Thanksgiving Pictures

Hey guyss! So I know its kinda, just a little, VERY late, but I still want to post my thanksgiving pictures. So my thanksgiving was pretty interesting (to be honest Black Friday was probably more fun) and I ate, like a lot. So basically we stayed up super late baking the night before and some more the next morning and this is how it all turned out:

Soooo this is the pumpkin pies I made and btw ik it says its for 30 min but it came to about an hour for baking. Oh and I heard it tasted really good, not that I got to eat any but ya

Ooh and these are the pumpkin spice cookies as you can see, well my mom really liked them so we made them again, doubling the batch and adding more spices.

These are actually store bought mixes but they taste pretty good. And ya my mom went a little crazy with the icing lol

Oh and sorry I took forever to post this, it took a while to track down the pumpkin pie photo.

Also, I hope all of you had a great thanksgiving!:)

Pumpkin Pie

So its 11:30 and night right now and in a half hour it'll be thanksgiving!! So my mom, sister, and I were full on baking the last few hours (I'll post pics in the morning). And I found this great pumpkin pie recipe and I wanted to show you guys. So here it is.

Ingredients

- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened

- 2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed

- 1 cup sugar

- 1/4th teaspoon salt

- 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

- 1 cup half-and-half

- 1/4th cup melted butter (so half a stick)

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

- 1/4 tsp ground ginger, optional

- 1 piece pre-made pie dough

- whipped cream for topping

Procedure

1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2- Place one piece of the Pre-made pie dough and press down along the bottoms and all side. Pinch and crimp the edges. Put the pie shell into the freezer for an hour to firm up (or a half according to some sources); it just needs to be well- done otherwise it wont hold up. Fit a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper to cover the shell completely. Fill the shell with pie weights, you can also use rice or beans. Bake for ten minutes. Remove the foil and pie weights, and bake for another ten or until the crust is dried and beginning to turn colors. 

Okay so this seems like a ton of work and it kinda is, so that's why a lot of people generally get pre-made crust at the store. Yes, they do work, but I was committed (and stupid) enough to be stubborn enough to want to make my own. I used Mrs. Kirk's recipe, from Missy's Meanderings :D.  And the good thing is, there are two extra pie shells from that recipe, so my moms already begging for cheesecake:P. 

2- For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer.

Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. 

Add the sugar, salt, and beat some moreeeee. 

And add the eggs, half and half, and melted butter. Beat until combined. 

So I'm a genius right, and I put the butter in for wayyy too long in the microwave and there was loud bubbling noises and etc..:/ Okay now add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger if you're using it. Beat until combined.

okayokay weird filters ik sorry

3- Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes. The center should be set. Then place the pie onto a wire rack to cool to room temp. Cut into slices and add whipped cream.

4- Enjoy:)

Okay I'll post final product pics tomorrow. And along with all the other things we baked. Oh and have a GREAT thanksgiving...I'll be enjoying my tofurkey....ugh the downsides of being vegetarian... 

Pumpkin- Pecan Spice Cookies

So I found this recipe while scouring the internet and it looked really good so I had to post it. And its so autumny and festive asdslkjg. I haven't actually baked anything like this so I'm excited. I usually stick to my basic chocolate chip cookies... But I know I'm going to mess up so sorry guys in advance. And ya this sorta takes forever to bake. But as I said it looks awesome and its great for the holidays or for a fall party, and it makes a ton of servings, so ya. And okay ill shut up and bake now.

Serving Size- 42

Ingredients 

- 1 1/2 cups of packed light brown sugar

- 1/2  cup of butter 

- 2 eggs 

- 1/2 cup of can pumpkin (not the mix)

- 3 tsp vanilla

- 2 3/4 cup of all purpose flour

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp ground cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp ground ginger

- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

- 1/8 tsp ground allspice

- 1/8 tsp ground cloves

- pinch of ground cardamon 

- 1 1/3 cup finely chopped pecan

- 1/2 cup white vanilla baking chips

- 4 oz vanilla flavored candy coating (almond bark) chopped

I put a bunch of these pics through a weird filter

Procedure 

1- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

2- In a large bowl, beat brown sugar, eggs, butter, pumpkin, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed.

3- Stir in flour, baking powder, and spices.

4- Stir in pecans and baking chips.

5- Drop the dough by tablespoon onto the cookie sheets.

6- Bake for 10- 20 min or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove to the cooling rack. Cool 

completely, about 30 min.  

7-  Place the candy coating in a small resealable freezer plastic bag; seal the bag. Microwave on high for about one minute, or until softened. 

Oh ya so funny story I wuz trying to search for the almond bark at Fry's and I couldn't find it so I told the the person and he called customer service like TEN times but no one came but eventually I found it so its all good.

8- Gently squeeze the bag until  the coating is smooth. Cut off a tiny corner of the bag. Squeeze the bag to drizzle over the cookies. Let stand. 

Okay so this how it turns out .

It actually didn't take that long and it wuznt that hard... But they turn out awesome and They'r all festive and you should definitely try baking them

Four Quick Ways to Soften Butter

So the temperature of butter can be pretty important when it comes to baking. It plays a large role in the consistency of the final product. More than once have I messed up cookies by melting the butter when the recipe called for softened. And knowing me, I always forget to set out the butter ahead of time. You can always set them in the microwave for a few seconds but I hate how it turns out cold on the outside and melted on the inside. So here are three tips to avoid making the same mistake.



1- Cut the butter into chunks- Smaller chunks of butter will heat up quicker than one large piece, especially if placed near a heated area.
2- Pound the butter- Put the butter in a zip-lock back and use a rolling pin or a meat pounder to soften the butter, trust me this is way more fun than it sounds. Then let it get to room temp on the counter
3-  Set the butter over warm water- Ya this always works, the butter just heats right up. But keep a careful eye to prevent the butter from melting
4- Use a Cheese Grater- Its great for beating the butter ahead of time as well.

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

So I didn't bake these this time, so I don't have pictures for you guys, but I'v made these before and they turn out awesome I promise.Well that's if its the recipe I used before :P I'm not sure, I just know its from allrecipies.com. So Just don't over bake, and also, feel free to substitute almond butter, it turns out great!

Ingredients:

- 1 cup unsalted butter

- 1 cup crunchy peanut butter

- 1 cup white sugar

- 1 cup packed brown sugar

- 2 eggs

- 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Procedure:

1- Cream together the butter, peanut butter, sugar, and mix. Then beat in the eggs.

2- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir it into the batter and mix well. Then refrigerate for an hour. 

3- Roll into 1in balls and place on baking sheets. Flatten each with a fork ( you can dip it in milk ). Make criss-cross patterns with your fork. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for around 10 min. DONT OVERBAKE OKAY, EVEN IF IT SEEMS LIKE ITS NOT DONE, WAIT FOR IT TO COOL DOWN A LITTLE BEFORE BAKING IT MORE. so ya i made my point.

okay so this is basically how it turns out, its from the website

So isn't peanut butter like the best thing EVER. And ya hope it turns out great. See you next timeee

Apple Strudel Muffins

My mommy made these for breakfast and they tasted pretty good, so I decided to post the recipe. Sorry guys, I have a huge physics test tomorrow so I couldn't bake anything. I sorta stole her recipe but whatever...So here it is

Ingredients: 

- 2 cups all purpose flour

- 1 tsp baking powder 

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 cup butter

- 1 cup white sugar

- 2 eggs

- 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

- 1 1/2 cups chopped apples

- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar

- 1 tbs all purpose flour

- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

- 1 tbs butter

Procedure:

1- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan.

2- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. 

3- In large bowl, beat the butter (1/2cup), white sugar, and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Stir in the apples, and gradually blend the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan. 

4- In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until the mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan. 

5- Bake for around 20 minutes, and set it to cool down for 5 minutes before removing the muffins from the pan.

6- Enjoy:) 

Peanut Butter Cup Sandwich Cookies

These treats are perfect for the holidays, and even better with a glass of milk:).

Ingredients:

Cookies

-1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 3/4 cup unsalted, softened butter 

- 1/2 cup granulated sugar

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

- 1 egg

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 2 cups chopped peanut butter cups

Filling

- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

- 3/4 unsalted, softened butter

- 3/4 cup powdered sugar

- pinch of salt

Procedure:

Cookies

1- Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

3- In a larger bowl, beat together the sugar, brown sugar, butter, and peanut butter until creamy.

4- Beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture.

5- Stir in the peanut butter cups.

6- Drop the dough from tablespoons into the cookie sheets. Heat for 8-10 minutes. Let cool for around 4 min.

Filling

1- In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter and butter until creamy and smooth. On a low speed, add the powdered sugar and salt. Beat until combined.

2-  Increase the speed to high, and beat for a few minutes until light and fluffy.

3- Take one cookie, and spread the frosting onto the flat side. Take another, and place on top, flat side down. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

If your dough is too warm, stick it in the fridge for a while. 

Enjoy:)

Microwave Fudge

Okay guys this recipe is super easy and quick like a four-year-old could figure this out. And it actually turns out pretty good. Well that's in my opinion. It's like super sweet so if you want, add less chocolate chips. I really don't know what else to say.....So here's the recipieee.

Ingredients:

-1/4 cup butter
- 3 cups chocolate chips
- 1 14 ounce can of condensed milk
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Procedure:

1. Line an 8x8 bowl with aluminum foil. Spread it with cooking spray.

2. Pour the milk, chocolate chips, and the butter in a separate, microwavable bowl.

3. Set the bowl in the microwave for one minute. Then mix.

4. Set the bowl for another minute, then mix again. If needed, put it in for another minute, just make sure its all mixed in well.

5.  Add the vanilla extract and the salt into the bowl.

6. Pour the mixture into the 8x8 bowl. Refrigerate this for at least two hours.

7. Wait for it to be room temperature. Then enjoy:).



Lol so I didn't read the part about waiting two hours before eating....so I stayed up until 11..... andddd ya i fail. Don't do what I did guys.. Thanks for reading, byeeeeeee. 

Saffron-Vanilla Snickerdoodles

Okay so this is one of those recipes that if you do everything carefully it will taste amazing, but be warned its really easy to mess up. The saffron is a major variable in itself.  This is one of the most expensive spices for a reason, its hard to find anything else like it. The taste can be overpowering so make sure not to add too much or too little.  Honestly the challenges were what made me actually want to try out this recipe:). Also, if u don't have half a vanilla bean ready, you can substitute by adding double the vanilla extract. Okay guys, ill shut up now. Good luck and hope it turns out great!

Ingredients:

-1/4 tsp of ground saffron

- 4 tbs milk

- 4 cups all purpose flour 

- 2 tsp baking soda 

- 1 cup of unsalted butter at room temp.

- 1 cup granulated white sugar 

- 1 cup of packed light brown sugar 

- 2 tsp salt 

- 2 egg, room temp.

-2 tsp vanilla extract

Procedure:

1- Grind the saffron with a mortar and pestle until it becomes powdery. The finer the saffron, the richer it's color and taste will turn out.

2- Combine the milk, vanilla extract, and saffron in a small bowl. Microwave it for ten to twenty seconds. Cover and let steep for 10 min. The color should look like turmeric.

3- In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking soda. 

4- In another bowl, beat the butter on low speed for 1-2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Mix well on low speed until well combined. Then mix again for 3-5 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.

5- Add the egg to the milk mixture and beat well.

So at this point you should have three separate bowls, the saffron milk, the flour, and the butter/ sugar.

6- Slowly add the milk mixture to the butter while beating on low speed. Then add the flour mixture, also at medium speed. At this point you should keep mixing until the batter is uniform. 

7- Scrape the dough into an airtight container, or form a disc shape and cover it with plastic wrap.

8- Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hrs and up to days.

9- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Form small balls with the dough and place them around 2 in apart on a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake them for around 16 min, making sure to rotate them halfway. Ideally, they should turn out golden, but still slightly under cooked in the middle. Let them cool for ten minutes, then enjoy:)

Okay so I'm glad i didn't mess up. And also for the different shapes, my sister did that lol so yea. And honestly it tasted awesome. If you guys decide to bake these, comment how they turned out. Thanks for reading my post!:)

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Peanut butter and chocolate are wonderful enough by themselves but combine them, and you have a truly

heavenly confection. Well, that's if you're a big peanut butter fan like me:). Iv baked these a  countless 

number of times, adding oatmeal, nuts, and other variations. So feel free to play around with this recipe as 

much as you like. However, I haven't tried this recipe myself, so if you guys decide to bake them, let me 

know how they turned out. And remember: when in need, always add more peanut butter. Its the secret to everything. Seriously. Everything.

Prep Time- 20 minutes

Bake Time- 12 minutes

350 degrees

Ingredients:

- 1 egg

- 1 cup brown sugar

- 1.5 cups flour

- 0.5 tsp baking soda

- 0.5 tsp baking powder

- 0.5 tsp salt

- half a bag of chocolate chips

- 0.5 tsp vanilla extract

- 0.5 cup peanut butter

- 0.5 cup softened butter

- less than a half cup of white sugar

Procedure

- Mix the butters, the brown sugar, and the egg in a bowl. Add the vanilla extract.

- In a separate, smaller bowl, combine the flour, soda, baking powder, and salt.After mixing, fold in the chocolate chips.

- Form small balls with the dough and slightly coat each with the white sugar. Place them on a cookie sheet or greased pan and press a fork onto each to flatten it. Make criss- cross patterns on each; they turn out to look great after baking! ( the last time I baked these I dipped the fork in milk before pressing it into the cookie and they turned out great)

- Pop them into the oven for around ten to twelve minutes at 350 degrees.  After baking, set them out to cool. They will still look moist after coming out of the oven so don't worry. Wait for them to cool down first, its better to be safe than sorry. No one wants an over-baked cookie.

So I hope your cookies turn out great:). And thanks for reading my post, but make sure to check out my next one. My finished product will be sweet as usual, but have a unique, bitter taste...well hopefully.. idk...I haven't baked it yet but I cant wait to!

Jack- O- Lantern

Hey guys its Halloween in a few days! Who's excited? So Sunday morning, my sister and i (so basically just me) spent like three hours carving a pumpkin. Y? I don't really know. And I know this isn't a baking post but it involves pumpkins sooo.. 

And this is how it turned out: 

And before you make fun, yes, its a cat. And guess what the eyes were supposed to look that retarded and you know what don't judge. By the end i was literally covered in pumpkin guts so this was interesting. And i did decently well considering i haven't carved  a pumpkin since kindergarten but  yea I know it sucks.

So have fun this Halloween! I might not go trick or treating but ill definitely be eating a lot of candy this Thursday :). As usual, feel free to comment or post suggestions.

Mini Blueberry Muffins

Happy Wednesday:) no..not really. Wednesdays are worse than Mondays. Nonetheless, my day got a little bit sweeter after these. Mini Blueberry Muffins. So lately I'v been experimenting with pastries I'm not particularly a huge fan of. This includes muffins.  However, everything tastes better homemade so after finding a recipe, I decided to try it out for myself.

Ingredients:

- 2 cups

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 4tsp baking powder

- 1 egg

- 4tbls butter

- 3/4 cup milk

- 1 cup blueberries 

Procedure:

1- Lightly toss blueberries with a 1/4 cup of flour.

2- Mix the remaining flour with salt and baking powder.

3- Cream the butter and the sugar in a small bowl. 

4- Add the egg and beat well. 

5- Now with the next step, alternative between scooping in the dry stuff and pouring in the milk to the wet stuff. Yes, this is what I call it don't judge.

6-  Gently fold the blueberries into the mixture. Try to avoid killing them.

Yum:) Am I the only one that sometimes gets more attracted to the batter than the actual finished product?

7- Smooth the batter into lined or slightly greased muffin tins. 

I'm making mini muffins and these take a lot less time to bake than the regular sized. In my experience, the timing for mini muffins depends so keep a watchful eye out. I had to bake for much longer than said time (5-7min). Regular sized will take around 20min. 

8-Bake for 350 degrees. 

In the end, they should turn out to be golden topped with blueberries popped. 

And also as a side note its FALLLL and that means cinnamon and pies and pumpkins and everything else. So feel free to make requests for anything you guys want me to bake. Also, keep in mind that if I feel like it i might bring it to class after baking . I hope that's motivation enough:P.

Chocolate Mint Brownies

So its Sunday morning and I was lazing around on my laptop when I came across an particularly interesting recipe and i wanted to share it with you guys. I'v been searching for a good brownie recipe and I found these chocolate mint ones and all I have to say is that the name is enough to make me want to whip out my oven gloves. Mint anddd chocolate asdfghjkl. I have to say I'm not a big brownie fan but this seems like a promising recipe.

Ingredients:

- 8 ounces unsweetened chocolate

- 8 ounces unsalted butter

- 5 eggs (room temp.)

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1 tbs instant coffee or espresso

- 3.5 cups sugar

- 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour

- 2 pounds peppermint patties

Procedure:

- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil, shiny side down. Smooth the foil and spread it lightly with  nonstick cooking spray.

- Chop the chocolate and butter into cubes. Warm the chocolate and butter in a medium bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat as soon as they are melted and smooth.

- Whip the eggs, vanilla, salt, instant coffee, and sugar in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment for about ten minutes. They should turn out foamy and stiff.

- Stir in the chocolate mixture (by hand would work best), then the flour.

- Smooth half of the batter into the pan. Place a layer of peppermint patties over the chocolate; break them into pieces if necessary to fill in any large gaps.

- Pour the rest of the batter over the patties. Smooth the top.

- Bake the brownies for around 35 minutes. Make sure to rotate the brownies midway during baking. When the brownies are done, they will have a firm crust on top. A toothpick inserted into the center will come out wet. Make sure to avoid over baking the brownies. ( I have ruined sooo many recipes like this. Even if it seems like its not done, wait for it to finish cooling. Oftentimes, that can make a huge difference).

- Let the brownies cool completely, then lift them out of the pan and slice into rectangles.


Storage: They can be kept out at room temperature for up to three days. After that, freeze them for up to two months.

So this is obviously not your typical brownie concoction. I have to say I'll be trying this in the near future. Although more time consuming than normal recipes, it seems like its going to taste like heaven and would be great for any social gathering. This is how your brownies should turn out in the end:

Thanks for reading my post; comments or suggestions below. For my next recipe I'm thinking of baking something new so make sure to check it out (and if it turns out well I'll bring them in on Monday) :)

Nutella Cookies

My history with Nutella is pretty sad and consists of me literally taking a spoon and eating Nutella right out of the jar. And also I'm instantly in love with anything sweet. So be warned this recipe is for those with a sweet tooth.

So basically this is probably the easiest cookie recipe there is on the Internet. They take ten minutes to make and ten minutes to bake (haha that rhymed). But remember to make extra because once you start you can't stop. There are literally only FOUR ingredients involved, sugar, flour, eggs, and Nutella. But hold on. In advance, I do sincerely apologize if you gain ten pounds. Seriously guys, its made out of half a cup of Nutella, so beware. Kay that's all i have to say. You can start baking now. 

Yields: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

- 1/3 cup sugar

- 1/2 cup of Nutella

- 1 cup flour

- 2 eggs

Procedure:

Well there really isn't much. Go ahead and combine all your ingredients in a bowl and mix well, like really well because Nutella can be difficult to work with. If your consistency is too thick, go ahead and add more Nutella. Grease your cookies sheet and pop the cookies into the oven at 350 degrees. Bake for ten minutes and they should be done. Enjoy :) 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

So today for my first post,I'll share with u guys the best chocolate chip cookie recipe EVER. These cookies are a classic but still everyone's favorite. Everyone can use a good chocolate chip cookie recipe every once in a while, and is it just me or does homemade cookies always taste a million times better than store-bought? My point exactly. So next time your in the mood for these chocolaty wonders try out this recipe, and u wont be disappointed.:)

Yields: 6 dozen cookies 

Units: US

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cups white sugar

- 1 cup brown sugar

- 1 cup of softened butter

- 1 tbs vanilla extract 

- 2 large eggs

-3 cups all-purpose flour

- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

- 3/4 teaspoon salt

- 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Procedure:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

- Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

- Add vanilla and eggs and mix well.

-Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

- Gradually add the "dry stuff" to the "wet stuff". Mix well.

- Roll the dough into small ( 1 1/4") or large balls, depending on what size you want your cookies to be after baking. 

- Place the balls two inches apart on a non-stick cookie sheet.

- Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Some Extra Stuff:

- 1 cup of chopped walnuts or chopped pecans can be a tasty addition

Hope you guys like it.:) Feel free to add any comments or suggestions below.