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Sugar Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Sugar Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

½ cup honey
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
¾ cup quick oats
2 cups Hodgson Mill’s Whole Wheat Flour
1½ semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350oF.

2. Combine all ingredients into your Kitchen Aid stand mixer using the flat beater attachment. (I add my ingredients in order of appearance in case you’re interested.)

3. Place a dozen “drop cookies” onto a cookie sheet and back for 10 minutes.

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Cookies and Cream Rice Krispies Treats

These is just something so perfect about rice krispies treats! They're quick and easy to make, sweet, crunchy and can be adjusted countless ways! I've posted delicious variations of rice krispies treats before, including S'mores Rice Krispies Treats (amazingly delicious!!), Caramel Turtle Rice Krispies Treats (chocolate and caramel... need I say more), as well as these cute and easy Spring Rice Krispies Treats. This Cookies and Cream version is so easy, and so delicious! My girls loved helping to make them and eat them... and I enjoyed far more than my fair share as well!

Cookies and Cream Rice Krispies Treats

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

20 regular oreos, crushed/chopped (about 2 1/2 cups crushed)

5 cups mini marshmallows

3 Tablespoons butter

Directions-

1. Put rice krispies treats into a large bowl. Spray a 9x13" casserole dish or cake pan with non-stick spray, set aside.

2. In a large plastic (ziplock type) bag, crush oreos (I used a large, flat bottom mug). You want to have some crushed into small pieces, and some bite size chunks. Add oreos to rice krispies and stir to combine.

3. In a large microwave safe bowl, heat butter and marshmallows together (about 3 minutes). They will expand a LOT, so make sure your bowl is big enough. When the marshmallows are puffy and mostly melted, carefully remove from microwave and stir to fully combine the butter, and make sure the marshmallows are fully melted. *Note you are welcome to do this step in a large pot on the stove if you prefer.

4. Pour melted marshmallows over cereal and oreos and use a spatula sprayed with non-stick cooking spray to quickly combine all the ingredients. As soon as all the cereal is combined, spread mixture into the prepared 9x13" dish. Use the spatula to press the mixture around the dish, and flatten as needed.

5. Allow to cool (about 20 minutes) before cutting into squares. Eat and enjoy!

Yield- About 24 (2 inch) squares.

Storage- Keep covered with plastic wrap, or in an airtight container 2-3 days.

Variations- This recipe was the third batch I made over a two day trial... the first batch I was sure would be delicious and was topped with a thin layer of melted white chocolate and topped with additional oreos. But my husband and I voted that the white chocolate was a bit over powering for these, but if you love white chocolate, feel free to try them this way. My second try included melting some additional marshmallows to spread over the top in order to adhere some chopped oreos. While these were delicious, they were a little too gooey. The final recipe (as listed above) is the simplest, but our (family) favorite.

Recipes source- I've been dreaming up fancy Rice Krispies treats and thought this would be a delicious combo, but of course a quick google search revealed quite a few others who had the same yummy idea long before me. )

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Sweet sweet Friday: Biffo Biscuits

I've felt very out of sorts with the world this week. You'd think running 21.1km through the scenic Buller Gorge would have drained me of all aggression and anxiety, but apparently not. (It did leave me unable to move without wincing for a day or two, but that's different.)

So when I found a recipe for cookies that promised to help get rid of any excess anger, I couldn't wait to try it. Even if you don't make these you must read this fantastic post from the archives of Rhode Island blogger Lydia Walshin, who imagines the life of baking powder as an opera libretto. It's one of the funniest things I've read all week - and the fact that there's a cookie recipe at the end of it makes it all the better. When I emailed Lydia, who has a whole swag of blogs on the go, to ask if I could link to her post and adapt the recipe, she told me that "all recipes are meant to be played with". I think she's my new favourite person.

Biffo Biscuits
Do you know what biffo is? It's Antipodean slang for violence or bother, ie, you might come home with a black eye after getting into a bit of biffo at the pub.
The Small Girl and I made these yesterday after our usual Thursday visit to the supermarket (which is often full of people who look like they would love to give you a broken arm or two).
It was surprisingly therapeutic, partly because she had such a good time eating most of the mixture. We did have a bit of a fight at the end when I tried to get her to wash her hands, but there were no black eyes.

125g soft butter
120g soft brown sugar
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp ground ginger
1/2tsp ground cloves
3/4tsp baking powder
80g wholemeal flour
100g rolled oats
60g whole oats

Preheat the oven to 180C and line a baking tray. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until soft. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well, using a spoon and your fingers. It's especially good, messy fun to squelch the mixture through your hands. When you have played with it long enough, or your mother tells you that if you eat any more you won't eat your lunch, roll into small balls and place on the prepared tray. Press each one lightly - using a small fist or a fork - and bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden. Leave on the tray for a few minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely. Makes 16-20 small cookies, depending how much gets eaten/goes on the floor in the process.

Have a great weekend, everyone. The Boy Wonder has been doing a lot of cooking at our place recently so I've got some fun things to show you next week...

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valentinecookies

Low Fat Valentine Cookies

By Cathy Tedder

Total Time:3 hrs 8 mins
Prep Time:3 hrs
Cook Time:8 mins

These cookies are made with half the butter of most sugar cookies and instead of granulated sugar use coconut palm sugar to prevent a spike in blood sugar levels. The frosting is spread thin and I used the juice from defrosted dark sweet cherries that gave the glaze a little pink color and topped with a few sprinkles and a dusting of confectioners sugar. So, treat yourself to one of these low fat Valentine cookies without feeling too guilty!

Ingredients:

Yield:30 cookies

For cookie

5 tablespoons butter , softened
¾ cup coconut palm sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 2⁄3; cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup confectioners' sugar , sifted for work surface

For glaze

1 cup confectioners' sugar
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon juice , from defrosted dark sweet cherry
pink sugar , for decorating if desired

Directions:

1
For cookie: Using a mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg and almond extract, mixing well.
2
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture into butter and sugar until dough forms. The dough may seem a little crumbly at first; but it will come together. Wrap dough in plastic and shape into a disk. Chill for two hours in the refrigerator.
3
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Sprinkle work surface and rolling pin with confectioners sugar. Turn out one half of dough onto it. Roll out dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Use heart-shaped cookie cutters dipped in confectioners sugar to make cutouts. Gather scraps and re-roll until all the dough is used. While the first batch are baking is a good time to repeat the rolling and cutting process with the second half of the dough.
4
Place cookies 1-inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake 8-9 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire rack after 1 minute to cool.
5
For glaze: In a small bowl, mix together confectioners sugar, almond extract, and milk. In a small resealable bag put 2 tablespoons of white glass and set aside. Add cherry juice to the sugar mixture and if you want to make a darker pink add another teaspoon of juice. When cookies are fully cooled, frost and decorate as desired. Makes about 30 cookies, depending on the size of cookie cutters used. Enjoy!

Source:http://www.food.com

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Nan khatai ~ easy eggless cookie

Nankhatai is a cookie, famous in pakistan and in india. Nankhatai is a basic eggless cookie made with clarified butter(ghee). When Bina posted her nankhatai recipe on daily tiffin, i tried it immediately and fell in love with these cookies, but it took too long (2 years) to post here.

whenever we crave for crispier biscuits, i would make nankhatai in minutes. its so easy to make. moreover, you can make it quick.

Nankhatai

Yields - 30 cookies approx.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Baking time - 10-15 mins.
Recipe from : Daily tiffin - Bina

Ingredients:

Maida / All purpose flour – 2 cup’s (200gms)

Sugar – 1 cup

Cardamom – 8

Ghee – ¾ cup

Baking powder – ½ tsp

Nuts to garnish(pista, cashew and badam)

Method:

Pre-heat the oven at 150C for 10minutes.

Line your baking tray with butterpaper and set aside.

Powder the sugar along withcardamom pods.

Sieve the maida flour along withbaking powder. Also sieve the powdered sugar upon maida.

Mix the flour well with yourhands.

Add Ghee to the flour and keepmixing, first the flour becomes like crumbles . keep on adding the ghee tillflour comes together as a smooth pilable dough.Do this process patiently, this process takes 10 minutes.
it consumes really lots of ghee, so go ahead and forget the calories.

Once you get the smooth pilable dough, pincha small ball of dough and roll it with your palms. Slightly press it with yourpalms, so that the ball flattens a bit. Place the flattened ball over thebutter paper. Likewise fill the butter paper. Press nuts of your choice overeach nankhatai.

Bake the Nankhatai in pre-heatedoven at 150c for 10-12 minutes. Till the bottom of the nankhatai turns lightbrown in colour. Change the sides of tray in between, to ensure even baking.

Remove from the oven and let itcool for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling wrack and let it cool for another5 minutes.

Transfer the cooled nankhatai’s toan air tight container.

Serve with Hot Tea, tell you what, thats the perfect way to eat these cookies.

Do try these delicious easy to make cookies. these cookies were crispy. these cookies were hit at home and kids loved it a lot.

I also made in heart shape, which turned out good too. so you can try different shapes.

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Lollipop Cookie Valentines

Lollipop Cookie Valentines
By: Robin
"Every year 18 of us get together for our annual 'Heart Party' in honor of Valentine's Day. Besides sharing a favorite craft, we bring 18 cookies and share a favorite recipe. This was mine from last year. The recipe is written using white chocolate, but you can use dark chocolate instead, or use half white and half dark. I like to decorate mine with candy sprinkles too."
Original Recipe Yield 1 dozen
Ingredients

12 craft sticks
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 (1 ounce) squares white chocolate
1 egg white
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
3 drops red food coloring

Directions

Soak craft sticks for one hour in a bowl of cold water.
In small heavy saucepan over very low heat, stir chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Remove from heat; let cool.
In large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Beat egg in well; beat in cooled chocolate. With mixer at low speed, beat in flour, cocoa powder and salt until smooth. Divide dough in half.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and grease 2 large cookie sheets.
Roll each half out to 1/8 inch thickness between 2 sheets of wax paper; freeze, in wax paper, 5 minutes. Peal top sheets of wax paper off dough; cut dough out using 3-inch heart-shaped cutter. Reroll scraps; freeze again 5 minutes; cut out. Place half of the hearts 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheet.
Drain sticks, pat dry. Place one stick on each heart to make 2 1/2 inch handle, pressing lightly into dough. Place remaining hearts on top; press edges gently to seal. Bake about 12 minutes until firm to touch. Cool on wire racks.
In 2-quart heavy saucepan over very low heat, or in top of double boiler set over barely simmering water, stir white or milk chocolate until melted and smooth; if using both chocolates, melt in separate 1-quart pans. Remove from heat.
Holding each lollipop by handle, dip into chocolate to coat on both sides; let excess chocolate drip back into pan. Place each lollipop as it is coated on wax-paper-lined cookie sheet; refrigerate 20 minutes until chocolate is set.
To Make Icing: In large bowl with electric mixer at high speed, beat egg white and confectioners' sugar until very smooth. If desired, remove small portion of icing to separate bowl; tint with drops of food coloring. Spoon icing into decorating bag fitted with small writing tip; pipe over lollipops in desired patterns. Decorate with assorted candies and decors; attaching with dots of icing.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving Calories: 838 | Total Fat: 41g | Cholesterol: 88mg

Source:http://allrecipes.com
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Estonian recipes: Condensed Milk Cookies (kondenspiimaküpsised)

I'm continuing with sharing Estonian recipes with you this month, in anticipation of the national holiday later this month. Here's a small baking project for the weekend - small, delicious and crispy-tender condensed milk cookies. The recipe is adapted from a classic Estonian cookbook "Valik toiduretsepte" (the 1974 edition), where they're called simply "milk cookies". The sweetened condensed milk gives those cookies not only a desired sweetness, but also a slight dulce de leche flavour, which I find very appealing.

Condensed Milk Cookies
(Kondenspiimaküpsised)

250 g all-purpose/plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
150 g cold butter, cubed
175 g sweetened condensed milk
2-3 Tbsp water

a small egg whisked with some water, for brushing

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla sugar) in a bowl, then add the cold cubed butter. Using a knife, cut the butter into the flour mixture, until it resembed wet crumbs. Now add the condensed milk and using your hands, knead into a ball (you may not need the water at all).
Place the dough into the fridge for half an hour, so the gluten can relax a little.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until 3-4 mm thick (1/8th of an inch). Cut into shapes (I cut into diamonds, using a roller cutter).
Transfer the cookies into a lined baking sheet and brush with an egg wash.
Bake in a preheated 200 C / 400 F oven until light golden brown.

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Double Chocolate Banana cookies

Once again I had ripe bananas to use and I was looking for something other than banana bread to make. (Although if you haven't tried this banana bread recipe, you really must). I had chocolate on the brain, like always, and I thought to myself, "I wonder if there are any recipes using ripe bananas and chocolate together?" So I turned to Google and found a few different ideas out there. (even for Chocolate banana mousse). So after checking a couple different recipes, I experimented and combined a couple different ideas together to make this moist, almost cake-like chocolate cookie. I even didn't feel that much guilt eating a lot of them because there are healthy bananas inside! Yea for getting your chocolate and potassium at the same time!

The Ingredients:

1 c sugar

3/4 c shortening or butter

1 c mashed ripe bananas (about 3

1 tsp lemon juice or orange juice

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 c flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c cocoa powder

1 c chocolate chips

The Directions:

Cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the egg. Mix in the bananas,vanilla extract, and the juice. I used lemon juice but I think the orange would go better with the chocolate and banana.

Add all the dry ingredients.

Mix well and stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. (use parchment paper, a liner, or grease it first). I use two spoons to do this. One to scoop the batter, and the other to help slide it onto the baking sheet.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. I always cook cookies at the lesser time because I prefer softer cookies.

Eat as is, or make some glaze to go on top. All you need is:

1 c powdered sugar

1-2 Tbsp milk

1/2 tsp almond flavoring

1-2 tsp corn syrup (optional. the corn syrup will help the glaze set if you're not serving them until later)

Put the powdered sugar in a small bowl and add a Tbsp of milk, along with the extract. Stir with a fork. Add a little more milk and keep stirring until smooth. Add the corn syrup if desired and stir some more. If you need to make it thinner just add a little milk. You want it to be able to drizzle, not blob.

Put the glaze in a baggie and snip a tiny hole out of one corner. This will help you get cute drizzles on your cookies. If you don't care about cute drizzles, then use a spoon to drizzle or even just frost the whole thing. I do have to admit that the glaze does mask a little of the banana flavor of the cookie. But it is still super delish!

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Chocolate Lebkuchen

Chocolate Lebkuchen

By: Juanita
"This recipe comes from Christmas, 1961. These bars have a light, tart frosting. This dough needs to ripen for a couple of days, but it's worth it."

Prep Time:15 Min
Cook Time:45 Min
Ready In:3 Days 1 Hr 20 Min

Original Recipe Yield 50 cookies

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup candied mixed fruit, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup orange juice
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons orange juice

1/4 cup green decorator sugar
1/4 cup cinnamon red hot candies

Directions

Combine sugar, honey and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, stir together the honey mixture with the chocolate chips, almonds, candied fruit, eggs, and orange juice. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, baking soda and baking powder; stir into the fruit and nut mixture. Tightly cover the bowl, and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days to blend the flavors.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan. Spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool and frost with the orange frosting.
To make the orange frosting, put the confectioners' sugar in a small bowl, and beat in the orange juice 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Spread over the cooled bars. Cut bars into diamond shapes, and place cinnamon candies on top then sprinkle with the green sugar.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 135 | Total Fat: 3.3g | Cholesterol: 8mg
Source:http://allrecipes.com
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Wine, World Class Matcha

That said, it is also important to note that, as there is no shortage of really bad wine in the world, markets are full of quality matcha very, very poor. Much of it starts badly (through poor agricultural techniques / cost reduction, and by machine harvesting new growth, stems and all) and ends much worse: a bad storage, excess supply and a " race to the bottom "in the price of all add up to be sweetened matcha (ie, sugar has been added to it to make it acceptable) rusts badly (resulting in a hay-like color and aroma ), or just no life and death, bitter, dusty and forgotten. Vile thing is, most unfortunately, this matcha dead, cheap is the only experience with matcha that many people have. If you have tried matcha and do not like, welcome to the club. That's what I had, and is omnipresent.

Bad matcha is actually much worse than two Buck Chuck, it's like pouring a glass of "cooking wine." What it is, in essence, the majority of matcha is for culinary purposes. You can still get enough of a "matcha" flavor to taste good as green tea ice cream, and cookies and cakes and all kinds of sweets. Fats and sugars in confectionery products often mask unpleasant tastes, and the result is quasi-acceptable. Great matcha is very, very different. It is meant to be drunk, like wine, is not used as a cooking ingredient. (We doubt there's anyone on earth that dumps half a bottle of Echezeaux in a pasta sauce.) All amino acids, umami, and acid structure of great matcha remain intact when brewed into a cup, but are destroyed / it was undetectable if the fat, sugar, and heat enter the picture.

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Chocolate Cake Pop Recipe

This recipe for Chocolate Cake Pops involves making 2 recipes: Quick and Easy Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. You will also need your choice of Candy Coating. We chose Dark Chocolate melts from Vermont Nut-Free Chocolates. Here are the recipes and how to assemble the Chocolate Cake Pops:

Quick and Easy Chocolate Cake
This recipe will yield 25 pops with the addition of ¾ cup of frosting and 18 ounces of candy coating for dipping.

Recommended Equipment:
8 inch round cake pan
a block of Styrofoam
lollipop sticks

Ingredients:
1 cup self-rising flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup sugar
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 tspn vanilla extract

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8 inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Sift together flour, cocoa, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla and mix with a hand-held mixer at low speed until just combined. Increase speed to high and mix for 2 minutes. The mixture will lighten and become thick.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Rich buttercream frosting made with cocoa instead of baking chocolate means no messy melting and easy one-bowl mixing. This frosting is perfect for icing cupcakes, decorating cookies, and adding to cake pop mixtures.

Ingredients:
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
¼ cup milk
1 tspn vanilla extract

Preparation:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine all the ingredients at low speed. Increase mixer to high speed and continue mixing for 3 minutes or until the frosting is fluffy.

Candy Coating
Also known as confectionery coating, candy melts, or candy wafers, this is a chocolate substitute with a low cocoa-butter content, making it more stable and easier to use than regular chocolate. Candy coating also sets faster and harder than regular chocolate, which makes it perfect for dipping pops. There is a wide variety of brands, in a range of colors and qualities. Some popular brands include Wilton Candy Melts, Make ‘n’ Mold, and Merckens Confectionary Coating. We used Vermont Nut-Free Chocolates. You can find candy coating at specialty cake- and chocolate-making stores, craft stores, and many online stores including Amazon, eBay, and Etsy.

Assembling the Cake Pops
Once you have your cake and frosting, you’re ready to begin the cake pop creativity. Crumble the cake into very fine pieces with your hands into a large wide shallow pan. Rake your fingers through to find any large pieces left and crumble them up as well. Show the kids how to do this and then let them finish the job.

Add the suggested amount of frosting. Scrunch the frosting in with your hands until the mixture is evenly distributed and holds together easily when you press it together. If the mixture is too dry, it will not hold together properly and crumble; if it is too wet, then the balls will not be able to hold their shape.

Shaping the Pops
Once you have the mixture at the correct consistency, it’s time to shape the cake balls. There are two different methods: hand rolling and pressing the mixture into small cookie or fondant cutters. Before beginning either method, line a tray with parchment paper to hold the shaped cake balls.

To hand-roll the mixture, measure out 4 teaspoons , which should make a round of around 1 1/2 inch diameter. Scrunch the mixture together lightly in your hand and then roll it between your palms to make the ball as smooth as you can. The rolled ball should be firmly packed so it will hold its shape. Using light pressure when rolling will be sufficient; you will not need to press your hands together very hard.

The ball is a good starting point for making other shapes. If you need an oval, just manipulate the shape by rolling your palms back and forth a little. A teardrop shape can be made by pinching one end and lightly flattening the sides. Once the cake ball is shaped the way you want it, place it on the tray lined with parchment paper.

To make the cake ball shapes using the pressing method, place the shaped cutter on the tray lined with parchment paper and press about 2 tablespoons of mixture into the shape. Turn the cutter over to see if the underneath is smooth, with no holes or gaps. If there are holes, turn the shape over again and press the mixture down firmer.

Once you are happy that the underneath is smooth, use your thumb and lightly press out the mixture onto the parchment lined tray, being careful not to break the shape. Once you have released the mixture, turn it over so the smooth side is on top and then gently press down on the shaped cookie mixture. This should help to flatten the other side.

When all of the mixture is shaped to your satisfaction, pop the tray into the refrigerator and chill for around an hour.

Dipping in Candy and Attaching Lollipop Sticks

Once you’ve made the cake balls, it’s time to dip them in candy coating and attach the lollipop stick.

Melting Tips

Melt your candy coating in the microwave on medium low at short bursts of 60 to 90 seconds. This might seem like a lot of work, but the coating can be very delicate and overheating will ruin a whole batch. If you prefer, you can use a double boiler on the stove top, but that involves a lot of extra cleaning up and is not so safe for the kiddies. If using the stove top, always use a double boiler; never use a saucepan directly on the heat.

If you’re using a block of coating, cut or break it into small pieces before melting. Candy melts or buttons are good to go as they are. Use a clean, dry, microwave-safe dish for melting and a clean, dry, metal spoon for stirring. Wooden spoons may have a little moisture in them, and you really don’t want to get any water in with your candy coating. Water will seize the coating, making it unusable for dipping.

Candy Coating Consistency

One of the most important things about dipping pops and other sweets on a stick is the consistency of the melted candy coating. Most brands, when melted, will be just a little too thick for a really smooth finish. Add some paramount crystals or vegetable shortening (like Crisco) when you melt the candy coating. The amount required will vary depending on the brand of candy coating you use. Start off with around 1 ounce of crystals per 14 ounces of candy coating during the melting process and add more as required until the mixture is fluid enough for dipping.

Securing the Stick

Is there anything worse than dipping a treat and losing the whole thing in the bowl of melted candy coating? Well, maybe, but with this simple trick the chances of it happening will be minimal. Here’s the secret: Make sure you dip the end of the lollipop stick in a little melted candy coating before you insert it into the cake pops, marshmallows, cupcakes, or other treats. Then pop them into the refrigerator to set for 10 minutes before continuing with the coating. How easy is that? It’s like yummy glue.

Dipping and Getting a Smooth Finish

Okay, you have your coating at the right consistency, the sticks are secured….time to start dipping. Make sure your dipping bowl is deep enough for the candy coating to cover the whole pop. Dip the pop and then lift it out of the melted candy. Holding the pop over the bowl to catch drips, gently tap the stick against your hand or the side of the bowl to remove excess candy coating. Remove as much excess as possible before you put the pop into the Styrofoam block to set.

Cake Pop Storage

Once decorated and set, cake pops should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Undecorated cake ball mixture can be frozen wrapped in plastic wrap and sealed in an airtight container for 4 weeks. When ready to use, completely defrost in the fridge still in the airtight container.

Recipes courtesy of Sweets on a Stick by Linda Vandermeer

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United States [ print this recipe for Chocolate Cake Pops]

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Pope's Valentine Cookies

Pope's Valentine Cookies

By: Jelly
"Rich and delicious cut-out cookies - wonderful for special holiday celebrations! These are the best cut-out cookies the long line of bakers in our family has ever found."

Original Recipe Yield 2 dozen

Ingredients

1/2 pound butter, softened
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C).
Mix butter in a mixer until light, add remaining ingredients.
Knead until velvety. Roll one-half of the dough at a time to about 1/4 inch thickness using the smallest amount of flour possible.
Cut out and bake on a lightly greased pan for 12 minutes. Cookies will be almost white when cooked.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving Calories: 273 | Total Fat: 15.6g | Cholesterol: 41mg

Source:http://allrecipes.com
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The Best Valentine Sugar Cookies

The Best Valentine Sugar Cookies

By: Emily Williams
"Roll these cookies a little thick and cook them until barely golden on the bottom and you have the perfect sugar cookie!"

Original Recipe Yield 4 dozen

Ingredients

7 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups shortening
3 teaspoons almond extract
1 cup milk
3 eggs
Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. /Mix in shortening. Once the shortening is well blended, stir almond flavoring and milk into the dough at the same time, followed by eggs. Roll out dough onto a floured surface, using a floured rolling pin. Roll the dough thick. Cut out cookies and arrange them on a cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 8 to 10 minutes, or just until bottom is golden.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 163 | Total Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 14mg

Source:http://allrecipes.com
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Valentine's Recipes

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Red Velvet Cupcakes with Roses {Recipe}

Red velvet cupcakes are a classic treat that lend themselves so perfectly to Valentine's Day. Although I've admired red velvet cake and cupcakes from afar for a couple of years, I've never made any. In fact, I hadn't even heard of red velvet cake until a few years ago. Apparently it's famous in the south, but being born and raised in California I wasn't familiar with it. And to be fair, once I learned that they were simply a light cocoa cake with lots of red dye I wasn't sure I could ever feel really excited about it. Although I obviously use food coloring quite often for cookie and cupcake frosting, I try to avoid using excess amounts. But over the past 2 years of blogging, the one recipe I keep getting e-mail requests for is red velvet. I searched the web for natural color alternatives, but after reading at least a dozen different blog posts I concluded that using natural coloring (from beets, or similar) can be a lot of work, expensive, and often only produce mediocre results. All that to say, these are delicious cupcakes... and yes, they have quite a bit of food coloring in them. If that bothers you, feel free to make my favorite chocolate cupcakes, or vanilla cupcakes.

This recipe is really delicious, and I'm sure I'll be using it again. There is something a little special about the pretty dark red hue. This cake is a delicious, moist and fluffy, lightly flavored chocolate cake. Different red velvet cake recipes range from containing just a couple tablespoons of cocoa, to being a fully flavored chocolate cake. I would describe this recipe as a mild chocolate cake. As you can see, the color is dark red, or burgundy. If you would like a brighter red color, feel free to reduce the cocoa powder a bit, and/or add more coloring.

Red Velvet Cake (or cupcakes)

2 1/4 cups cake flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch process)

1 teaspoons salt

1 1/3 cups oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

4 Tablespoons liquid red food coloring (or 1 tablespoons concentrated food coloring- I used Americolor super red)

1 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 cup buttermilk (I made buttermilk with powdered buttermilk mixed with regular mix)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons white vinegar (all I had was apple cider vinegar and it worked fine)

Directions~

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Prepare cupcake pan with liners, or butter and flour cake pans and line bottoms with parchment.

2. In a large bowl whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt, and set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer (fitted with the whisk attachment), beat oil and sugar until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, and continue beating. Add food coloring and vanilla and mix well.

4. Add flour and buttermilk alternately, in two batches. Scrap down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix just enough to combine.

5. Place baking soda in a bowl or cup, add vinegar and stir (it will foam and expand). Add to cake batter and beat for 10 seconds.

6. Fill cupcake liners 2/3-3/4 full, or divide batter between cake pans. Bake cupcakes 20-24 minutes. Bake cake layers 25-40 minutes depending on the size of the pans.

This recipe will yield about 24 cupcakes, 3- 8" cake layers, or 2- 9" cake layers.

Recipe source- Adapted from "The Confetti Cakes Cookbook" by Elisa Strauss, as published by the New York Times. I scaled down the recipe from the original, which yields 36 cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup (1 stick/8 Tablespoons) butter (set at room temp about 10 minutes, but should still be cool)

8 oz. cream cheese (directly from fridge)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (always use pure vanilla extract if possible)
4 cups powdered confectioners sugar
1 to 2 Tablespoons heavy cream, heavy whipping cream (or milk- although I do like the richness that cream adds)

Directions:
1. Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add cream cheese and blend until fully combined, about 30 seconds.
2. Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar (one cup at a time) while mixing. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy.
3. Slowly add the heavy cream, a little bit at a time until desired consistency is met. (Don't add too much if you want the frosting to stay in place when piped on cupcakes.)
4. Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
5. Frost cake or cupcakes.

Recipe source- Glorious Treats (this is just my version of this very old, classic frosting).

For more detailed help with frosting cupcakes, I have a full post on How to Frost Cupcakes (here)

I decorated these cupcakes with handmade fondant roses. I'll share the tutorial this week.

As an extra special treat, I've teamed up with a group of amazingly talented ladies to bring you a dozen beautiful and delicious Valentine's treats! Check out all of these gorgeous creations!

1. Confessions of a Cookbook Queen- Valentine's Twinkies on a Stick

2. Buns In My Oven- Hot Fudge and Strawberry Donut Pudding

3. Glorious Treats (that's me!)- Red Velvet Cupcakes

4. Cookies and Cups- Glass Topper Valentine's Cookies

5. Bakingdom- Valentine's Day Cookie Cakes

6. The Hungry Housewife- Valentine's Jello Hearts

7. The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle- Valentine's Dotty Cookies

8. Sprinkle Bakes- Red Velvet Cake Minis

9. Bake at 350- Double-Decker, Stripey Valentine's Cookies

10. Two Peas and Their Pod- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

11. Scarletta Bakes- Mexican Chocolate Hearts

12. She Wears Many Hats- Valentine's Popcorn

Have a wonderfully sweet week!

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Simple Heart Valentine's Cookies {Decorating how-to}

I love when a simple technique can be used to make something look extra special. These heart Valentine's cookies are super easy to decorate, but yield impressive results.

I started with a batch of Chocolate roll-out cookie dough. I used a medium sized heart cutter to cut my shapes, then a small heart to cut out the center. You can bake up the mini hearts, or roll the dough back together to make more hearts with cut-outs.

When your cookies are baked and cooled, prepare a batch of Royal Icing. To copy this design, you'll only need two bags of icing, one red and one white, both in a medium consistency. Certainly, adding pink details to these cookies would be beautiful as well.

How to create a string of hearts with icing...

1. Outline the cookies (as shown). Allow the outline to set up a bit (about 30 minutes).

2. Flood cookie with white icing.

3. Immediately, add dots (as shown).

4.-6. As soon as dots have settled into the white icing (about 30 seconds), drag a toothpick from the top center of the heart cookie, through the first dot. Continue dragging the toothpick through all of the dots on one half of the cookie, in one continuous motion (as seen above).

7. Repeat on the other side of the cookie, starting at the top, drag a toothpick through the dots.

8. Allow cookies to dry (about 8 hours).

9. Share with someone you love =)

Happy Decorating!

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Vanilla Cake

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