Homemade Oreos

I am updating my homemade oreos recipe because the cookie part always turned out super greasy and they spread way too much. Plus, they were so soft that they usually just fell apart. So I kept the cream cheese frosting and swapped the cookie out for a much more sturdy, but still soft, cookie.

Homemade Oreos

·        1 and 1/4 cups (160g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)

·        1/2 cup (43g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder

·        1 teaspoon baking soda

·        1/8 teaspoon salt

·        1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

·        3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar

·        1/4 cup (50g) packed light brown sugar

·        1 large egg, at room temperature

·        1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Filling:

4 oz cream cheese

2 1/4 cup powdered sugar (1/2 lb)

2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream butter and sugars in mixer until fluffy. Add vanilla, egg and salt. Mix in remaining dry ingredients until just combined. Refrigerate dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, for 30 minutes (don’t skip this step).

Preheat oven to 350. Roll balls (about 2 tsp) of dough and place about 1.5 inches apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Using a glass, slightly smash the balls flat – not too much, just a bit. Bake for about 5-6 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely.

Using hand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until well combined. Fill piping bag with frosting and swirl on the inside of one cookie, then top with another to make a sandwich. Repeat until all cookies are filled.

Pizza Sauce, Neapolitan Style

Pizza Sauce, Neapolitan Style

Ingredients

32 oz can whole tomatoes
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 large garlic clove, pressed or very finely minced
1 teaspoon dry oregano
3–4 cracks freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt to taste (usually about 1 teaspoon)

Instructions

Set a medium sized sauce pan over low-medium heat.  Add olive oil and garlic and let warm.  You don’t want to fry your garlic so it turns brown or crispy, simply warming in the oil for a minute helps release the flavors.  Let it slightly bubble for about 30 seconds.

Open your can of tomatoes and with clean hands, crush the individual tomatoes with your hands into the pot, discarding any basil leaves and hard tomato cores.  Discard juice left in can.

Add oregano, pepper, and a scant teaspoon kosher salt.  Bring sauce to a simmer and let cook for 10-15 minutes, smashing any larger tomato chunks with your spatula as it cooks.  Use immersion blender to smooth out sauce at the end of cooking time and immediately spoon over pizza dough.

*Makes enough for about 6 personal sized pizzas.

https://ourbestbites.com/simple-neapolitan-style-pizza-sauce/

Homemade Glazed Donuts

I've tried homemade donuts a couple of times and they're always dense and not worth it in the end. These were actually really light and fluffy - hooray! I tried to make a chocolate glaze so I could dip them in that after the regular glaze too and I realized that salted butter is a no-go. Blech... way too salty.

HOMEMADE GLAZED DONUTS

DONUTS:

·        7 cups (35 ounces) all-purpose flour

·        3/4 cup (5.5 ounces) granulated sugar

·        1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

·        2 cups cold milk

·        2 large eggs

·        1 1/2 teaspoons salt

·        12 tablespoons butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces and softened to room temp (I use salted)

·        2 to 3 quarts vegetable oil, for frying

GLAZE:

·        6 cups (24 ounces) powdered sugar

·        3/4 cup hot water

·        1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

·        Pinch salt

1.       In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the flour (you can start with 6 cups and then add more only if needed) sugar, yeast, milk, eggs and mix until combined. The dough will look a little shaggy. Add the salt and continue mixing until well combined and the texture looks fairly smooth, 2-3 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes.

2.       With the mixer running on medium low, add the butter a piece at a time until all the butter has been added and is incorporated into the dough. The dough will have softened considerably and may be sticking to the middle or sides of the bowl. Scrape down the middle and sides as needed.

3.       Knead the dough on medium speed for 10-12 minutes. Start the kneading time after the last of the butter has been added. The dough will be very sticky but as it kneads, it should come together better. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.

4.       You'll know the dough is done mixing if you can pull up a handful and it stretches easily. It will be very soft. And it may even be sticking to the sides or middle a bit (depending on the mixer you have), but it shouldn't leave very much residue on your fingers when you pull a handful up. If it is wet and sticky, add 1/4 cup more flour and mix for a few more minutes (resist the urge to add this flour if at all possible unless your dough is a sticky mess).

5.       Transfer the dough to a greased container. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. The dough should double in the refrigerator.  Even if it doesn’t rise much, it will still work, don't give up.

6.       Immediately out of the refrigerator, roll the chilled dough on a lightly greased countertop to about 1/4-inch thick (or slightly thicker). It should be about a 12X16-inch rectangle. Line half sheet pans with wax paper and lightly spray with cooking spray.

7.       Cut the donuts and donut holes with a 3-inch donut cutter (with a 1-inch center) and place them on the prepared pans. Cut any excess dough into donut holes. Reroll scraps and repeat.

8.       Let the donuts rise, uncovered, until noticeably puffy. I warm my oven to 140 degrees. Turn it off and place the sheet pans of donuts inside to rise for 20 minutes or so. On the counter, it may take 1-2 hours for the donuts to rise.

9.       Place a double layer of paper towels on a half sheet pan.

10.     Heat oil in a heavy pot to at least 2-inches deep to 350 degrees F.

11.     Gently pick up the puffy donuts so they don't stretch and quickly place them in the hot oil (the bottoms of the risen donuts will be very soft from rising on the greased parchment; the donuts fry best with less air bubbles if they are placed in the oil SOFT SIDE UP). Don't overcrowd the pot or the oil temperature will fall too quickly.

12.     Cook the donuts until golden brown (not dark) on the bottom, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Flip with tongs and continue cooking for another minute or so until golden. Lift the donuts out of the oil with the tongs, drain any excess oil, and transfer the cooked donuts to the paper towel lined baking sheet. (Donut holes should cook in about half the time)

13.     Let the oil come back to temperature before adding subsequent batches of donuts or donut holes.

14.     Prepare the glaze by whisking all the ingredients together until smooth. Don’t worry that it’s thin – it will look thin, but adding more powdered sugar will make it too thick and funky on the donuts. Place a wire cooling rack over a half sheet pan or silicone mat.

15.     Let the donuts cool until just warm to the touch before dipping fully in the glaze (if the donuts are too warm, the glaze will drip almost completely off). Place the glazed donuts on the wire rack so excess glaze can drip on the sheet pan below.

16.     Once the glaze is set on the donuts, they can be transferred to a plate or other serving dish. The donuts are best served fresh but can be reheated the next day - a quick 8-12 second zap in the microwave has them tasting *mostly* fresh.

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/the-best-homemade-glazed-donuts/

Macaroni Coleslaw Salad

Macaroni Coleslaw Salad

Ingredients

·        2 cups macaroni noodles, measured when dry

·        2 English cucumbers, cut into moons

·        1 red bell pepper, finely chopped (optional)

·        1 small red onion, very finely chopped

·        1 (14-16 ounces) package coleslaw mix

DRESSING:

·        1 and 1/2 cups regular Mayo

·        1/4 cup granulated sugar

·        1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

·        1/2 teaspoon salt

·        1/4 teaspoon pepper

·        1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

·        1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1.    Cook the macaroni noodles according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water and then transfer to a large bowl.

2.    Meanwhile, prepare the veggies. Dice the cucumbers into bite sized pieces. Add to the large bowl with the macaroni noodles. Finely chop the bell pepper and red onion and add to the bowl.

3.    Add in the coleslaw mix and toss to combine.

4.    Meanwhile, add all of the dressing ingredients to a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Pour over the salad and toss until all the ingredients are well coated. Cover tightly and allow tochill thoroughly in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours before enjoying. Toss right before serving.

https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/macaroni-coleslaw-salad/#wprm-recipe-container-43601

Macarons

Ady has a goal to learn to make cookies on her own this year and, while I don't anticipate her making these while flying solo anytime soon, she really wanted to try macarons. They turned out delish! Every review I read said it's a must to weigh the ingredients, rather than measure and to sift them, so that's what we did. Yes, it was a pain.

Macarons

100 grams egg whites (don’t get ANY yolk in the mixture)

50 grams granulated sugar

200 grams confectioners’ sugar

110 grams finely ground almond flour

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

With a hand mixer, beat egg whites in a medium sized bowl until foamy. Beat in granulated sugar and continue beating until egg whites are glossy and hold fairly stiff peaks.

In separate bowl, through fine mesh strainer, sift powdered sugar and almond flour together. You can use a spoon to push some through, but discard any large lumps left at the end.

Quickly fold the almond mixture into the egg whites (along with any gel based food coloring you want to use) with a rubber spatula.

Spoon mixture into frosting bag and twist open end closed. Cut off a bit of the corner of the bag and pipe onto the parchment paper by holding the bag completely vertical and squeezing. Lift only when the batter has filled about a 1.5 inch diameter and then quickly swirl and lift to avoid dragging batter across the sheet. Repeat about 1.5 inches from each disk.

When cookie sheet is full, lift it and carefully drop the sheet from about a foot or two above the counter to get all air bubbles out of the batter.

Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour until the disks form a skin on top (you should be able to gently touch the disk without getting any batter on your finger).

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Bake until cookies are set, but not browned (about 10-15 minutes).

Let cool completely before filling.

*You can fill these with a simple vanilla buttercream. If you want to fill with a curd or jam or something like that, pipe some buttercream around the outside edge of cookie and then fill the middle to prevent it from spilling out.

Kalua Pork

We had a Luau for Father's Day and I made this...delish!  I used 2 tsp. Kosher salt and about 3 Tbsp hickory liquid smoke for an 8-lb. bone-in roast and it was great.  I served this on King's Hawaiian rolls with bbq sauce. 

Kalua Pork

Ingredients

1 2.5-3.5 boneless pork shoulder (butt) roast
Sea salt (pink Hawaiian sea salt if you can find it; SMOKED Hawaiian sea salt if you can find that)
Hickory-flavored liquid smoke (if you can’t find smoked sea salt, or for a little more smokey flavor)

Instructions

Pierce the entire roast with a fork and sprinkle with the sea salt (start with about a little less than tablespoon and see how far it gets you; you can always add more after it cooks).  If using traditional kosher salt, decrease salt to 1-2 teaspoons.  Rub the salt into the roast. Sprinkle the liquid smoke all over the roast.  Place the roast in a slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the meat shreds easily with a fork.

Remove the roast from the pan and place it in a serving dish or on a serving platter. Shred it, discarding any large pieces of fat. Drizzle enough of the cooking liquid over the pork to re-moisten it and keep it from drying out. Serve with any combination of sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, rice, macaroni salad, and/or fresh fruits and vegetables (or a green salad), or on rolls. Plan on 6-8 ounces of pre-cooked meat per person–pork shoulder is quite fatty, so the weight will really cook down.

Recipe from https://ourbestbites.com/kalua-pork//

Cornbread Muffins

I still love my Buttermilk Cornbread, but sometimes you just need to mix it up. These are delish.

Cornbread Muffins

These tender cornbread muffins are the perfect side to any Southern or Southwestern dish. You can whip up the batter in no time!

Servings: 12 muffins

Total Time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

·    1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour (1/2 white, ½ wheat)

·    3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

·    1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

·    1 tablespoon baking powder

·    1 teaspoon salt

·    2 large eggs

·    2 tablespoons honey

·    3/4 cup milk (preferably whole but low-fat works too)

·    1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted and cooled

INSTRUCTIONS

1.     Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees.  Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

2.     In a medium bowl, break up the eggs with a whisk. Whisk in the honey, and then the milk. Set aside.

3.     In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the milk mixture and the melted butter to the dry ingredients. Whisk until just blended. Do not overmix; it's okay if there are a few lumps. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are set and golden. (Note that the muffins will not dome.) Cool the muffins for a few minutes in the pan, then serve warm.

https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/cornbread-muffins.html