room temperature. Then I added the buttermilk first to make a version of a white sauce, making sure to have a homogenized mixture. Then I added the beaten eggs.

Cooking times will vary, but make sure the top is starting to brown and the center is dry.

So I like to try new things. A recipe I was trying called for flour milk and eggs to be used in a casserole as a binder. I thought since you had previously cooked hamburger in this recipe you could use the oil or fat to make an emulsification with the flour, then add the flour making a French white sauce. Then I added the beaten eggs and baked slow at 350. It was different than other egg dishes. Anyways I have time at the moment and want to remember this recipe for myself if no one else is reading, so I’m writing a rough draft down. On to the recipe.

Ingredients :

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3/8 cup flour
• 4 cups buttermilk
• 7 large eggs
• 1 pound fresh mushrooms
• 1 bag of fresh spinach

Instructions:

1. In medium skillet saute mushrooms in olive oil.
2. Add spinach.
3. Cook down and evaporate off excess water.
4. Set to side and allow to cool.
5. In cast iron skillet melt butter and add olive oil.
6. Add flour and create a roux.
7. Cook roux to desired color.
8. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
9. Add buttermilk slowly at first, making sure to make an emulsification and remove lumps.
10. On low heat Cook to thicken.
11. Add mushrooms and spinach and once again allow to cool.
12. In small bowl beat eggs.
13. Pour eggs into cooled mixture and mix in slowly until fully incorporated.
14. Pour into 9 inch pie plate and cook in 350 degree oven for about an hour. Look for the top to turn an amber brown.
15. Allow to cool.
16. Serve and enjoy.

So from what I’ve read Belgian waffles were traditionally made using yeast. Some times you just don’t have time. Yeast is a very time consuming process and takes planning like cold brew coffee.

Earlier this week I didn’t have time for lunch at work so I came home in the morning with the idea of making Belgian waffles. I picked out a recipe using a whipped egg white thinking it would still be good and more expedient.

My mind, the most important and sound part of me, can’t sit still. So while I was working and being a homebody for the rest of the week I created a new recipe based on the original ratios, there’s no point in reinventing the wheel, of a more traditional yeasted Belgian waffle. This is what I came up with.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/8 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 large egg separated
• 1 1/8 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Sift together dry ingredients and yeast in medium sized bowl and set aside.
2. Separate egg with yolk and white going into two separate small bowls.
3. Cover bowl with egg white and refrigerate for later.
4. Add buttermilk and oil to egg yolk.
5. Due to lecithin in egg yolk mixture should emulsify upon mixing.
6. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients 1/4 to 1/3 at a time.
7. Mix well.
8. Let sit in warm environment 2-8 hours. More time will impart a more yeasty flavor.
9. Preheat Belgian waffle iron.
10. Take egg white out of refrigerator and beat to stiff peaks.
11. Stir batter to deflate.
12. Fold beaten egg whites into batter.
13. Prepare waffles according to manufacturer’s instructions.
14. Enjoy.

If there’s anybody out there maybe you’re sick of murder cookies by now. I realize this might be a little bit of beating a dead horse, but there was something about the original texture of the murder cookie batter that was appealing. You had a descent amount of fat but didn’t try for spread. Instead you used the bottom of a glass to make a disc. I’m sure you could switch back over to butter, but I stuck with crisco to tie in with the original recipe. According to the posters on reddit the crisco was just to make them cheaper. This really isn’t the case anymore crisco isn’t a whole lot cheaper than butter. This recipe might be interesting with almonds and almond butter, but they don’t give almond butter away. Anyways that isn’t even my next idea after this one. Anyways on to the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 9 Tbsp crisco
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cups molasses
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cups skim milk
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup quick oats
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups unsalted peanuts

Instructions:

1. Sift together dry ingredients and set aside.
2. Cream crisco and sugar.
3. Add peanut butter. Incorporate.
4. Add molasses. Mix well.
5. Add vanilla and milk. Homogenize being careful not to splash.
6. Add and mix in dry ingredients a little bit at a time until the entire volume is batter.
7. Mix in peanuts.
8. Make one inch balls spread out on cookie sheets.
9. Press into a disc with floured glass.
10. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 19 to 23 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.
11. Cool on cooling rack.
12. Enjoy.

I’ve been looking into monster cookies for some time now. For those who don’t know a monster cookie is characterized by oatmeal, peanut butter, chocolate chips, and m & m’s. After my success with my chocolate chip murder cookies I revisited the idea. This one is a bit trickier with the introduction of peanut butter. Peanut butter is both a fat and a carbohydrate. Some of the peanut butter will replace some of the crisco or butter and some will replace some of the flour. Anyways on to the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup crisco
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup quick oats
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 oz baking chocolate
• 1 cup plain m & m’s

Instructions:

1. Whisk together dry ingredients in medium sized bowl. Set aside.
2. In mixer cream crisco and sugar.
3. Add peanut butter. Mix well.
4. Add vanilla, molasses, and milk. Mix well.
5. Add and incorporate dry ingredients.
6. Roughly chop baking chocolate.
7. Add chocolate and m & m’s and mix well.
8. Place one inch balls a sufficient distance apart on a cookie sheet.
9. Flatten balls with flour cup.
10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
11. Cook cookies 20 to 24 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.
12. Allow to cool and enjoy.

So apparently if you are like me Google News feed finds you things going on in the world like murder cookies. These for those who haven’t heard of them are a molasses cookie recipe found in someone’s house in the walls while renovating. The house that they are renovating also was known to have a murder take place within it’s walls. On reddit this recipe is lovingly and humorously referred to as murder cookies. I was interested enough to sign up for reddit and do searches to find the recipe. I made murder cookies yesterday and they’re good. While making them I liked the bones of the recipe, the procedure. It starts off like most cookie recipes with creaming the sugar and solid fat. Some notable differences though was just one egg to a batch of three dozen fairly large cookies. This is more reminiscent of a shortbread cookie where you leave out eggs entirely. The cookies don’t have much spread, but you manually spread them by mashing them with the bottom of a glass before cooking them. While making the murder cookies I thought I could use the bones to make a different and new chocolate chip cookie. A quick trip to the grocery store last night and I was ready to test the hypothesis today. They are good. Anyways on to the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup crisco
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cups molasses
• 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cups skim milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 oz baking chocolate

Instructions:

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Cream crisco and sugar.
3. Mix in remaining ingredients with the exception of the dry ingredients and the chocolate.
4. Mix in the dry ingredients.
5. Chop the chocolate bars and mix in cut up chocolate.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Form dough into one inch balls and place on cookie sheet.
8. Use bottom of floured cup to press flat.
9. Place in preheated oven and cook for eighteen to twenty two minutes.
10. Remove from oven when browned around the edges.
11. Let cookies rest on sheet a minute to firm up.
12. Place on cooling rack until cool.
13. Enjoy.

So I have been absent for quite some time. I have made many a creative item, but just wanted to keep creating. So in my ice cream development a method I developed a while back was to create a starter. This is basically a sweetened condensed milk, but you make some changes based on the final flavor of the ice cream. I have used this to make fudgy toppings for ice cream and homemade hot chocolate syrup. It is time consuming so if you don’t have a few hours this isn’t the recipe for you. Anyways a couple of weeks ago I thought this starter would be a good ingredient in a brownie recipe. So I started by making chocolate brownies and then altered the recipe for almond. Anyways on to the recipe.

Ingredients:

Almond ice cream starter: