Macadamia Nut Cookies

Macadamia Nut Cookies: Freezing Cookie Dough

 Hi everybody : ) 

My daughter is going back to law school soon : (  I'm making these cookies because macadamia cookies are her favorite. I so happy I found this recipe because it allows you to freezes cookie dough for later usages. With this, she can have her favorite cookie whenever and think of mom : )

I won this book Make-Ahead Meals For Busy Moms by Jane Doiron, her blog is wonderful, from Lark's Country Heart  another great blog.


Macadamia Nut Cookies from Make-Ahead Meals For Busy Moms

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups macadamia nuts, chopped
1 cup vanilla chips

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt: set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on medium speed until thoroughly combined. Add the flour mixture on low speed. Stir in the nuts and vanilla chips. Prepare a large sheet pan with parchment paper. For each cookie, shape 1/4 cup of dough into a ball. Place the cookie dough 2 inches apart on the sheet pan and flatten the dough slightly with your fingers. Bake at 350°F for 13 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 20 large cookies

cookie dough

-Freezer Directions for Uncooked Dough-
Place the cookie dough balls on a large sheet pan in a single layer. Cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for 2-3 hours. Place the frozen cookie dough in labeled freezer bags and freeze up to 2 months. Be sure to write the cooking directions on the bag.

freezing the cookie dough

Thawing Out the Dough on Baking Day-
Cover a large sheet pan with parchment paper and place the frozen cookie dough on it about 2 inches apart. Thaw the cookie dough at room temperature for 45 - 60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake for 13 minutes.

measured frozen cookie dough

I used my medium OXO Good Grips Cookie Scoop. I packaged 2 bags of dough! A dozen in each bag.

I cooked 5 cookies with the dough I had left over from the 2 dozen. The cookies was great, moist and chewy. Make sure you leave plenty of room for the cookies to spread, these babies are BIG!

ENJOY! Come again....

Linking to:
Melt in Your Mouth Monday Recipe Blog Hop #77  
Katherine Martinelli: Nut Blog Hop  
Sweet Tooth Friday @ Alli-n-Son

Trina's Turkey Nachos

Trina's Turkey Nachos

Hi everybody. :)

My daughter is home from law school, so she's taking over the kitchen today. YES! One of her favorite things to make is Turkey Nachos. She on this heath kick about only eating  ground beef  that's over 89 percent lean or none at all. That stuff is EXPENSIVE so ground turkey it is. 

Turkey Nachos 
Ingredients: 
3 lbs. ground turkey

2 cans diced tomatoes , 2 -3 large tomatoes, diced

1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. Accent
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 onion, chopped
1 package taco seasoning
1/2 cup water

Brown and drain the turkey in a skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients, cook mixture until onions are tender. 

Chocolate Bread Two Ways: Chocolate Loaf Bread and Chocolate Monkey Bread

Chocolate Bread Two Ways: Chocolate Loaf Bread and Chocolate Monkey Bread

Hi everybody :)

I want to talk about cookbooks for a little bit. My family thinks I have too many, can you imagine too many cookbooks? NEVER!!  I promised them that I would do at least one recipe form each cookbook I have. The thing is I LOVE cookbooks. They are my muse, my hobby, my treasures..I can go on and on. But I digress. This recipe is from my cookbook collection. A tiny little book called Cookshelf Baking, whoever said "good things comes in small packages" never lied.  :)

I doubled the recipe, making one regular chocolate loaf and one monkey bread recipe. The chocolate loaf was great: lightly toasted with nutella smeared on it. The monkey bread was equally delicious. Both are made with the same recipe (but monkey bread has a few more added ingredients). Two great recipes in one, go figure. Both are delicious for breakfast/brunches or snacks.

Chocolate Loaf Bread

Chocolate Bread from Cookshelf Baking
Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients
4 cups white bread flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp salt
l packet active dry yeast
2 Tbsp light brown Sugar
1 Tbsp oil
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

1. Lightly grease a 2-pound loaf pan.
2. Sift the flour and the unsweetened cocoa into a large mixing bowl.

Sifting flour and cocoa

3. Stir in the salt, yeast, and brown sugar.
4. Pour in the oil along with the water and mix the ingredients together to make a dough.
5. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes

Dough before rising

6. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
7. Punch down the dough and shape it into a loaf.  Place the dough into the prepared pan, cover, and then let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes more.

Dough has doubled

8. Bake the dough in a preheated oven at 400 F for 30 minutes, or until a hollow sound can be heard when the base of the bread is tapped. (Make sure to listen for a sound, just because dough is browned doesn't means it's done)
9. Transfer the chocolate bread to a wire rack and cool. Cut into slices to serve.
TIP: This bread can be sliced and spread with butter or it can be lightly toasted.

Chocolate Monkey Bread

For Chocolate Monkey Bread:
Makes 1 1 loaf

1/4 cup cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Nutella for drizzling

1. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl until well blended.
2. Follow as directed, until step 7,  use a 12 cups bundt pan in step 1. Omit step 7 and shape dough into 1" balls, roll in melted butter and then in the sugar/cinnamon blend. Sprinkle some of the sliced almond in the bottom of the pan.  Place some of the balls on top of the almonds. Sprinkle with more almonds and half of chips. Add remaining dough balls  and top with remaining almonds and chips.

layering balls, almonds, and chips

3.Cover, and let rise warm place for 30 minutes more.
4.  Bake the dough in a preheated oven at 400 F for 30 minutes, or until done.
5. Transfer bread to a wire rack and cool. Drizzle with nutella and serve.

From Cookshelf Baking  p. 86 

ENJOY! Come again...

Linking  to:
Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen
Chocolate Loaf to Yeast Spotting
BYOB @ girlichef: BYOB - Bake Your Own Bread