Pinterest Tested: Snickerdoodles

Another test from Pinterest, this time Snickerdoodles. Again, this recipe came from Amandeleine (see what I mean, she has wonderful recipes!).

I will put this out there, I am not a fan of snickerdoodles. I have not made them since I made cookies for my uncles business in high school (yes, I was a baker! I made 18 cookies a day for maybe 2 years! I love baking, and clearly, someone loved eating my cookies). Anyway, my Dad loves Snickerdoodles, so we made these cookies for his birthday along with the chocolate chip cookies. Here is the recipe from Amandeleine.

Snickerdoodles

Adapted from Amandeleine

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cream together butter, shortening and 1 1/2 cups sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then blend in the vanilla.
3. Whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add to wet mixture and blend in.
4. Mix the 5 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon in a small ziploc bag.
5. Shape a heaping tablespoonful of dough into ball and place it into the cinnamon sugar bag. Shake the bag and roll the dough around until completely coated. Repeat and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
6. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

Makes approx. 4 dozen cookies

Results:

Addison loved them! I have not heard if Grandpa Bill did, so I'm not sure what that means. The rest of the Austin Family believes a cookie is not a cookie if it does not contain chocolate. At least I had Addison to eat all of the leftovers, right?! The cookie itself was easy enough to make and turned out great. I would recommend if you are into snickerdoodles.

Pinterst Tested:DoubleTree Hotel Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have already found THE Austin Family favorite chocolate chip cookie off of pinterest, but it is always fun to try another one, right? This recipe was off of Amandeleine, a website I have been following for a while. Unlike other recipes found on Pinterest where I do not know if they will turn out, I was pretty sure this recipe would since it was from a reliable source. Amandeleine has wonderful recipes!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (I did not use walnuts)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grind oats until fine. I used my nut grinder since it was easy, but a food processor would be great, too. Combine the ground oats with the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
3. Cream together the butter, sugars, vanilla, and lemon juice in another medium bowl with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and mix until smooth.
4. Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture and blend well. Add the chocolate chips and nuts to the dough and mix by hand until ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Spoon rounded spoonfuls or cookie scoopfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Place the scoops about 2 inches apart. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until cookies are light brown and soft in the middle. For the best results, chill the dough overnight in the refrigerator before baking the cookies. I only chilled mine for a few hours while I made other cookies. They turned out perfect.

Makes approx. 20-30 cookies

The Results:

I loved them! They are a great cookie for fall with the hint of spice in them, and I love oatmeal. Chris liked them, but he was hung up a bit after I told him that they had cinnamon in them (He did not notice while eating the 4 spoonfuls of cookie dough or the first 3 cookies. After telling him, he thought they had too much cinnamon!) Alivia was the same way. She would not eat them when she heard me say they had cinnamon in them. Gees! Addi and Asher (and Grandpa Bill) thought they were good. :)
I would recommend them. They are not better than our favorite chocolate chip cookie, but they are at least 4 1/2 stars out of 5...and that is pretty good!

Double Tree Hotel chocolate chip cookie PIN
Our Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Pin

Pinterest Tested: French Bread

It was done in no time in my super cooker oven.

There is nothing like melt in your mouth French Bread. Mmmm! Remember Alberson's French Bread anyone???

After my last attempt to make homemade bread went well, Chris wanted more. Today it is on the cooler side (I am trying to be positive about the changing weather), so it seemed perfect for bread making.

On this pin, the direction were not very clear. You were walked through some of the ingredients while others were never mentioned? (Oil, sugar, salt??). Whatever, I hope it turns out.

Recipe:

3 cups whole wheat flour (I used bread flour)

2 Tablespoons instant dry yeast

2 cups hot water (120-130 degrees)

2 Tablespoons oil

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2-3 cups  unbleached flour (I used 3 cups)

1 egg white

1 Tablespoon water

Bake at 375  for 22-25 minutes or until deep golden brown

Recipe adapted from Pinterest and http://www.howdoesshe.com/french-bread/. 

It turned out YUMMY! 5 out of 5 stars!! Best warm right out of the oven with butter. Mmmm!

Pinterst Tested: Flourless Fudge Chocolate Chip Cookies

Let me make note, Chris pinned these cookies. Yes, Chris looks at Pinterst upon occasion. I like it when he does as I can check out his pins and please him by making them. :) We were invited to dinner at his parents last night, so I made these to take along.

What I did not realize until I started to make them is that they are quite similar to the rocky road cookies that I made without the marshmallows. Although both recipes are gluten free, we are no way going gluten free (Sorry Courtney, I cold not do it! :) ).

This recipe is oh so yummy. I did not have parchment paper, but I would recommend getting some prior to making these. I had to Pam the pan and the spatula to get them off of the pan. They have a somewhat crispy outer layer while the inside in soft and fudgy. They are quite good.

{Flourless} Fudge Chocolate Chip Cookies

found on Keep it Sweet adapted from Recipe Girl 

Pinned from http://chocolateandcarrots.com/2011/07/flourless-fudge-chocolate-chip-cookies

Ingredients

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup unsweetened Hershey’s dark chocolate cocoa powder
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 2 to 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups 60% cacao chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Set aside two baking sheets with silpat mats or parchment paper.*Or these cookies become a total pain to make!
3. Mix together the powdered sugar with cocoa powder and salt. 
4. Mix the vanilla and egg whites starting with just two(but I used all 4). Beat just until the batter is moistened. You’re looking for a brownie-like, thick and fudgy batter consistency. If it seems too thick, add another egg white– then a 4th one if it still seems too thick.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Scoop via small cookie scoop, the batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Leave enough space between each cookie for them to spread.
7. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked. 
9. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Yield: 30 cookies

Pinterest Tested: Rocky Road Cookies

Another tried and true Pinterest Recipe (and oh so yummy!). I did my first monthly shopping today (yes, trying to go to the store only once a month but pop in 2 get milk and fruit only if needed at mid month. Another blog post to come I believe), and I did not buy any chocolate for myself. Walmart stopped stocking my favorite little snack mix with almonds, berries and dark chocolate, so I was left empty handed and quite mad at Walmart (I am a stockholder damn it!).

Moving on...

I had to make something chocolate to get by until I got my monthly M&Ms at Costco (which I also did today and will do only monthly now). This was the Pin I tried from Pinterest.

Rocky Road Cookies:

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 extra large egg whites
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2.5 oz sliced almonds, toasted (I skipped this as my kids would not like almonds in their cookies).
• 1 cup mini marshmallows

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line two sheet pans with parchment paper.* I did not have any, so I lightly sprayed the cookie sheets with Pam and it worked okay.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Whisk in the salt. Add the egg whites and vanilla and whisk until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and almonds.
3. Use a cookie scoop to portion out small mounds on to the parchment paper, then top each cookie with 4-5 marshmallows. Pop into the freezer for 5 minutes to chill slightly (this prevents them from spreading too much in the oven). * I did not do this and the cookies did not spread. So, who knows?
4. Bake for 12-13 minutes until the marshmallows are golden brown. Let the cookies sit on the paper for a few minutes to set, before moving them to a wire rack to cool. Are these ooey gooey or what? They are wonderful! 4 out of 5 of us liked them. Asher does not count entirely as he is fighting off a cold.

Recipe adapted from Creative Kitchen and from http://www.fifteenspatulas.com.

Okay, admittedly, they look gross. BUT THEY AREN'T! Just saying...

Pinterest Successes

Another day, another day to try another pin from Pinterest.


First up, SKINNY FUNFETTI CUPCAKES:

Skinny Funfetti Cupcakes Recipe:

(makes 24 cupcakes, 110 calories per frosted cupcake, 1.5 Weight Watchers Points)

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 pkg. Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix (just the powder, not the recipe on the box)

1 (12 ounce) can Sprite Zero 

Cupcake Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 24 cupcake tins with paper liners.  In a large bowl, combine cake mix and Sprite together.  Continue to mix until the batter is smooth without any lumps.  Pour approximately 1/4 cup of batter into every cupcake wrapper.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Let cool before frosting. 

Frosting Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) container Fat Free Cool Whip

1 (1.5 ounce) pkg. Fat Free Vanilla Jello Instant Pudding (just the powder, not the recipe on the box)

Frosting Directions:

In a mixing bowl, add Cool Whip and pudding.  Mix with a whisk by hand or an electric hand mixer until smooth.  Spread over cooled cupcakes.  Makes enough frosting for 24 cupcakes.

PINTEREST PIN from http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/08/skinny-funfetti-cupcakes-recipe.html 

Result: We would give them 4 out of 5 starts. They are really good. My frosting did not turn out white like the pin's image. Not sure why as I used the same ingredients, but that would be the only negative. The cupcakes are moist and yummy. The frosting is the kids' favorite. I will be using this pin again. 

Next up, HOMEMADE PLAY DOH.

We have made homemade play doh many times in the Austin House, but I thought I would try this recipe since I pinned it. I am not even sure it is any different than my previous recipe, actually. Anyway, here it goes.

Homemade Play Dough

  makes about 2.5 Cups

1 1/2 cups of flour
3/4 cups of salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 TB vegetable oil
1/2 TB cream of tarter
*food coloring
Mix all of the ingredients into a saucepan. Add the food coloring to your liking. Asher had fun helping me stir.

Set your stove top to medium-low. Stand by the pan and stir occasionally. When the batter look is gone and the ingredients start staying together when you stir (5-8 minutes), remove the pan from the heat. Lay out some wax paper and scoop play dough onto the wax paper. I usually knead the play doh into shape and make sure it has cooled enough to be played with.
Once the dough has been kneaded into a nice texture, it is time to play! Can be stored in an air tight container.

Recipe from this PIN and from http://anartnest.squarespace.com/home-made-play-dough/2009/4/19/home-made-play-dough-project.html