Molasses and dark chocolate mixed together make quite the cookie! A completely black cookie. Yes, you needed this information. Chocolate molasses cookies turn out to be rather yummy.
I started with a standard chocolate chip recipe. Alas, I had no chocolate chips. Such minor inconveniences never keep me from my cookies, however. Some days require cookies (this is a fact).
Instead of chocolate chips, I added dark cocoa, and supplemented the sugar with molasses. The result was a very lovely cookie. Not too sweet, but not un-sweet. I suspect it would be more chocolatey with chocolate chips, or more flavorful if I used more spices. But overall, it is an excellent cookie!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Butter one stick, room temperature
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/3 cup Molasses baking
- 1 whole Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Flour
- 1/2 cup Cocoa Dark Chocolate
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- Chocolate Chips optional
Servings: cookies
Instructions
- Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy (or at least smooth). Add molasses, stir. Add egg and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
- Add your dry ingredients - flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt - to the wet mixture. With stirring, you should get a nice cookie dough.
- Throw in your chocolate chips last, if desired. You want to get them evenly distributed throughout the dough. Mmmm. . . chocolate. . .
- Scoop out 2ish tablespoons of dough for each cookie. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about ten minutes.
- Enjoy with milk.
Recipe Notes
Between the dark cocoa and the dark molasses, it will be very difficult to tell when your cookies are done. Make sure to take them out of the oven while they are still soft. Because molasses isn't quite as sweet as pure sugar (especially with dark chocolate thrown in), your chocolate molasses cookies will not stay sweet if they're overcooked. . .
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I love the Mediterranean taste of oregano and garlic (if you haven't guessed yet!). This chicken sandwich recipe combines both of those flavors with a bit of lemon for delicious zesty chicken.
Good Tzatziki Sauce is a must with the chicken. The yogurt balances out the spices wonderfully.
Ingredients
- 3 pieces Pita Bread
- 6 tbsp Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 Chicken Breast
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2 tsp Oregano
- 2 tsp Garlic
- 1 tsp Salt
Servings: sandwiches
Instructions
- Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, and salt in a plastic bag.
- Chop up the chicken into small easily cooked pieces, and let it chicken breast marinate in the oil mixture in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours. Overnight is ideal.
- Cook the chicken pieces in a medium sized saucepan on the stove.
- Slice the cooked chicken up into nice thin slices suitable for a sandwich. Wrap up your chicken slices and about 2 tablespoons of tzatziki sauce in each piece of pita bread.
- It should make about three sandwiches.
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A stable of gyros, cucumber sauce is something I find myself almost always keeping in my fridge. It goes wonderfully with pita bread, chicken, beef, and lamb.
More often than not, I make this recipe by taste. I strongly suggest that you do too! Just remember that the flavors get stronger when they're allowed to sit in the fridge, so make the sauce ahead of time for optimal taste.
Instructions
- You can use greek yogurt, yogurt, or sour cream as the base for your sauce. If you use ordinary yogurt, then you will want to drain it for optimal consistency. If you're using greek yogurt or sour cream, skip ahead to prepping your cucumber.
- To drain your yogurt, let it sit in a colander over the sink or a bowl to collect the liquid. If the collander's holes are too big, cover them with a paper towel.
- Peal and de-seed your cucumber. If you like chunks of cucumber in your sauce, you can then just chop it finely by hand. If you are like me and don't actually much like cucumber, then you might want to chop it up in a food processor.
- Add the cucumber to the yogurt, and then season it with dill, garlic, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Make it ahead of time to let the flavors mix in the fridge before serving!
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I try to keep my fridge stocked with the basics - eggs, milk, and butter. The jar of white flour should be full, and there should be extra whole wheat flour stashed away somewhere. I keep sour cream or yogurt around because I tend to cook with it, but I try not to keep multiple packages of cream cheese around. Its dangerous!
So what to do when I just have to have cheesecake? (these are the important questions)
Yes, cheesecake. Very dangerous. Very rich.
It turns out, you don't need to use cream cheese. There are recipes for cheesecake which use a variety of other cheeses - like ricotta, or farmer's cheese. The beauty of using Farmer's Cheese, of course, is that you can make it yourself, and flavor it however you like while making it.
I tried this recipe using cheese made from apple cider vinegar and sprinkled with cinnamon and topped with applesauce. Awesome.
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 gallon Milk
- 2-3 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 4 whole Eggs
- 1 Egg White
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Crust
- 1 3/4 cup Flour White
- 1/2 cup Confectioners Sugar
- 3/4 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 3 Egg Yolks
- 3 tbsp Sour Cream
Servings: people
Instructions
- Pour your milk into a large pot, and gently warm until it is frothy. Use the apple cider vinegar to separate the curds from the whey and drain. Add cinnamon if desired. (this is just the standard Farmer's Cheese recipe adapted; you can find more details here.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Cut in butter, as if you were making pie crust dough.
- Beat 3 egg yolks and 3 tablespoons of sour cream together, and then add to the flour mixture. Mix until it forms dough (again, resembling pie crust dough). Roll out and place in pie plate.
- Beat the 4 eggs and one egg white at high speed until frothy. You will probably want to use an electric beater!
- Put farmer's cheese, granulated sugar, 1/2 cup sour cream, and vanilla extract in a blender. Blend well. The Farmer's Cheese will be naturally rather granular when first made; it should be chopped up until very fine and liquid. Add some of the egg mixture if necessary.
- Fold together the farmer's cheese mixture and egg mixtures. Pour into the pie plate.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes. The cake will rise in the oven, turn golden, and set.
- Cool for a few hours in the refrigerator before serving. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
One thing I like about this recipe is that it does have instructions on making its own crust. You could definitely still do a typical graham cracker crust with this, but if you don't keep graham crackers around either, this makes it simpler.
As long as you have eggs. Lots of eggs.
Based off of Country Cheesecake.
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This is a family recipe. Around Christmas and Easter, I usually think "oh, we should make Kolachkies, or Moctobabucta."
Kolachkies are a bit more complex to make than, say, coffee cake. But the unique taste of these pastries - which can be filled with absolutely anything - is definitely worth it!
Instructions
- Scald your cup of milk on the stove. You want to get the milk to froth, but not boil. Once the milk is frothy, take it off the heat and let it cool a bit.
- Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Once the milk has cooled, add the yeast mixture to the scalded milk.
- Cream butter, sugar, and salt in a small bowl.
- Add 1 1/2 cups flour to the yeast / milk mixture. Mix well.
- Add the sugar and butter mixture, plus one egg, to the flour and yeast mixture. Beat well. Gradually add the remaining flour until the dough becomes smooth enough to handle.
- Knead your dough until it is smooth and elastic. Place it in a greased bowl, covered, in a warm place. Let it rise until doubled.
- Place the dough on a warm floured board and cut into 2 1/2 inch squares, 1/4 inch thick. Put a spoonful of filling in the center of each.
- Place your kolachkies 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Let them rise until doubled (about 45 minutes).
- Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar when cool.
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There's something that sounds soooo good to me about nutty pie crusts. Almonds, walnuts, pecans - they all go wonderfully with thicker or custardy pies. Pumpkin pie with a pecan crust? Molasses pie with walnut crust? Yes, please!
This will make one deep dish pie crust.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups Walnuts
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Butter Melted, though if you process it enough, it doesn't matter!
Servings: pie
Instructions
- Chop up the walnuts in the food processor. Try to get it as fine as possible, that will make it easier to press into the pie plate.
- Add in the baking soda, salt, and butter. Pulse until its all mixed together. It should start to clump.
- Pour into pie plate, and press against the edges and bottom of the plate. This should be enough to just cover a deep dish pie plate.
- Toast in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes by itself. Then you can fill it with whatever pie filling and complete cooking.
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Biscottis are just the cookie for the holidays. They are hard, but soften when dipped into coffee. Mmm. . .breakfast. . .
This recipe can be adapted to any flavor combination you like. Pure Almond, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Cranberry, Cherry. . . you name it. The result is a substantial cookie.
If you buy biscottis at the store, you'll notice that they're very light and almost always fall apart when introduced to coffee or hot cocoa. These will not immediately fall apart. They are also not -quite- as hard. Both of these traits are pluses as far as I'm concerned.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 Cups Flour All Purpose
- 1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Cup Butter One Stick, Room Temperature
- 3/4 Cup Sugar
- 2 Whole Eggs
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tsp Almond Extract
- 3/4 Cup Chocolate Chips
- 3/4 Cup Almonds Sliced
- 3/4 Cup Cranberries Dried
Servings: Loaves
Instructions
- Cream your butter and sugar together until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix well.
- Add dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, salt. Combine into a soft dough.
- Add your chocolate chips, almonds, cranberries, or other chosen biscotti ingredients. Mix until they are evenly dispersed through the dough.
- Form your dough into two loaves. Place the loaves a few inches apart on a medium baking sheet, and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. The loaves should be lightly brown.
- Let the loaves cool for about 10 minutes (or longer, as desired), and then slice into inch thick slices. Slice diagonally for larger biscottis.
- Lay the slices out on baking sheets, and bake again for 15 minutes. This will dry out the cookies. For a harder biscotti, bake longer (but don't burn them!).
- Enjoy with coffee!
Recipe Notes
You will get awkwardly shaped end pieces from each loaf. You should absolutely eat these to test your biscottis during the baking process.
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Cream pies are amazing creamy goodness. There is, granted, probably not much redeeming benefit health-wise (unlike fruit pies - those are totally healthy, right?), but they are delicious.
You can add as much or as little cinnamon to this recipe as you like to give it some flavor. Otherwise, its all cream - and its very very important that you make it with cream! I've tried a lot of variations with less cream, more milk, or buttermilk, and its just not worth it. If you are horrified at the thought of a pie with cups and cups of cream and then some butter added for good measure, this pie is not for you. Just. . . don't make a cream pie. Make some other kind of pie.
In other news, I realize that I've missed a few weeks here. Christmas bustle got to me. I will be resuming regular scheduling as of. . .now!
Merry Christmas!
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Flour All purpose, of course
- 1 Dash Salt
- 2 1/2 Cups Cream Heavy Whipping
- 1/2 Cup Milk
- 2 Separated Egg Yolks
- 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 1 Tsp Cinnamon
- 1 Whole Deep Dish Pie Crust
Servings: people
Instructions
- Mix together your dry ingredients - sugar, flour, and salt - in a medium sized bowl. Make sure they're well combined.
- Add two (2) cups of heavy cream. Mix well.
- In another bowl, mix together egg yolks, 1/2 cup of cream, the 1/2 cup of milk, and vanilla extract. Add to original cream and sugar mixture. Again, mix well, but don't beat it! You don't want whipped cream.
- Pour the cream mixture into your prepared pie crust. Dot with butter. Sprinkle Cinnamon across the top.
- Bake for about 1 hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. You'll know the pie is done when its bubbling ALL the way across the top. Let it do this for about 10 minutes before taking it out of the oven.
- Let the pie cool completely in the fridge for optimal creaminess.
Recipe Notes
You can also use half and half instead of 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup milk, but then you will be buying 3 dairy products instead of 2. This seems silly to me, unless you already buy half and half.
If you really can't get enough cinnamon, you can add cinnamon to the cream mixture as well as sprinkling it across the top. Nutmeg and Ginger also taste good. Add as much or as little spice as you like.
Based on Old Fashioned Sugar Cream Pie from Loaves and Dishes. Apparently its an Indiana thing!
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Light, fluffy, and coconutty - macaroons are an easy and delicious treat!
I tracked down this recipe a few years ago when I had too much coconut. The cookies are pretty small, so doubling the recipe is entirely reasonable. Right? Right.
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup Coconut Flakes sweetened
- 1/3 cup Sugar
- 2 tbsp Flour
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 2 Egg Whites
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
Servings: cookies
Instructions
- Beat the egg whites, vanilla, and almond extract together until the egg whites are fluffy and soft peaks form.
- Mix the sugar, flour, and salt, then add the coconut flakes. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. The coconut flakes need to be sticky enough to hold together while baking.
- Form dough into balls, about one tablespoon each. Bake for 18-20 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
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As part of my great pie experiment, I decided to try Sweet Potato Pie. The verdict? Its yummy, but very heavy. . . in a potatoey way. If I were to make it again, I'd probably try to go lighter on the sweet potato part.
If you too decide to try out Sweet Potato Pie, I definitely recommend having it cold, and with whipped cream. Mmmmmm, yummy!
Ingredients
- 3 whole Sweet Potato cooked and mashed
- 1/2 cup Butter melted
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup Dark Karo Syrup
- 2 whole Eggs beaten
- 1 can Evaporated Milk
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 2 cups Pecans ground
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 2 tbsp Dark Karo Syrup
Servings: people
Instructions
- Peel and chop your sweet potatoes, and start them cooking with a little water on the stove over medium heat.
- While your sweet potatoes soften, put the pecans, 2 tbsps of butter, and 2 tbsps of karo syrup in the food processor. Pulse until the pecans resemble crumbs, and press into the bottom of a deep dish pie plate.
- Once the sweet potatoes are soft, mash them. Add butter, brown sugar, karo syrup, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix well.
- Pour your filling into your pie plate.
- Cook at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes. The pie should be firm, and not like a custard.
- Serve with whipped cream and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Based on a recipe from the Sage Trifle.
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When I was growing up, pie was made with fruit. There was peach pie, cherry pie, apple pie, and maaaaybe berry pie (that was exotic!). But then, one day, I ventured into the wilds of Indiana and discovered that not all pie was fruit. Some pie was weird. Some pie was. . . vinegar.
Rock Run Cafe & Bakery - the place of the inspirational Vinegar Pie.
Intrigued, I ordered the mysterious vinegar pie. It smelled like vinegar, but it didn't taste like vinegar. It was creamy, and different, and interesting! So I decided to make it for myself.
While searching for vinegar pie recipes I discovered a whole host of different pie ideas that I'd never heard of; chess pie, mock apple pie, oatmeal pie, etc. I resolved there to broaden my pie horizons!
So first up, in the Great Pie Experiment is Vinegar Coconut Pie. I ran across this recipe under the name "French Coconut Pie" and it seems to basically be vinegar pie with coconut. Its definitely outside of Vinegar Pie's "poor man's pie" roots, but its delicious.
Ingredients
- 6 Eggs
- 1 1/4 cup Sugar
- 2 cups Coconut Flakes Sweetened
- 1 cup Butter Unsalted, Melted
- 2 tbsp White Vinegar
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 Deep Dish Pie Crust
Servings: pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Melt butter. I did this in the heating oven, but the microwave will do just as well.
- Beat eggs, then add the coconut, sugar, vinegar, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Pour a little of the coconut mixture into the melted butter to cool it down (otherwise you might start cooking the eggs with the hot butter!). Mix the butter into the coconut mixture.
- Pour the filling into the pie crust, and put it in the oven for 1 hour. The top should be golden brown and firm.
Recipe Notes
I made the crust with 2 cups flour, 2/3 cup shortening, a bit of cold water. Rolled it out, put it in the deep dish pie plate, and forked the bottom. It came out really well!
Based on French Coconut Pie.
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Every so often, I find myself in the terrible predicament of strawberries going bad. An entire carton of strawberries going bad in the fridge is a horrible thing.
And sometimes, the solution is cookies. Strawberry cookies.
Strawberry cookies have a bit less sugar than ordinary cookies, but the sweetness and goodness of strawberries - and maybe a bit of chocolate!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Butter softened
- 4 oz Cream Cheese or Farmers Cheese
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 1 whole Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/4 cup Flour all purpose
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 dash Salt
- 1 tbsp Flour
- 1 1/2 cup Strawberries chopped
- 1 cup Chocolate Chips optional
Servings: cookies
Instructions
- Chop up your strawberries into nice small cookie-sized chunks. Lightly cover with a tbsp of flour. This will keep them from sticking together too badly.
- Cream together your butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Mix.
- Add your dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.
- Carefully fold in your floured strawberries. Mix in chocolate chips, if desired.
- Place heaping tablespoons of cookie dough on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes, or until light brown.
Recipe Notes
This recipe was inspired by Strawberry Cookies with White Chocolate Chunks. You could, of course, add white chocolate to this recipe too, though I generally make the cookies without chocolate chips and they taste wonderful.
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