Munesah's Delish Chocolate Chip Cookies

We make these yummy cookies with whole wheat flour, but the recipe works well with all-purpose flour, too.  These are not overly sweet, but still very satisfying for your sweet tooth.





 
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) softened  butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups whole wheat or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
  

Beat sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Add flour, baking soda, and salt to butter mixture. Beat until ingredients are well blended. Add the chocolate chips and mix with thoroughly washed hands.

Roll  into one-inch (roughly) balls of  dough and set evenly spaced apart on ungreased pizza pan or cookie sheet. Bake for ten to twelve minutes on 350 degrees Fahrenheit. When cookies are cool enough to touch, remove from pan with spatula and serve. Enjoy dipped in milk or plain.

Makes about 18-24 good-sized cookies.

Stove-top Hot Cocoa

Hot Cocoa
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
Dash salt
1/3 cup water
4 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Boil water in a pot or saucepan. Stir in cocoa, sugar, and salt. Mash out any lumps and stir until boils. Continue mixing on a medium setting for about two minutes, then add  milk. Heat through, but do not boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir well, then serve. Makes about three good-sized servings. Enjoy!

Surprise Inside Muffins

It is only a surprise if you don't tell others what is in the muffins.







1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon flax meal, optional
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup milk
3/4 filling (jam, honey, chopped nuts, berries)


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 12 cup muffin pan or place paper muffin cups in muffin pan.

2. In a large bowl mix flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt, and flax meal if using. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Prepare filling, if necessary and set aside.

3. In a smaller bowl add egg, oil, milk and mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into well made in dry ingredients. Stir just until mixed do not over mix. It will be slightly lumpy.

4. Pour a tablespoon full of batter into each muffin cup then add filling, about a teaspoon full. Top each muffin off with about a teaspoon more of batter. This should finish off the batter.

5. Bake in 350 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes.  A toothpick should come out clean when pressed into a muffin.  Let them cool for about 5 minutes or until you can handle the pan safely.

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake
 2 cups all purpose flour 
 2 teaspoons baking power
 2 teaspoons baking soda  
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 2 teaspoons cinnamon
 2 cups white sugar
 4 eggs 
 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil         4 cups grated carrot           3/4 chopped walnuts 




Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Grease and flour three 8 inch pans. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In stand mixer, throughly mix the eggs and sugar on low speed. Blend in the oil, then gradually add the dry mixture. Scrape sides with a spatula, the fold in the carrot and walnuts. Divide evenly into the three prepared pans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in preheated oven, or until tooth pick comes out clean. Wait ten minutes, then loosen the cakes from the pans and finish cooling. Make Cream Cheese frosting. Frost in-between layers, and frost decoratively as you desire. 

Can also fit in a  9 x 13 glass pan, greased.

Note: I thought the texture of this cake was very much like a sweet bread (banana or zucchini). This would make a great "snack cake" without the frosting. I recommend using less frosting than we did. Cream Cheese frosting is very sweet and a little goes a long way.



  

Biscuity Goodness

Breakfast Biscuits

A slightly sweet biscuit we generally eat for breakfast. These are good for egg sandwiches, drizzled with honey, or spread jam.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons flax meal (optional)
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup milk (slightly less)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flours, baking power, baking soda, salt, sugar and flax meal if using in large mixing bowl. Cut in butter with fork until mixture resembles course meal.  Add milk and stir until moist. Drop batter in heaping spoon fulls (I use a serving spoon)  onto a greased baking sheet. I use floured fingers to press and smooth the top of the biscuits making them easier to cut and eat. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. These are best enjoyed while still warm.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

This simple and scrumptious frosting is light, fluffy, and versatile. It will compliment any cake or cupcake you can bake up!

 
2 2/3 confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
6 Tablespoons softened butter 
5 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

In small bowl, combine confectioner's sugar and cocoa. Cream butter and half cup cocoa in another bowl using an electric beater or whisk attachment to a stand mixer. Use a low setting at first. (Beware of coughing and powder flying everywhere.) Add milk, vanilla, and gradually add the rest of the powder mixture. Add the liquid first because it lessens the powder flying everywhere. When all of sugar and cocoa is added in, beat on a higher speed to get rid of lumps. Turn off the beater and use a clean spatula to scrape sides. Resume beating the frosting at a high speed until the ripples form and it makes stiff peaks when you pull the beater/whisk out. Spread or pipe onto your cake or cupcake and enjoy!