Blueberry Cranberry Bread

 

We wanted to find an easy recipe for a blueberry muffin bread and found this great recipe from the Frugalmomeh site.  So the name is for Frugal Mom eh! (because they are Canadian).  Lots of great recipes on the site.  We wanted something to make an easy breakfast bread that could replace nutbreads.  I think we found it.  I tweaked this recipe a bit and loved the way it turned out.  A nice treat for a morning - or really anytime.

Ingredients (makes one loaf)

Cooking spray

1 cup White sugar
1/2 cup Butter (one stick), unsalted
2 Eggs
1 tbsp Vanilla extract
1 cup Skim milk
2 cups Flour (all purpose)
2 tsp Baking powder

1/2 cup Cranberries, dried

1/4 cup Almonds, sliced
1 1/2 cups Blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Directions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 9 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar.
4. Add the eggs, vanilla and milk beating well.
5. Beat in the dry ingredients and until well combined
6. Add blueberries and mix by hand gently with a spatula being careful not to crush the berries.
7. Pour batter into your loaf pan and bake for 75-80 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to finish cooling.

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

Normally I try to find my own twist on a recipe or come up with something from scratch.  But here is a recipe that Pam and I simply love.  Given the fact that we are spending a good deal of time in home, we need a recipe that will make the time feel better.  So this is one of our favorite recipes.  It is not exactly health food - but it is really, really good!  It is really just this recipe: Craisins Dried Cranberries Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies.  Ocean Spray has a really nice collection of recipes that are freely available and will be a great addition to everyone's recipe list.  Long story short - we always have the ingredients to make these in a pinch.  They often save the day!

Ingredients (Makes around 20 large cookies)

2/3 cup Butter, softened
2/3 cup Brown sugar
2 large Eggs
1 1/2 cups Old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
1 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries (or any kind of dried cranberries or raisins)
1/2 cup Baking chips - white (vanilla) or chocolate or whatever!  Adjust to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Using an electric mixer (ideally), beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. 
4. Stir in dried cranberries and baking (vanilla or chocolate) chunks.
5. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. 
6. Cool on wire rack.

Enjoy & repeat!

Hungry Girl Brownies

We have started making these incredibly easy brownies that are a bit better for you. So maybe it is not like eating carrots and celery - but if you need a treat - this is definitely a great way to go.  We have taken the basic recipe from the Hungry Girl website.  We have played with the add-ins that we like and think that we have a good basic recipe here to match our tastes.  This is super easy and very delicious!  It is more 'cakey' than we normally like - but with fewer calories - it is a good trade off.  

Ingredients

Cooking Spray
1 box moist Devil's Food Cake
15 oz can, Pumpkin puree (do not use pie mix)

1/2 cup-3/4 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup-3/4 cup Pecans or walnuts, loosely crushed

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Spray the bottom of a 9"x13" plan with cooking spray.

3. Add the mix to a large mixing bowl.  Add the pumpkin and slowly blend both ingredients.

4. Fold in the chocolate chips and pecans and mix thoroughly.

5. Bake 25-27 minutes.  Be sure to check that a knife inserted comes out clean.

6. Let cool 1-2 hours then serve.

Enjoy!

Coconut Chocolate Cookies

I was given a simple task, find a recipe for a cookie or dessert that was healthier than the normal fare that we might get at a grocery store or, let alone, out at an ice cream place.  Something to enjoy after dinner that is satisfying as a dessert.  Well, I did not have a great deal in the house, but I found an amazing recipe at Cooking Light for Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chunk Cookies.  Using the coconut really was fantastic.  I will play with this recipe some more - but I love the flavor that the toasted coconut gives to the cookie.  This is definitely a keeper and you likely have all the ingredients right now in your kitchen (maybe you will have to pickup the coconut).  Very easy and delicious.  The batch is around 20 large cookies - with my guess that each has around 100 calories.

Ingredients (Makes around 20 large cookies)

1 cup Flaked sweetened coconut
1 cup All-purpose flour
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Baking soda
1/8 tsp Table salt
3/4 cup Light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup Unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup Semi-sweet Chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Arrange coconut in a single layer in a small baking pan. Bake at 350° for 7 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring after four minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. Into a mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda and table salt.  Stir with a whisk until blended.
4. Place sugar and butter in a mixing bowl or mixer.  Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add  vanilla and egg and mix until blended. Slowly add flour mixture, beating at low speed, until combined. Then add the toasted coconut and chocolate also at low speed.
5. Drop mix by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets covered with parchment paper. 6. Bake at 350° for 11 minutes or until bottoms of cookies just begin to brown (one sheet at a time).  Remove from pan, and cool completely on wire racks.

Enjoy!

Baked Apple Pie Rolls

Well...this is amazing!  I found this recipe for Fried Apple Pie Rolls from Eating Well and it looked too good NOT to make.  I am not someone that has made apple pies at home - but since it is harvest season and there are apples everywhere.  I love this recipe because it is relatively low calories for a baked good.  Following one of the comments under the recipe who suggested baking it instead of frying it, I thought I would give it a shot.  I played with the recipe, lowered the sugar a bit and I have to figure this new version is probably around 170-180 calories each (the original was around 207 calories).  That is just an estimate - but it is good enough for me.  These tasted great.  I might need to put in a little less filling or spread it over to a 9th pie roll.  We heated them up in the microwave for around 15-20 seconds to give it a bit of warmth before eating.  I am sure they would be great with ice cream - but we are trying to watch calories!

Ingredients (makes 8 pie rolls)
2 tbsp Butter
4 Apples, peeled & diced (I used granny smith and honeycrisp apples)
2 tbsp & 4 tsp Sugar, divided
1 3/4 tsp Cinnamon, divided
1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp Kosher or sea salt
1 tbsp All-purpose flour
2 tsp Lemon juice
8 egg roll wrappers
Olive oil spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until melted.
3. Add diced apples, 2 tbsp & 3 tsp sugar, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg and Kosher salt. Mix thoroughly and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are softened, 8-9 minutes.
4. Add flour and cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
5. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet - and lightly spray with olive oil.
6. Place an egg roll wrapper on a clean work surface with one corner facing you. Brush the edges of the egg roll wrapper with water. Place around 1/3 cup of the apple filling in the center of the wrapper. Take the corner facing you and fold it over the filling.  Then fold both sides of the wrapper over the filling, then roll up as tightly as possible. Place on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
7. Lightly spray the top of the pie rolls.  Combine remaining 1 tsp of sugar and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and sprinkle on top of the pie rolls.
8. Bake for 15 minutes.  Turn over and bake for 10 more minutes.

Enjoy!

Almond Joy Cookies

When you see someone of facebook sharing a cookie recipe - it is typically one of the easy ones.  In fact, the lasted trend are the video recipes - making a good looking dish super easy to make.  Thus is the case for these really easy and tasty cookies that we are calling Almond Joy cookies.  There are a bunch of variations on the web for these Macaroon-like cookies.  They make a great addition to any holiday tray - or for a cold winter's day when you do not want to leave the house.  They are super easy, super tasty and super....well, maybe not super healthy.  I guess just don't have them as a meal replacement!

We made these a bit big - but just as tasty!

Ingredients (makes around 20-24 cookies)
14 oz bag Sweetened coconut flakes
2 cups (or 12 oz bag) Semi-sweet chocolate chios
3/4 cup Slivered almonds
1/4 tsp Sea salt
14 oz can Sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Place parchment paper on two cookie sheets
3. Combined all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
4. Using a small cookie scoop or large spoon, place balls of the mixture on the parchment paper.  They should be around 1 1/2-2 inches round (or 4-5cm).
5. Bake for 12-14 minutes until brown.
6. Cool on the baking sheets.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Browsing a recent issue of Cooking Light (my favorite cooking mag), I stumbled across this recipe for a healthier cookie (Crunchy-Chewy Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies).  I played with the recipe a bit and LOVED the way it came out.  We have been really smitten (as so many people are) with having sea salt added to cookies.  At our local grocery store, they make this amazing cookies with sea salt and caramel.  Funny story - we were shopping there one night when a fellow shopper (and older woman) came over to us and told us that we HAD to try these cookies.  As they often do at Busch's in Saline - they have samples out.  Well she practically forced us to try the cookie.  Well, it was love at first bite (as they say).  The cookies were simply put - the best I have ever had.  Healthy?  Probably not.  So that put us on an Odyssey to find a good alternative that we can make at home.  And boy did we find one.  I played with the recipe for the first go around.  I will play more over the coming months - but this is definitely a keeper.  These cookies came out great.  And are they healthy?  Well, they are healthier than the ones we find out and about.  Baby steps....

Ingredients (makes 36-38 cookies)

1 cup Light brown sugar (packed)
4 tbsp Canola oil
8 tbsp Butter, softened
2 tbsp Honey
2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 Egg (large)
2 cups plus 2 tbsp Whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tsp Baking soda
3/8 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup Shredded coconut, packed
1/2 tsp Coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. In a stand mixer, place the brown sugar, oil and butter in the bowl.  Beat at medium speed until  blended. Add honey, vanilla, and egg and mix until well combined.
3. In another mixing bowl, add flour, baking soda and salt, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed until almost combined. Add chocolate chips and shredded coconut  until combined.
4. Spoon dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets (12-14 cookies per sheet).  Sprinkle a small amount of sea salt over each cookie (lots will end up on the baking sheet).  Bake in batches at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool cookies on pan 3 minutes, then move to a  wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!  BTW - These are so good that we needed protection from eating them all...

Coconut Almond Biscotti

As you may know, I LOVE biscotti.  And over the past few years, I have shared a number of recipes that I have used over and over again for this wonderful treat (see the biscotti recipes on my blog).  I have been wanted to add some more biscotti recipes to my repertoire.  On of the motivating factors for finding this one was an extra bag of coconut that we had in the house after the holidays.  What to make???  Well, I found this great recipe on Cooking Light for coconut biscotti and I want to give it a whirl.  I also had some almond meal in my house (which is essentially ground almonds - and sometimes called almond flour) that I wanted to use.  So using a light recipe, I played with it a bit and I created a new recipe for coconut almond biscotti.  I think because you use so much coconut, that you can really pull back the butter.  I am not sure of the calories here - but I think (emphasis on think) that this is really not that bad.  So if you have to have biscotti - I think this is a potentially low-calorie and somewhat better than your run of the mill biscotti that you will find.  For me, I loved it and it is a keeper for sure!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Flour (plus some for making the cookie log)
1/2 cup Almond meal (or almond flour)
1 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
3/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
2 tbsp Butter
2 large Eggs
1 cup Flaked sweetened coconut
1/2 cup Chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300°.

2. Add flour, almond meal, baking powder, salt, baking soda and nutmeg in a mixing bowl.

3. Add sugar, vanilla extract, butter and eggs in a large mixing bowl or mixer.  Beat with a mixer at medium speed 2 minutes.

4. Add the flour mixture, coconut and chocolate chips to the sugar mixture.  Mix until well blended (should happen in under a minute.

5. On a floured surface, mold the dough into a log around 15" long and no more than 1" high.  Move to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

6. Bake at 300° for 40 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes.

7. Cut roll diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices.  Stand slices upright on baking sheet with at least 1/2 inch between them.  Bake for 20 minutes and then let them cool completely on wire rack.

Enjoy!

Easy Mini Pecan Tarts

OK - this is not really healthy - but you have to enjoy every so often right?  So we ended up with an extra package of Athens Mini Filo Shells and wanted to do something fun.  We found a great recipe for Mini Phyllo Pecan Tarts on the Athens Foods site - and made it a little bit healthier.  Well...a little healthier....its all good right?

Ingredients (makes 15 mini tarts)

1 egg
1 tbsp Butter, melted
1 tbsp Brown sugar
2 tbsp Light corn syrup
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp Pecans, chopped (total of 10 tbsp)
1 package (15 count) Athens® Mini Fillo Shells

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. While one egg in a bowl.  Add butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon.  Mix thoroughly.  Stir in chopped pecans.
3. Place parchment paper on the baking sheet.  Arrange mini shells on a baking sheet. Fill mini shells with one rounded teaspoon of pecan mixture.
4. Bake for 12 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Enjoy!

Coffee Pecan Cake

This was adapted from a Cooking Light recipe for Espresso-Walnut Cake. I had been meaning for the longest time to try this out. And of course - I did not have walnuts. Welcome the biggest change of all - Pecans! I loved the way that this came out - though you can make it a bit less coffee tasting (see note below).

Ingredients (Cooks in an 8x8 pan - will let you figure out how many servings that is)
Cooking spray
1 1/3 cups, plus 2 tsp All-purpose flour
1/4 cup Brown sugar
3 tbsp Pecans, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
2 tbsp Instant coffee granules, divided (SEE NOTE BELOW)
5 tbsp Butter or margarine
1 cup Sugar
2 large Eggs
2/3 cup Yogurt (vanilla or plain)
2 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Table salt

NOTE: The instant coffee makes a strong taste. You can change out the tablespoons for teaspoons with instant coffee for a less strong taste.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with baking cooking spray (or dust with 2 tsp flour atop regular cooking spray).
2. Combine brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and 1 tbsp coffee granules in a small bowl.
3. Place the butter or margarine in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave until butter melts. Add granulated sugar, stirring with a whisk. Add eggs; stir well. Stir in yogurt, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Add flour and remaining tbsp coffee - then stir until blended.
4. Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle with half of the brown sugar mixture. Carefully spread remaining batter over brown sugar mixture, and sprinkle with remaining brown sugar mixture.
5. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

Enjoy!

BBB (Better Blue Buckeyes)

I was at a party for Mosaic Feline Rescue volunteers and these were around for dessert (here are my pictures of the cats at Mosaic). These were amazing and I shared some with my family - who wanted more...more...more!

These are adapted from a no-bake recipe that I was pointed towards on the VegNews site. The recipe is for Chocolate-Covered Crunchy Speculoos Balls. I tweaked this a bit to make it slightly better for you - given that I use Simply Jif (it has less sugar than regular). Low-fat peanut butter might work as well. Well, about the name - being a Michigan person...can't very well call it just Buckeyes....so I am calling it BBB....or Better Blue Buckeyes.

Ingredients (Makes 18-20)

2 cups Peanut butter (you may use an variety including low-fat or low sugar)
1/4 cup (4 tbsp) Butter or margarine (softened)
3 cups Crisp rice cereal
1 cup Powdered sugar
1 lbs Chocolate candy coating (like CandiQuik)

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, blend the peanut butter and butter or margarine until well mixed.
2. Add crisp rice cereal and mix well.
3. Add powdered sugar and mix well.
4. Mold around 2 tablespoons of peanut butter mix into a ball (slightly smaller than a golf ball). Place a toothpick in the balls and place them in the refrigerator for around an hour.
5. Melt the chocolate coating as directed, and dip the balls (by the toothpicks and spoon if needed) until coated. Let cool for another hour.

Enjoy!

ROLO Pretzel Delights

(Adapted from the Hershey's Kitchen recipe. These are simple, taste amazing and are kinda fun to make. I changed the recipe because I think the original cooks too long - making for a messy candy treat. Perfect for the holidays...or any day!

Ingredients:

You will need equal numbers of the following (up to around 40 on a cooking sheet at a time)

• Small pretzels (I used mini twists) 
• ROLO Chewy Caramels in Milk Chocolate 
• Pecan halves (raw)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Line a flat cookie sheet with parchment paper. (NOTE: use a cookie sheet without a lip for easy removal)
2. Place pretzels on the cookie sheet (they can be as close as 1" to each other). Top each pretzel with one unwrapped ROLO Chewy Caramel in Milk Chocolate.
3. Bake 3 minutes and remove from oven.
4. Carefully, slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheet onto a flat surface (NOTE: This will help it not melt as much)
5. Top each pretzel with Rolo with a pecan half, pushing down onto the ROLO. If you want, add sprinkles here before the chocolate cools.
6. Leave on parchment paper until cooled completely. You may speed up the cooling in the fridge (use a plate or tray under the parchment paper). If they touch as they cool - that is not a problem as they break apart nicely.

Enjoy!

Michigan Biscotti

(Adapted from the Barbara Karoff's The best 50 Biscotti Recipes (Bristol Publishing, 1995) & my Cranberry and Orange Biscotti. I have long wanted to make a Michigan Biscotti with cherries - this is my first attempt! They are just fantastic. The have cherries (the fruit most associated with Michigan) along with chocolate and walnuts. Definitely a great treat with a hot cup of tea, hot chocolate or coffee on a cold day.

Ingredients
3 cups All-purpose Flour (plus some for shaping biscotti)
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 cup Sugar (plus some for topping)
1/2 cup Brown sugar
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter or Margarine (room temperature)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 Large Eggs
2/3 cup Dried Cherries (cut in half if large)
2/3 cup Walnut pieces (crushed small)
2/3 cup Chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
2. Combine dry ingredients (flour and baking powder) and set aside.
3. Combine in a mixer or mixing bowl butter or margarine, white sugar and brown sugar until blended. Then add vanilla extract and eggs. Then blend until thoroughly mixed.
4. Slow the mixer and add the cherries, walnuts and chocolate chips (one at a time). Then add the flour & baking powder until blended.
5. You will make two logs from this batter. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet (or grease with butter or a cooking spray) and prepare a place to work on the batter (wax paper with flour will work fine). Form each half of the batter into a log about 3 inches wide and about 3/4" to 1" high. (NOTE: If your hands have flour on them, it will be easier to mold). When you have two logs (do not worry about a bit of flour on them), lightly sprinkle the tops with sugar.
6. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes (test with a toothpick that it comes out clean). Let cool on the baking sheet for about twenty minutes (leaving the oven on).
7. Using a spatula, transfer the logs to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife (electric knives work great), cut on the diagonal into 3/4" slices (be as consistent as possible). Cutting on a diagonal gives you longer pieces. Place sliced pieces back onto the cookie sheet with a small gap between the cut slices (this will allow the biscotti to be baked again on the sides). Put back in the oven for 20 minutes.

Store in an airtight container and enjoy!

Seeded Bread Twists

Seeded Bread Twists

Adapted from the Poppy Seed Twists recipe from Cooking Light, way back in 2001. While this is a bit of work, using frozen bread dough makes it much easier! Making this for Thanksgiving dinner!

Ingredients
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 1/4 cup Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 tsp Poppy seeds
1 tsp Caraway seeds
1 tsp Sesame seeds
a pinch of Kosher salt (adjust to taste)
a pinch of Black pepper (adjust to taste)
1 (1-pound) Loaf frozen white bread dough, thawed
1 tsp Skim milk
1 large egg

Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool to room temperature in a bowl. Stir in poppy, caraway and sesame seeds along with kosher salt and pepper.
2. Roll the dough into a large rectangle (around 14" x 12") on a lightly floured surface.
3. Spread the onion mixture lengthwise over half of rectangle. Fold dough in half lengthwise; press edges of dough firmly to seal. Then cut the dough into 12 (6-inch-long) strips. Gently lift both ends of dough, and twist. Place twisted dough strips 1 inch apart on a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper or coated with cooking spray. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and let sit for around 40 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 375°.
5. Combine the milk and egg in a bowl and brush over dough. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from baking sheet, and cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Enjoy. These will reheat nicely if frozen.

Jorge Cruise's Microwave Muffin

Jorge Cruise's Microwave Muffin Recipe (Dr. Oz)

Fitness Trainer Jorge Cruise (author of the Belly Fat Cure Fast Track) showed this recipe for a healthy muffin you can make in no time on the Dr. Oz show. While skeptical, I found that these are really great. Come to think of it, I have a certain skepticism with anything the good Dr. pushes...oh well that is my problem.

So I call these Dr. Oz Miracle Muffins....they are really good.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Ground flax
1 tsp Baking powder
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Coconut oil
1 egg
1 packet Stevia (sugar substitute)

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients into a mug. Coconut oil come in solid form, so we shave it with a butter knife to get the 1 teaspoon.
2. Cook in a microwave for 50 seconds.
DONE!

Note: You can add raisins and other dried fruit (small) as desired. I would experiment here.

Also, the muffin slides right out of the mug. We cut it in half and add a little bit of margarine.

Still do not believe me??? Here are the pictures of the process.


1. Mix the Ingredients:


2. After 50 seconds in the Microwave:


3. Slides right out:


4. Cut and enjoy!

Cranberry and Orange Biscotti

(Adapted from the Barbara Karoff's The best 50 Biscotti Recipes (Bristol Publishing, 1995). Loved the way this came out.

Ingredients
3 cups All-purpose Flour (plus some for shaping biscotti)
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 cup Sugar (plus some for topping)
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter or Margarine (room temperature)
1 tsp Orange Extract
2-3 tbsp Grated Orange Rind (around one large orange)
3 Large Eggs
1 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
3/4 cup Sliced Almonds

Directions
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
2. Combine dry ingredients (flour and baking powder) and set aside.
3. Combine in a mixer or mixing bowl butter or margarine and sugar until blended. Then add orange extract, orange rind, and eggs. Then blend until thoroughly mixed.
4. Slow the mixer and add the flour/baking powder mix slowly until blended. Then add cranberries and almonds.
5. You will make two logs from this batter. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet (or grease with butter or a cooking spray) and prepare a place to work on the batter (wax paper with flour will work fine). Form each half of the batter into a log about 3 inches wide and about 3/4" to 1" high. (NOTE: If your hands have flour on them, it will be easier to mold). When you have two logs (do not worry about a bit of flour on them), lightly sprinkle the tops with sugar.
6. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes (test with a toothpick that it comes out clean). Let cool on the baking sheet for about twenty minutes (leaving the oven on).
7. Using a spatula, transfer the logs to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife (electric knives work great), cut on the diagonal into 3/4" slices (be as consistent as possible). Cutting on a diagonal gives you longer pieces. Place sliced pieces back onto the cookie sheet with a small gap between the cut slices (this will allow the biscotti to be baked again on the sides). Put back in the oven for 20 minutes.

Store in an airtight container and enjoy!

Holiday Orange Cookies

Adapted these from a few different recipes this year. Really liked the way they turned out for the holidays. Might be great with drizzled chocolate also.
Ingredients:
1 cup Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder + a small pinch extra
5 tbsp Butter - room temperature
1 cup White Sugar
3 Egg Yolks
2 tbsp Orange Juice
Rind from 1/2 a Large Orange (a heaping tablespoon)
Powdered Sugar to coat the cookies

Directions:
1. In one bowl, add flour, salt and baking powder.
2. In another bowl, cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add yolks, orange juice and rind to the butter mix and then blend.
4. Add the dry ingredients and then make sure that it is well mixed.
5. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
6. After the cookie dough is removed from the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
7. The dough will be sticky, but roll into balls around 3/4" in diameter and then drench in powdered sugar. Place on a cookie sheet with parchment paper at least 2 inches apart.
8. Cook for 8-10 minutes and then let sit on the cookie sheet for around 2 more minutes before moving to a wire rack or paper towel.

Doctored Brownie I: Hazelnut & Peanut Brownies

I was demonstrating the Melcat inter-library loan feature to people at the Ross School of Business and I ended up requesting this book - Brownies! : favorite recipes for brownies, blondies & bar cookies.

They have a number of recipes that use brownie mix as the base - so I am calling these Doctored Brownies! I will make a few and record them out here. This one is called Easy Hazelnut Brownies (page 125). I did not have hazelnuts - so I played a bit. I used Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge - Family Size (19.5 oz).

Ingredients
1 Family Size Brownie Mix (makes 13" x 9" brownie)
3/4 cup toasted peanuts
1/2 cup Nutella Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cooking spray on the bottom of a 13" x 9" pan.
2. Prepare the brownies as directed.
3. In a saute pan, toast peanuts over low heat (around ten minutes) - stirring often. Let cool and then crush into smaller pieces (you can use the bottom of a heavy glass).
4. Mix in Nutella Chocolate Hazelnut Spread until well blended.
5. Add to pan and bake for around 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick or knife comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Orange Tea Cakes

Another idea is calling these "cakies" (part cake - part cookie). This recipe was adapted from Fifteen-minute meals by Emalee Chapman (101 Productions, San Francisco, CA, 1981). These are really great!

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter or margarine (softened)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup flour
- 3 tablespoons of orange juice (with pulp if available)
- Powdered sugar
- Optional topping: thinly sliced almonds

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place butter in the bowl with the sugar and blend together.
3. Add eggs, flour and orange juice and mix well.
4. Lightly butter a cookie sheet or spray with cooking spray. Drop small rounds (around 1 teaspoon) around 2-3 inches apart. They do spread when cooking.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for around 8 minutes (the cakes will be lightly colored with brown edges.
6. Remove from cookie sheet and sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

Alternative - place 4-5 thinly sliced almonds on top of rounds before cooking. This adds a nice taste to the cakes.

I tried with parchment paper - but they did not cook cleanly.

Chocolate Crinkles

Pam's wonderful recipe! A big hit at the holidays.

Ingredients
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 4 squares (4 oz) unsweetened chocolate (melted - be careful not to burn)
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• about 1 cup powdered sugar

1. Mix oil, chocolate & regular sugar
2. Blend in one egg at a time until well mixed
3. add in vanilla
4. mix together flour, baking powder and salt - then stir into oil mixture
5. chill overnight (or freeze for up to 2 weeks)
6. Heat oven to 350 degrees
7. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into powdered sugar. Roll and make into balls. Place 2” apart on a greased cooking sheet or parchment paper (HINT: put some powdered sugar on your hands to help with this step).
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes