CHEWY OATMEAL WHOOPIE PIES

Whoopie pies are two cookies, layered back to back, with a thick layer of frosting in between. Some have a cake texture, some are crunchy and some (like today's post) are chewy.  I like to wrap them individually so the cookies stay on the soft side (plus, since they are pre-wrapped, they are easy to toss into a lunch box, sort of like home made Little Debbie's oatmeal cookies.

This recipe has the wonderful taste of "oatmeal and autumn" spices. It is also a cookie you can easily make even if the pantry is running low on everything because there are no "special" ingredients in these whoopie pies.

2 cups brown sugar (I like dark brown)
3/4 cup butter (room temperature)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons boiling water
2½ cups all purpose flour
2 cups quick cooking oats

Preheat oven to 350 and spray cookie sheets with vegetable spray (I don't spray, I just use parchment paper).

Cream together the butter, brown sugar, eggs, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and boiling water. Beat until mixture is light in color and fluffy.

Beat in the flour and oats. Let mixture sit for about 5 minutes.

Roll into balls about the size of a small walnut.  These cookies don't "spread" a lot, so you can space them about 3" apart. Just try and make them all the same size.

Place the cookie dough balls on a prepared cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  The cookies will look like they need another couple of minutes, but they don't. Remove them from the cookie sheet and place on a cooking rack. If the cookies are puffed up... very lightly tap the top of the cookie with the back of a fork.  Cool cookies completely.

COOKIE FILLING

1 cup butter (room temperature)
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons milk

Mix everything (starting with only 3 tablespoons milk) and add the other tablespoon if the frosting is too stiff.

Use the frosting, generously, to "glue" two cookies together.

Wrap cookies individually or keep them in an airtight container so the cookies will remain chewy and not crunchy.

NO KNEAD PIZZA DOUGH

What is easier than a no-knead pizza crust? This recipe (like many I have) are a combination of several recipes, tweaked with years of experimentation on my part. This one is a keeper!!

We love a pizza crust that stays crispy underneath the filling, yet the edges are light and airy with big air pockets inside the dough. The hardest part of this recipe (that's a joke) is to remember to mix the dough the night before (it needs to sit at room temperature for 24 hours). No need to use a mixer and dough hook, just a bowl and spoon; it is super-easy.

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon yeast

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon olive oil

¼ teaspoon black pepper (optional)

1 tablespoon sugar

1½ cups warm water

In a large bowl, mix everything, using a wooden spoon.  The dough will be very wet and look more like a batter than a dough. Don't be tempted to add more flour at this stage!!

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours. After 24 hours, the dough/batter will be nearly triple in size, so use a big bowl, see all those bubbles?

After 24 hours, stir the dough. It's going to be pretty sticky, but don't freak out about it.

Heavily flour your counter top and pour/scoop the dough out onto the flour.  Generously sprinkle flour over the top of the dough too.  Fold the dough back onto itself a few times. This is a little messy/sticky, so keep flouring your hands. After you've coated the dough with flour and folded it over a few times, cut it in half (makes 2 medium pizza's).

Preheat your oven (with pizza stone on center rack) to 450 degrees.
Put each piece of dough on its own piece of parchment paper and using floured hands, gently pat it into a circle, leaving the edges thicker and the center as thin as you can. Add toppings and brush the edges of the crust with a little water (not much).
The dough is going to stay on the parchment paper when you put it onto the hot pizza stone. To do this, I transfer the paper and dough by lifting it with a rim-less cookie sheet, and then I slide the whole thing off of the cookie sheet and right onto the stone. Bake it for 8 minutes.

After 8 minutes, pull the parchment paper out of the oven. Turn the bake cycle off and turn on the broiler cycle for about 1 to 2 minutes (watch closely). The hot pizza stone will continue to bake the underside of the crust, but the broiler will brown the toppings nicely.

We love those light airy pockets inside the crust!!

NO ROLL JELLY ROLL

Last year, I posted a recipe for an old fashioned jelly roll cake.  I heard from several people who said they had fond memories of their mom or grandma making jelly rolls, but they were afraid to make one themselves because they were nervous about rolling the cake.

Rolling the cake isn't hard, as long as you follow a few strict rules, but it IS messy with all of the "sprinkle towel with powdered sugar" stuff. That is why I came up with this "NO ROLL JELLY ROLL".  I think it is every bit as pretty as the classic jelly roll Grandma used to make but it is MUCH EASIER !!

 

 

This is definitely going on my holiday table this year

Basically, I baked the same 10 x 15 sponge cake that I use in the jelly roll, but I cut it into thirds and stacked them with jam in between each layer and on the top, then drizzled vanilla glaze over. I'm very happy with how it turned out. It is so simple, I know I will be making it a lot more often.

3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon butter extract (see note)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup water (see note)
1 cup CAKE FLOUR
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup jelly or jam  (see note)

Preheat oven to 375 then line a 10" x 15" pan with parchment paper and spray the paper with cooking spray, set aside.

Beat the eggs, on high, until very thick and lemon colored (takes about 5 minutes).  After five minutes, and while the mixer is still running on high, slowly add the sugar.

Put the butter extract into a 1/3 measuring cup and then fill the cup with water (extract + water should = 1/3 cup). Add the extract-water and vanilla extract to the egg mixture and mix well.

Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt into the egg mixture and beat just until the batter is smooth (I do this step with a whisk).

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated 375 oven for 12-15 minutes (my electric oven takes 15 minutes) or until toothpick in center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and slide a sharp knife around the edges of the cake to loosen them.  Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.

 

Place waxed paper or saran wrap on a cookie sheet (spray the paper/plastic wrap with cooking spray) and turn the cake out onto the cookie sheet.  This will help you transport the cake while its still hot.  The cake is much easier to cut and handle if its chilled, so I put the cake in the freezer for about half an hour before I tried to cut it.

When you are ready to assemble the cake, slice a VERY THIN edge off of each side of the cake (not necessary, but looks prettier).  Cut the cake in thirds.

Place the bottom layer on a serving plate and spread with jam (stir the jam to loosen it up before spreading). Repeat with next two layers.

Spread jam on the top of the cake and then drizzle with vanilla glaze. 

 

VANILLA GLAZE

1/3 cup melted butter

2 cups powdered sugar

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

2 tablespoons milk

Mix all together with a whisk.

NOTE: This recipe works best with a jam that doesn't have big pieces of fruit in it. Personally, I like Smuckers Simply Fruit; it not only tastes great but its PERFECT for this cake. Just make sure you stir or whisk the jam before spreading it, it will soften up and get smooth.

NOTE: If you do not have butter extract, just double the vanilla extract.

NOTE: This cake gets more moist after it sits for a few hours because the jam sinks into the cake a little.

PEANUT BUTTER CREAM BARS

I've been making these bars since my kids were little; now I make them for my grandchildren. I think that is the mark of a great recipe, don't you? 

This cookie bar has a creamy (peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk) layer between two chewy oatmeal cookie layers. As if that wasn't enough, the finished bars are drizzled with a peanut butter frosting glaze. They are SO GOOD and they make a great bake sale item.

 

 2 cups raw quick oats
1¾ cups brown sugar
1½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter
2 cups chocolate chips (or 1 cup mini chocolate chips)
1 beaten egg
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl and then cut in the butter (like you would for a pie crust). I do this step with an electric mixer, but don't do it with a food processor because it will chop the oatmeal to finely.

Remove 1¾ cups of these crumbs and put them in a small bowl with the chocolate chips and set it aside.

Mix the beaten egg into the remaining crumb mixture (not the part with the chocolate chips) and mix well. Press this mixture into a greased (I use parchment paper instead of grease) 10" x 15" x 2" baking pan and bake in preheated  350 oven for 15 minutes.

While the base is in the oven, whisk the sweetened condensed milk together with the creamy peanut butter and set aside.

When the partially baked crust comes out of the oven, drizzle the milk-peanut butter mixture evenly over the crust. Sprinkle evenly with the reserved crumb-chocolate chip mixture and bake, at 350, for another 15 minutes.

Drizzle the baked bars with peanut butter frosting while they are still warm. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares.



 

NOTE: For ease of cutting, I line the pan with parchment paper and leave the sides a little long, so I can grab the COOLED bars and lift them out of the pan for slicing.

PEANUT BUTTER GLAZE

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons butter soft

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups powdered sugar

4 tablespoons milk

Now keep in mind, I NEVER, and I mean NEVER measure ingredients for a cake glaze, so I'm hoping these amounts work for you.  Heat the peanut butter and butter in the microwave until it is nice and soft.  Add the vanilla, milk and sugar and whisk till smooth.  If it seems a little dry, just add another tablespoon or so of milk. If it seems too soupy, add a tablespoon or so more powdered sugar.  When the glaze is nice and smooth, drizzle it over the warm bars.

 

HANDY KITCHEN TIPS

I love handy kitchen tips, don't you?  I don't know how many times I've had one of those Homer Simpson "D'oh!!" moments when I see something that I never thought of...yet seems so obvious...like this tip:

Did you know that the plastic lid from a Parmesan container will also fit a regular mouth mason jar?  How handy is that !?!??

This next tip is super handy for gift wrapping season, never have to "find" the end of the tape....D'ho!!

Did you know that cranberry sauce freezes well? We are empty nesters and I hate opening a can of cranberry sauce, (or worse yet...make it) and then not be able to use it all.  I found that if you put it in a mason jar (with plenty of head room) it freezes well. It never freezes solid, so you can scoop out what you need (completely frozen it is still the consistency of ice cream) and then put the rest of the jar back in the freezer.  15-20 minutes at room temp or an hour in the fridge and it is just as good as fresh cranberry sauce!! We use a lot more these days (for baked chicken) because its always in the freezer!!

Remember Tang?  I buy it in gallon cans from Costco and once a month or so, I put 2 cups of it in my dishwasher and run a super hot cycle through. The dishwasher gets sparkling clean and smells fantastic!!

I buy ground beef in bulk packages, then divide and freeze it.  I found that if you wrap the ground beef (tightly) with plastic wrap BEFORE you put it into a Ziploc bag, there will be ZERO freezer burn or ice crystals. Also, since there is just the 2 of us, I divide the burger into a wide range of sizes...some as little as 1/4 pound; I then put all of the mini-packages into one big Ziploc bag and freeze...it works great and a lot less waste.

Do you need room temperature cream cheese in a hurry?  Take an 8 ounce block out of the wrapper and microwave it, on high, for 13 seconds. Do you need room temperature butter in a hurry?  Grate the butter onto a piece of waxed paper and let it sit for a few minutes.

This little refrigerator magnet, in the shape of a Pyrex measuring cup has been on my fridge for at least 20 years and I refer to it all of the time.  I've had it so long that I can't even remember where it came from, I just know that it has been ultra handy and has answered many cooking questions for me over the years. If you ever see one, or find a similar one...grab it, you will not be sorry.

DAIRY FREE COLESLAW

There are a zillion coleslaw recipes on-line; there are creamy ones; there are spicy ones; there are slaws made with broccoli; I even saw one with Gorgonzola cheese the other day!! Personally, I have been looking for a basic, no frills, "please everyone" coleslaw recipe to make for large family gatherings.

In my search, I found this quick and easy "recipe gem" over at MGCC, and truly IS a keeper. Not only is it delicious, but there is no dairy in it and it lasts in the fridge for up to a week; as a matter of fact, it just keeps getting tastier and it goes well with everything!!

Thank you for sharing the recipe, Charlotte!!!

3 cups shredded cabbage
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1 carrot shredded
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons vinegar
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (my variation)
1/2 teaspoon celery seed (my variation)

How small you chop the veggies is a matter of personal preference. We prefer pieces about twice the size of a grain of rice and my food processor (using the steel blade) makes short work of this step.

In a small saucepan, mix the sugar, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper and celery seed and bring to a boil, stirring just until sugar has dissolved then remove from the heat.

Pour the hot dressing over the vegetables and mix well.  Let this cool a little before covering it and putting it in the fridge to chill until ready to serve. 
NOTE: Toss salad again, just before serving to distribute the dressing.

NOTE: This recipe make four generous side servings (adult size).  When I make it for a crowd, I quadruple the recipe.

BLUEBERRY-EST MUFFINS EVER !!

Blueberry-est...is that a word? Why yes, I think it is!! These muffins are super easy to make with just a bowl and spoon. They are ready for the oven before it even gets up to the right temperature and they are made with frozen blueberries (no need to thaw)...it doesn't get any easier than that AND... they are VERY moist and delicious.

 

1½ cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
2 cups frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

Mix the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and baking powder in a large bowl.  Place 1/3 cup of vegetable oil in a 1 cup measuring cup; add one egg to the same measuring cup; add enough milk to fill the same measuring cup (recipe says 1/3 cup...but it make take an extra tablespoon if you have a smaller egg... just make sure the egg, oil and milk equal 1 cup total). Mix with fork to break the egg.

Mix the egg,oil, milk mixture into the dry flour mixture, just until its all wet, don't over-mix, batter will be pretty thick, but don't add any more liquid. Stir in 2 cups frozen blueberries.

Fill paper liners 2/3 full (I used an ice cream scoop) and bake for 30-35 minutes or until done. Right after they come out of the oven, sprinkle each muffin with a pinch of sugar.

This recipe makes a dozen

blueberry muffins