Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today is my 100th blog post. Thank you all so much for reading and your encouragement. To make this post special I am posting one of the most requested items I make. Chocolate Chip Cookies I have been making this recipe for over 25 years now and everyone seems to always want them. They will be one the featured items in my Cookbook if I can get it published. Only a select few friends and family know it. I love these cookies plain, but have dipped them in chocolate and then drizzled them with white chocolate for special occasions. So here it is, my prized secret is now out. Share it with your kids.

Ingredients

　

2 sticks of Imperial Margarine( I have tried butter, but the cookies get too greasy)

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup of brown sugar

1 large egg

½ tbl vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups of all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

1 ½ cups chocolate chips

Sift flour, salt and baking soda together. In a large bowl or a mixer cream margarine and sugars until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Scrape down sides of bowl and add flour gradually. Scrape bowl occasionally while you add flour. When flour is incorporated add chips and mix in gently. Chill dough for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scoop cookies with a ¾ of an ounce or 1 ounce scoop and place on lined cookie sheets.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until lighly browned.

Fattigman Cookies

This post if for my Cousin Judy’s daughter Justine who asked for these. What is a Fattigman Cookie you ask? It is a tradional Norwegian treat of a crisp fried sweet dough and is used for celebratory situations. They are pretty easy and fast to make. Hope you all enjoy

Ingredients

1 egg

3 egg yolks

1/4 cup of heavy cream

4 tsp of sugar

1 tbl melted butter

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cups of flour

canola oil for frying

Mix all ingredients but flour together, then mix in flour until dough forms a ball. Knead dough into a smooth ball adding flour as necessary. Let dough rest for 30 minutes in fridge. Heat up about 2 inches of oil in a saute pan. Divide dough in half and roll out to about an 1/8 of an inch thick. Cut diamond shapes approx 2inches by 2 inches. Put a small slash in the middle of the diamond and fry for about 1 to 2 minutes per side, just so it is golden brown and crisp. You may also shape them by pulling one of the corners back through the slash as seen in the pictures above.  Drain on paper towels and sprinkle heavily with confectioners sugar. Will last about a day or so before going stale.

Eat Well

Chef Tim

Spitzbuben

This is one of my all time favorite sweets.  Spitzbuben (which translates to badboys)  also known as a Linzer Square is an old Austrian Pastry. This is my Grandmothers recipe. She brought it over from Austria when she came to this country. Every time I have one I am immediately brought back to her kitchen and sitting there with her as she made them. The main reason why I am doing this recipe right now is that I just baked some for my sister Cheryl and am sending them out tomorrow morning. It is one thing she will eat whatever cancer treatment she goes through. They cannot be resisted no matter how hard your try.

Ingredients

3 cups flour

3 sticks of margarine or 1 1/2 cups of lard for baking

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

3 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups of your favorite jam or preserves(apricot and cherry are the most traditional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 10×15 jellyroll pan or cookie sheet. Sift flour, salt, and sugar together. Beat yolks and vanilla together. In a large bowl or bowl of an electric mixer blend the flour mix, margarine, and yolk mix into a smooth ball. Do not overmix you just want it to blend and come together. Chill dough for 20 minutes.  Cut 1/4 of the dough off and return to fridge. Roll out remaining dough in large rectangle and place in pan. Spread dough to the edges and the spread the jam or preserves over the top. Take remaining dough and roll out into a sheet and cut long thin strips and lay over the pan in a lattice fashion. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a nice golden brown on top. Let cool and then cut into 2×2 squares. Dust with powdersugar and serve. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Brunch Bakery part 1

Today for our Brunch Menu we head to my favorite place the bakery. In this blog we are going to prepare my Apple Walnut Crunch and my Chocolate Biscotti. I hope you enjoy both.

Apple Walnut Crunch

Ingredients

Topping

1  1/2 cup brown sugar

1  1/2 cup of flour

1  1/2 stick of butter, melted

3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 tbl of brandy

Mix together and set to side

For the apples

8 granny smith apples peeled, cored and sliced

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp clove

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbl vanilla extract

Mix dry ingredients together, slice apples, add vanilla and toss all three together. Preheat oven to 350 grease a  10×15 casserole dish. Pour apple mixture into dishm spread topping evenly over apples. Bake for 45 minutes and serve warm.

Chocolate Biscotti

Ingredients

2  3/4 cups of flour

1  1/4 cup of cocoa

2  tsp of baking soda

1/4  tsp of salt

1  1/2 cup of ground almonds

3/4 cup of white chocolate chips

5 eggs

zest of 1 orange

Juice of 1 orange

1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Mix dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients together.  Pour the wet into the dry and mix with a spatula until blended and then knead by hand until well blended. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. divide dough into 4 pieces. form the dough into logs about 2 inches in diameter and lay on cookie sheets. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until dry and starting to crack on top. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Reset oven to 300 and slice the loaves on a diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay slices out on cookie sheets and bake for another 30 minutes. Let cool and store in a covered container.  Dust with powder sugar and arrange in a nice basket to serve.