Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Recipe: Fat Fluffy Snickerdoodles

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When I think of cooking and baking for the holiday season, cinnamon is my go-to spice. Whether it's spiced cider, baked squash, pumpkin pie, or even fruit cake, with cinnamon in the mix, your family is very likely to ask with anticipation, "what's cooking?" when they walk in the door. This week I wanted to feature a beautifully simple recipe that makes you re-think what snickerdoodles are all about. Crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, and filled with the warmth and aroma of cinnamon, these are sure to please! They are big. They are bold. They are Fat Fluffy Snickerdoodles, from How Sweet It Is. (Lots more great cookie recipes there as well!) You will love these!

Here's how I made them:

Cream the butter and sugar:

Add the egg and vanilla, beat until well combined:

Add the dry ingredients, and mix until completely incorporated.

Add milk. The recipe said to make sure the dough wasn't crumbly, and it wasn't, so time to refrigerate for 30 minutes. Think about how great these are going to taste for those 30 minutes.

When the chilling time is done, in a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon for dipping. Roll dough into 1.5" balls. Roll dough balls in sugar and cinnamon mixture until (well) coated.

Place on baking sheet and press down to flatten. I found that using the back of the spatula was the easiest way to do this.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Move to a cooling rack after 2 minutes to finish cooling.


Enjoy! Yummmmmmm! I'll definitely be making more of these in the coming weeks!
Fat Fluffy Snickerdoodles from How Sweet It Is

Ingredients 
  • 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/4 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon cinnamon for dipping
Preparation 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well until combined. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon until just combined. Mix until dough comes together. Add in milk. If dough is still crumbly, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until it comes together. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

In a bowl combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Remove dough from fridge and roll into big 1 1/2 inch balls. Dip in cinnamon sugar mixture and place on baking sheet. Lightly press down on dough to flatten it. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

This post is linked to the following blogs. Please visit them and see all the great recipes shared there!


I made these cookies as part of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies blog hop. If you're looking for more cookie recipes, check them out!
This post is also linked to Totally Tasty Tuesdays. Check it out!
Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Monday, November 28, 2011

Homemade Buttery Pancake & Waffle Syrup

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I love maple syrup -- the real thing. There is no substitute for it. I just want to make that clear.. I'm not going to pretend that this is better than real maple syrup, because it isn't. As we've been (mostly) unemployed for almost 3 years now, real maple syrup just isn't something we can afford to buy. The normal grocery store alternatives are somewhat scary (so many artificial colors and flavors!) and still not cheap, considering they are just sugar! Surely we could make our own substitute that would taste good, and not have all those unpronounceable ingredients?!

The answer, is yes, you can, and it's SUPER easy to make! This recipe is based on one from Taste of Home, via allrecipes.com. It's easy, fast, and tastes good! Make sure to use real vanilla and maple flavoring for best results.

Homemade Buttery Pancake & Waffle Syrup 

Ingredients 
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
  • 1 tablespoon butter
Directions 

In a medium sized saucepan, stir to combine the brown sugar, white sugar, water and corn syrup.

Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, and boil for 7-10 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Remove from the heat, and stir in maple flavoring, vanilla, and butter until blended.

Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving with pancakes, waffles, or french toast!

~Enjoy!

This post is linked to the following blog parties, check them out for lots of great recipes!


This post is linked to "This Week's Cravings" Linky Party by Mom's Crazy Cooking Blog. Check out all the great French Toast, Pancake, Waffle (and more!) ideas!

Cyber Monday Magazine Deals: BH&G $6/yr, Popular Photography bundle $6/yr

Here are a couple Cyber Monday deals you won't have to fight any crowds to get!

Cyber Monday! Better Homes & Gardens & Ladies Home Journal Bundle, $6/yr at DiscountMags.com! Only 11/28 til 11:59pm ET. Code CYBERMONDAY

Cyber Monday! Popular Photography & American Photo Bundle, $6/yr at DiscountMags.com! Valid 11/28 until 11:59pm EST. Code: CYBERMONDAY

These make great gifts!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Monday Menu Planning: November 28, 2011

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Last week's menu went fairly well -- especially my Thanksgiving plan! I was glad I started early in the week. I had a fun time experimenting with a new stuffing recipe, and trying a new make-ahead mashed potatoes recipe. They all turned out yummy.. I'm getting hungry just thinking about them all!

Cranberry Sauce:

Mashed Potatoes:

Sausage, Mushroom, and Walnut Stuffing:

Pumpkin Cheesecake with caramel sauce:


We didn't get to make (one of) our own turkeys over the weekend.. so we'll be doing that this week. How did your Thanksgiving cooking go? The cookies I made last week turned out great as well - I still need to write about them for you!

Here's my family's menu for this week:

Sunday: Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with whole wheat spaghetti and green salad

Monday: Roast turkey, roasted beets with feta, mashed potatoes.

Tuesday: Broccoli Quiche

Wednesday: Turkey Casserole

Thursday: Grill night

Friday: Homemade pizza night, made into pocket pizzas to take along to the tree lighting!

Saturday: Leftovers

Cookie Recipe of the Week: Cookies and Cream Cookies


What are you having for dinner this week? If you need some more inspiration, check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie. Have a great week!

Many Free eBooks available from Amazon - Bible, Children's Fiction, Romance, Travel, Textbooks, more!

Amazon currently has 257 ebooks available for FREE as part of a limited time offer in their Kindle store! I listed some great regional cookbooks in this post. While these are free as of this writing, I don't know when the price will go back up, so get them while you can! Also remember, you don't need a Kindle to read Kindle books! Just download the software for your device (Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, Windows Phone, Blackberry, or Android device). Free Kindle Reading Apps

Below are a few of the 117 ebooks rated 4+ stars which are part of this Limited Time Offer, in addition to the eCookbooks I posted yesterday. Check out the full list here: Limited Time Offer - Free Kindle ebooks which includes textbooks, romance, and much more!


Happy Reading!

Saturday, November 26, 2011

24 Regional eCookbooks available FREE from Amazon

Check out this huge list of Kindle Cookbooks available FREE on Amazon right now! You're sure to find something that catches your eye! While these are free as of this writing, I don't know when the price will go back up, so get them while you can! Also remember, you don't need a Kindle to read Kindle books! Just download the software for your device (Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, Windows Phone, Blackberry, or Android device). Free Kindle Reading Apps

Here are the great eCookbooks I found for free!

The Scottish-Irish Pub and Hearth Cookbook: Recipes and Lore from Celtic Kitchens

All Along the Rhine: Recipes, Wines and Lore from Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Holland

Healthy South Indian Cooking

The Best of Polish Cooking

Polish Heritage Cookery

Cuisines of the Alps (Hippocrene Cookbook Library)

Sephardic Israeli Cuisine: A Mediterranean Mosaic

Gypsy Feast: Recipes and Culinary Traditions of the Romany People (Hippocrene Cookbook Library)

Flavors of Burma: Myanmar : Cuisine and Culture from the Land of Golden Pagodas

The Art of Uzbek Cooking (Hippocrene International Cookbooks)

The Best of Korean Cuisine

Aprovecho: A Mexican-American Border Cookbook (Hippocrene Cookbook Library)

Cuisines of the Caucasus Mountains: Recipes, Drinks, and Lore from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia

Cooking from China's Fujian Province: One of China's Eight Great Cuisines

The Best of Ukrainian Cuisine (Hippocrene International Cookbook Series)

Fine Filipino Food

Hungarian Cookbook: Old World Recipes for New World Cooks, Expanded Edition

Nile Style: Egyptian Cuisine and Culture: Ancient Festivals, Significant Ceremonies, and Modern Celebrations (Hippocrene Cookbook Library)

Old Havana Cookbook: Cuban Recipes in Spanish and English (Bilingual Cookbooks)

Taste of Romania: Its Cookery and Glimpses of Its History, Folklore, Art, Literature, and Poetry (New Hippocrene Original Cookbooks)

A Taste of Haiti (Hippocrene Cookbook Library)

Dishes & Beverages of the Old South

The Kerala Kitchen: Recipes and Recollections from the Syrian Christians of South India (Hippocrene Cookbook Library)

Brazil: A Culinary Journey (Hippocrene Cookbook Library)

~Happy Cooking!


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