Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Cheddar Biscuits

Tonight I'm un-freezing my chili from the annual chili cook-off and making these cheddar biscuits to go with! Hey, I'm not actually cooking the chili so I figured I'd go the extra mile and make a bread for the first time. I saw this recipe from Hot Polka Dot ; who made this one up herself! I can't wait until I know what I'm doing and can be that creative. One time I tried to make a cheesy pasta and I put too much cheese and it was so disgusting.. anyway here's the recipe:

Cheddar Biscuits
makes 1 dozen
2 cups flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup of salted butter; cold and cubed + 2 tbsp salted butter; melted
2 cups grated medium cheddar cheese
1/2 cup green onions; chopped
1 cup of milk
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and position a rack in the center. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cream of tarter, sugar, and salt. Cut the butter with a pastry blender or knives until the mixture resembles course crumbs.
Mix in the cheese and green onion.
Add half the milk at first, then after that's mixed in, add a little bit more milk at a time making sure not to make the dough too wet and sticky since you may or may not need all the milk.
It should feel like soft dough.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it 10-12 times until it's smooth and not crumbly.
Divide the dough in half  and form each half into a rectangular log. With a sharp knife cut each log into 6 squares and place them evenly spaced onto the large baking sheet.
Bake the biscuits for ten minuets then mix the garlic powder  and brush it on the top of the biscuits ( you might need more butter).
Put the sheet back in for another 2-4 minuets until the biscuits are golden brown
Let cook or serve warm and enjoy!


Also I put garlic into the dough as well as on the top with the melted butter
Well, how do they look?


Saturday, January 22, 2011

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies


I've made these cookies once before, those who received a tin of my Christmas cookies know this very well. I'm making these for my friend, Molly, who had a boob job on Tuesday. I'm quite jealous that she is now going to be bigger than myself but I'm still baking her some cookies to help her feel better. I got the recipe for these cookies from Lovin' from the oven, a blog where I've gotten a few recipes and I'm sure I'll reference it again. Her recipe called for peppermint extract, but I used mint extract. I loved these cookies when I made them last time, they were so delicious warm that I'd heat them up when I ate them or dipped them in hot chocolate, it's the perfect winter cookie and we defiantly have at least another month of winter for you to try these out:
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 1/2 cup of flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/3 cup of sugar
1 egg; beaten
1/4 tsp mint extract
1 cup of dark chocolate (chunks or chips)


In a medium size bowl, sift the flour, salt, and baking soda
In a large bowl, beat together the sugars and butter on medium speed until it's nice and fluffy.
then, slowly add the beaten egg and mint extract. Beat and scrape the sides. 
Add the flour mixture slowly and beat until you can't see the flour streaks anymore. 
Stir in the dark chocolate by hand.
Cover the dough and refrigerate for an hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Scoop out tablespoons and roll into balls 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
Bake for 8-9 minutes. 
Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan.
Makes 20-24 cookies