TWD: My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

This week's recipe was chosen by Kait of Kait's Plate. She chose Dorie's "My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies."

My sister STILL has my camera, even though as I've said before, she has some super duper awesome camera and mine's a regular point and shoot contraption. Either way I can't post pictures, but its a good thing.

Most of the other members seemed to have the problem I did. My cookies were super flat, and even though I left space between them on the cookie sheet, I ended up having a cookie sheet sized cookie that I had to cut apart. But, even though they're really ugly, they're really good.

My only changes were that I am out of regular chocolate chips so I used about 6oz white chocolate chips, and 2oz of semi-sweet chocolate that I sort of shaved off the block into slivers. I also added about 1/2 a cup of pecans. Everything is better with nuts :)

I'm not sure if they're the best chocolate chip cookies, but they are really good. If we could find a remedy to the flatness problem, they'd move up in my book. Either way, if you want the recipe, go to Kait's blog or buy the best baking book ever.

TWD: Milk Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes

I actually baked my Tuesdays with Dorie recipe this week!! I know, I can't believe it either. But I did it!

This week's recipe was chosen by Kristin of I'm Right About Everything. Which by the way, is the blog name I should have chosen. Darn you for getting it first!

The bad thing is, my sister, who has a far better camera than my own, stole my camera and has not given it back. She did try to talk me into bringing cake to her house and letting her take the picture there, but I'm lazy.

So...no picture of the mini chocolate cakes. Sorry.

On to my changes and opinion of the cake. I didn't make the swirl in the recipe, mostly because I am extremely lazy and couldn't be bothered to read it...(instead of lazy, read very very tired.) I also didn't make the glaze, but that's because I'm not a big fan of icing of any sort. I thought this cake had really good flavor. But mine was fairly crumbly. If you want the recipe, go to Kristin's blog or buy the best baking book ever.

Overall, I'm not entirely sure I'd make it again. Its hard for me to like a chocolate bundt better than this one or this one. Also, I really want to like mini bundts since I love big ones, but they just seem like a waste of time for me. Always such a big pain to get the little devils not to stick.

I'll leave you with a video. A really old one, but one that cracks me up still.

TWD: Rewind Recipe Perfection Pound Cake

This weeks Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was supposed to be Mrs. Vogel's Scherben chosen by Teanna of Spork or Foon where you can find the recipe. I didn't end up making it for a number of reasons. 1. I can't pronounce it. 2. I refuse to fry, unless its shrimp or onion rings, but who can blame me there? and 3. I'm lazy and didn't want to go grocery shopping.

I did want to make something by the TWD club this week though, so I chose to make Dorie's Perfection Pound Cake, originally chosen on January 22, 2008 way way way before I became a member. I chose to make this one a chocolate pound cake because I've had such good results with adding cocoa to my go to pound cake recipe.

Now, my thoughts on this cake? It was way dry. I thought so when I was looking at the batter, so I even added an extra egg. No luck. Another dry chocolate cake for me. I'm so sad. Apparently this time, its not just me though because after google'ing the TWD posts from that week in 2008, more often than not people said their cakes were dry too. In almost all recipes for pound cake that I see, people add sour cream or cream cheese. This one did not, and maybe that's the issue.

Either way, Dorie is still queen of the baking world. And her book is the best baking book I've ever owned. And I have a LOT of baking books. Go buy it!


And on a sad but getting a little better note, we had to put Ryan's dog Maly to sleep yesterday due to illness. :( Ryan wanted to get another puppy soon, and we found the last of a litter that was the only huskies within 100 miles so soon ended up being today.
Meet Max. Ryan calls him Mad Max, but I've never seen that movie.

TWD: Cocoa-Buttermilk Birthday Cake

Well, you would think, being the Cocoa-BUTTERMILK Birthday Cake, I would remember the buttermilk when I went shopping this afternoon. I...did not.

But I tried anyway! I tried to make a buttermilk substitute using lemon juice and regular milk. I'm not really sure if that was the problem, or the minute or two over that I baked it since I was busy stuffing my face with dinner while watching Jericho. Either way, my cake is supa dry. And I'm extremely sad. The flavor is great though, so one day when I don't forget my head at the store, I'll make it again. Did I mention I had a list in my hand when I was at the store?

Oh, and for the icing, I made a chocolate cream cheese icing to go on it. I was feeling lazy so I didn't make the one called for in the recipe.

Anyway, Happy Anniversary to the TWD club members!

If you want the recipe to my failure, its on pgs 256-257 of the BEST BAKING BOOK EVER!

What I've been up to...

I've been totally slacking lately. I haven't done a Tuesdays with Dorie recipe in a month or so, which totally sucks of me. I promise I'm back at it soon.

But, I did take pictures of some things I've been doing...



Watching Ryan play horseshoes at Thanksgiving.


Watching my Grandma play piano at Thanksgiving.


Hanging out with my sister while cooking the treats below.



Baking mini pound cakes for my family for Christmas.


Making these. Nutter Butter Balls. Oh man they're good...Really good.


I've also been off work for over a week and its been great. I finally had the chance to catch up on laundry, clean my house, hang out with my best friend, hold the cutest baby in the entire world, and cook for my family for Christmas. Now, its back to work tomorrow, and then New Years!!

I'll be back with Tuesday's with Dorie next week with Dorie's Cocoa-Buttermilk Birthday Cake in honor of the club's second anniversary.

Sorry...

I haven't posted in a while...I've been a bit lazy, and a bit fat. I'm trying to fight both of them. I'll try to get TWD done this next week since cookies are a little easier to give away than poached pear tarts.

Pumpkin Bread

First off, sorry for no TWD yesterday. I really really wanted to make the apple crisp, but I had no apples, and after going to wal-mart twice in one day, a third time really wasn't happening. I'll make it later in the week and post it for next Tuesday.

Tonight, I was in the mood to bake (its starting to become a problem). I figured I'd make something pumpkin-y since I had half of a gigantic can stored in the fridge from the pumpkin roll I made this past weekend. I chose to make my fall back pumpkin bread recipe from Paula Deen, but *a little* healthier.

This time I made the recipe with applesauce instead of oil, and half white whole wheat flour half regular all purpose flour instead of straight out all purpose. I also cut the sugar from 3 cups to 2.5, you could probably get away with a little less, but I wouldn't go under 2. That's just me though :) It ended up really moist, but didn't dip a little in the middle and get a bit gooey like the normal bread does. I think this change is a keeper!

Here's the recipe with my changes:
Adapted from Paula Deen's The Lady and Son's Savannah Country Cookbook.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 + 1/3 cups white whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two loaf pans. Mix sugar and applesauce with mixer. Add eggs and blend. Add pumpkin and blend. Add water and blend. Combine remaining ingredients and add slowly. Fill pans equally and bake for 50 minutes to one hour until golden brown.