Blondie is back…No not that one, the cookie.

So I woke up this morning and realized Cooking with Scott has been is a long hiatus. Well it is time to fix that with a new recipie from Dorie Greenspan’s book Dorie’s Cookies. Today we will go over baking some Blondies.

For this it is pretty straight forward. If you have a muffin tin it is even easier. As always preheat those ovens, this time to 325 and get started making the batter. Thankfully soft butter in Arizona is not hard to come by in the summer add in some brown and white sugar and blend.

In a side bowl mix together your chopped nuts, chocolate, and sweetened coconut shavings.

Back in your main bowl after mixing the butter and sugar add an egg, some vanilla, and some flour till combined. Then throw in your separate bowl of deliciosness and mix till combined.

This is important. Seriously I can not say it enough. BUTTER your muffin tins. This will make your job of getting these cookies out a breeze, or a quick rap on your cooling rack.

With your tins greased put about 1 spoonful of batter in each one. With moist fingers push the batter down lightly and spread it out. Now put it in the oven, set your timer, and clean up till it goes DING.

See I told you nice and easy. What you are left with is a nice, delicious cookie with a sweet chocolate flavor that melts in your mouth, and wanting more.

Well that is it folks. I highly recommend this cookie partially cause I love chocolate, but more so because others will enjoy it too. I have new articles coming soon so stay tuned for those, and as always for full recipies grab the Dorie’s Cookies book and get started baking. Well since I don’t have anyone to share these with I guess it is time to eat these myself, till next time friends.

Scott

Spicy Cranberries

Hello friends, and welcome back to Cooking with Scott. I have been on a very long hiatus from cooking. Lots of personal things happen have kind of sidetracked this project. From PTSD, depression, archery, to finally getting a new job, it has been a rollercoaster few months. With the help of Christie (check her out at goldenlifephx.wordpress.com) and her push I am back for some baking.
With that out of the way I am proud to present this month’s recipe, Cranberry Five-Spice Cookies. All you need is some sugar, cranberries (fresh work best), flour, spices, butter, and a few other things and you are ready to go.
Any recipe I can use my Kitchen Aid blender is a good recipe. So, to start you are going to whisk your dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Let your butter warm and mix with a paddle attachment for about 3 minutes, then throw in your egg and beat for another minute. Throw in your dry ingredients and blend until incorporated. Cut your cranberries into small bits and mix with sugar.

 

Now you can choose to mix the cranberries and peanuts with the paddle attachment, but if you do be warned you could crush them and turn your dough pink. To avoid this mix instead with a good sturdy spatula. Then after mixed split the dough into two and roll each one out to about ¼ inch thick. Then put it in the freezer for an hour.

 

While waiting for the dough to firm up preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Once that is ready use a round cookie cutter and cut out your cookies. Any left-over dough just re-roll and cut until gone. Cookies should bake for about 14 minuets and turn them around about half way through cooking. Now if you want to get really fancy, before baking you can put some spices on top, or salt, or chopped up peanuts. Once golden brown on the edges, let them cool and then serve.

 

Well that’s it, a pretty simply recipe all in all. These cookies are a touch on the sweet side with a kick of spice, and savory flavoring. The are a good lead in to the holiday treats.
Well that’s it for this week’s Cooking with Scott. New recipes are on the horizon, until then enjoys this delicious treat with your friends and family. If you would like the full recipe go to doriegreenspan.com and look under #cookieandkindness, or even better grab a copy of the book turn to any page and start your own cookie journey with us on Tuesdays with Dorie. I am getting hungry as always, so until next time friends.

 

The Bee’s Knees of Bisciuts

Here we are at almost the end of February, means spring is just around the corner. What better way to welcome that season than starting with a treat the Bee’s will surely love. This weeks Cooking with Scott we will be making the Bee’s Sneeze Nuggets, while more a biscuit than cookie they are still every bit as delicious. With my sous chef’s all ready let’s dive into this recipe.
For me the nice thing about this was I finally could use the lemons from my tree that were just asking to be picked. I also got to break out a locally made honey. If there is one thing I love is not having to go to the store or supporting local small businesses.
For me it was easiest to get out several bowls and compartmentalize these ingredients. In our first bowl we are going to whisk together the flour, baking powder, and pepper.

With that done in a second bowl zest your lemons and hand mix with the sugar and salt to get a nice aromatic scent, then add in your grated ginger.

In the last bowl use this for your wet ingredients. Whisk together your freshly squeezed lemon juice, lemon extract, alcohol, olive oil, and honey.

Put your sugar mixture into your bowl of dry ingredients and mix them together with a fork until incorporated. Once mixed create a hole in the center of the mixture and pour in your wet ingredients. Stir your dry ingredients into the wet until you have a spongy consistency. You can then fold the dough several times, just be careful not to over work it.

Flour a cutting board and put your dough on top of it. Add a small amount of flour to the top and shape the dough into about a 1-inch thick square shape.

Once done cut the dough into small inch cubes, or whatever size you want depending on how many you would like to make. You are then going to bake them for about 30 minutes where the will turn a golden brown, don’t forget to rotate half way through baking. Then let cool and when ready serve with some honey for dipping.

I really liked the flavors in this biscuit. The lemon adds a nice touch and the ginger is not overpowering. I would recommend waiting a day before eating as the biscuit will dry out a bit more.
Well that’s it for this week’s Cooking with Scott. New recipes are on the horizon in March until then enjoys this delicious treat with your friends and family. If you would like the full recipe go to doriegreenspan.com and look under #cookieandkindness, or even better grab a copy of the book turn to any page and start your own cookie journey with us on Tuesdays with Dorie. I am getting hungry as always, so until next time.