0 Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

I own quite a few cookbooks and have accumulated years worth of cooking magazines, but I don’t always use them when I’m in the mood for baking. Epicurious has provided me with numerous recipes that I use over and over again, but I have another source. A source so dark and secret that I hesitate to share it with you.

My latest recipe was found on the back of a bag. I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that some of my most popular recipes actually come from the back of a bag, box or canister. Of course my embarrassment is completely unjustified. Many of the recipes are very similar to ones found in cookbooks. Heck, one of America’s most beloved cookie recipes is found on the back of a bag. Although Phoebe’s grandmother might lead you to believe that it’s an old family recipe from France.

Oh, but back to this cookie…

The toffee melts just a little which transforms a basic drop cookie into a chewy, caramel-ly confection. The oatmeal provides a nutty counterpoint to the sweetness of the toffee. I’m not going to tell you that this is the best cookie I’ve ever made. That would be unfair to all the other equally deserving cookies. But I can tell you that 4 dozen cookies were devoured in less than 2 hours. We only have 20 people in our office. I’m no math whiz but oatmeal + toffee = delicious.

Oatmeal Toffee Cookies
(about 4 dozen)

8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp.
2 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temp.
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/3 cups (8 oz bag) Heath Bits 'O Brickle Toffee Bits

Preheat oven 375°F.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in vanilla extract.

Add flour mixture and mix until flour is just incorporated. Mix in oats and toffee bits.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons about 2 inches apart onto a parchment line cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Allow to cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet then transfer to cooling rack.

0 Cherry Almond Oatmeal Cake

There’s nothing quite like a bowl of oatmeal in the morning. I’m not talking about the oatmeal that comes in a pouch and heated in the office microwave with water from the water cooler. I’m talking about the oatmeal which is stirred over a flame, ladled into your favorite bowl and then topped with a pat of butter and a drizzle of honey. Or maybe you like your oatmeal with some fruit (dried or fresh) and nuts too. Either way, oatmeal is a great way to start your day. Just like this cake. As strange as this might sound, this cake tastes just like a bowl of oatmeal. There’s a hint of brown sugar and cinnamon and buttermilk adds a pleasant tang. I used dried cherries and almonds, but any dried fruit or nuts would work as well.

Cherry Almond Oatmeal Cake

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
2 cups buttermilk
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup almond meal
2 large eggs
3/4 cup light brown sugar
6 oz (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
2/3 cups dried cherries
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 9.5 x 2 inch round cake pan.

Combine oats and buttermilk in a large mixing bowl. Let mixture sit for 30 minutes at room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in another bowl. Stir in almond meal. Set aside dry ingredients.

Add eggs to oatmeal/buttermilk mixture and mix. Mix in brown sugar and then mix in melted butter. Mix in vanilla and almond extracts.

Add dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Batter should still be slightly lumpy. Gently fold in cherries and almonds.

Pour batter in prepared pan and bake at 350 F until top is golden about 40-50 minutes.

0 Peach Blackberry Cobbler

This simple cobbler is like a reverse single-crusted fruit pie – the fruit is placed into the bottom of a baking dish and then topped with a rich biscuit dough (but pie dough would also work). Almost any fruit can be used. I chose blackberries and peaches this time. I didn’t really use precise measurements for the fruit. I peeled 4 large peaches and sliced them into ¼ inch slices. Tossed the peaches with some flour for thickening and a bit of sugar. I squeezed the juice of half a small lemon over the peaches and then gently mixed in a pint of blackberries. I poured the fruit into a Pyrex pie dish. I cut my dough into wedge shaped pieces and fanned them over the fruit. The cobbler baked for 45 minutes at 350F. I let it cool for about 30 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream.

Cobbler Biscuit Dough
(makes enough dough for a 10-inch pie dish)

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and kept cold
1/2 cup whole milk, cold

For brushing the dough:
2 tbsp whole milk
1 tbsp granulated sugar

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture is the size of small peas. Add milk and mix until the dough just comes together. Gently knead the dough 5 times and then pat or roll to about ½ thick on a lightly floured surface. You can cut the dough into any shape you wish or leave it whole. Arrange your dough onto the fruit. If using dough whole, cut some steam vents. Brush the dough with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until crust is golden and fruit is tender.


The biscuit dough was very tender

Did you know that blackberries are high in anti-oxidants? So you can have your cake, or cobbler in this case, and eat it too! Other delicious recipes and mouth-watering photos of anti-oxidant rich foods can be found over at Sweetnicks .

0 Cat Mint (WCB)

Hostess Clare and feline Kiri are back! Please check out the Weekend Cat Blogging roundup of four-legged feline friends over at eatstuff .

Diane loves her new cat mint plant




But not as much as she loves napping in the sun

0 Swiss Orange Chip Cupcakes

I was counting the number of times I’ve visited Swensen’s Ice Cream shop in my lifetime. I don’t know for sure, but I’m pretty confident that I visited 3 or 4 times a year since I was 5 years old. I’m currently in my 30s, so that would add up to around 100 visits. Yes, one hundred. Goodness, that does seem like a lot, doesn’t it?

I grew up in the Nob Hill / Russian Hill area of SF and the Swensen’s was our local ice cream shop. Occasionally, my father would take us there for an after school treat. My cousins and I would run up the hill for a summery indulgence. I would stop there on the way home from playing tennis at Alice Marble. And there was time my high school best friend NL and I gave our other best friend NT a successful makeover and we had celebratory cones. My then-boyfriend-now-husband and I would share a scoop back when we were first dating. Now that we're married, we each get our own scoop.

The original shop on the corner of Hyde and Union is the only Swensen’s that makes all their scooped ice cream on the premises. They sell pre-packed half gallon tubs which have been shipped from the main ice cream production facility, but the more expensive hand-packed is definitely the way to go. A noticeable difference in quality makes the splurge worthwhile.

My favorite Swensen’s flavor is Swiss orange chip. A dark chocolate ice cream infused with essence of orange and mini chocolate chips. And for the record, I have absolutely no idea why it’s "Swiss". Perhaps it’s a nod to the chocolate they first used back in the day? Another curiosity is the Swiss orange chip ice cream never freezes completely hard. Always softer than the other ice cream flavors, it melts much more quickly. I’ve always speculated that it had something to do with the orange oil but my suspicions have never been confirmed (nor have they been denied). Conspiracy theory aside, I’ve always wanted to recreate those delicious flavors in a cake. So here is my Swiss orange chip cupcake. Enjoy!



Swiss Orange Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
(makes 15 cupcakes)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp.
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp grated orange zest
2 extra-large eggs, at room temp.
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3 oz buttermilk, at room temp.
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside dry ingredients. Combine orange juice, buttermilk, and vanilla extract in a small Pyrex measuring cup. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the orange zest. Then add the eggs, 1 at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add one-third of the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Mix in half of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat with flour, buttermilk, and flour. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Fill 15 lined muffin cups ¾ full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool cupcakes in the muffin pans for 10 minutes. Then carefully remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool completely.



Chocolate Glaze
1 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp light corn syrup
½ tsp vanilla extract

Combine chocolate, butter and corn syrup in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until well combined about 2-3 minute. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Glaze your cooled cupcakes.

0 Orange Ginger Cookies

Ginger cookies are usually associated with the holidays, but this is not that kind of ginger cookie. This is actually an orange sugar cookie with just a hint of ginger spice and studded with tiny chunks of Australian crystallized ginger. I was inspired to combine the two flavors after sipping the orange ginger cooler from Park Chow, a cheap eats favorite in the Inner Sunset. These simple, refreshing cookies are sugary and slightly crisp on the outside with a chewier center.

Orange Ginger Cookies
(makes 3 dozen)

4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp.
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp finely grated orange zest
1 large egg, at room temp.
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
additional granulated sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350F.

Sift together flour, baking soda, ground ginger, and salt. Set aside dry ingredients.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the orange zest and beat for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and beat for another 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of bowl.

On low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the crystallized ginger.

Form 1 inch balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake for 10-13 minutes or until golden around the edges.


lime & ginger are yummy too

0 Lemon Cake

I’ve been on a total citrus kick lately. My latest attempt is Ina Garten’s lemon cake. The still-hot-from-the-oven loaves are soaked with a lemon syrup, which adds a mouth-puckering tartness. Ina glazes hers with a lemon icing, but I skipped it since I was low on confectioners’ sugar.



Lemon Cake
(makes two 8-inch loafs)

Ingredients
1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp.
2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup grated lemon zest
4 large eggs, at room temp.
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temp.
1 tsp vanilla extract

Lemon soaking syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven 350 F. Butter and flour two loaf pans (I used 8.5 x 4 inch loaf pans).

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside dry ingredients.

Combine lemon juice, buttermilk, and vanilla extract in a small Pyrex measuring cup. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the lemon zest. Then add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally.

Add one-third of the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Mix in half of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat with flour, buttermilk, and flour.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pans. Bake for 45 – 60 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Shortly before the cakes are done, make the soaking syrup. In a small, non-reactive saucepan, combine the sugar and lemon juice. Cook over low heat, whisking occasionally, until the sugar dissolves.

Cool cakes in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and set them on a cooling rack over a baking sheet (to collect any dripping syrup). With a wooden skewer, poke the cake all over and spoon or brush with the syrup. Allow the cakes to cool completely.