Friday, July 23, 2010

With Sympathy

Just a few cookies I put together for a friend who's friend's FIL passed away. This is why I am learning to make these. When flowers are old and you don't know what to give, these made a nice little gift to pass through the door!

Yellow Butter Cake Cupcakes that are "To Die For"!

Okay, so I'm looking for a mouth watering white or yellow cupcake recipe and I stumble across a little beauty of a recipe that was posted out on "The Repressed Pastry Chef" blog. I've been brave and have been venturing out just a bit into the world of cupcakes. A huge "THANK YOU!" to Marlena for posting the recipe. I've tried to contact you, but can't figure out how! Hopefully she will see this. These cupcakes are indeed mouth-watering. I made a Mascarpone Cream Cheese frosting (although they really don't need any) and OMG(oodness!). To coin a phrase, "Yummo!"

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Recipe - Peanut Butter Cookies with Blackberry Jam!

Below is a delicious recipe of these little gems made

by Giada on her show. For your convenience, here

is the recipe. You can also click on her picture to go

to the Food Network Channel. I made these and they

are unbelievable!

I will definitely make them again. My only mistake is

that I made them with a mini cookie scoop and

overbaked them just a bit. It was suggested to bake

only 10 minutes for smaller cookies. Also, I have a

hand-held mixer and it worked fine. The dough

is thick, but it worked.

As you can see,

mine are not as

pretty as Giada's.

You simply must

try this yummy

recipe of Giada's

version of P,B

& J's. Delish!

Don't forget to come back and leave a comment

and share how you liked them.

Peanut Butter Cookies with

Blackberry Jam

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time:: 18 min
Inactive Prep Time:: 25 min
Cook Time:: 12 min

Level:: Easy

Serves:: 10 (4-inch) cookies

Printed from FoodNetwork.com on Tue Jul 20 2010

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (recommended: Hershey's)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature,

cut into 1/2-inch pieces

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup
1/2 packed cup light brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup blackberry jam

Directions

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375

degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sieve together the flour, cocoa powder, baking

soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter,

peanut butter, 3/4 cup of sugar, and light brown sugar together,

scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until smooth, about

30 seconds. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until blended.

With the machine running on low speed, gradually add the flour

mixture until incorporated.

Put the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar in a small bowl. Form the dough

into 1/4 cup-size balls and roll in the sugar. Arrange 5 balls of dough,

evenly apart, on each baking sheet. Using a round 1/4 teaspoon measure,

or the thin end of a wooden spoon, make a hole in the center of each ball

of dough, about 1/2 to 3/4-inch deep. Spoon 1 teaspoon of jam into each

hole. Bake for 11 to 14 minutes until the dough has spread and the

surface of the cookies are crackled. Cool for 5 minutes and transfer to

a wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes. Arrange the cookies

on a serving dish and serve.