Apr 30 2013

Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cookies

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This recipe for Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cookies came from my Cooking Light daily calendar – It was featured back on March 18-19 and I threw the recipe card in my purse thinking I’d make them the following weekend. I switched purses mid-week and lost track of the recipe… until now.

I love caramel, it’s my first choice as an ice cream sundae topping. I also eat an apple every day. I’ve always thought caramel apples were amazing and caramel apple lollipops are my favorite at Halloween. Yes, I realize that it’s Spring with weather inching into the 90’s here in Sacramento,  but some baking needed to happen this past weekend and these cookies were it!

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Ingredients:

  • 1.5 Cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1.5 Cups Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
  • 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 3/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
  • 6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened
  • 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 3/4 Cup Finely Chopped Dry Apple Slices
  • 3/4 Cup Caramel Bits or 16 Small Soft Caramel Candies, Chopped

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  2. Measure flour, level with a knife. Combine flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt  in a bowl, stir well.
  3. Place sugars and butter in mixing bowl, beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture; beat at low speed until just combined. Fold in apple and caramel bits.
  4. Drop dough by 2 teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Flatten balls slightly with hand. Bake at 350° F. for 9 minutes. Cool on pans 3 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

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I ended up using Werther’s Originals Chewy Caramel Candies and may or may not have eaten 4 or 5 in the process. I’m thinking the Kraft Premium Caramel Bits would be a much better choice for next time. More on that later.

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I combined the flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt  in a bowl and then got to work on the sugars.

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I’m not so sure about the sugar and butter becoming “light and fluffy” like the directions mentioned. That never really happened. Creamy would have been a better description.

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I combined my vanilla and egg and then added that into the sugar/butter mixture before adding my flour mixture.

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Please take note of the size of the caramel pieces… make yours SMALLER! I had some cookie blow outs during the process, especially when a big piece of caramel was on the sidewall of a cookie.

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I had purchased Bare Fruit 100% Organic, Bake-Dried Granny Smith Apple Chips and Fuji Apple Chips. I was going to do a combination of both to see which ones I liked better, but knew once I tasted them,  I was going to go with the Granny Smith flavor, they were delicious! Again, take note of the apple pieces… WAY TOO HUGE! I ended up breaking them up smaller, but could have even gone much smaller than below.

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Lesson learned… next time I’ll actually follow the directions :).

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I used a two tablespoon cookie scoop to form my dough balls.The caramel to dough ratio ended up being all wrong… due to the huge chunks of caramel… so I adjusted and made much bigger cookies. Oh darn! So much for Cooking Light, I went with monster cookies and man were they delicious. Dan and I determined that they were at their best about 10-15 minutes after coming out of the oven. Think caramel strings from cookie to face… Oh yes!

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In this case, bigger was better. I was able to make 2 dozen cookies from the recipe and my dough balls were more the size of a golf ball and once pressed down, about 3 inches.

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These would be great “Fall Festival” cookies, but they pretty much rocked the Spring season too. I did have some failures though… think caramel molten lava flowing out the sides and bottoms of cookies… I had about two non-photo-worthy cookie failures per baking sheet. I took care of the extra caramel after it cooled… just trimmed it off the edge of the cookies and then ate it. Yep, no shame in my cookie game.

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We both could have had cookies for dinner, but went with a healthier option. I will definitely be making these again.

foo1120

Permanent link to this article: http://foodiddy.com/?p=8620

Apr 25 2013

Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Goat Cheese Pizza

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I had purchased a pound of Brussels sprouts and was looking for recipes online. I wanted to try something different, but wasn’t sure what.  I went to one of my “go to” websites Naturally Ella, to find something good. Erin’s main focus is on seasonal vegetarian cooking. Her photography is awesome and I find myself revisiting her site often. I hit the jackpot, she posted a recipe for a Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Goat Cheese Pizza this past December. I chose to purchase dough, rather than make it like she did, I’m regretting that now.  I did change up some of the measurements and cooking temps and times… other than that, the recipe was pretty close to the original.

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Ingredients:

  • Pizza Dough – any kind will do – store bought or made from scratch
  • 1 lb. Brussels Sprouts
  • 1/2 Large Red Onion
  • 2-3 oz. Goat Cheese
  • Few Pinches of Red Pepper Flakes
  • 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/3 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
  • Ground Sea Salt and Pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat Oven to 350° F.
  2. Quarter Brussels sprouts and chop red onion. Toss with a generous tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast until tender – approximately 35-45 minutes. You will have enough to make 2 pizzas, I made one and saved the leftovers.
  3. While the Brussels are roasting, give your dough a chance to rise. Using a floured surface, form dough into pizza shape – using your hands or a rolling pin.
  4. Once your sprout/onion mixture is out of the oven, bump up the oven temperature to 450° F.
  5. Brush formed pizza dough with remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add your roasted Brussels sprouts, red onion, red pepper flakes, goat cheese and a little more salt before placing into a 450°F oven.
  6. Bake pizza for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
  7. While the pizza is baking, place balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let cook until vinegar has reduced down by half. Remove from stove and drizzle over baked pizza.

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I was watching my dough closely and the brand I usually buy (Trader Joe’s) rises pretty fast. This dough did nothing… I was starting to get worried. I finished quartering my Brussels sprouts and then moved onto the red onion.

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I tossed everything in a big bowl (Brussels, red onion, olive oil, salt and pepper) and then poured the bowl ingredients onto my trusty baking sheet. My newer, nicer,  baking sheets don’t do as well with roasting. Into the 350°F oven for 25 minutes… then a quick turn and 15 more minutes in the oven.

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They don’t look as roasted as they were in this photo. I promise, they were brown and crispy on the edges, just the way I like them.

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The dough only ended up rising a little, so disappointing. Guess I should not have substituted brands. Lesson learned.

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I brushed my dough with olive oil and then added my sprouts, red onion, red pepper flakes (got a little heavy handed with those) and my goat cheese. I then added a little more ground sea salt and placed my pizza into the 450° F oven for 15 minutes. I checked it and added 10 more minutes to the timer which ended up being perfect.

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I drizzled the pizza with my balsamic reduction and then cut into it.

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I generally prefer a thinner crust… but I had to work with crap dough that didn’t rise enough… so this is what I got. It was very tasty, the flavors were incredible and I look forward to my next one on thinner crust.

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Brussels sprouts on a pizza, now that ought to get some haters to convert. I would like to say that Dan enjoyed the pizza, but that would have meant that there was some left for him to try, and there wasn’t. 🙂 Even if there was, he would be a hater that I’m pretty sure I could never convert. Perhaps finely shredded into a big gooey chocolate chip cookie would be a start, but I doubt it.

So roasted Brussels sprout lovers unite, this pizza is another avenue for us to enjoy our mini cabbage delights.

foo1120

Permanent link to this article: http://foodiddy.com/?p=8586

Apr 18 2013

Sunday Life…

This past Sunday was filled with good friends and iPhone photos. My morning started off with the second Sunday antique faire under the freeway at W and 21st streets in Sacramento. It’s become a tradition over this past year. My friend Aaron and I are regulars and we occasionally have others join us.

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I search for more vintage suitcases, cool typography, cheese boxes, wooden spools, cobbler shoe forms, vintage cookbooks and anything else that jumps out at me. Aaron has the car, bike and wagon scene covered… old Tonka trucks, hot wheels, models, car books, tools, road signs… we are pretty opposite when it comes to what we collect, but it sure does make it fun to help each other with the hunt.

A quick trip to Starbucks after stashing my latest finds in the car and I was headed home for a much needed dose of Claritin. The wind had really picked up and apparently I’m going to be an allergy sufferer this season. I’ve only had allergy issues two other times since moving from the bay area. I’ve gotten lots of advice from hardcore allergy sufferers – get a neti pot, switch to Zyrtec, buy generic from Costco… my fingers are crossed that it’s just when the wind picks up. I’ve been good since the faire outing.

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Our evening plans included dinner at The Forester Pub & Grill in Camino.  Aaron’s parents were serving and bartending for the evening along with other Camino Community Action Committee members. The CCAC in partnership with the Forester Pub & Grill was hosting a fundraiser for Jeremy Heist, a 32 year old Camino resident who is currently undergoing cancer treatments at U.C. Davis Medical Center. All tips were donated to Jeremy and his family to help with medical expenses. It was very touching to see a packed restaurant full of so many generous people and smiling faces.

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It was my first time eating at the Forester and it reminded me so much of some of the local restaurants in the Lake Tahoe area. Everybody knew each other – or was related some how… so many dogs patiently waited in the backs of trucks and cars while their owners ate on the patio. From the tall pine trees to the crisp air, it brought back lots of really great Tahoe memories for me.

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I gave myself the evening off from calorie tracking in My Fitness Pal. As soon as I saw Fish and Chips on the menu, it’s what I wanted. Tempura battered Alaskan Cod… sign me up! There was a lot to choose from on the menu. Everything from a big and juicy American cheeseburger to real German fare. I was surprised at the huge selection of German food.

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Aaron’s Mom was adorable. We laughed a lot as she double and triple checked our orders. We were her first table and the crowd just kept growing and growing. I dared her to yell “order up” as she ran back into the kitchen… not sure she took that dare :).

My fish and chips were supposed to come with cole slaw, but they ran out. No biggie, I got a green salad instead. Dan ordered the Captain’s Platter – Tempura battered Alaskan cod, fried calamari steak, grilled shrimp, steak fries and veggies. The food hit my comfort spot. If your in the area of Camino, this rustic little place is definitely worth a stop. Side note: Aaron’s Dad spoke highly of the Heidelberg Steak and we also tried the Spätzle – it was delicious!

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We stopped at a Golden Spoon on our way home for frozen yogurt. I got tart orange with country vanilla and topped it with yogurt chips and passion fruit gummy bears. I’ve pretty much been craving this combo ever since. Thanks Aaron for inviting us to enjoy time with you, Carolyn and your parents – it was a wonderful evening.

foo1120

 

Permanent link to this article: http://foodiddy.com/?p=8548