Saturday, 28 June 2014

Sprinkle Cookies

My youngest son's favourite. I don't know if its the sprinkles or maybe its the soft sugar cookie but this cookie appeals to all kids. I love to serve cookies for dessert at family gatherings. People can just grab a cookie and continue to visit and the kids don't make a mess. There is no need for plates or forks. It's a win-win.



Start by creaming the butter and the sugar. Mix well until they are well combined and have lightened in colour.

Add the eggs, vanilla and almond extract. Mix well.







Add the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt and freshly grated nutmeg.  combine gently until well mixed.







The nutmeg is the secret ingredient. It will have a far superior flavour if it is freshly grated.







Spread a whole jar of round, multi colored sprinkles into a shallow plate. I have used a pie plate here. Drop the balls of cookie dough right onto the sprinkles. I like to use a small ice cream scoop to make the job go faster.

Press the dough into the sprinkles gently so that the whole bottom surface is covered with the sprinkles.


Flp the cookies over so that the sprinkles are on the top. Put them onto an ungreased cookie sheet pan. Bake them for 8-10 minutes.

I like to bake these cookies until they just start to turn golden.




They are just so delicious. A great treat to share with the class. Excellent for bake sales.

They freeze very well too, if they last that long.






Sprinkle Cookies

1 cup room temperature butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 large container multi coloured round sprinkles

Saturday, 14 June 2014

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies












Without a doubt the best sugar cookies, ever. The secret is the sour cream. Not only does the sour cream provide a nice tang in this cookie, it also produces a very tender cookie. The dough is easy to work with and although making these cookies is a bit of work, they are so worth it.
A special thank you to Angie, from work, for sharing this fabulous recipe with me.

The recipe makes a lot, but they freeze beautifully. Watch me make them on Youtube.



Start by creaming the butter and sugar. Mix on high with an electric mixer  until the butter and sugar are well combined.
Add the eggs, vanilla, sour cream and lemon juice. Mix well.
Then add the dry ingredients. Mix gently until combined and dough forms a loose ball.





Divide the dough in half, form into a disc and wrap with cling film. Refrigerate for at least and hour. The dough will keep in the fridge for a few days.






Remove the dough for about twenty minutes before rolling. Use
extra flour to stop the dough from sticking as you roll it. The dough should be about 1/4 inch thick.





Use your favourite cookie cutter. I'm using a pretty flower cookie cutter for summer time.

Place onto a cookie sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart
Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I like to bake these until they are just beginning to brown. They will puff up a bit and be soft and chewy by the next day.

If you prefer crispy cookies, just bake them a little longer.





Let them cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before removing them to a cooling rack.






While your cookies are cooling, make the icing.

Combine softened butter with vanilla and powdered sugar. Add enough milk to make a soft, spreadable icing. Add food colouring if you desire.



Ice each cookie as you wish. I mixed red and blue food colouring to make a pretty lavender colour. Then I sprinkled the cookies with purple sugar. I put a little yellow sugar in the middle to look like the stamen of the flower.








I think that they look great. They are just sooooo good!


Watch me make them on Youtube.





1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 cups sour cream
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2tbsp baking powder
6-7 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer until well combined and pale yellow in colour. Add sour cream, egg, vanilla and lemon juice. Mix until combined. Add salt, baking soda, bake ing powder, and flour. Mix gently until dough forms a loose ball. Pat dough into two 8 inch discs, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to four days.

The dough can also be frozen at this point. Put disc into ziplock bag and then into freezer, thaw overnight in the fridge

Roll the dough with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with a cookie cutter of choice. Bake at 350 degrees Celsius for 8-10 min on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until the tops are just starting to become coloured and the bottoms are golden brown. I like to undertake them a bit for a nice soft cookie. If you prefer crisp cookies just bake for a minute or two longer. Remove the hot cookies into a cooling rack. Cool completely before icing them.

Buttercream Icing
1/2 cup room temperature butter
1/2tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
3-5 tbsp of milk
Food colouring(optional)
Mix butter and vanilla together with electric mixer. Add sugar and 3 tbsp milk. Mix to combing. Add enough milk a teaspoon at a time until mixture is the right consistency for spreading.
Add food colouring if desired.

Ice completely cooled cookies. Let sit at room temperature for a couple of hours. Freeze in layers separated by wax paper or parchment paper.
Watch me make them on youtube.

Wednesday, 23 April 2014

Rolo Two Bite Brownies




Just a few basic ingredients make a delicious chewy fudgy brownie. So quick to put together and one bowl to clean up, too.

Don't buy a boxed mix again.










Combine flour, sugar, salt, cocoa, vanilla, oil, eggs, and water. Mix with electric mixer just until combined.










Fill four dozen mini muffin cups that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Underbake a bit so the middle is very fudgy.










Remove from oven when they are done . Let them sit in the hot pans for five minutes. Remove brownies to a cooling rack.














Push a mini rolo candy on top of each brownie while they are still warm.

Let them cool completely. Store them in an airtight container. They freeze beautifully.







Ooey, gooey, good

Watch me and my boys make them on Youtube









Rolo Two Bite Brownies


1 1/2 cups flour
1tsp salt
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup oil
4 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup nuts,chopped( optional)
1 cup chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mix all ingredient in the order given. Beat at low speed with mixmaster until smooth. Do not overbeat. Spoon about 1-2 tsp of batter into mini muffin tins that have been sprayed with non stick cooking spray. If you wish, sprinkle nuts and chocolate chips on top of the batter. Bake 350 degrees for 12-15 min. Under bake slightly to produce a fudgey, chewy texture.

Thursday, 3 April 2014

Chocolate Birthday Cake With Mocha Cream Frosting

Basic Chocolate Cake



Makes 1-9x13, 24 cupcakes, 1 bundt cake or 3- 8inch round cakes or two 8x8 cakes

This cake freezes very well. Eat some now and freeze some for later!
For this cake I used one 8x8 inch cake.

 1 3/4 cup  all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil 
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Combine dry ingredients. Add all wet ingredients in order given. Mix until combined. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full of batter. Bake at 350 degrees. For cupcakes bake 15-20 min, for 9x13 bake 40-45 min, for bundt bake 35-45 min until toothpick inserted into centre of cake comes out clean. 

This cake is so easy and can be put together almost as fast as a boxed cake mix and it tastes SO much better. Tastes better, is better for you and does not have any ingredients that you cannot pronounce(read the label). Deep, dark and delicious. You can do so many things with this cake.

Now for the Mocha Cream Frosting. Not too sweet. Fluffy and light.The perfect accompaniment for the deep, dark chocolate cake.



I used and 8x8 inch square cake




You will need:
  • 500mls whipping cream
  • 1/3 c instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 4 tsp. French vanilla instant coffee, I used Maxwell House brand
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 4 tsp icing sugar 




Whip the cream with an electric mixer until it starts to thicken.






Add the pudding mix, coffee and cream of tartar. Continue to mix until it becomes stiff. It doesn't take long. Watch it carefully.






Using a long serrated knife, cut the cake in half horizontally.
Tuck a few strips of parchment paper or wax paper under the sides of the cake as demonstrated with the half on the left. This will protect you plate from the frosting.





Put about 1 cup of the frosting on the bottom cake half. Spread it out over the surface of the cake. I like to use this small offset spatula.






Carefully place the top half onto the bottom half.








Put the rest of the frosting on the top and greatly spread to cove the cake.







To 'seal' the cake', and prevent crumbs from showing on your pretty frosting, spread a thin layer of frosting on the sides. Then go over the sides a second time spreading a thicker layer of frosting. This is called a scratch coat.





Cover the top and sides.








I used fresh raspberries and grated dark chocolate to garnish.







After you have decorated your cake, carefully remove the strips of paper from underneath the sides of your cake. Presto! a beautiful clean plate.






So good! Makes a great birthday cake. It does not have an over powering coffee flavour. Even my younger children like it









The cook gets to lick the bowl.

Wednesday, 19 March 2014

Chocolate Cupcakes With Vanilla Cream Filling and Raspberry Buttercream




Chocolate Cake



Makes 1-9x13, 24 cupcakes, 1 bundt cake or 3- 8inch round cakes

This cake freezes very well. Eat some now and freeze some for later!

 1 3/4 cup  all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil 
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Combine dry ingredients. Add all wet ingredients in order given. Mix until combined. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full of batter. Bake at 350 degrees. For cupcakes bake 15-20 min, for 9x13 bake 40-45 min, for bundt bake 35-45 min until toothpick inserted into centre of cake comes out clean. 

This cake is so easy and can be put together almost as fast as a boxed cake mix and it tastes SO much better. Tastes better, is better for you and does not have any ingredients that you cannot pronounce(read the label). Deep, dark and delicious. You can do so many things with this cake.



Vanilla Cream Stuffing





1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp instant vanilla pudding powder
1/2 tsp vanilla


Combine all. Mix on high with electric beaters till cream has doubled in volume and is fairly stiff. The vanilla pudding powder is a little trick that I have discovered. Have you ever had your whipped cream separate as it sits in the fridge? the pudding powder prevents that from happening. It stabilizes the cream and keeps it from separating. I use it all the time. Just add about a teaspoon per cup of cream. 




Raspberry Buttercream


1/2 cup softened butter
1tsp vanilla
3 cups icing sugar
1/3 cup good quality raspberry jam(homemade if possible)
1-3 tbsp milk

Combine all except milk. Mix with electric beaters, adding the milk in teaspoon increments  until smooth and spreadable consistency.

Using a small melon baller, scoop out the centre of each cupcake. Save the tops. With a piping bag or small spoon, fill each of the cupcakes with vanilla cream. Replace tops gently.
Fill piping bag or ziplock bag with raspberry butter cream. Cut bottom corner off if you are using a ziplock bag. Spread icing using concentric circles. Place in covered container in fridge for icing to firm up, if necessary.

Insanely delicious! I'm not kidding! 
Pin the recipe or...
Watch my son and I make these cupcakes on you tube.