Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies!

It's Saturday and snowing outside, yay! I have spent the day relaxing in my PJs, one of my favorite things to do on the weekend whenever possible. I happened to check my baking supplies in the pantry and came across a bag of chocolate chips I bought a few weeks ago. I read the recipe on the back of the bag and had all the ingredients on hand, so I made Chocolate Chip Cookies! These Chocolate Chips Cookies are a little crisp when you bite into them, chewy and filled with decadent chocolate chips. I had a few right out of the oven and they were heavenly, and perfect on a snowy day or any day of the week. You should really give this recipe a go!

Close-up view, Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 4 dozen (48) cookies.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) Butter, softened

3/4 cup Granulated Sugar

3/4 cup Brown Sugar, packed

2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

2 Extra Large Eggs

1 bag, 10 oz. Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

1 cup Walnuts, Almonds or Pecans, chopped (optional) (I did not have any of hand). Another option is 1/2 cup dried Candied Ginger, Cherries or Cranberries and 1/2 cup of any of these nuts.

Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookies

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Stir Flour with Baking Soda and Salt; set aside.

Using a bowl of your mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat Butter and Sugars at medium speed until creamy; about 3 to 4 minutes.

With a spatula go along sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.

Add Vanilla then Eggs one at a time, with mixer on low speed until incorporated; about 2 minutes.

Take spatula and go along sides of the bowl to make sure there are no Flour pockets and everything is blended well.

Fold in Chocolate Chips with a spatula just until incorporated.

Using a spoon or ice cream scoop, drop onto ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Use parchment paper to prevent sticking.

Spread cookie dough 2 inches apart.

Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cookie sheets cool completely before adding more dough to bake.

Let cookies cool for 3 to 4 minutes and using a wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely; about 1 hour.

If you want to serve the cookies warm, just rest on wire rack for 4 to 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

-Sophia Fry

Spritz Cookies

Spritz Cookies

Spritz Cookies

On Sunday, I baked 2 batches of Spritz Cookies for a holiday party at my job this past Monday. Everyone really loved them and they are very easy to bake. They are also one of the classic cookies baked during the holidays. I first made these cookies back in 2011 and since that time, my baking has really improved and I am pleased with my results this year.

I made these Spritz Cookies using my Cuisinart Electric Cookie Press, which I love by the way but takes some getting used to. I stick to the recipe in Cook’s Illustrated Holiday Baking, 2011, pgs. 26-27 (recipe below) because different recipes are tested and this recipe was the best one. These Spritz Cookies have great flavor and the shapes hold well. They are crisp when you bite into them and soft inside. I tinted part of the dough red and green for variety, but you can use any colors you like. I also used colored sugars and sprinkles, but this is optional. Spritz Cookies are beautiful on their own using different shapes from your cookies press. If you want to change the flavor profile, substitute the pure vanilla extract to almond, coconut, orange or lemon extract.

Makes about 6 dozen 1 1/2 inch cookies.

Close-up view, Spritz Cookies

Ingredients

1 Extra Large Egg, just the yolk

1 tablespoon Heavy Cream

1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) Unsalted Butter, softened

2/3 cup Granulated Sugar

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

Colored Sugars and Sprinkles, optional

Gel Food Coloring, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, beat Egg Yolk, Heavy Cream and Vanilla Extract with a fork until combined; set aside.

In a bowl of your mixer with the paddle attachment, cream Butter, Sugar and Salt on medium high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.

Scrape down bowl with spatula.

With mixer running on medium speed, add Yolk-Cream-Vanilla mixture and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds.

With mixer running on low speed, gradually add Flour and beat until combined.

Scrape down bowl with spatula and give a final stir to make sure no flour pockets remain.

Dough will be soft, but do not refrigerate.

Another close-up view, Spritz Cookies

If you want to tint dough, separate depending on how many colors you want. I used red and green gel colors and separated dough into two glass bowls. Add 4-5 drops at a time and combine with a spatula until desired color is reached.

Fit your cookies press with desired disk to form cookies.

Press dough onto an ungreased baking sheet, spacing about 1 1/2 inches apart.

If desired, decorate with colored sugars and sprinkles.

Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are light golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

Remember to cool cookie sheets completely before you press more cookies or the cookies will lose their shape.

Cool cookies on sheet for about 3 to 5 minutes and with a wide metal spatula transfer to wire rack and cool completely, about 1 hour.

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving 2013

Lemon, Rosemary and Thyme Turkey!

On Thanksgiving we go to my Mom's for a typical Dominican dinner of Turkey and Pernil (Roast Pork), White Rice, Black Beans, Potato Salad, Salad Greens, Sliced Avocado and Sweet Potatoes. I made Pumpkin Pie, Potato Salad and Salad. My sister in law Sonia, made Brazilian Cheesy Bread and Stuffing for us. She was catering a dinner and unfortunately could not be with us. On Black Friday, Allen and me stay home in our PJs and cook up our own Thanksgiving dinner and we enjoy leftovers for days. Our Thanksgiving dinner consisted of Turkey, Giblet Gravy, Stuffing, and Jalapeño-Sour Cream-Chives Mashed Potatoes, Dinner Rolls and Cranberry Jelly.

Lemon, Rosemary and Thyme Turkey

This Turkey recipe is the third one I have made and is so juicy thanks to the Compound Butter. Not only is the Turkey moist, it is rich with flavor from the Herbs (Thyme, Rosemary) and Lemon slices under the skin and stuffed inside the cavity.

My advice to you is to have all the ingredients out and prep everything in advance to save time and to make sure you have all the ingredients you need.

Lemon, Rosemary and Thyme Turkey; pic from another angle

Ingredients

12-16 pound Turkey (thawed)

1 bunch of fresh Thyme, + 3 tablespoons minced

1 bunch of fresh Rosemary, + 3 tablespoons minced

3 lemons

Zest of 1 Lemon

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Black Pepper

2 sticks unsalted Butter, room temperature

2 Shallots, minced

2 Garlic cloves, minced

Close-up of Lemon, Rosemary and Thyme Turkey

Directions

Once Turkey has come to room temperature pat dry with paper towels.

Remove Neck and Giblets and put aside for the Gravy.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Make sure oven shelf is positioned in the lower third of the oven.

Compound Butter 

Make the Compound Butter:
In a large bowl, combine Butter, minced Thyme and Rosemary, Shallots, Garlic, Lemon Zest, Lemon Juice, Kosher Salt and Black Pepper with a spatula. Combine well.

Place Turkey in a roasting pan with a rack and season inside the cavity with Kosher Salt and Black Pepper.

Take two lemons and poke them all over with a fork and stuff inside the cavity of the Turkey. Then stuff the bunches of Thyme and Rosemary inside the cavity.

With a small spatula take compound Butter and carefully put under the skin of the Turkey. You can also do this with your hands but make sure you do not have rings on so you do not break the skin.

Thinly slice remaining 1/2 lemon and slide into the skin.

Take Olive Oil and rub all over the Turkey.

Season with a good amount of Kosher Salt and Black Pepper.

Place in oven and roast for 20 minutes at 425 degrees.

After the first 20 minutes, lower temperature to 325 degrees. For cooking time look at Turkey package instructions for guidelines according to how many pounds your Turkey is. Our Turkey was 12 pounds and cooked in 3 1/2 hours. The Turkey will be cooked when an instant read thermometer inserted into the thick part of the leg joint is at 160-165 degrees.

Take cooked Turkey out of oven and cover it with foil and let it rest for 1 hour before serving.

Giblet Gravy

Giblet Gravy

I love this Giblet Gravy. It is rich in taste and is worth the effort you put into it. The Bay Leaf comes from my In-laws backyard so I just wanted to share that! :)

Ingredients

4 cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock

Turkey Neck and Giblets

4 tablespoons, Flour

1 Bay Leaf

1/2 stick, unsalted Butter

4 tablespoons, Carrots, chopped

4 tablespoons, Celery, chopped

4 tablespoons, Shallots, chopped

3 cloves Garlic, minced

Kosher Salt

Directions

In a large pot, add Neck, Giblets and all the pan drippings from Turkey (remove excess fat), Chicken Stock and Bay Leaf. Heat on low-medium heat for about 15-20 minutes.

In another large pot, on medium heat, melt Butter and add Carrots, Celery, Shallots and Garlic. Cook in Butter until slightly browned. About 10 minutes.

Stir Flour into Butter and Veggies to make a roux.

Cook for a few minutes until the roux turns golden brown in color. I feel so Julia Child doing this.

Drain stock to remove Neck and Giblets and return stock to pot. Slowly pour the stock in the pan with the roux, whisking as you add it. Do not stop whisking. Once incorporated stop whisking and return to a boil. Then lower heat to a simmer and reduce by a third. Takes about 15-20 minutes.

Strain the gravy through a mesh strainer. Season to taste with kosher salt.

Jalapeño-Sour Cream-Chives Mashed Potatoes

Jalapeno-Sour Cream-Chives Mashed Potatoes

To give this dish a kick, I added roasted Jalapeños which are not store bought. The Jalapeños are from Allen's urban garden (in our apartment windowsill) and it gives the mashed potatoes added texture and goes great with the Chives. These mashed potatoes are so creamy and a little spicy too!

Ingredients

2-6 Jalapeños (depends on size and how much heat you want)

3-5 pounds Potatoes

3-4 tablespoons, Chives

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1 1/2 cups Milk

6 tablespoons, Unsalted Butter

Kosher Salt

Olive Oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Jalapenos

Wash Jalapeños in cold water and pat dry with paper towel.

Cut top off and slice Jalapeños in half, remove seeds and membrane or leave them in.

Coat Jalapeños with Olive Oil and Kosher Salt on both sides. Place on cookie sheet.

Roast in oven for about 20 minutes; turn over half way through.

Roasted Jalapenos

Let cool and chop, set aside for now.

Chop Chives, set aside for now.

Peel and cut Potatoes in half. Place Potatoes in a large pot with cold water and add Kosher Salt.

Bring Potatoes to a boil on medium-high heat, then lower heat and simmer uncovered for 12-15 minutes. Make sure Potatoes are fork tender.

In a small saucepan, heat Milk and Butter until Butter melts and is hot. Do not let it boil. Remove from heat until Potatoes are cooked.

Close-up of Jalapeno-Sour Cream-Chives Mashed Potatoes

When Potatoes are cooked, drain in colander and return to pot or a large bowl. Mash the Potatoes with a masher or use a food mill for as long as it takes to get the texture you want. I like mine with some lumps but not chunks of potatoes. I used a masher since I do not own a food mill yet.

Slowly add melted Butter and Milk mixture and stir with a spatula. Keep adding as you mash until you have poured it all in and the Potatoes have a creamy texture.

Add Sour Cream, Jalapeños and Chives and blend together well. Add 2 teaspoons of Kosher Salt, taste and add more Kosher Salt if you wish.

Stuffing

Stuffing, yum!

Ingredients

Stove Top Chicken Stuffing (or any kind you like)

2 cups of sliced Mushrooms

1 Celery stalk

1 Shallot

1 Bay Leaf  (from Allen's parents backyard)

Close-up of Stuffing!

Directions

Take paper towel and clean Mushrooms gently removing excess dirt; slice Mushrooms.

With a peeler, remove outer skin of celery and thinly slice.

Chop Shallot

Follow box directions and add above ingredients for added taste and texture. This Stuffing is very hearty, moist and full of flavor.

This Stuffing was the Giblet Gravy's best friend.

Salad

I bought Salad Greens, Red Cabbage, Campari Tomatoes, Cucumber, Radish, Shredded Carrots, Croutons and Blueberries.

I had the dressing on the side so the salad wouldn't get mushy. I bought Olde Cape Cod Balsamic with Olive Oil Vinagrette.

Salad I made for Thanksgiving at my Mom's

Potato Salad

Potato Salad I made for Thanksgiving at my Mom's.

Ingredients

1 bag Potatoes

6 Eggs

Mayonnaise

Pickle Relish

Shallot

Dijon Mustard

Apple Cider Vinegar

Kosher Salt

Directions

I do not measure the ingredients I use in my Potato Salad. 

All you need to do is cook the Potatoes, let them cool and peel them and cut into even pieces.

Cook Eggs and smash them with a fork, put aside until you are ready to add everything to Potatoes.

Chop 1/2 or 1 Shallot depending on how much you want.

In a large bowl, add Potatoes, Eggs, and as much Mayo, Relish, Shallot, Dijon Mustard, Apple Cider Vinegar as you want. I use a wooden spoon to blend everything together. Some people like less Mayo than others so add the amount you like.

Add 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt. Stir well.

Taste and add more Vinegar or Salt if needed.

Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight if possible.

-Sophia and Allen/Two Frys

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie

On Thursday morning, I baked two Pumpkin Pies, one to take to my Mom's Thanksgiving dinner. This is the famous Libby's recipe, but I just add Nutmeg. This is the best tasting Pumpkin Pie and so simple to do.

Ingredients

1 box Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust

1 can (12 oz) NESTLE CARNATION Evaporated Milk

1 can (15 oz) LIBBY's 100% Pure Pumpkin

2 Large Eggs, + 1 Egg just the Egg Whites, lightly beaten

3/4 cup Granulated Sugar, + 1 teaspoon to sprinkle around Pie Crust

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground Nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground Ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground Cloves

Pumpkin cutout

Pumpkin Cutouts to top the pie

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Let Pie Crust come to room temperature for 15 minutes and place into glass or ceramic pie dish and press sides and bottom firmly.

Decorate edge of Pie Crust whichever way you want. I made one using the edge of a fork going in opposite directions around the Crust and crimped the other one.

Take 1 Pie Crust and make as many Pumpkin Cutouts as you wish. I do three for each Pie. If you are not baking right away, cover Pumpkin Cutouts with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Freeze extra Pie Crust for later use.

Place Pumpkin Cutouts on a cookie sheet, brush them lightly with Egg White Wash and sprinkle Sugar. Put aside for now.

Pumpkin Pie

In a medium sized bowl, add Sugar, Salt, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger and Cloves and combine with a spatula. Put aside for now.

In a large sized bowl, beat 2 Eggs for a few minutes with a handheld or stand mixer. Add Pumpkin and mix for one minute and then Sugar-Spice concoction. Mix together for one minute. Gradually add Evaporated Milk as you mix until all the ingredients are combined.

Carefully pour into pie shell.

Brush outer edge of Crust lightly with Egg Wash and sprinkle Sugar around it.

Bake Pumpkin Pie at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

Place Pumpkin Cutouts in oven for 7 to 9 minutes until Crust is golden brown. Remove and place on cooling rack for 1/2 hour.

My piece of Pumpkin Pie with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream; second pie I baked for Allen and me

After the first 15 minutes of baking, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Place pie shield or cut strips of aluminum foil over Crust to prevent burning. Bake for another 40 to 55 minutes until cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. My pie took 50 minutes. Since every oven is different check your pie at the 40 minute mark.

After 20 minutes of cooling, place decorative Pumpkin Cutouts gently on top of Pumpkin Pie. Cool Pumpkin Pie on a cooling/wire rack for 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours, so it can set. Keep refrigerated until you serve.

Enjoy with Whipped Cream or Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Sprinkle Pumpkin Pie spice on top of the Whipped Cream or Ice Cream if you wish!

-Sophia/Two Frys

Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cake

Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cake

Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cake

A week before Halloween, I was shopping for the ingredients I needed for my Halloween cookies and I came across Pillsbury Specialty Gingerbread Mix. I bought it because you can make Gingerbread cookies or cake with just a few ingredients. To make it even more interesting, I bought a bag of Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Premium Baking Chips.

This Gingerbread Cake tastes like it was made from scratch and the dark chocolate bittersweet chips compliment the Gingerbread so well, and when warm they melt in your mouth. This cake is dense and has a strong flavor profile, so it does not need frosting. When you do not have a lot of time or have a craving for Gingerbread, try this mix. You can also make cupcakes or buy two boxes and make a Gingerbread Layer Cake with whatever frosting you like.

Main Ingredients - so simple!

Ingredients

1 box Pillsbury Specialty Gingerbread Mix

1/2 cup Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Premium Baking Chips

1 Extra Large Egg

1 cup Water

Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cake fresh out the oven, time to cool

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Using a large bowl and a whisk, combine the Mix, Water and Egg until well blended (about 2-3 minutes). Add Chocolate Chips and fold in gently with a spatula.

Pour into an ungreased square pan and bake.

8x8-inch pan - 25 to 30 minutes.

9x9-inch pan - 20 to 25 minutes.

Place on wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.

I prefer this Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cake warm, so I microwave it for about 30-45 seconds (do it 15 seconds at a time until you reach desired warmth) and serve with a dollop of Whipped Cream.

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys

Boneyard Cake

Boneyard Cake

Boneyard Cake

This Boneyard Cake is fun to make and by using a cake mix and ready made frosting is quick too. I made Sugar Cookies this weekend and saved two coffins, tombstones and a black cat for this cake.

Ingredients
1 Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake Mix

3 Extra Large Eggs

1 cup Water

1/3 cup Vegetable or Canola oil

1 Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style Dark Chocolate Fudge

1 bag Skulls and Bones Fruit Hard Candy

1 bag Grave Gummies

1 bag Mellocream Pumpkins

1 bag Oreo Cookies

Black Cat in the Boneyard

Directions
Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.

Grease a 13 x 9-inch glass or metal pan (I used a Pyrex glass pan)

In the bowl of a mixer add the cake  mix, eggs, water and vegetable and canola oil and mix on low for about 1 minute. Turn mixer to medium and blend ingredients for another 2 minutes.

Tombstones and Coffins, oh my!

Pour cake batter into pan and spread evenly with a spatula or knife.

Bake for 26-31 minutes.

Note - If you use a metal pan, preheat the oven at 325 degrees and add 3-5 minutes to baking time.

While cake is baking remove the creamy center from the Oreos, and place them in a large Ziploc bag. Put the bag on a cutting board and with a rolling pin go back and forth until the Oreos look like dirt. Put aside for now.

Boneyard Cake

Let cake cool completely, about 1 hour.

Add Dark Chocolate Fudge frosting to cake and spread evenly.

Add your Oreo dirt and over the frosting.

Take your Cookies, Skull candy, Grave Gummies, Mellocream Pumpkins and decorate as you wish.

Let set for at least an hour in the fridge.

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys

Halloween Cookies

Halloween Cookies

Halloween Cookies

Skull Cookie

I took a vacation day Friday so I could bake in celebration of Halloween, so I made cookies and a Boneyard Cake. It took two days since I wanted my Royal Icing to dry completely before I continued decorating the cookies. I used various cookie cutters: tombstone, coffin, cat, bat, skull, witch hat, pumpkin, ghost and round cutter. I also used various Wilton sprinkles and some stencils to decorate.

Halloween Cookies

Coffin Cookie

Sugar Cookie Ingredients
2 packages Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix

2 Extra Large Eggs

4 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour

2/3 cup Butter, softened

2 teaspoons Whole Milk

2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract (You can substitute with Almond Extract if you wish)

Halloween Cookies

Black Cat Cookie

Instructions
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together Cookie Mix, Flour, Eggs, Butter, Milk and Vanilla until a stiff Dough forms.

Halloween Cookies

Witch Hat Cookie

On a floured surface, take Dough and form into a ball. Cover in plastic wrap and place in freezer for about 30 minutes so it can harden and be easy to roll out..

Take a rolling pin and rub Flour all around it.

Halloween Cookies

Ghost Cookie

Take a quarter of the Dough and keep the rest in plastic wrap in the fridge until you need to use it. Roll Dough with rolling pin and use cookie cutters to make shapes. Repeat until you run out of Dough.

Place Cookies in sheets lined with parchment paper and space far enough so they do not spread together.

Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

Wait 2 minutes before you remove Cookies to wire rack to cool completely before you decorate.

Halloween Cookies

Orange Cat Cookie

Royal Icing Ingredients and Instructions

I used Wilton Orange Gel Color and made a lot of White Royal Icing. I used Wilton Cookie Icing Black and just had to microwave for a few minutes before using.

Use a funnel to pour Royal Icing in Squeeze Bottle

Go to Joy Of Baking, http://www.joyofbaking.com/RoyalIcing.html for Royal Icing ingredients and instructions.

Squeeze Bottles filled with Royal Icing, have small tips to make great borders

Witch Hat Cookie

I made 2 consistencies of Royal Icing for borders and to fill the cookies. Joy of Baking has great information about Royal Icing and this is a great recipe. I made the Royal Icing with Egg Whites, Lemon Juice and Powdered Sugar and poured into Squeeze Bottles. I loved using the Squeeze Bottles and recommend you try them if you haven't yet.

Outlined Cookie with Royal Icing

Pumpkin Cookies with Orange Royal Icing 

My Bat Cookies were inspired by jennysteffens.com: http://jennysteffens.blogspot.com/2013/10/spooky-bat-sugar-cookies-halloween.html.

Bat Cookie, Royal Icing needs to dry!

Bat Cookie

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

-Sophia/Two Frys

SuckleBusters Texas Heat Chipotle Pepper Sauce

SuckleBusters Texas Heat Chipotle Pepper Sauce 

SuckleBusters Texas Heat Chipotle Pepper Sauce

My wife is a big fan of SuckleBusters Texas Heat Chipotle Pepper Sauce as am I. This medium heat index, award winning pepper-based sauce brings on the heat slowly, but leaves quite an impact. We used this sauce on oven baked Chicken Wings and the Chipotle was ever present. While I can handle extreme heat hot sauces, I really enjoyed the strong flavor profile of this sauce. You do not lose the robust flavor from baking, and the Chicken Wings ended up with a smoky Chipotle kick. We wiped out these Wings in record time - that's how good this sauce tasted!

The ingredients are: Chile Peppers, Water, Vinegar, Salt, Sugar, Onion, Garlic, Chipotle, Spices and Xanthum Gum. The combination of ingredients will please all hot sauce aficionados, no matter what your heat preference is. I would also recommend SuckleBusters Texas Heat Chipotle Pepper Sauce with Ribs and on Steak.

To order SuckleBusters or for further information, go to: http://www.sucklebusters.com/.

Two Frys reviewed another SuckleBusters product last year, http://twofrys.blogspot.com/2012/05/sucklebusters-fresh-salsa-fixins.html.

-Allen/Two Frys