White Chocolate, Toffee, & Coconut Cookies

Sometimes you just need a cookie. Life doesn't always go as planned. You will have bad days. People will hurt your feelings. It will snow every day with no end in sight. And sometimes nothing will make you feel better. These cookies will make you feel better. They are chewy, sweet, and delicious with hints of salty toffee to keep them from being overly sweet. So if you are sad, or even if you are happy, make these cookies. You won't be disappointed.

White Chocolate, Toffee, & Coconut Cookies
Source: Lick the Bowl Good

2 sticks butter (room temperature)

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 and 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup toffee bits

1 package (12 oz.) white chocolate chips

3/4 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Cream butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer. 

Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

With the mixer on low, add flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Stir in toffee bits, white chocolate chips, and coconut.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until lightly golden along the edges.

Allow to cool for a few minutes on cookie sheets before removing to a rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Souffle Cake for Two

My husband wanted a Stove Wave pot after seeing it tested on television. I'm usually weary of those "As Seen on Television" products because they usually never work as promised. He first used it to make an omelet, and it came out perfectly! The booklet that came with it had a recipe for chocolate souffle cake that looked easy enough, so I decided to give it a try. I mixed together the ingredients, tossed a few chocolate chips on top, popped on the lid, and put it in the microwave. Two and a half minutes later, I had a chocolate cake—the perfect size for two, which fits this month's What's Baking theme: Small Servings. The cake tasted delicious! The texture was not perfect, and it could have been lighter, but it satisfied my chocolate cake craving. It would have been even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

Chocolate Souffle Cake for Two
Source: StoveWave

1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 heaping tablespoon cocoa powder
3 tablespoons milk
1 and 1/4 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons of a whisked egg
a dash of vanilla
1/4 cup chocolate chips

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients except chocolate chips until smooth.
Stir in chocolate chips, reserving a few for the top.
Pour mixture into an ungreased Stone Wave pot and top with reserved chocolate chips.
Put on the lid and cook in the microwave for 2:15 minutes. (I had to cook mine for 2:30 minutes.)
Enjoy with ice cream, fresh fruit, or whipped cream.

Oatmeal Raisin Bars

I love to bake, but I don't love being stuck with a whole cake, a plate of cookies, or a dozen cupcakes because—like everyone else this time of year—I'm trying to eat healthier. I was looking for a healthy oatmeal bar recipe when I came across these bars. Let it be known, these are far from healthy. But they caught my eye, and I had to make them. The ingredient list wasn't too bad, and they didn't require me dragging out my mixer. These were quick and easy to whip up on a Sunday evening for snacks all week. While they were a little greasy from all the butter in the recipe, they were delicious and tasted like thick and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. I'm already dreaming up variations such as adding craisins and almonds.

Oatmeal Raisin Bars

Source: Martha Stewart 

1 and 1/2 sticks butter (melted)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (I used quick-cooking, and they came out fine.)

1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease an 8-inch square baking pan. (You can also line the bottom with parchment paper.)

Whisk together butter, brown and white sugars, egg, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add flour, oats, and raisins, and fold in until combined.

Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake about 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool completely in pan.

Green Apple Slaw

My husband makes the best pulled pork. Actually he makes the best proteins from steaks to turkey sliders to BBQ chicken. What that man can do to a cut of meat can only be described as magical. Grilled, sauteed, braised, slow cooked—you name it, it's simply the best! This time we decided to make pulled pork tacos instead of BBQ pork sliders with the pulled pork. We usually top them with regular coleslaw, but we decided to put a twist on it and make green apple slaw. It had the perfect combination of sweet and tangy that made the tacos out of this world.




Green Apple Slaw

1/2 bag shredded coleslaw mix (or 1/2 head cabbage and 1 carrot)
1 green apple
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I used the one with olive oil.)
1 and 1/2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt, pepper, and celery salt to taste

If not using coleslaw mix, finely shred the cabbage and carrot and place in a large bowl.
Peel, core, and shred the apple and add it to the bowl.
In another bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, dijon mustard, sugar, and vinegar.
Add salt, pepper, and celery salt to taste.
Mix in the cabbage, carrots, and apple.
Let set in refrigerator for about 30 minutes to meld flavors before serving.

Ricotta Cookies

This month's What's Baking theme fit perfectly with the holiday season: Christmas Traditions. Like many others, my Christmas Tradition is to bake Christmas cookies. Every year I bake way too many cookies and way too many varieties, but I love cookie time! This year, I dropped a few of the tried-and-true recipes in favor of some new ones. I have eaten many ricotta cookies through the years, but I had never made them myself. So this year, I decided to add them to the list. I loved how tender and light this cookie baked up; almost cake-like. I used almond extract for that hint of cherry flavor and topped them with a simple vanilla glaze. They were delicious! 

Ricotta Cookies
Source: adapted slightly from Rachael Ray

4 and 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks butter (room temperature)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 pound (15–16 oz.) ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used almond.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl and set aside.
Cream butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. 
Add sugar and continue beating until well combined.
Add eggs, ricotta, and vanilla (or almond) extract and beat well.
Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until mixed well.
Drop by teaspoons onto cookie sheets.
Bake 11 to 15 minutes until edges are golden brown. The tops will remain pale.
Cool on cookie sheets for 2 minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
When completely cooled. top with glaze and sprinkles.

Simple Vanilla Glaze
2 cups powder sugar
3 tablespoons milk (or water)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix together powdered sugar, milk (or water), and vanilla extract until smooth, adding more milk (or water) or powdered sugar to reach desired consistency.

Apple Cider Cupcakes

Fall is my favorite season. I love the leaves changing colors, fresh apples, everything pumpkin, and the overall feeling of the season. Every fall we make a trip to a local orchard for honey crisp apples, apple cider, and apple cider donuts. This year, I wanted to replicate those little delicious donuts in cupcake form. The little bites of heaven taste strongly of apple cider and are covered in cinnamon-sugar. I love them, but I only allow myself to eat two a year. The only thing I don't like about donuts is that they are fried. When I eat them, the oil slick covers my tongue and leaves an unpleasant taste in my mouth. This is why I opted for cupcakes. I make a spice cake spiked with apple cider and shredded apples and dipped the tops in melted butter and cinnamon-sugar. Boy we these addicting! I loved the light, airy texture and strong apple flavor of the cake, and the cinnamon-sugar topping added a nice little crunch to each bite. 

Apple Cider Cupcakes
source: adapted from So, How's It Taste?

Cake:
1 box Spice Cake Mix
1 teaspoon cinnamon3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup apple cider
2 apples, peeled and shredded

Topping:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325  degrees, and line two cupcake pans with 24 paper cupcake liners. Shred and peel 2 apples and set aside. Mix together cake mix, cinnamon, eggs, cider, and oil in a large bowl and beat at low speed until moistened. Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes. Fold in shredded apples. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full and bake about 18–22 minutes. Remove cupcakes from oven and transfer to a wire rack. Mix together the sugar and remaining cinnamon in a small bowl. While the cupcakes are still warm, dip the tops in the melted butter and then the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

2013 Pumpkin Beer Round-Up

My husband and I are huge fans of pumpkin beer. We try a bunch of new brews every year in search of our favorites. This year we originally set out to test 20 pumpkin brews, but that list ballooned into 29 beers. It was a tough job, but somebody had to do it! We drank three to four seasonal beers each weekend for the past few weeks to find what we think is the best. A few beers really surprised us—especially some of the more popular ones. In the end, a local brew was declared the winner, and a very popular one finished in last place.

#1: Stegmaier Pumpkin Ale - Lion Brewery, Inc. (Wilkes-Barre, PA)
Stegmaier Pumpkin Ale, the winner of the bunch, is a local brew. We are fortunate to have several decent breweries in our little valley. Stegmaier brewed this beer for the first time two years ago, but they didn't make it available to the public. We first tried it at an Oktoberfest celebration and were hooked. We couldn't wait until they bottled it. This is the perfect pumpkin ale. It tastes strongly of pumpkin and spices—especially cinnamon—that perfectly complement each other. It makes an awesome dessert when served in a cinnamon-sugar rimmed glass. This is the ultimate pumpkin pie in a glass and hands down our favorite. 

#2: Pumpkin Ale - Williamsburg AleWerks (Williamsburg, VA)
Ever since we had Williamsburg AleWerks Pumpkin Ale for the first time about two years ago, we've been on the hunt for it. We drank the last two bottles at a small local eatery and were in love. But we were out of luck. It was mid-October (which you beer lovers should know is winter brew time), and the beer was nowhere to be found in Northeast Pennsylvania. So we waited until the following year and hunted this beer to no avail. Finally two years later, we procured a case. (The only case in the whole Valley, I'll have you know!) This beer is very spicy with a slight sweetness and a mellow pumpkin flavor. It has a high alcohol content, which makes you feel warm and fuzzy. The two-year wait was worth this beer, and I'm savoring every bottle. 

#3: UFO Pumpkin - Harpoon Brewery (Boston, MA)
UFO Pumpkin has a clean, yet strong pumpkin flavor with mild spices. It smells strongly of pumpkin and light spices. We really enjoyed this one. We had a chance to try this on draft and was again wowed by the flavor of this pumpkin beer. 

#4: Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale - Stevens Point Brewery (Stevens Point, WI)

Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale smells like pumpkin pie and tastes spicy and sweet. It has a strong pumpkin flavor and was heavy on the spices, especially the cinnamon. It easily won us over. 

#5: Pumpkin Ale - Old Forge Brewing Company (Danville, PA)

Old Forge Pumpkin Ale was recommended to us by our beer guy. We bother him all the time to put beers aside for us and send him on wild goose chases for certain beers. This beer was the only pumpkin we tested in a can. It has a light pumpkin scent that was followed by notes of vanilla. It tastes similar to its smell. It is sweet and has a noticeable pumpkin flavor that is accented by vanilla and spices. It was unlike most of the other pumpkin ales we sampled. 

#6: Jack Be Nimble Pumpkin Ale - Nimble Hill Brewing Company (Mehoopany, PA)
Nimble Hill Brewing Company is another local brewery. They are only a few years old and also make some pretty decent wines at Nimble Hill Winery. We were lucky enough to try Jack Be Nimble two years in a row, and this year, we got to take home a growlette to enjoy. It has a strong pumpkin and caramel flavor that starts and finishes sweet. The spices are very light. It remains one of our favorites. 

#7: The Fear Pumpkin Ale - Flying Dog Brewery (Frederick, MD)
The Fear is very dark for an ale. It has a strong scent of spices, but it is very faint on the pumpkin. Although it was hard to detect any pumpkin flavor at all, we liked the very spicy flavor and almost creamy texture. It also has a high alcohol content. 

#8: Terrapin Pumpkinfest - Terrapin Beer Company (Athens, GA)

Terrapin Pumpkinfest was also recommended to us by our beer guy. Aside from the cute turtle on the bottle, this beer was really good. It has a mellow pumpkin flavor complemented by light spices. It also has a slight bitter finish, but is easy to drink. 

#9: Night Owl Pumpkin Ale - Elysian Brewing Company (Seattle, WA)
The label sold me on Night Owl Pumpkin Ale. Who could resist a huge owl face? This pumpkin ale is very interesting! It tastes like pumpkin seeds and spices. It is heavy on allspice and cloves and smells fantastic. While I loved this beer, however, my other half did not enjoy it at all. We agree to disagree.

#10: Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale - Shipyard Brewing Co. (Portland, ME)

Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale was one of the first pumpkin beers we tasted a few years ago when we began drinking pumpkin beers. And it used to be one of our favorites. The smell of this beer is unbelievable. It smells like pumpkin pie and is heavy on the spices. Sadly the taste has changed. We found the flavor very light, almost watered-down. We wondered what happened to this great brew. 

#11: Fegley's Devious Imperial Pumpkin - Bethlehem Brew Works (Bethlehem, PA)

We first tried Fegley's Devious Imperial Pumpkin at a beer sampling. It has a great pumpkin flavor and is heavy on the spices. It finishes slightly sweet and smells like pumpkin pie. An all-around decent pumpkin brew. 

#12: Imperial Pumpkin Ale - Weyerbacher Brewing Co. (Easton, PA)

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale is another beer with a high alcohol content. We tend to gravitate toward and enjoy high-alcohol beers. This beer didn't disappoint. It smells awesome and tastes like a spicy pumpkin pie with lots of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. 

#13: Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat - Anheuser-Busch (St. Louis, MO)

We are huge fans of wheat beers, so Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat intrigued us. Even though it is light, we were able to detect both pumpkin and wheat flavors. It is a little light on the spices for our tastes.

#14: Pumpkin Ale - Susquehanna Brewing Company (SBC) (Pittston, PA) 

SBC is another newer local brewery. I'm sad to say their beers have not been our favorites. Last year they made a peach pumpkin berry beer that was gag-worthy. It was very bitter, and we couldn't taste any pumpkin or fruit flavors. This year, they kept it simple and brewed a normal pumpkin ale. I must say we were pleasantly surprised. The beer has a deep pumpkin flavor and is slightly sweet. It is not as bitter as their other beers. Our only complaint is the lack of spices.

#15: Saranac Pumpkin Ale - Matt Brewing Company (Utica, NY)

Saranac Pumpkin Ale has a light pumpkin flavor, mild spices, and a hint of vanilla. We enjoyed the pumpkin flavor and sweetness of this beer. Although it lacked spices, its sweet finish made up for it.

#16: Captain Pumpkin's Maple Mistress Ale - Saucony Creek Brewing Company (Kutztown, PA)

Maple Mistress was another beer that we were very excited to try, but we were quickly disappointed. It is very dark when poured and smells like pancakes. We didn't taste any pumpkin or spices. The beer tastes sickly sweet, like drinking maple syrup. It also has a high alcohol content, which makes it feel hot going down. 

#17: Ubu Pumpkin Ale - Lake Placid Craft Brewing Company (Lake Placid, NY)

I really wanted to enjoy Lake Placid Ubu Pumpkin Ale since it had received rave reviews. It is very dark like a porter with flavors of coffee and spices. We didn't detect any pumpkin at all. It tasted more like an Oktoberfest porter and has a slight bitter finish. 

#18: Country Pumpkin - Ithaca Beer Company (Ithaca, NY)

Ithaca Country Pumpkin has no wow factor whatsoever. It is very light and does not taste like pumpkin or spices. It is nothing special. 

#19: Harvest Pumpkin Ale - Samuel Adams (Boston, MA)

While Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale isn't a bad beer, it isn't very flavorful or memorable. We didn't taste or smell any pumpkin or spices. 

#20: Boxcar Pumpkin Porter - Starr Hill Brewery (Crozet, VA)

We love porters, so we were excited to try Boxcar Pumpkin Porter. It has a dark, rich color but sadly this beer tastes flat. We did not detect any pumpkin, and the spices are very faint. 

#21: Potbelly Pumpkin Ale - Breaker Brewing Company (Wilkes-Barre, PA)
Potbelly is from another local brewery. We love these guys, and their tasting room is always a lot of fun. I really wish I liked their beers more, though. Like many of their offerings, this pumpkin ale is a tad bitter. While the pumpkin flavor and spice factor are pretty decent, we didn't enjoy the bitter aftertaste.

#22: Pumpkin Lager - Lakefront Brewery, Inc. (Milwaukee, WI)
Lakefront Pumpkin Lager smells like pumpkin pie, but then the scent fades. The pumpkin taste is pretty much nonexistent. The spices seemed to fade with each sip as did our interest in this beer.

#23: Johnny Rails Pumpkin Ale - Erie Brewing Company (Erie, PA)

At first we really liked the intense pumpkin flavor and smell of Johnny Rails. It also has a hint of spices. The more we drank it, however, the more it tasted like the smell of the inside of a pumpkin (pumpkin guts, gross!). 

#24: Pumpkin Ale - Long Trail Brewing Co. (Bridgewater Corners, VT)

Long Trail Pumpkin Ale is not very sweet and finishes with a slight bitterness. It is light and has more of a caramel flavor than pumpkin. The spices are also light. It is nothing special. 

#25: Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale - Smuttynose Brewing Company (Portsmouth, NH)

We loved the name of Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale and really wanted to love it. But we just didn't. We don't like bitter beers or IPAs. We try and try, but they just don't do it for us. This beer is light and bitter, and we did not detect any pumpkin. I think the bitterness really turned us off. 

#26: Jack-O Traveler Pumpkin Shandy - Traveler Beer Company (Burlington, VT)
Jack-O Traveler came highly recommended to us by one of our favorite waitresses at a local pizza place.The first sip tasted of pumpkin and cinnamon and something else that I could not quite put my finger on. After the next few sips, I figured out the taste: cola. The beer tasted less and less like pumpkin and more like terribly sweet cola by the end of the glass. It was very off-putting and made the beer very unenjoyable.

#27: Pumpkin Ale - Southampton Publick House (Southampton, NY)

Southampton Pumpkin Ale tastes of pumpkin and bitter cinnamon. It smells much better than it tastes. The beer is very thin, and its flavor is flat and odd. 

#28: Pumple Drumkin Spiced Ale - Cisco Brewers Inc. (Nantucket, ME)

Pumple Drumkin is another beer with a cute label. But don't let the cute little pumpkin man fool you. This beer is all-around bad. It is sour, bitter, and leaves a bad aftertaste. It reminds me more of a really awful Oktoberfest than a pumpkin ale. Where's the pumpkin Drumkin? 

#29: Pumking - Southern Tier Brewing Company (Lakewood, NY)
Pumking was the first pumpkin beer we sampled this year. We missed out last year on this popular brew. As soon as we opened it and got a whiff, our excitement dissipated. The smell is sickly sweet. It is way too sweet and hard to drink. It tastes like candy corn and pie crust mashed together. Out of all the beers we tried, we sadly dumped this beer down the drain. Sorry Southern Tier!