Archive for August 2010

Aug112010

M&M’s Cookies

M&M’s Cookies

I had never heard of M&M’s mini baking bits until just a few years ago when we went out of state to visit family. My niece bought a bag so our kids could make cookies, and I remember wondering why a bag of regular M&M’s wouldn’t work just as well.

Once we opened the bag I realized why. The M&M’s baking bits are about half the size of the regular-sized milk chocolate M&M’s. The smaller size means there are more of them, and it makes it easier to stir them into dough without having them break apart, thus losing the fun of using M&M’s in the first place! Read More

Aug102010

TWD: Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream

It’s been years since we’ve bought ice cream from the store. I got an ice cream maker several years ago and never looked back, mostly because not only is it cheaper to make it yourself, but I also love knowing exactly what’s going into it. So when I saw that this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie was going to be ice cream, I got a little excited. It was chosen by Katrina of Baking and Boys.

I’m not usually a big fan of ice cream recipes that call for cooking on the stove first (worrying about the eggs overcooking sucks the fun out of it!). I’ve got a recipe book that pretty much just requires mixing everything together before putting it into the maker, so I was a little wary about this one before I even tried it.

I like to use pasteurized eggs in my ice cream because, though I know freezing is a salmonella deterrent, I just don’t like using raw eggs.

I was a little worried once I got to the end of cooking the mixture into a custard. It got thick fast and I thought for sure that I’d ruined it, but I decided to mix it with the chocolate anyway (I used a mix of 60% and milk chocolate Ghirardelli chips).

It set up in the fridge like a thick pudding and again, I thought it was ruined. I figured I couldn’t make it any worse and after it cooled down I ran it through the ice cream maker. And then I ended up with the best chocolate ice cream I’ve ever made. It was very thick and creamy without a trace of graininess, which I’ve found is hit or miss with homemade chocolate ice cream.

The next time I make this I’m going to add walnuts and marshmallows to make Rocky Road because it was the perfect consistency for some add-ins.

Aug32010

TWD: Gingered Carrot Cookies

This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie was chosen by Natalia of gatti fili e farina.

I was a little hesitant about this week’s project, but only because I wasn’t sure how well carrot cookies would go over with the family. Some of the kids like carrots raw, one only likes them cooked, and the only other treat they’ve had them in has been carrot cake.

Of course, I shouldn’t have worried! These cookies are delicious – soft and very moist with just a slight carrot flavor. I actually made them Sunday and there are only a handful left as of today.

I’ve still got enough of the ingredients to make another batch, which I’ll probably do again this weekend. I also decided to add a little more “obvious” sweetness and did a thick frosting of cream cheese, powdered sugar and a little milk. As for the cookies themselves, I added a pinch of cinnamon (I couldn’t help it) and I also left out the raisins since I’m the only one who likes them in cookies (my family is weird). They were perfect!