Lemon Fresh Cookies

Ever had an ingredient that you buy saying this will be great to use but never do? That's me! Pure lemon extract ... amongst a few others... But, I even bought a second bottle forgetting I had one already in the cabinet. The extract gets pushed to the side and I keep saying I'm going to use it soon. Well, soon has finally come! 

(... Nearly years later ... But don't worry I checked the expiration date ...) 

I like lemons cookies on occasion. I have no idea why but they are alluring to me. I think they should be delicate in flavor. I have had my share of overpowering lemon cookies. It is always a disappointment when I try to choke one down on the first bite. So, I've come up with a lemon cookies recipe that is not overly sweet and has the right hint of lemon. These cookies are refreshing. It's definitely a nice palate cleanser. These lemon cookies are also soft and chewy! 

Lemon Fresh Cookies
Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, salted 

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure lemon extract 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cup flour

Directions:

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Cream together butter, sugar and egg. Add baking soda and lemon extract. Mix in flour. Roll into teaspoon sized balls, place on greased pan and score with fork. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Bottom of cookies should be golden brown. 

Makes approximately 20 cookies. 

Tips:

If you want to spruce up this cookie, add white chocolate chips.

Scoring the cookies is not necessary. I did it to give the cookie a little textured look. Plus, it's fun! 

Keep an eye on the bottom of the cookies! 

Pecandies (Candied Pecans)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 egg white
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 oz. pecans (about 2 cups)

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

• Combine egg white, water, and vanilla and beat until slightly foamy.
• Add pecans to egg white mixture and coat well.
• Combine sugar, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and nutmeg in a plastic bag.
• Lift pecans out of egg white mixture with a slotted spoon and put into bag; shake to coat well.
• Pour pecans onto baking sheet lined with parchment, greased foil, or a silpat; spread out evenly.
• BAKE at 300ºF for 15 minutes, then stir, then bake an additional 10 minutes.
• Let cool, and serve!

NOTES:

• Great on salads or as a snack.
• Be careful, they are very difficult to stop eating once you start!!!
• If you double the recipe, bake for a total of 40 minutes, stirring at 15 minutes into the baking, again at another 10 minutes, and finish baking for the remaining 10 minutes.
• Perfect for Christmas gift treats! (My family begged for more one Christmas).

Mousse Au Chocolat (Chocolate Mousse)

Mousse au Chocolat

The summer of 1995, our French exchange student, Élodie called up her dad in Paris, got this recipe from him, and I've been making it ever since.  One of my favorite desserts.  Looks and tastes fancy... and only 231 calories per serving!

INGREDIENTS:

• 4.5 ounces (10 Tbsp) semisweet chocolate
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 eggs, separated

DIRECTIONS:

• Melt chocolate in double boiler or in small sauce pan over extremely low heat, stirring constantly.  Set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, separate the eggs.  Set yolks aside in separate dish.
• Beat the egg whites until firm (stiff peaks).
• Stir the water and vanilla into the chocolate, then add the egg yolk and combine thoroughly.
• Fold the egg whites into the chocolate slowly until completely combined; should be fluffy but a little runny.
• Pour the mixture into four separate dessert dishes (the size of individual casserole dishes), I used 8-oz (approx.) stainless prep bowls.
• Chill in refrigerator for 2-4 hours before serving.
• Garnish with chocolate chips, chocolate shavings, sprig of mint, raspberries, or your creative choice!

NOTES:

• Store in refrigerator for up to 3 days, covered.

No Bake Energy Oatmeal Bites

I first tried this recipe at a friends house and it was delicious! Of course I asked "may I have this recipe?" And her response was "it's on my Pinterest under recipes." Fantastic, I thought and immediately went to pin the recipe. I loved that fact it was easy to make and for once didn't require turning on the oven. I love my friend even more, for the company and the sharing of ideas. Thanks, C! 

I decided to claim Pinterest as my friend, too! Pinterest helps and brings great joy to my world. I could search for hours to find new and inspiring ideas. I'm sure this will be the first of many Pinterest recipes I shall post for tried and liked. 

No Bake Oatmeal Bites Recipe

Ingredient List:

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup milled/ground flaxseed

1/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Line cookie sheet with wax paper.

In medium bowl, add peanut butter, honey, flaxseed, vanilla and mix together. Mix in oats and then chocolate chips.

Use a teaspoon to scoop dough into your and a roll to form a ball. Place dough balls on lined cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in your freezer for chilling to set the dough...10-15 minutes is fine, then transfer to an air tight contained and keep refrigerated. 

Makes approximately 16 (depending on size of balls). 

TIPS:

Your hands will get sticky. Don't forget to lick your fingers ;)

Next time I will consider adding about a 1/4 cup of sliced almonds. I think that would make these even tastier. 

Pictures from baking...

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

Several weeks ago I looked in my pantry and saw I still had jars of canned homemade unsweetened apple sauce. Rather than eat the apple sauce plain, I thought wouldn't that taste good in oatmeal cookies?! I thought it would be like having a hand-held piece of apple crisp. I started playing around with the basic ingredients and this is what I've come up with! No eggs needed! It's a subtle but tasty cookie recipe. The cookies are soft and chewy. They remain this way even after being left on the counter for hours (even days). 

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

Ingredient List:

1/2 cup butter or margarine (room temperature)

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce

3/4 cup flour

1 cup oats

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease cookie sheet and set a side until ready.

Mix the ingredients in order as listed below.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Then mix in the unsweetened apple sauce, cinnamon, baking soda and flour. Lastly, add in the oats. 

Using a cookie scoop, evenly space and place dough on the pan. This makes approximately 15 cookies with medium scoop (1.5 T).

Bake on 350 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. 

Baking Tips:

There is slightly a difference when using butter vs. margarine in this recipe. Both maintain the soft and chewiness of the cookie; however, using margarine will make dough a little more wet when mixing and a little more moist after baked. Margarine will also make the cookies a tad more airy. Using butter will make the dough stiffen up more and a tad more fluffy. 

This dough mixture is sticky! Don't be alarmed and enjoy! 

Pictures from baking....

Banana Bread

Banana Bread? Yes, please! 

Happy Monday!! 

I have tried many banana bread recipes...too many to count...

I never had success... 

I mean the banana breads would get too dark, too fast and have a soggy middle. Other banana bread recipes I tried would get hard and dry. FRUSTRATING!!  Banana bread has been a baking nemesis for me. It truly sounds silly but I have wanted to master baking banana bread for a long time! 

And then....FINALLY!!! 

For years now this has been my go to recipe. Simple, easy to make, and has a nice balance. I use a fork or spoon to mix this recipe I don't recall where I got the original recipe but I made some minor modifications anyways. 

I bought some bananas and have been waiting for them to ripen so I may share this recipe with you.

Ingredients List

2 or 3 ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 cup salted butter, melted

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg 

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a small or medium sized bowl, smash the bananas and mix in the melted butter. Then add in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Lastly, mix in the baking soda and then the flour.

**Pour mixture into a greased 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour. I use the toothpick test to double check if the loaf is ready.

TIPS:

**If you want a wider loaf use a 6x8 pan. This is great for small bars vs slices. 

I nearly wrote this is a fool proof recipe, and it can be if you double check your ingredients! Though there are not many; don't forget to add the baking soda. I made this mistake once and it does not turn out well. Do not add the baking soda once the batter is already in the pan and just swirl it in. The baking soda does not mix in evenly. Once baked like this, I saw brown swirls and swirl patches taste of straight baking soda! If you noticed you've forgotten the baking soda, I'd suggest remove the batter from the pan and place back into your bowl to remix. Re-wash your pan, grease, and re-pour your batter for baking.