In The Kitchen: Quite Possibly The Best Darn Chewy Snickerdoodles Ever!

Growing up, I was never tempted to try Snickerdoodles. They lacked chocolate, nuts and some sort of gooey element that would have made them much more appealing than the boring mass of flour and sugar they appeared to be. In my adult years, I was introduced to Snickerdoodles and I fell in love. It's something about the marriage of a crisp yet chewy cookie that gets me every time. 

This Snickerdoodle recipe is absolutely amazing! The flavor is clean and filled with cinnamon-sugar goodness you are sure to love. I am a fan of recipes that are simple to make and don't require a ton of complex, hard to find ingredients. - If you do attempt this recipe, please remember to chill the dough as well as the baking sheet. This will prevent spreading and will yield perfectly round cookies. 

Snickerdoodle Recipe - Yields 4 Dozen [Adapted From RecipeZaar] : 

2¾ cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Mix butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar and eggs thoroughly in a large bowl.
• Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.  
• Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture.
• Chill dough, and chill an un-greased cookie sheet for about 10-15 minutes in the fridge.
• Meanwhile, mix 3 tablespoons sugar, and 3 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl.
• Scoop 1 inch globs of dough into the sugar/ cinnamon mixture.
• Coat by gently rolling balls of dough in the sugar mixture.
• Place on chilled un-greased cookie sheet, and bake 10 minutes.
• Remove from pan immediately.   

** Cool dough and pan in between batches**

   

Follow MTM on Twitter | Add MTM on Bloglovin' |  Like MTM on Facebook 

Spring Time is Here: Strawberry Cuppies

I have to admit that this was my first time having Strawberry Cupcakes, which is pretty surprising considering how much I love Strawberries. This recipe is courtesy of Sprinkle's Cupcake's which is one of my favorite little cupcake shops in town. These were absolutely delicious, and this recipe is definitely a keeper. The taste reminds me somewhat of a grown up Strawberry Shortcake. My only gripe was that the frosting was a bit too soft for me to properly dispense from my pastry bag; I suppose next time I will add a scant 1/4 teaspoon of Cream of Tartar to thicken it up a bit.

Sprinkles Strawberry Cupcake

Recipe Ingredients:
2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 large egg whites, room temperature
 
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.

Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.

With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.

Icing Ingredients:
Makes enough for 1 dozen cupcakes.
1/2 cup whole frozen strawberries, thawed
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold
Pinch of coarse salt
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners' sugar; beat until well combined. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (save any remaining strawberry puree for another use); mix until just blended. Do not overmix or frosting will incorporate too much air. Frosting consistency should be dense and creamy, like ice cream.

 

Spring Is In The Air | Lemon Bars

These have been on the "must try" list for quite some time, and I am kicking myself for not making them sooner. I would definitely say on the record that these are the best Lemon Bars I have tasted to date [and I have tried lots of lemon bars]. I was however afraid that they were going to be too tangy, so I added the juice of two limes; and I must say that I love the contrast. The lime tones down that "bite" that you may experience when you eat very "lemon-y" lemon bars. - I also used a bigger pan, because I don't like thick lemon bars; as you can see the lemon layer is about the same thickness as the crust, I enjoy the 1:1 ratio a lot better.

The recipe was adapted from Ina Garten who I feel can do no wrong; every recipe I have tried [except for the lasagna; eeek], has been a winner. Because of the high calorie content, I cut the bars into bite size pieces to somewhat control my portions [we will see how that goes]. I purchased those large candy cups at my local Bakery Supply store.

Lemon Bars [Adapted from Ina Garten]
Crust
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For The Filling

6 extra large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Juice from 2 limes
1 cup flour
Confectioners sugar for dusting


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill for 15minutes.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature. Cut into triangles or squares and dust with confectioners' sugar.