Tag Archive for: cookies

Loveless Cafe Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies

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I know that I have posted a bunch of recipes using pumpkin, but it is such a great fall ingredient and it tastes so good, so here is one more.  I made these this past weekend, and they are amazing.  Thank you to the Loveless Cafe in Nashville for another great recipe.  I will say that I did not have any Loveless Cafe Biscuit Mix which the recipe calls for and had to use Bisquick, so while I loved these little treats- I am assuming that they would probably have been better had I used the Loveless Cafe Biscuit Mix.  I will have to get some of that!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies

Ingredients:

1 package cream cheese, softened

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

½ cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1 cup Loveless Cafe Biscuit Mix (or other biscuit mix)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add sugar, pumpkin, vanilla and egg. In a separate bowl, combine flour and Loveless Cafe Biscuit Mix (or other biscuit mix), baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients and place dough in refrigerator for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, line cookie sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350°. Place spoonful’s of chilled dough on sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake 10-12 minutes. Let cool 2-3 minutes before putting on a cooling rack. Let cookies cool completely.

Ingredients for Maple Cream Cheese Icing:

4oz. cream cheese, softened

½ cup powdered sugar

½ tsp. vanilla extract

3 tbsps maple syrup

3-4 Tbs. milk (depending on desired consistency)

Directions:

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in powdered sugar, vanilla, maple syrup and milk. Drizzle on cooled cookies.

My Bakery Wish List

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Since I started writing this blog, I have been making a wish list of bakeries I want to visit.  Red Truck Bakery (www.redtruckbakery.com) in Old Town Warrenton, VA is definitely at the top of the list.  First off, I really love that they turned an old Esso Station into a bakery.  Second, I really love the truck- an old 1954 red  Ford farm truck- while I would not have the first clue how to drive it and would surely kill the transmission, clutch and any thing else in the engine, is really my dream truck.  Third, and most importantly, I am obsessed with their menu- I look at it every day and wish that I could be there right when the bakery opens and smells so amazing.  Today’s soup for example is potato with apple wood smoked bacon- heaven.  If you live in the neighborhood or have the chance to be near the area, please check it out for me as it doesn’t seem that I will make it there any time in the near future.  Fortunately- they ship nationwide (http://www.redtruckbakery.com/store)!! Here is some of the press from my favorite magazine- Garden & Gun:

“Leave it to a baker in moonshine country to create a dessert that rivals the Kentucky bourbon ball. The Double Chocolate Moonshine Cake from Red Truck Bakery in Virginia is made with legal hooch and enough rich chocolate to give you a food buzz. ”
  ~ Garden & Gun Magazine

Cattle, Football, and Petit Fours

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I am back from a trip to Oklahoma and Arkansas, and what a trip it was- I saw the sunrise three out of the four days we were gone! We spent two days in Oklahoma at the Drummond Ranch, where Corby’s oldest friend, Ladd and his wife, The Pioneer Woman (www.thepioneerwoman.com) Ree, and their four children live.  It is so beautiful!  The first day we spent with Ladd, the kids, and the cowboys shipping cattle.  Cowboy Tim, Cowboy Sam, Cowboy Josh and the kids rounded up all the cattle from nearby pastures and brought them to a pen where they were divided into sections and weighed.  Then the 18-wheelers backed up one at a time to the shoot, where the cattle were then herded and loaded into the trucks.  They shipped over 400 cattle in about three hours.  It was amazingly efficient, and I only had to be on a horse for about ten minutes.  It was terrifying.

That night, Ree and Ladd came over to the Lodge where we were staying and cooked us amazing steaks and Delicious, Creamy Mashed Potatoes.  That is actually Ree’s name for the dish in her cookbook, and the recipe is below!

The next day, after watching the sunrise again- this time from my bed in the Lodge- which was much better, we drove to Fayetteville, Arkansas to visit Corby’s family and watch the Arkansas vs. Auburn game.  Two very good things came from this trip- first, Arkansas won- which while I don’t really have any passion for football what so ever, it makes Corby wildly happy.  Second, and more importantly, we went to Rick’s Bakery (www.ricksbakery.com) which was very much deserved after the extreme trail run Corby took me on Saturday morning.  Wow!  Of the many things I tried at Rick’s- donuts, petifores, cookies, and cake, I think the petifores with the Razorback decorative icing were my favorite, and who knew they were such a hit at tailgates.  Everything was so good!!  If you are in Fayetteville, AR for any reason, make a point to go there, and you will not regret it!

 

Delicious, Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

5 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes

3/4 cups Butter

1 package (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened

1/2 cup (to 3/4 Cups) Half-and-Half

1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Lawry’s Seasoned Salt

1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Black Pepper

Instructions:

Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes.  Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. When they’re cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.

Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove.  Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients.

Turn off the stove and add 1 ½ sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese, and about ½ cup of half-and-half. Mash, mash, mash! Next, add about ½ teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper.

Stir well and place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.

Note: When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.

Clever & Glamorous Cinnamon Roll Cookies

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I found this recipe for Cinnamon Roll Cookies on Sinful Southern Treats. This treat is like the cookie equivalent of a platypus. Is it a cookie or a cinnamon roll? And really, does it matter if it’s as yummy as it looks in the photo below? I am dying to make these, a clever and glamorous cookie originally from Picky Palate (home of the recipe for Fluffernutter Cookies, a secret fantasy of mine that I promise you I will be baking before the week is through…)

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

(via Picky Palate)

ingredients
2 Cups sugar
1 Cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Cup sour cream
6 Cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons softened butter, (slice 2 Tablespoons 6 times totaling 12 tablespoons)
1 1/2 Cups packed light brown sugar, divided into 1/4 Cups
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon, divided
Frosting
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 Cup powdered sugar
2-4 Tablespoons milk, to thin icing

Directions

1. In an electric or stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter. Add eggs, vanilla and sour cream until well combined. Slowly add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined.
2. Separate dough into 6 disc shapes and chill for at least 2 hours for best results.
3. Once chilled, roll into a 1/8 inch thick rectangle, about 13 inches X 9 inches. Spread each rolled pieces of dough with 2 Tablespoons softened butter, 1/4 Cup packed brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Start rolling from the long end closest to you, rolling into a log shape. Using a sharp knife, cut 1/2 inch pieces of dough then placing onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before removing from baking sheet.
4. To prepare frosting, beat the cream cheese until softened and smooth, slowly add powdered sugar, vanilla. Add milk until desired consistency. Frost cookies then place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Cafe Campesino turns out fresh muffins, scones, cookies daily…

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Today, our hungry eye is on a coffee shop in Atlanta owned by our friend Maria Moore-Riggs, an extraordinary Southern baker!

Coffee and treats sweeten Sweet Auburn Market Cafe Campesino,
which turns out fresh muffins, scones, and cookies daily

By C.W. Cameron (For the AJC)

The popularity of a neighborhood coffee shop often has as much to do with its sweet treats as the quality of the coffee. Standing next to the pastry case while you’re waiting to order, it’s hard not to be tempted by something you see on display. How about a muffin with that cappuccino? A scone with your chai latte? A cupcake with your hot chocolate?…

Cafe Campesino is one of the newest coffee shops in town, open since November at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market in downtown Atlanta. Owner Maria Moore-Riggs has a background in professional baking and massage therapy and a master’s degree in psychotherapy. She says running a coffee shop calls on all her professional skills because it’s all about building relationships and nurturing people.

One of the ways she nurtures her customers is by freshly baking scones, cookies, biscotti and more each day. She turns out a surprising number of treats from a 2-by-3-foot counter and a microwave-size convection oven in a tiny corner of the shop.

Cafe Campesino is a partnership with the Americus-based coffee roaster of the same name. The 100-percent organic and fair trade coffee comes from a green coffee importing cooperative. The folks in Americus roast coffee every day, and once a week Moore-Riggs gets a delivery of freshly roasted beans…

For the complete article from Access Atlanta, click here.

Hummingbird Bran Muffins

Hands on: 15 minutes Total time: 35 minutes Makes: 12 muffins

These moist muffins play off the theme of that Southern favorite, the hummingbird cake made with coconut, banana and pineapple.

1 medium ripe banana
3/4 cup crushed pineapple with juice
1/2 cup plain nonfat or low-fat yogurt
1/3 cup agave nectar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla or coconut extract
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
2 cups wheat-bran flakes
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon water

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line cups of a standard muffin tin with paper liners. Lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mash banana to a smooth texture. Stir in pineapple, yogurt, agave nectar, eggs and extract and mix thoroughly. Add coconut oil and shredded coconut and stir until thoroughly combined.

In a large bowl, whisk together bran flakes, all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour banana mixture over dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown and muffins spring back when touched. Remove to a rack to cool.

In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar, vanilla extract and water. Using a pastry brush, lightly glaze the top of each muffin.

Adapted from a recipe by Cafe Campesino

Per muffin: 204 calories (percent of calories from fat, 35), 5 grams protein, 32 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fiber, 9 grams fat (7 grams saturated), 36 milligrams cholesterol, 355 milligrams sodium.

Cocoa Mocha Love Cakes

Hands on: 10 minutes Total time: 25 minutes Makes: 8 cakes

This vegan recipe makes an intensely chocolate treat that’s a cross between a cupcake and a brownie. Maria Moore-Riggs’ interesting take on classic chocolate ganache uses espresso instead of cream to make a shiny glaze for the cakes while staying away from dairy, and she tops each love cake with a tiny pink fondant heart. We tested this recipe with several kinds of chocolate chips, and grocery store staple Hershey’s worked best.

4 teaspoons espresso powder, divided
1/2 cup water, divided
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 8 cups of a standard muffin tin with paper liners. Lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, stir 2 teaspoons espresso powder into 1/4 cup water. Add oil, agave nectar and vanilla extract and stir until thoroughly combined.

In a medium bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add in espresso mixture and 1/2 cup chocolate chips and stir until just combined. Divide mixture evenly among the 8 muffin cups. Smooth tops, if necessary. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until just done. Do not overbake. Remove cakes to a rack to cool.

In a 1-cup heatproof measuring cup, dissolve 2 teaspoons espresso powder with 1/4 cup water. Heat for 1 minute in microwave. Stir in chocolate chips and let sit for 1 minute, then stir to melt chocolate. If chips aren’t completely melted, microwave in 20-second bursts and stir until mixture is smooth. Dip tops of the cooled cakes into the glaze.

Adapted from a recipe by Cafe Campesino

Per cake: 359 calories (percent of calories from fat, 50), 4 grams protein, 45 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 21 grams fat (6 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 157 milligrams sodium.

Chai Spice Scones

Hands on: 10 minutes Total time: 30 minutes Makes: 10 scones

Get your favorite spicy chai flavors in a baked treat. Don’t overwork the dough or you’ll end up with tough scones.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream
1 egg
3 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon water

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, salt, cloves and cardamom. Cut butter into 1-inch pieces and use a pastry blender to cut into flour mixture until butter pieces are the size of small peas.

In a small bowl, beat 3/4 cup cream, egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Pour over flour-butter mixture and use a fork to combine. Add additional cream, if needed, to make the mixture hold together.

Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces, form into 3-inch rounds and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a rack to cool.

In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar, remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and water. Using a pastry brush, lightly glaze the top of each scone.

Adapted from a recipe by Cafe Campesino

Per scone: 279 calories (percent of calories from fat, 46), 4 grams protein, 34 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 14 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 64 milligrams cholesterol, 371 milligrams sodium.