Homemade Thin Mints

Chocolate Wafers:
8 ounces organic butter, room temperature
1 cup organic powdered sugar, (I use Wholesome Sweeteners brand)
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
1 cup cocoa powder (I use Dagoba's cacao powder)
3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

Chocolate Peppermint Coating:
1 pound good quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
natural peppermint oil to taste

Preheat your oven to 350. Racks in the middle zone.

Make the cookie dough: In a mixer cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and cream some more, scraping the sides of the bowl a couple times if necessary. Stir in the vanilla extract and then the salt and cocoa powder. Mix until the cocoa powder is integrated and the batter is smooth and creamy, sort of like a thick frosting. Add the whole wheat pastry flour and mix just until the batter is no longer dusty looking, it might still be a bit crumbly, and that's o.k. You don't want to over mix and end up with tough cookies.

Turn the dough out onto a counter, gather it into a ball, and kneed it just once or twice to bring it together into once nice, smooth mass. Place the ball of dough into a large plastic bag and flatten it into a disk roughly 3/4-inch thick. Place the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes to chill.

Rollout and bake: Remove the dough from the freezer and roll it out really thin, remember how thin Thin Mints are? That's how thin you need your dough, about 1/8-inch. You can either roll it out between two sheets of plastic, or dust your counter and rolling pin with a bit of flour and do it that way. Stamp out cookies using a 1 1/2-inch cutter (this time I used one with a fluted edge, I've done hearts and other shapes in the past). Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a baking rack if you've got one.

{NOTE} When I made these, I rolled the dough into a log and wrapped with plastic wrap. I stuck it in the fridge overnight and then sliced it thin with a sharp knife. I then baked as directed.

Make the peppermint coating:
While the cookies are in the oven you can get the coating ready. I use a makeshift double boiler to melt chocolate (a metal pan over a saucepan of gently simmering water), but I know many people who swear by melting chocolate in the microwave. Slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally until it is glossy and smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract. I started with 1 tsp. If you think the chocolate needs a bit more peppermint kick, add more extract a drop or two at a time - but don't go overboard. If the chocolate is too thick and breaking your cookies, add a bit of flavorless oil (canola or veggie). The chocolate will then melt at lower temperatures (making cheap chocolate seem nicer), but that's not an issue if you're keeping them in the fridge or freezer.

Finishing the cookies: You are going to coat the cookies one at a time and then gently set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set. Drop one cookie into the chocolate and (using a fork) carefully make sure it gets fully coated. Lift the cookie out of the chocolate with the fork and bang the fork on the side of the pan to drain any extra chocolate off the cookie. You are after a thin, even coating of chocolate. Place on the aforementioned prepared baking sheet, and repeat for the rest of the cookies. Place the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer to set. They will set at room temperature, it just takes much longer, and I prefer them straight out of the freezer anyways ;)

Make 3 or 4 dozen cookies {NOTE} When using the log method, I got 6 dozen cookies out of a batch.

recipe found here

Chicken Alfredo

1/4 cup butter
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup cream
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
2 chicken breasts, cubed and cooked
3 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 cup fresh, chopped parsley

1 pound penne pasta

In a large sauce pan, melt butter. Add mushrooms and cook until tender. Reduce heat to low and add cream, garlic and parmesan. Heat on low, stirring often, until cheese melts- this will take a while. Add chicken, tomatoes and parsley- keep warm.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook penne according to package instructions. Drain and toss with sauce. Serve.

Serves 6-8

Naan

2 cups flour (white has the best flavor, but it works with whole wheat)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbs vegetable oil
small amount of oil for bowl

In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine egg, yogurt and 2 Tbs oil. Add liquid mix to dry mix to form a dough. Turn doug out on a lightly floured surface and knead until soft. If needed, add water by wetting hands during kneading. Put dough in an oiled bowl, turning to coat, and let sit for 2 hours.

Divide dough into 4 balls. Use a rolling pin to flatten each ball into a round, about 1/4" thick.

Heat a skillet or griddle over medium high heat. Cook each piece until lightly browned, about 5 min. Turn over and cook about 5 min more.

Caramel Corn

1 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar (I use the dark brown kind)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cut light corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
8 quarts popped popcorn


Preheat oven to 200 degrees

Over medium heat combine the butter, brown sugar, salt and corn syrup and boil the mixture for 5 minutes. Use a larger pot with higher sides than you think you will need, and here's why.

Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda. This will create some kind of incredible reaction. The caramel doubles in volume and looks like The Blob and burbles up like some kid's volcano model for science class. Watch out.

Pour the caramel over the popped corn, which will do best in a roasting pan. Apply considerable amounts of elbow grease to coat the popcorn well.

Bake for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread the finished corn on waxed paper to dry out.

Chile Pea Puffs

nonstick cooking spray (HS note: or a bit of olive oil)
2 cups cooked green peas, lightly mashed
1/2 cup crumbled paneer (or any cheese that crumples- I used feta)
2 small green serrano chiles, minced (remove seeds to reduce heat)
1/4 teaspoon salt to start
1/4 teaspoon red chile powder or red chile flakes (less to reduce heat)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pack medium wonton wrappers


Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet with cooking spray (HS note: or line with parchment paper).

In a bowl combine the peas, paneer, green chiles, salt, chile powder, and garlic. Mix well.

Place one teaspoon of the mixture into a center of a wonton wrapper. Lightly brush the sides og the wrapper with water. Fold the wrapper over to form a triangle, or if you are using round wrappers, fold to form a half-moon. Press the edges firmly to secure the seam so the filling does not fall out.

Place the puffs in a single layer on the baking sheet. Spray them lightly with cooking spray. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes per side or until they are crisp and the skin changes to a lovely golden brown. Serve immediately with your choice of chutney.

Makes about 50

Note: these freeze well, so if you don't want 50 right now, freeze before spraying/baking.

Ginger Cookies

Ginger Cookies

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
1/2 cup honey
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 heaping tablespoon ground ginger
1 1/2 heaping teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 1/2 heaping teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 heaping teaspoons ground cloves
1 1/2 heaping teaspoons ground allspice
1/2 cup white sugar with 1 T ginger mixed in for decoration

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar until smooth. Mix in the eggs, and then the molasses and honey. Combine the whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice, heaping the measures if you like a lot of spice. Stir the dry ingredients into the molasses mixture just until blended.

Roll the dough into small balls, and roll each ball in the remaining white sugar. Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the tops are cracked. Bake longer for crispy cookies, less time for chewy cookies. Cool on wire racks.

Makes 4-5 dozen, depending on how big you make them