S'more Cookies

Ok, here's my story. Ever since I was little, I've been an avid baker. However, I've never really liked following recipes. Starting probably as early as lower school, I would always try to bake cookies without a recipe. I would take a bowl, and mindlessly put ingredients in it until I was satisfied. The cookies always turned out terribly. I had no idea what I was doing, but it was definitely fun.

Fast forward a few years to this past Saturday night at about 3 AM. I was home and bored, so I decided to bake something. Remembering what I used to do, I decided to give it a shot again and bake some cookies without following a specific recipe. I figured that being a lot older and having significantly more experience with baking, this would go a lot better than it previously had.

I didn't want to bake an entire batch of 4 or 5 dozen cookies only to find out that they're inedible, so I decided to make a mini recipe as a tester. After looking around my pantry and finding some marshmallow fluff, I knew I had to make s'more cookies. It was a great decision, because these are honestly some of the best cookies I've ever had. They're soft and chewy, yet still slightly crispy on the outside. And the taste- well, they pretty much taste just like a s'more!


Want the recipe? Yea, well so do a lot of people.

Pumpkin Granola Bars

Granola bars are one of my favorite things to bake. Just starting out with a basic recipe, you can literally flavor them however you want.

I'd say that I make this recipe every few weeks. It is honestly so easy to make, and it's probably way cheaper than buying a box of granola bars from the store.

These granola bars are flavorful, dense, and are perfect as a grab-and-go breakfast or a quick snack. They also freeze really well, so you never have to worry about them going bad.

Pumpkin Granola Bars
adapted from Two Peas And Their Pod


3 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips


Stir together oats, spices, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix brown sugar, pumpkin puree, applesauce, honey, and vanilla. Add the pumpkin mixture to the oats and stir to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips.


Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. Fill with the oat mixture. Press it down until it is firmly packed to ensure the bars don't break apart once cut.


Bake on 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until firm to the touch. Allow to cool completely, and then cut into 9 even pieces.

Black Bottoms

This is a black bottom cupcake. It's basically just a plain chocolate cupcake with a dollop of cheesecake in the middle. This is a classic recipe and should not be messed with. I don't know what else to say, but you should make these. They are so easy and so good.

Black Bottom Cupcakes
from allrecipes.com


1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup oil
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp white vinegar


8 oz cream cheese
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, and add the oil, water, vanilla and white vinegar. Whisk together and set aside.


In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese, egg, salt and sugar together. Stir the chocolate chips into the cream cheese mixture. 


Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill with chocolate batter until 3/4 full. Top with 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until set.

Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

Everyone's made Rise Krispie treats at one point or another. The recipe is a pretty basic and well-known one. It's delicious the way it is, but I decided to put my own twist on it and add some chocolate chips. They turned out great! You can really add anything to this recipe. Next time I might try adding peanut butter or Nutella. You really can't go wrong with this recipe.

Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats


5 cups Rice Krispies
3 tbsp butter
8 oz. mini marshmallows
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Melt the butter in a large pan. Add the marshmallows, and continue stirring until melted and fully incorporated. Turn off the heat and stir in the chocolate chips until the mixture is smooth and lump free.

Place the Rice Krispies in a large bowl, and dump the marshmallow mixture on top. Stir until completely combined and evenly distributed.

Butter a medium sized pan (around 8x10) and dump the mixture in. Pack down firmly. Allow to cool for 30 minutes. At this point, you should be able to invert the entire thing and have it pop right out for easy cutting.

Strawberry Rhubarb Fruit Leather

Remember those fruit roll-ups you used to eat as a kid? I would take them to school with me all the time for lunch. They bring back so many childhood memories, so I decided to try to make my own and reinvent them with some new flavors. 

I really love the combination of strawberries and rhubarb, which is a pink vegetable that resembles celery. It's pretty tart, which is why it needs to be cooked with some sugar.

Fruit leather needs to be dehydrated in an oven with very little heat for a very long time.

Once fully dehydrated, it should still be pliable, but completely firm to the touch.

Strawberry Rhubarb Fruit Leather
Note: I'm keeping this recipe pretty basic. You can really make this with any combination of fruits and spices, but you will need to adjust the sugar based on what variety you're making and how sweet the fruit is.

1-2 lbs. strawberries
A few stalks of rhubarb
Squeeze of lemon juice
Sugar (I used about 1/4 cup, maybe a little more)
Water

Cut the rhubarb into one inch pieces, and place in a saucepan with the lemon juice and just enough water to cover them halfway. Simmer on medium-low for about 5 minutes. In the meantime, cut the strawberries into quarters. Add them to the pan, and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes or until tender.

Once cooked, place the mixture into a blender and pulse until combined and smooth. At this point, start adding sugar until it's sweet enough for your liking.

Line a couple baking sheets with non-stick plastic wrap and divide the fruit mixture up between them, evening them out with an offset spatula. Bake on a very low temperature (between 140 and 180 degrees) for about 6-8 hours, or until completely dry to the touch.

Nutella Cookies

It's currently 3:21 AM on a Sunday night. I just finished a paper for one of my classes, which is due today of course. I'm exhausted, so I'm going to keep this short and sweet. 

I love Nutella. Who doesn't? It's good by itself, but it's even better in cookies. Try it. You won't be sorry.

These cookies are crispy, salty, and sweet all at the same time. They're crunchy, yet still have a very slight chew to them towards the center. 

Nutella Cookies

Yield: 2-3 dozen cookies

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup sugar

1 tsp instant coffee powder

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup Nutella

¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Cream butter and sugar in a bowl until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, and nutella, and combine. 

In another bowl, sift flour, baking soda, coffee powder, and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients into wet, constantly mixing until fully combined. Fold in chocolate chips. 

Using a 1 tbsp scoop, place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 14-16 minutes. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Happy baking and goodnight.

Oreo Truffles

Anyone that knows me knows that I am not a big fan of Oreo cookies, so why did I make a dessert that revolves around them? Well, it was one of my best friend's birthdays yesterday, and when I asked her what she wanted, she said the only thing she wanted was for me to cook for her. How could I say no?

Being as I don't like Oreos, I was hesitant to try this recipe, but I've seen it on a few blogs and I couldn't find one person that had something bad to say about it, so I figured I'd give it a shot. It was definitely worth it. These truffles are amazing. They're incredibly rich, so you really only need one or two for a satisfying dessert. I have to admit, they turned me into an Oreo fan.

Happy Birthday Judy!!!

Note: This recipe is a great starter for all types of truffles. I'm sure you could substitute peanut butter cups or any other kind of cookie for the Oreos and get similar results.

Oreo Truffles

Recipe from Kraft Recipes

1 16 oz. package Oreos

8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature

12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli)

Place cookies in a food processor and pulse until fine.

Cube the room temperature cream cheese and add to the food processor. Pulse a few more times, until the mixture begins to form a ball and looks to be evenly combined.

Roll mixture into one inch balls and place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. At this point, it's best to place the truffles in the freezer for ten minutes so they can quickly set and refrain from falling apart when dipped in the melted chocolate.

In the meantime, melt the chocolate over a double broiler. Once ready, dip the truffles in and completely coat in chocolate, allowing the excess to drip off.

Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set completely and allow the chocolate to harden. Serve and enjoy!

Banana Bread

Every Tuesday I get together with two of my friends for dinner at one of their apartments. This week we decided that each of us would make something. I quickly claimed dessert, being that it is undeniably the best part of any meal.


I wanted to make something that's quick and easy because of the small kitchen and limited cooking supplies that we have to work with. Banana bread instantly popped into my head. It uses ingredients that everyone should have in their kitchen. This banana bread is easy to make and even easier to eat. It's a nice and decadent treat to snack on anytime of the day. These mini loaves are perfect for sharing with friends, or not- your choice. I recommend cutting them into pieces and freezing them. Then, whenever you need a fast breakfast or dessert all you have to do is pop a couple pieces in the microwave! Easy as that. 

Before

After

As you can tell by these pictures, the banana bread doesn't rise significantly, but it does slightly darken in color after being baked.


Mini Banana Bread Loaves
Adapted from: Sweet Treats and More


1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract 
3 tsp vegetable oil
1 egg
2 egg whites
3 large bananas, very ripe
3/4 cup chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine flour, oats, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.


In a large bowl mash bananas well. Add in eggs, sugar, vanilla, and oil and whisk until combined. Slowly add in the flour mixture and combine, making sure not to over mix. Fold in chocolate chips.


Grease mini loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray, and distribute the batter evenly into however many pans you have. Just make sure not to fill more than 3/4 of the way, as they rise slightly while baking.


Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the loaves are firm to the touch and a toothpick comes out dry.


If you choose to make this into one large loaf, bake for 45-50 minutes.

I know, I've been slacking lately. I really need to start making consistent posts. I'll try to aim for at least one new recipe each week. It's been hard recently because I just moved back into my dorm after being on winter break for 5 weeks- two of which I spent in Israel volunteering with a group of students from the University of Maryland and Binghamton University. At first I was a bit skeptical about the whole experience, but overall, I'm really glad I went on the trip because I met a lot of awesome people, saw some things I've never seen before, spent time with my family, and ate some great food.

While on the actual trip with my group we stayed at sub-par places, and ate rice and schnitzel almost every night for dinner. One night, however, we were taken to Ben Yehuda- one of the most well known streets in Jerusalem. I decided to explore with a few friends. We shopped around for a while, but when it came time for dinner, one of them decided to take us to a Yemenite restaurant a few streets over from the main area. I didn't have high expectations because it was a tiny place and there was only a few things on the menu. I decided to order something called Jachnoon, which is this really flaky rolled up piece of dough, served with a hard boiled egg. Surprisingly, it was delicious and really fun to unravel. I never expected to get good Yemenite food in the heart of Jerusalem.

Throughout the trip I ate a lot of the traditional cheap Israeli foods such as shawarma, falafel, and hummus, but I also had some really top notch home cooked meals. After the scheduled trip with the group was over, I stayed with a few different family members for a couple extra nights. While staying with my cousin Mazal, we had a lunch with my aunt and a few of my other cousins. She made homemade couscous. Yum. Nope, this is not the stuff that you get in a box and add water to. It is completely homemade. Pretty cool, huh? I don't really know what to call the fish dish that is sitting on top of the couscous, but it was amazing. All I remember from asking about the recipe is that it has coriander and turmeric. Helpful, right?

Immediately following lunch, my cousin decided to whip up a microwave chocolate cake. I watched as she quickly mixed the ingredients in a bowl, and literally no more than ten minutes later it was done. I was shocked. I've seen recipes for microwave chocolate cakes in mugs, but never ones for a whole cake. I definitely want to experiment with this technique in the future. I wrote down the recipe, but I left it at home so I'll post it later.

Granola

Granola is one of my favorite things to make because you can whip it up in just a few minutes, and it lasts for weeks (but of course it won't). I've had my experiences with store-bought granola, but I can honestly say that this is far better. Granola is one of those things that you can really tailor to your liking. You can add whatever nuts, dried fruits, seeds, and powders that you want, and it will still turn out beautifully.

Granola

3 cups oats

2 tbsp ground flax seeds

1/3 cup applesauce (or oil)

1/3 cup honey

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup dried apricots

Whisk together applesauce, honey, maple syrup, and vanilla. In another bowl, stir oats, flax seeds, apple pie spice, and salt. Combine. 

Place in one layer on a large baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 50-60 minutes, stirring every 15. While the granola is baking, place the almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until fragrant and just starting to turn golden brown. Be careful- if you take your eyes off of these for even a minute, they will most likely burn (I know from experience)! 

Remove the granola when it begins to dry out and get crunchy. It gets harder as it cools. Once out of the oven, stir in the almonds, cranberries, and apricots (or really any nuts and dried fruit of your choosing).

This granola is great to have for breakfast as a parfait with yogurt and fruit, or even just by itself.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

I just got back from Israel a few hours ago. How did I make these so fast, you ask? Well, I didn't. I made these the day before I left, but I still remember exactly how they taste. They were that good. If you like chocolate and bananas, these muffins are for you. They're chewy yet fluffy, and large but still very moist. The abundance of bananas and applesauce in this recipe keeps them from drying out. These muffins are perfect for a quick breakfast because they're fairly healthy  yet still slightly sweet and satisfying because of the chocolate chips. They are best when heated in the microwave for a few seconds.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

Adapted from: Handle the Heat

1 1/2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup plain unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup milk
1 large egg
1 tsp kahlua (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a bowl, whisk together bananas, sugars, applesauce, milk, kahlua, vanilla, and egg. In another bowl, whisk flours, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

Use an ice cream scoop to fill the muffin tins until three-quarters full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack, and then freeze if desired.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

My dad comes from an Israeli family, so naturally we eat a lot of hummus. However, most of it is either store bought or from a restaurant. Hummus seemed to be fairly easy to make, so a few nights ago I decided to give it a shot. I whipped out my food processor, and within minutes I had this delicious Middle Eastern dip.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained (chick peas)

1/3 cup roasted red peppers

2 tbsp. tahini (sesame paste)

1-2 cloves garlic

1 lemon, juiced

1 tsp. salt

2-3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

In a food processor, blend the first 5 ingredients. When smooth, while food processor is still on, slowly drizzle in olive oil until the desired consistency is reached. It should be smooth, but thick. When serving, top with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of paprika.

Purple Sugar Donut Muffins

I stumbled upon this recipe for sugar donut muffins a few nights ago, and it's been sitting as a tab in my internet browser ever since. These are the perfect little treats that taste and feel like donuts, but are a bit healthier and more fun to eat. They are sweet on the outside, yet soft and chewy on the inside- just like a donut. I chose to make them in mini muffin pans so they'd be a great bite-sized snack for any time of day.

Why the purple, you ask? In spirit of the Ravens making it to the playoffs, I decided it would be a great idea to bake something purple. It's not everyday you get to make weird colored desserts that people won't question. First, I thought of coating them in purple sugar after they came out of the oven, but the grocery stores that I went to had literally every color decorating sugar except for purple. I tried making it myself by putting sugar and red and blue food coloring in the food processor, but that turned out to be a disaster. Moving on to plan b, I just decided to make the entire batter purple.
Success.

Sugar Donut Muffins

Adapted from Baking Bites

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking power

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup milk (low fat is fine)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray mini-muffin pans with non-stick baking spray. In a large bowl, whip sugar and egg until fluffy. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Slowly add into the egg mixture. Add the oil, milk, and vanilla, and stir until combined. If you want to add food coloring, this is the time to do so.

Scoop into muffin pans, until about 3/4 full. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out dry. Immediately after coming out of the oven, roll the muffins in sugar and then cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy! GO RAVENS!!

Deep Dish Spinach Pie

I always cook something for my mom for Mothers Day. This year I came across a recipe for this beautiful deep dish spinach pie, and I just knew I had to make it. It was clearly a success, because it was on the top of my mom's list of things she wanted me to make when I came home for winter break. This spinach pie is absolutely delicious. It's a great dish to make during the week because it makes 9 good sized slices, and it tastes just as good, if not better, the next day. Cuts better too.

Deep Dish Spinach Pie

Adapted from Cooking With My Kid

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
3 shallots, diced
2 (10 oz) boxes frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 large eggs whites, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon dry Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup toasted almonds
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry
1 extra-large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive in a pan and saute the shallots over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Meanwhile, squeeze most of the water out of the spinach and place in a bowl. Add the onion mixture, Gruyere, Parmesan, eggs, bread crumbs, salt, and almonds. Mix well, making sure to break up the spinach.

Thaw the puff pastry for 35-45 minutes at room temperature until just workable. Unfold one sheet and roll into a rectangle on a floured cutting board, poke with a fork, and place in an 8x8 baking dish.

Scoop the spinach mixture into the baking dish.  Roll out the second piece of puff pastry on a floured board until it is also a rectangle. Place it over the spinach and tuck the sides down into the baking pan, making sure both sheets of puff pastry touch all the way around. Brush the top with egg wash and then poke a few times with a fork.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the pastry is lightly browned and puffy. Let cool 20 minutes before slicing (doesn't usually happen in my house).

The Beginning

Hi. My name is Jenny, I'm 19 years old, and I'm a sophomore at the University of Maryland. Do I have a major? Nope. Do I know what I want to study? Not really. Do I even know what I'll be doing next year? Well, no. One thing I do know, though, is that I love to cook. I can remember cooking with my mom ever since I was little, but my interest in cooking/baking has developed into a passion just over the past few years. I don't have any professional training, but I've been to a few cooking classes here and there. A lot of my inspiration comes from cooking shows and food blogs. I'll cook anything once. I love trying new recipes, experimenting with different flavors, and putting my own twist on recipes. Most of all, I love making people happy with my food.

I decided to start a blog so I can take you along with me on my culinary journey as I test new recipes, learn new techniques, and most of all, become more knowledgeable about the field.