Baking | Good Dinner Mrs Mellen

Category: Baking
- Oatmeal-Cranberry Cookies with White Chocolate
  
  Posted at 4:17 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Dec 22nd
  Big chewy Oatmeal-Cranberry Cookies are a family favorite and I make them all year long. Christmas I sprinkle colored sugar to add a festive touch! They are so easy to make and my grandchildren love to help, especially decorating with the colored sugar!
  
  Oatmeal-Cranberry Cookies with White Chocolate
  
  1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
  
  1 cup boiling water
  
  1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  
  2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
  
  2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
  2 large eggs
  
  3 cups all-purpose flour
  
  1 teaspoon baking powder
  
  1 teaspoon baking soda
  
  1 teaspoon kosher salt
  
  1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
  
  1 cup white chocolate chips
  
  3 (4-ounce) white chocolate baking bars, coarsely chopped
  
  3 tablespoon shortening
  
  In a small bowl combine cranberries and boiling water. Let stand for 10 minutes, drain.
  
  In a large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar and vanilla with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  
  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add flour to the mixture to butter mixture, beating until combined. Add oats, chocolate, and cranberries; until combined. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  
  Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  
  Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoon to form a ball and place 2 inches apart on prepared pan
  
  Bake until lightly brown, about 12-14 minutes. Let cool on pans for 3 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks. Dip in melted chocolate*. Sprinkle with colored sugar. Let stand until chocolate is set.
  
  *Microwave white chocolate and shortening in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl on HIGH 1 minute or until chocolate melts, stirring once. Dip half of each cookie into melted chocolate, letting excess drip back into the bowl. Place dipped cookies on wax paper; let stand until firm.
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  Posted in Baking, Christmas, Christmas Recipes, cookies, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen | Tagged Oatmeal Cranberry cookies, White Chocolate
- Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookie
  
  Posted at 3:30 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Dec 9th
  Chocolate, caramel and sea salt, a perfect combination for a Christmas cookie. Each year I make copious quantities of Christmas cookies to give to friends and family. I love sharing my creations celebrating the true meaning of the season. My cookie gift list grows each year with requests from friends of friends who have tasted my cookies. Throughout the year I search for interesting containers that can be used by the recipients after all the cookies are gone.
  
  This cookie has become one of my family’s favorite since they all love chocolate and caramel dusted with sea salt then drizzled with chocolate glaze!
  
  COOKIE DOUGH:
  
  1 cup flour
  
  Generous 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  
  1/4 teaspoon salt
  
  1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  
  2/3 cup granulated sugar
  
  1 large egg yolk
  
  1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
  
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  1/2 cup fine granulated sugar
  
  CARAMEL FILLING:
  
  1/2 package caramels, unwrapped
  
  2 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
  
  1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus about 1/2 tsp. for sprinkling
  
  2 oz semi-sweet chocolate bar
  
  1 teaspoon shortening
  
  PREPARATION:
  
  1. Make cookies: Preheat oven to 350°. Sift flour, cocoa powder, and salt into a bowl. In another bowl with a mixer on medium speed, beat butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add egg yolk, cream, and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
  
  2. Scoop dough into rounded 1-tsp. portions and roll into balls, then roll balls in sparkling or powdered sugar to coat. Place 2 in. apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. With the end of a thick-handled wooden spoon, gently press an indentation into the center of each cookie. Bake until cookies is just set, about 10 minutes. (The depressions tend to fill in a bit as they bake, so as soon as they’re out of the oven, give them another press with the spoon if necessary.) Slide parchment with cookies onto cooling racks and let cool.
  
  3. Make the caramel: Place caramels in a small heavy saucepan with the cream. Heat to boiling lower heat stirring until caramels are melted.
  
  4. Assemble cookies: Spoon about 1/4 tsp. caramel into each cookie, then sprinkle with a few grains of sea salt.
  
  5. Microwave chocolate and shortening on high for 30 seconds. Stir until chocolate is smooth. Drizzle over cookies.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Baking, Baking, Chocolate, Christmas, Christmas Recipes, cookies, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen | Tagged caramel, chocolate, Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint cookie, Christmas cookies
- Perfect Chocolate Cake
  
  Posted at 9:46 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Nov 16th
  Perfect Chocolate Cake
  
  For birthday celebrations my mother made her chocolate cake with rich fudge frosting and a chocolate filling. I believe she found this recipe in McCalls Cooking School publications, a series of cooking magazines with detailed instructions. When I married she shared with me her prize recipe and I’ve made this moist flavorful cake for birthday’s ever since.
  
  1 cup unsifted unsweetened cocoa
  
  2 cups boiling water
  
  2 3⁄4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  
  2 teaspoons baking soda
  
  1⁄2 teaspoon salt
  
  1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
  
  1 cup butter, softened
  
  2 1⁄2 cups sugar
  
  4 eggs
  
  1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla
  
  6 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces
  
  1⁄2 cup half and half
  
  3/4 cup butter
  
  2 1⁄2 cups unsifted confectioners’ sugar
  
  1 cup heavy cream, chilled
  
  1⁄4 cup unsifted confectioners’ sugar
  
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  1 cup heavy cream
  
  8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
  
  1 teaspoon almond extract
  
  Preheat oven to 350°F.
  
  In a medium bowl, combine cocoa with boiling water, mixing with wire whisk until smooth. Cool completely. Sift flour with soda, salt, and baking powder. Grease well and lightly flour three 9 by 1 1/2 inch layer-cake pans. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, at high speed, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla, scraping bowl occasionally until light-about 5 minutes.
  
  At low speed, beat in flour mixture (in fourths), alternately with the cocoa mixture (in thirds), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Do not over-beat.
  
  Divide evenly into pans; smooth top. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertip.
  
  Cool in pans 10 minutes.
  
  Carefully loosen sides with a spatula; Remove from pans; cool on racks.
  
  Frosting: In a medium saucepan, combine chocolate pieces, cream, butter; stir over medium heat until smooth.
  
  Remove from heat. With a whisk, blend in 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar.
  
  In a bowl set over ice(I use ice cubes) beat until it holds shape.
  
  Filling:
  
  Heat the cream in a saucepan or in the microwave, until the mixture begins to steam.
  Pour over the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir — at first slowly, then more vigorously — until the chocolate is completely melted. If necessary, reheat very briefly to soften any remaining hard bits of chocolate. Add almond extract. Refrigerate ganache until thick.
  
  To assemble the cake:
  
  On plate place a layer, top side down; spread with half of the ganache. Place the second layer, top side down; spread with rest of ganache.
  
  Place the third layer, top side up.
  
  To frost: With a spatula, frost sides first, covering ganache; use rest of frosting on top, swirling decoratively.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Baking, Baking, Cake, Dessert, desserts, Easy recipes, Food | Tagged chocolate cake, easy
- Cranberry Pumpkin Bread
  
  Posted at 9:01 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Oct 13th
  Two of my favorite ingredients in on delicious tea bread, pumpkin and cranberries! Tea bread or loaf bread is easy to make and can be frozen for up to two months. I love to bake and freeze then I can always have a delicious treat to serve with a cup of hot tea.
  
  “Tea makes everything better. ” Bindi Irwin
  
  via Cranberry Pumpkin Bread
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  Posted in Baking, Baking, breads, Easy recipes, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen | Tagged baking, fall recipes, Pumpkin bread, Tea Breads
- Blueberry Pie with Pecan Topping
  
  Posted at 9:32 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jun 23rd
  I just love blueberries and blueberry pie. While traditional blueberry pie is mouthwatering delicious sometimes I just like to change it up so I created this sinful decadent Pecan crumb topped sour cream blueberry pie. They say a picture is worth a thousand words but even this picture can only go so far in capturing the nutty topping with blueberry juice bursting from the fruit all in a creamy custard. I want another piece just writing this! Don’t forget to top with Bryers French Vanilla ice cream.
  
  Pastry
  
  1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  
  1/4 cup sugar
  
  1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  2/3 cup butter
  
  2-3 tablespoon water
  
  1 egg, beaten
  
  Filling
  
  1 cup sour cream
  
  3 ounces cream cheese
  
  1 large egg
  
  3/4 cup light brown sugar
  
  1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  
  1 teaspoon vanilla
  
  4 cups blueberries, washed and picked over
  
  Crumb Topping
  
  1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  
  1/3 cup sugar
  
  1/3 cup light brown sugar
  
  1 tablespoon cinnamon
  
  1/4 teaspoon salt
  
  1/2 cup butter
  
  3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
  
  1. To prepare pastry, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. With pastry blender cut in butter to consistency of coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle water one tablespoon at a time, mix until pastry holds together. Shape pastry into a ball.
  
  2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into an 11-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Turn extra dough at the edge into rim and flute or crimp raised edge. Just before placing the blueberry filling in pie shell, brush with beaten egg.
  
  3. To prepare filling, combine sour cream, cream cheese, egg, brown sugar, flour and vanilla in a bowl. Beat thoroughly until smooth. Preheat over to 450F. Fill pie shell with blueberries. Pour cream mixture over blueberries. Bake 10 minutes at 450F, reduce temperature to 350F and bake 35-40 minutes.
  
  4. Prepare crumb topping by mixing flour, sugars, cinnamon, salt, butter, and nuts. Blend to form a crumbly mixture.
  
  5. After baking the pie, remove the pie from oven, cool, then distribute crumb mixture evenly over top. Return to oven and bake 10-15 minutes more.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Baking, BLUEBERRY, desserts, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Pie | Tagged Blueberry Pie, Crumb topping, July 4th
- Koulourakia – Greek Butter Cookies
  
  Posted at 9:53 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Apr 18th
  Greek Butter Cookies just melt in your mouth. Koulourakia is usually served at Greek Easter along with other delicious baked delicacies. I like these butter cookies for their flaky buttery taste along with a hint of orange and brandy.
  
  1 cup butter, at room temperature
  
  1 cup of vegetable oil
  
  2 tablespoon vegetable shortening
  
  1 1/2 cup sugar
  
  1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  
  1/2 cup orange juice
  
  3 eggs
  
  2 tablespoons brandy
  
  7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  
  2 teaspoons baking powder
  
  1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
  
  Sesame seeds
  
  Beat butter, oil and shortening in a large bowl of the electric blender until well blended.
  
  Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time blending well. Stir baking soda into orange juice, stir. Add to butter mixture. Add eggs and brandy, mixing well.
  
  Combine flour and baking powder.
  
  Add flour 1 cup at a time to creamed mixture. Remove from mixture when the dough is heavy. Knead by hand until the dough is smooth.
  
  Tear off a piece of dough a little larger than a walnut. Roll between palms to form a pencil shape 6 to 7 inches long, cross dough to form a twist. Place twists one inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
  
  Bake 350 F for 20 minutes or until golden. Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Baking, Baking, cookies, Easter Recipes, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Holiday Celebrations | Tagged Easter, Greek butter cookies, Koulourakia
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
  
  Posted at 11:25 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Dec 16th
  My love affair with making Christmas Cookies started when I was a little girl helping my mother bake cookies at Christmas. We made large quantities of my mother’s favorite recipes. To this day I have continued the tradition of baking, baking and more baking of delectable cookies. Today I made a favorite cookie of my children when they were little. Peanut Blossoms are a fun cookie topped with a chocolate kiss. Who does love a peanut butter cookie with a chocolate kiss in the center. I love the taste of peanut butter meeting chocolate. I’ve tried different versions of this cookie but always return to the Hershey’s original recipe that I made so long ago.
  
  1 3/4 cups flour
  
  1/2 cup sugar
  
  1/2 cup brown sugar
  
  1 teaspoon baking soda
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
  
  1/2 cup peanut butter
  
  2 tablespoons milk
  
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  1 egg
  
  48 chocolate kisses, unwrapped
  
  Preheat oven to 325 F. In large bowl mix beat shortening and peanut butter. Add sugars mixing until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat flour mixture into peanut butter until all the ingredients until combined and dough forms. Shape a teaspoonful of dough into balls. Roll balls in additional sugar(1/2 cup). Place on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden. Remove cookies from oven and immediately top each cookie with a kiss, pressing down so the cookie cracks slightly around edges of the kiss. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet letting cool completely.
  
  Makes 48.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  buzxchomp.com
  
  gooddinnermrsmellen@blogspot.com
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  Posted in Baking, Baking, Christmas Recipes, cookies, Dessert, desserts, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen | Tagged Christmas cookies, easy, Hershey Kisses, peanut butter
- Pumpkin Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Icing
  
  Posted at 10:49 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Nov 3rd
  In New England, we celebrate Autumn with gusto like the strong winds creating falling leave whirlpools on front lawns then whisking the colorful leaves away to decompose in the woods. Fall is a glorious season inviting all to partake in the cornucopia of scents and tastes indicative of the season. I love to bake aromatic cakes, pies, and cookies filling my home with spicy fragrances; a perfect companion to falling temperatures complimenting the change from summer to fall. On a brisk fall day what could be more appropriate than a piece of spice cake with a cup of tea sitting by the fire watching the changing jewel-tone leaves float quietly to the ground.
  - For cake
    - 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing the bundt pan
    - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting pan
    - 2 teaspoons baking powder
    - 1 teaspoon baking soda
    - 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
    - 1/2 teaspoon salt
    - 1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15-ounce can; not pie filling), Libby’s Pumpkin
    - 3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
    - 1 teaspoon vanilla
    - 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
    - 3 large eggs
  - For icing
  - 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  - 1/3 cup heavy cream1/4 cup salted butter
  - 1 cup powdered sugar
  - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  - Special Equipment
    - a 10-inch nonstick bundt pan (3 quarts)
  PREPARATION
  - Make cake:
    - Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter bundt pan generously, then dust with flour, knocking out excess.
    - Whisk together flour (2 1/4 cups), baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, 3/4 cup buttermilk, and vanilla in another bowl.
    - Beat butter (1 1/2 sticks) and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, then add eggs and beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.
    - Spoon batter into the pan, smoothing top, then bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then invert onto severing plate. Cool 10 minutes more.
  - Make icing:
  - Bring light brown sugar, heavy cream, and salted butter to a boil in a 1-quart saucepan over medium, stirring often. Boil, stirring often, 1 minute; remove from heat. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla extract until smooth.
  - Drizzle icing over warm cake, then cool cake completely. Icing will harden slightly.
  The cake can be made 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container
  
  Enjoy!
  
  buzzchomp.com
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  Posted in Baking, Baking, Cake, Dessert, Easter Recipes, Food | Tagged fall baking, Libby's pumpkin, New England, spice cake
- Fall Apple Desserts
  
  Posted at 4:51 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Oct 21st
  In New England, we are love to celebrate the fall season. Cool morning with warm sunny days, jewel-tone leaves, farm roadside stands bursting with the last of summer’s bounty all signal the change in the seasons. Nature’s premier show on display for all to enjoy. Fall baking is one of my favorite past times and I especially love to make apple desserts. Going through all my post I realized I’m kind of obsessed with apples, cakes, pies, cupcakes and more. When I’m creating a new cake or pie the fall just inspires me like nature to give it my all and go wild! Here are a few of my fall favorites that I have posted over the years.
  
  Candied Apple Fudge Bundt Cake
  
  Candied Apple Fudge Bundt Cake
  
  FANTASTIC APPLE PIE
  
  Fantastic Fall Apple Pie
  
  CANDIED APPLE CRUMB CAKE
  
  Candied Apple Crumb Cake
  
  FALL APPLE PIE
  
  FALL APPLE PIE
  
  Enjoy!
  
  Gooddinnermrsmellen.com
  
  buzzchomp.com
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  Posted in Baking, Baking, desserts, Food, Uncategorized | Tagged apples, cake, fall desserts, Pie
- Fantastic Fall Apple Pie
  
  Posted at 4:05 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Sep 23rd
  I have made this apple pie for over 30 years with some changes along the way. A disclaimer this pie is very rich but sometimes you just have to let go and indulge. You can’t each low fat cottage cheese and fruit every day. I just tell myself an extra hot yoga class and this piece of the pie has my name on it.
  
  French Custard Apple Pie
  
  Crust
  
  1 3/4 cup flour
  
  1/4 cup sugar
  
  1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
  1/3 lb of butter
  
  2/3 teaspoon salt
  
  6-7 tablespoon apple cider or water
  
  Filling
  
  6 large Granny Smith or Macintosh apples pared and diced (you can use a combination or just one kind of apple. I like the Granny Smith because they are tart and this is a sweet pie)
  
  1 2/3 cup sour cream
  
  1 egg(2 if small)
  
  1 cup of sugar
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  2 teaspoon vanilla or 1 tablespoon Brandy
  
  1/3 cup flour
  
  Topping
  
  1/3 cup brown sugar
  
  1/3 cup sugar
  
  1/2 cup flour
  
  1 tablespoon cinnamon
  
  1 cup chopped walnuts
  
  1/2 cup dried cranberries
  
  1 stick butter
  
  Crust: Combine all the ingredients except the apple cider in a food processor, pulse until combined. Add one tablespoon of cider at a time and pulse after each addition. The dough will form a softball. Roll dough out on lightly floured surface 2 inches larger than the pie plate, fit a 10-inch pie plate. This is a soft cookie-like dough so I lightly dust the pie plate with flour before I fit the dough. This will prevent the pie crust from sticking when you cut the pie. Fold and roll pastry under and flute.
  
  Filling: Mix filling ingredients together and fill the pie shell. Bake for 450 10 minutes, then 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Blend topping ingredients together and place on top of the pie. Bake for additional 15 minutes.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  gooddinnermrsmellen.com
  
  buzzchomp.com
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  Posted in Apples, Baking, Baking, Food | Tagged Apple Pie, Desserts, fall baking
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