Frosted Maple Spice Cookies

I f you are a spice cake fan, you will really like these cookies--they are so flavorful!!  And soft, too.  Original recipe has them topped with walnuts, but I didn't feel like messing with that, still turned out great! Recipe only makes 20, not 30 like it says in original. Another 10/10 :)

Link to original recipe: https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/maple-walnut-spice-cookies

Ingredients:

cookie batter-- 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
3/4 c. dark brown sugar (packed)
1/4 c. unsalted butter
2 T. maple syrup
1 large egg

glaze/frosting--
1 c. powdered sugar
2 T. maple syrup
1 T. milk
2 tsp. butter, softened

optional topping: finely chopped toasted walnuts (I omitted these)

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together first 7 ingredients (flour through cloves). Set aside.

2. Heat oven to 350°F.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer/stand mixer, beat together brown sugar and butter until well combined (original recipe said until fluffy, but mine would not get 'fluffy' for some reason, even after a few minutes of beating).

4. Beat in the maple syrup and egg until well combined.

5. Gradually add the dry ingredients while mixing on low speed, until just combined.

6. Use 1 T. sized cookie scoop (or spoons) to drop 'mounds' of dough onto cookie sheet, 2" apart.  (I used parchment, but it may not be necessary; original recipe did not have it.)  Bake cookies for 14 min or until lightly browned and set (it was 14 exactly for me).  (forgot to take pic of first batch before they went in--this is why there are 5, then 15--they don't multiply in the oven haha!)

7. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

8. After cookies have cooled completely, prepare frosting/glaze: whisk together all frosting/glaze ingredients in a small bowl.  Mine came out more as a glaze consistency, so I just dipped each cookie on one side to coat and placed back on cooling rack.  If you want to add the walnuts, do so immediately after glazing/frosting.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Malted Cookies

Soft and chewy, chocolate-y good-y!  These are easy, doesn't make a huge batch, and are super tasty...9.5/10.  Only drawback is that you really need to use parchment paper when baking them (which is not indicated in original recipe).  When I took out the first batch, despite being on a nonstick sheet, it took a bit of scrape/nudging to get the cookies off.  Went much better once I used parchment.

Link to original recipe: https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-malted-cookies

Ingredients:

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. brown sugar (packed)
6 T. malted milk powder (regular or chocolate; I went with regular)
5 T. unsalted butter, softened
3 T. chocolate syrup
1 T. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 c. milk chocolate morsels
1/2 c. semisweet mini morsels

Instructions:

1. Line cookie sheets with parchment and set aside.  Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Heat oven to 350°F.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or other electric mixer), beat together brown sugar, malted milk powder, butter, chocolate syrup, vanilla extract, and egg until well combined.

4. Gradually add/mix in dry ingredients until just combined. (I used a wooden spoon after letting mixer do most of the work)

5. With a wooden spoon, stir in both types of morsels together.

6. Use a cookie scoop (or spoons) to drop rounded tablespoon-sized balls onto parchment, 2" apart.  Bake for 10 min. (pix are from first batch, thus no parchment yet (see note at top of post))

7. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 3-4 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.  Enjoy!

Steak Fajitas

I have made these a couple of times now and really love them. I've made them in both the skillet and the oven, and must say that the oven is a bit faster and easier. The chipotle chili powder substitution is something I have tried at different levels--it just depends on how spicy I am in the mood to have. At any rate, these are easy and wonderful...especially with Gordo's cheese dip!

Note: in the video, I have modified them to bake the meat and veggies separately. I now prefer this as my method, but am going to leave the written part below with the steak and veggies together (in case anyone wants to do it that way, and because I don't have a new set of pix to go with new directions).

Link to my YouTube "making of the recipe" video: https://youtu.be/YCc_vOwNfAI

Link to original recipe: https://kirbiecravings.com/sheet-pan-steak-fajitas/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

1 lb. flank steak (or skirt steak), sliced against the grain into 1/2" strips
2 tsp. chili powder (to make it spicy: sub 1/2 tsp (or more) of chipotle chili powder)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tsp. bottled minced garlic
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 each: red, orange, yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

8 flour or corn tortillas
if available: Gordo's cheese sauce
any other desired fajita toppings (i.e. cilantro, lime wedges to squeeze, etc)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400°F.  Line 2 rimmed cookie sheets with aluminum foil.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.

3. In a large bowl, stir together steak, onions, and bell peppers.  Add olive oil and garlic, then mix again until all is coated in olive oil.

4. Add spice blend from small bowl and mix until all is evenly coated.

5. Pour half of mixture out onto each prepared cookie sheet.  Spread out so that it is a single layer on each/no overlapping veggies or meat. (This took 1 regular sized sheet and 1 small, as you can see)

6. Transfer to oven and bake for 12-20 minutes, or until steak and veggies reach desired doneness.

7. Serve with tortillas and desired toppings.  Enjoy!

Fyrstekake (Norwegian Cardamom-Almond Tart)

In the mood for something different for dessert?  Something not overly sweet?  Look no further, here's a good treat.  Bonus: it's quite pretty, so if you are looking for a good presentation, this works well.  I give this 9/10, as it's a bit involved, but not too complicated (and tasty, of course).

Link to original recipe: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/yarnall-familys-fyrstekake-norwegian-cardamom-almond-tart-51135090

Ingredients: 

Crust--
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom (fresh ground is preferred)
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp. whole milk or heavy cream (I used the latter)

Filling--
unsalted butter (to grease tart pan)
2 c. slivered almonds (or ground almond meal)
1 c. powdered sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cardamom (fresh ground is preferred)
1/4 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
3 large egg whites
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk plus 2 tsp. water, mixed together in small dish

Special equipment: 
9 in. diameter tart pan with removable bottom (I used one that was slightly larger, so I didn't have as much dough left to do the top shapes design)

Instructions:

1. Prepare crust: in a medium bowl, whisk together baking powder, cardamom, and salt.  Set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (around 3 minutes).  Beat in egg yolk and milk.

3. With mixer on low, gradually mix in reserved dry ingredients mixture.  Mix until just combined.

4. Shape dough into a ball, then break off 1/4 of the dough.  Reshape both into balls, then flatten into disks.  Cover each separately (I used plastic wrap) and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.  (I went around 3 hours)

5. Butter tart pan. Remove dough disks from fridge.  Break the larger one into chunks and spread out over prepared tart pan.  Press to mold into tart pan using fingertips.  (Mine went about halfway up sides of tart pan and this was perfect once it baked). 

6. Roll out smaller disk and cut out decorative shapes, place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Cover the shapes and tart pan and return to fridge for 1 hour.

7. Heat oven to 350°F. In a food processor, pulse almonds, powdered sugar, cardamom, and nutmeg until almonds are finely ground.  Pour mixture into a large mixing bowl.

8. In a medium bowl, use and electric mixer to beat egg whites with vanilla until medium peaks form.

9. Gently fold egg whites into almond mixture in large bowl.

10. Fill chilled tart crust with mixture, spreading top out evenly. 

11. Place cutouts atop mixture, then brush with egg yolk wash.  (I also brushed the edge of the tart crust.)

12. Bake until crust and cutouts are golden brown and filling is set, 30-35 minutes (it was 30 for me).

13. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely before removing side piece.  Cut up and enjoy! (I forgot to take pic of tart before cutting, so only have the piece to show)

Chardonnay Braised Chicken Thighs with Parsnips and Shallots

MMM such a perfect fall meal!  For those of you who have never had parsnips (or never heard of them), they look like large blond carrots, but don't taste like carrots.  I'm not sure how to describe their taste...so just try this and find out how delicious they are :)  10/10...not only for taste, but also for ease of prep and quick meal.

Link to original recipe: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chardonnay-braised-chicken-thighs-with-parsnips

Ingredients:

2 T. unsalted butter
2 T. olive oil
6-8 chicken thighs (total weight around 2.75 lbs; for me, this was 6--they also have to fit in one layer in the skillet)
kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper, for seasoning
~1/4 c. flour
4 small shallots, peeled and quartered
~1 lb. parsnips, peeled and cut into 3" by 1/2" sticks
1 large sprig rosemary
1 c. Chardonnay (I used Kirkland brand)
1 1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth

Instructions:

1. Heat butter and olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium to medium-high heat (I recommend cast-iron--worked very well). 

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then coat lightly in the flour, shaking off excess.  Place thighs skin side down in skillet and brown on both sides (around 5-6 minutes per side).  Transfer to a plate.

3. Heat oven to 425°F.  Add shallots, parsnips, and rosemary to skillet.  Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

4. Add wine, bring to boil and let boil for 3 minutes.

5. Add broth and bring to boil, then turn off heat.  Place chicken back in skillet, skin side up, nestled among the parsnips.

6. Transfer skillet to oven, leaving skillet uncovered.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until chicken reaches internal temp of at least 165°F. 

7. Place skillet back on stove, then switch oven to broiler setting (HI).  Remove thighs and place on a small, rimmed baking sheet.  Broil for 2-3 minutes--watch closely so that skin doesn't crisp too much (burn/blacken).  Took just over 2 minutes in my oven, and it still got a bit too toasty (but tasted fine :))

8. Remove rosemary sprig and discard.  Heat skillet on high, boiling sauce for 3 minutes.

9. Serve chicken with vegetables and sauce.  Enjoy!

Nectarine Blueberry Crisp

Yet another recipe from back in July.  I thought it would be a nice change to make something warm for breakfast, as I rarely do that (apart from pancakes on Sundays :))  This was quite tasty--9/10, would make again.  It's easy to put together and doesn't require anything exceptional (apart from having a ripe nectarine).

Link to original recipe:  https://www.julieseatsandtreats.com/nectarine-blueberry-crisp-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-44750

Ingredients:

1 ripe nectarine, diced into small cubes
1/2 c. blueberries
1/2 T. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

topping ingredients:

3 T. rolled oats
1 T. flour
1 T. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 T. butter, softened

heavy cream or ice cream for serving, if desired (I omitted this)

Instructions:

1. Heat oven 375°F.  Spray 3 ramekins (3 1/2" each) with baking spray.

2. Gently combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, then divide evenly among prepared ramekins.

3. Using same bowl, combine all topping ingredients--you will need to squeeze the butter into the mixture by pressing between your fingers, until well blended (crumbly texture).

4. Sprinkle the topping over top of mixture in each ramekin, pressing down gently after adding.

5. Place ramekins on a baking sheet lined with foil (you can see I already had done this--it's in case of bubbling over; mine did not, but I might have just been lucky!) and bake for around 30 min, or until topping is browned and filling is bubbling.

6. Cool crisps slightly before serving.  Serve alone, or with cream or ice cream and enjoy!

Hoisin Glazed Duck Legs

Have made this twice now and love it! Super easy, with a great sauce. Try it tonight!

Link to my YouTube "making of the recipe" video: https://youtu.be/uSubNZSNwYU

Original recipe credit: https://dashofsavory.com/hoisin-glazed-duck-legs/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Note: pictures below are from the first time I made this, when I used 3 duck legs

Ingredients:

2 (or 3) duck legs
kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper, for seasoning
1/3 c. hoisin sauce
2 T. reduced sodium soy sauce
2 T. mirin
2 T. honey
1 tsp. Thai chili paste (or sambal oelek)
chopped green onion and toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400°F.

2. Season duck legs all over with kosher salt and pepper.  Place them, skin side down, in a large cast iron skillet, then heat skillet over medium to medium-high heat.  Cook for 8 min, then turn legs over for 2 additional min.

3. Transfer pan to oven and set timer for 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, prepare sauce: whisk together the hoisin, soy sauce, mirin, honey, and sambal oelek.  When the timer goes off, brush some of the glaze over the duck legs and set timer for another 10 min.  Glaze legs a second time, then set timer for 10 more min.  Glaze legs a third time, then set timer for 5 minutes.  Check internal temp--needs to be 165°F (or greater).  Bake longer if needed.  Glaze again at end if any sauce remains.

5. If desired, heat/cook the remaining sauce to serve with the legs and/or whatever side dish you choose. Top glazed legs with green onions and sesame seeds, serve immediately and enjoy!