Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I am on an organizing binge, trying to rid my house of everything that hasn't been used in quite some time. That organizing spilled into my kitchen this weekend. I was given an abundance of craisins. The little orbs aren't easy to eat alone. So, when I came across a recipe in a magazine for Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies, I immediately ripped it out. First of all, because I love cranberries and white chocolate chips (the Panera Pink ribbon bagel was my favorite.) Second, because I wanted to rid myself of the craisins. And it must have been meant to be. My food scale measured 6 ounces left in the container, which is exactly what the recipe called for. I also was able to finish off my old-fashioned oats and brown sugar. All I had to buy was white chocolate chips.

I made a few substitutions applesauce instead of butter and whole wheat flour instead of regular bleached flour. But, here is the recipe. Mine came out more like round balls, but by the last batch, I tried to flatten them out, since they were flattening on their own. They don't look as good as I thought they were, but they are still mighty tasty.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 ounces of craisins (dried cranberries)

2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several small additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Makes approximately 2.5 dozen.

A quick and convenient gift

I love to bake. But, I am watching what I eat, and Nate can't consume an entire 6-dozen batch of my chocolate chip cookies (not sure why, cause I could if it didn't go right to my hips.)
So, I found a few co-workers who love my cookies, and I am more than happy to take them a treat. My mom gave me a cool stamp set, so I put it to use. I stamped "A little yummy for your tummy" on sticker labels and smacked them onto some plastic baggies. I think my little treat brought a smile to their faces and mine, as well.

When it's OK to waste

The last several batches of cookies I have made have failed to get plump. I know some people like flat, crunchy cookies, but I am not one of them. My mom makes the most killer chocolate chip cookies in the world. They are plump and lumpy and full of gooey goodness.
I consulted my mom on this problem. We decided it was probably the old baking soda I have been using, but I refused to throw it out. Not sure why. I am slightly obsessive compulsive about wasting. After making some white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies for a bake sale at school that were flat and crunchy, I have decided that enough is enough. I think it's OK to throw away the 33 cent box of baking soda (which I am sure is what I paid for it because it has the price sticker on it) and invest in a new box that will reincarnate my plump and lovely cookies. I know, it's scary to throw away food and baking ingredients when you are a frugal saver like me. But when it's just not doing the trick anymore, it's time! Phew, I feel better now.

Muffin mania

I really don't have an excuse as to why I haven't posted since March 16. Well, I did start the new job and all. It's been keeping me really busy during the day

and exhausted at night. Jen gave me a friendly reminder that my blog was quiet. When I made these muffins, I immediately got the camera. I needed something to take to a church social on Sunday. I have been wanting to try out my new Pampered Chef Muffin Stone (not pictured here), so I signed up for muffins. I have also been wanting to get rid of these orange-flavored craisins that I don't like to eat plain. Well, a quick look on the back of the bag and there I found this recipe for Citrus Burst Muffins:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon salt, optional

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup oil

1 egg

1 cup Orange-Flavored Craisins (pictured)

1/2 teaspoon orange zest (which I didn't have)

1/3 cup chopped pecans

Sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease or a line a 12-cup muffin tin. Combine flour, both sugars, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine milk, orange juice, oil and egg. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients stirring just until dry ingredients are moist. Stir in orange flavored craisins and orange zest. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full of batter. Sprinkle tops with pecans and sugar. (If you look closely, I mixed up this step and mixed the pecans right into the matter. No harm, no foul.) Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool five minutes in muffin tin. Remove muffins to a wire rack and cool. Recipe says it makes 12 muffins, but I got closer to 20. Enjoy!

Bake me a cake

It was a busy week last week. So when I realized that I promised one of my students a cake for his birthday Wednesday, I paniced. It was Tuesday after work and I was tired. I didn't have energy to run to the store for a boxed mix. Little did I know that I would find that the recipe in the Betty Crocker Cookbook (of all places) for yellow cake was easier than driving to the store to buy the cake.

I mixed the cake (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, milk, eggs, butter...items any self-respecting baker has) in a bowl and plopped it into a pan. While it cooked, I ate dinner and showered. I went to bible study while it cooled and when I returned, I mixed powdered sugar, butter and milk for the icing. Easy as....cake? Of course. And you should have seen the look on people's faces when I told them it was completely homemade....not even from a box. Priceless.

Actually...cheaper. I can't imagine those ingredients took any more time or money than a box of Betty Crocker and a tub of icing.

Keep cookies longer

Let me start by saying I didn't bake ANY cookies this year. I made many pumpkin rolls, but no cookies. I will try to start again next year.

Anyway, I was reminded of the year I made about 12 varieties, one that was pumpkin. When I gave my dad his tin, the pumpkin cookies were growing mold. Eww. How do you know when to refrigerate cookies?

My advice is this: Put the cookies in a tin. Separate varieties by parchment or wax paper and add a piece of bread. The bread will suck some moisture out of the cookies and make them last a little longer.

Baking powder in a pinch

If you happen to run out of baking powder during your holiday baking adventures I came across a solution.

Mix together 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/3 teaspoon baking soda and 1/8 teaspoon salt. After you add this in place of the baking powder, be sure to bake the batter immediately. Don't store it either.

This tip comes to you courtesy of my "joy Of Cooking" day-by-day calender.

F is for Fudge

I made peanut butter fudge for my bosses birthday yesterday. I intended to make peanut butter iced cupcakes, but don't we always run out of time?

I got so many compliments about how wonderful it was. Amazing. Outstanding. Etc. I blushed. Really, it was SO easy.

The recipe for Fantastic Fudge is so easy, you can do it in a few minutes with stuff you probably already have in the house if you bake with any kind of regularity. There is no heating, just mixing and melting. And it's good. The recipe was passed to me by Hannah, my sister-in-law.

Fantastic Fudge

3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup cocoa
2 sticks margarine or butter
1 box 10x sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients except margarine. Melt margarine and stir into mixture. Spread in a 9-by-9-inch pan. Set at room temperature before cutting. Cool in refrigerator.

Simple, delicious and definitely not nutritious!

Cooking for a small crowd

Over the weekend, Kelly, my best friend, and I got together to whip together some casseroles. She has a small family and I just have a husband, so we decided it was a good idea to share the expenses, work and rewards. We made two casseroles and split them in half. The idea is to freeze them and when life is busy, pop them in the oven for a quick meal.

After preparing them, we covered them with plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil. We taped an index card to the top with the instructions for heating. It's a great way to share food expenses. We also made boiled chicken pot pie and pumpkin roll.

Here is my (well, Libby's recipe modified just a tad) recipe for Pumpkin Roll:

Cake

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup pure pumpkin
  
• Filling
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover a 15-by-10-inch jelly-roll pan (I use the Pampered Chef stone) line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes (14 minutes, plus 3 more works for me) or until top of cake springs back when touched. If it isn't done, your finger will come out with cake on it.

Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together. If you want a short and fat roll, start from the narrow end. If you want a longer skinnier roll that is good for parties with a lot of food, start at the wide end. Cool on wire rack.

Meanwhile, for the filling, beat cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired. I freeze it for up to one month during busy holiday season.