Recipes To Share

Posts Tagged ‘cookies’

Christmas is undoubtedly a time for indulgence and the sharing of gifts. Gifts can be expensive however, especially if you have a big family or lots of friends. So why not make something that is cheap but no less well received like candy. Below are some great sweet recipes from IWOOT.

Fudge. This is what you will need
•    A non-stick heavy-based saucepan
•    A sweets thermometer
•    A couple of baking trays
•    1lb granulated sugar, ½ pint milk, 2oz butter, 1 tin condensed milk.

Method: Place all the ingredients into the pan and melt very slowly whilst stirring. When the thermometer displays around 110oC, the mixture should begin to darken and look more caramelised. Take off the heat and stir until mixture becomes very tough and grainy. Dispense the mix into a couple of trays and leave for a good couple of hours to cool. When the mix has had a chance to cool and harden, cut it up and offer it round

Choc Chip Cookies. Here’s whats needed
•    Mixing bowl
•    Grease-proof paper
•    Baking trays
•    4.5.5oz flour, 2.5oz butter, 1 egg, 2oz brown sugar,2oz caster sugar, 4oz choc chips, ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Method: Add flour, sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl and mix together well with your hands or a spoon if you don’t want to get mucky. Add the egg and continue mixing until the mixture is doughy and a little sticky. The mixture should then be separated into balls the size of a squash ball and laid on grease proof paper-lined oven trays. Leave a space about the size of a cup saucer between each cookie ball as they will expand and flatten out. Heat in the oven at between 180-200oC for around 12 minutes, but it is best to keep and eye on the cookies as ovens vary in cooking speed. Leave to cool for 15mins before eating.  For more gift ideas and treat recipes visit the I Want One of Those blog

There are many traditions that every family has that make them unique. Through my years of working with families through a social services agency I came to realize that no matter how dysfunctional a family is there are still some sorts of traditions that bond them together. My husband’s family is quite close. Most of their traditions involve hunting, fishing and food.

My husband had three brothers and a sister. The brothers get together several times a year to go fishing and hunting. These hunting and fishing trips always involve meals and snacks.

[Do you love chocoloate chip cookies]

Throughout the years, they each settled on a favorite that they want to repeat each year. My sister-in-law bakes coffee cake that they want to have with them for each trip and I bake chili and chocolate chip cookies. As for the chili, they always want it with extra spice and loaded with several kinds of beans.

The chocolate chip cookies are loaded with oatmeal, shelled sunflower nuts, peanut butter chips and of course chocolate pieces. I have tried different recipes over the years, and I always throw something new into the mix, but I finally found a combination that they love and request for each outing.

The chocolate chip cookies taste more than just good. For the additional fiber that your body needs, they contain oatmeal and nuts, plus the peanut butter and the chocolate chips provide energy. I also experimented a bit on some ingredients in the chocolate chip cookies like using shortening, oil, or butter.

I have found that the oil produces a harder crunchy cookie, the butter cookies are very soft the blend of half butter and half solid shortening produces a cookie that packs well and remains soft. I have also experimented with the oatmeal. I use quick cooking oatmeal in which I process half of the amount used in the chocolate chip cookies in the food processor so that it has a finer texture.

This allows the cookie to become moister. Adding shelled sunflower seeds adds to the saltiness and it goes well with the sweet taste of the chocolate.

Several times a year I make huge batches of the chocolate chip cookies I bake some of them and freeze the rest of the dough in an ice cream pail. This way there are fresh cookies readily available for the planned or impromptu fishing or hunting trip.

It feels great that I have added a touch to the great family tradition. Whenever my husband smells chili simmering or cookies baking, he always starts talking about hunting and fishing stories.

Article by: [Mike B.]

Find out more about him [Here]

The giving and receiving of gifts between friends and family is an important part of modern day Christmas. Given these hard financial times however, you may be put off buying too many presents, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t make some lovingly created Christmas treats at home. Below are some great sweet recipes from IWOOT.

Fudge. This is what you will need
• A heavy non-stick large saucepan
• A cooking thermometer
• Multiple baking trays
• 1lb fine white sugar, ½ pint semi-skimmed milk, 2oz soft butter, 14oz condensed milk.

Method: Heat all the ingredients in the pan very slowly, stirring constantly. The mixture should start to become a rich creamy-brown colour as it approaches 115oC on the thermometer. Remove from the heat source and keep stirring as the mixture cools down until it becomes too tough to continue. Spread out the mixture onto as many baking trays as you need and leave to cool down. When the mix has had a chance to cool and harden, cut it up and offer it round

Chocolate Chip Cookies. You’ll need:
• Mixing bowl
• Grease-proof paper
• Oven Proof trays
• 4.5.5oz flour, 2.5oz butter, 1 egg, 2oz brown sugar,2oz caster sugar, 4oz choc chips, ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Method: Add sugar, flour, bicarbonate of soda, butter and vanilla extract into a bowl and mix together well with a spoon or using your hands. Add the egg and continue mixing until the mixture is doughy and a little sticky. Roll the mixture into golf sized balls and places them onto the baking trays which you have pre-lined with grease-proof paper. Leave a space about the size of a cup saucer between each cookie ball as they will expand and flatten out. Heat in the oven at between 180-200oC for around 12 minutes, but it is best to keep an eye on the cookies as ovens vary in cooking speed. You can enjoy the cookies after you have let them rest for 10-15 minutes. For more gift ideas and treat recipes visit the I Want One of Those blog

Cookie Gift Basket Company

It can be a difficult thing to try and decide on something to give a person for a special occasion. One thing that will guarantee a happy recipient is fresh baked goodies. Wrapped in a basket, you can make a present of any size and any complexity. A baked good gift basket is a great idea for a gift because you can add anything that you think would suit the occasion or that the receipt would like. They can be as big or as small as you feel is appropriate for the occasion.

Before you start you should take into consideration what a person likes to eat. Keep in mind that some people have allergies such as nuts, or that chocolate may not be the recipients favourite treat. Maybe a person loves cookies, but finds brownies to rich. Do some research to find out what would be most appreciated by the recipient.

A good way to find out what treats a person like is to ask family and friends, should your basket be a surprise. You could also invite that person over for dinner and casually ask them what type of desserts they like. If you find this a difficult way to solve your problem, you could always include a variety of baked good in the gift, this way the recipient is sure to find something that will appeal to their taste buds.

When purchasing a basket or building one for yourself pick a theme that goes along with the occasion. By adding small items to the basket you purchase or create yourself you can personalize it and make it more thoughtful for the person receiving it. Little knick-knacks are easily found that can add interest and let you add personal creativity to the basket.

If you find that you are pressed for time, and would like to give a basket like this, then there is still an answer for you. You do not necessarily have to bake all the items yourself. Consider finding a specialty store where you can purchase a number of individual baked goods to add to your basket. Many of these stores will already have baskets prepared for you where you can just pick it up and go. If you want to make it a little more personal, many shops will create a basket while you wait according to your specifications. By going to a speciality store you know that the items are made from quality ingredients and are not over processed the way some baked goods are in grocery stores.

A goody basket is a great idea for anyone who seems to have everything and whether you bake and build the basket from scratch, or get one from a specialty shop, you will be giving a gift that will be appreciated and enjoyed.