I didn't really like the way my snickerdoodles turned out the last time, so this time I used a different recipe. I followed Smitten Kitchen's recipe exactly, and the results were fantastic. Mine turned out fatter than hers (hers appear more flattened) but I like my puffy ones. They are staying soft, chewy, and slightly cakey (basically the perfect snickerdoodle) for 4 days now. But I'm down to the last one so I won't be able to check Day 5. I wish the Snickerdoodle smell would stay in my kitchen forever.
Please refer to Smitten Kitchen for the great recipe! It's definitely a keeper.
I love my new kitchen. I love it so much I stayed in all weekend using its brand new appliances. I did a bunch of cooking and baking, I'll have to split it all up into different blog posts.
I've been wanting to bake my own bread for some time and always thought it would be tricky (yeast, rise, etc... all seemed too complicated for me). I decided to go for it yesterday. It was so easy, I ended up making 2 loaves of cinnamon raisin bread (one for my parents). There's nothing like a fresh loaf of homemade bread!!! I never want store-bought bread ever again. I love that it's so versatile, you can pretty much add in whatever you want (herbs, fruits, spices, cheeses, etc.). These are definitely the first loaves of many more to come.
I made a sandwich for lunch today with this bread. I put 2 slices in an oiled skillet, then flipped over after a few minutes to brown the other side. I added half a slice of swiss cheese to each piece of bread, 2 slices of turkey, and topped with thin slices of granny smith apples. I sandwiched the two parts together onto a plate and promptly devoured.
Yields one 9x5" loaf 3/4 cup warm water 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast 3/4 cup warm milk 4 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups whole wheat flour
2-3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted dark brown sugar and cinnamon (as much as you want) raisins
Place the warm water and honey in large bowl. Sprinkle in yeast, stir until dissolved and let stand until creamy. Add the warm milk, salt, and 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; blend well. Stir in whole wheat flour and mix well. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn the dough to grease the top. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Punch the dough down and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out dough until about 1/2-1" thickness and spread melted butter or margarine, then top with as much brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins as you wish. Roll up the dough and tuck in the ends. Form into a loaf and place into the prepared pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until top is golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove loaf from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
I'm moving to another apartment at the end of the week, and therefore have been using every excuse to bake instead of pack. The less flour, sugar, and butter I have, the less crap to move, right? It's logical.
Used up my last bits of butter to make snickerdoodles, and decided to throw some dark chocolate on top while I'm at it since I had some laying around (again, trying to lessen the contents in my fridge to move). The smell in my apartment is intoxicating. Trying so hard not to eat them all. So far I've had 3, and counting...
I meant these to be thumbprint cookies but because of the baking soda, the cookies puffed up and didn't allow the chocolate to sink in, so the chocolate just ended up sitting on top of the cookie like sprinkles. Still delicious, nonetheless. The sugar/cinnamon gives the exterior a sweet crunch while the inside is almost cake-like, light, and soft.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine sugar, butter or margarine, vanilla and egg. Mix well. Sift in flour, baking soda, salt, and 1 tsp cinnamon. Blend well. Shape dough into balls.
Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Roll dough in sugar/cinnamon mixture and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
If desired, create a thumbprint into each ball. Fill with chocolate chips.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool before removing from cookie sheet.
I didn't really like the way my snickerdoodles turned out the last time, so this time I used a different recipe. I followed Smitten Kitchen's recipe exactly, and the results were fantastic. Mine turned out fatter than hers (hers appear more flattened) but I like my puffy ones. They are staying soft, chewy, and slightly cakey (basically the perfect snickerdoodle) for 4 days now. But I'm down to the last one so I won't be able to check Day 5. I wish the Snickerdoodle smell would stay in my kitchen forever.
