Erin cooks!

The Cooking Photographer: Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider...

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The Cooking Photographer: Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

(Dessert, November 22nd)

I was a little speptical while making these because I had to use my non-preferred brand of apple cider mix because Swiss Miss has discontinued theirs. Also the dough was a bit tart for me when I tasted it while mixing. That said these turned out great! Especially while still a little warm (though I also learned my lesson tasting them a bit too soon while the caramel was still molten.) One dissapointment was that once these cooked they were pretty rock hard. I’d love to see I can tweak this to be a softer but still apple flavored cookie.

UPDATE:I made these again and made some tweaks to the recipe and they came out perfect. Here’s my version of the recipe.

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/8 cup granulated sugar7/8 cup brown sugar1 teaspoon salt
1 (7.4 ounce) box Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink Mix *Not sugar free*
1 egg1 egg yolk2 tbsp milk1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) bag Kraft Caramels

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line rimless cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a stand mixer, cream together butter, sugar, salt, and all 10 packets of apple cider mix until smooth and fluffy. Beat in egg, egg yolk, milk and vanilla extract, then mix in the baking soda. Add the flour and mix until just combined.

3. With a standard (size 50) cookie scoop, scoop the dough scrapping off the excess as you go up the bowl. Flatten the dough slightly in your hand and place a caramel in the center. Work the dough around the caramel sealing well. Place the cookies two inches apart on the sheets.

4. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. After baking, carefully slide the parchment with the cookies onto the counter. Let cool until they are no longer soft but still slightly warm. Twist gently to remove, and cool the rest of the way upside down on the parchment or on a cooling rack.

Bacon Wrapped Dates | Apartment Therapy The Kitchn (Dinner,...

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:56:27 -0500

Bacon Wrapped Dates | Apartment Therapy The Kitchn

(Dinner, November 22nd)

I substituted blue cheese for almonds in this recipe. They were good but I couldn’t really taste the blue cheese and I wished I’d used more bacon. Maybe I just needed a stronger cheese?

Vietnamese Green Mango Salad - Recipe - Herbivoracious - Fine...

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:42:46 -0500

Vietnamese Green Mango Salad - Recipe - Herbivoracious - Fine Vegetarian Recipes and Reviews

(Dinner, November 22nd)

This was delicious. I’m a sucker for any recipe with cilantro or mint so a recipe that suggests I use both is a delight. The mago wasn’t quite underripe enough so I skipped making the dressing (since the cut up mango was pretty juicy and sweet) but next time I’ll try sticking closer to the recipe.

The Wednesday Chef: Julia Moskin’s Caramelized Corn with...

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:40:00 -0500

The Wednesday Chef: Julia Moskin’s Caramelized Corn with Fresh Mint

(Dinner, November 21st)

This was so delicious!! Not to mention amazingly easy. I am a little sad I only made a half recipe, but then again no one needs to eat that much corn in one sitting. I might take this to Thanksgiving…

raspberry buttermilk cake | smitten kitchen (Dessert, November...

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:14:00 -0500

raspberry buttermilk cake | smitten kitchen

(Dessert, November 19th)

This was delicious. Next time I will try it with blueberries though as the raspberries were a little to tart for my own sweet tooth. (Though really the tartness was a nice complement to the sweet cake.)

I wish I had noticed the tip at the end that the down facing raspberries will all fall to the bottom since that’s exactly what all my carefully placed raspberries did…

Kitchen Parade: Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple\ (Dinner,...

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:12:00 -0500

Kitchen Parade: Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple\

(Dinner, November 16th)

I was expecting this to be a more savory entree and instead it was a sweet side dish. The apple and squash textures were a little too different to feel like a unified dish. Maybe if the pieces were smaller and with some other fruits or veggies too.

moroccan-spiced spaghetti squash | smitten kitchen (Lunch,...

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:35:10 -0500

moroccan-spiced spaghetti squash | smitten kitchen

(Lunch, November 7th)

This was the first time I’ve made spaghetti squash and I’m a big fan. (Plus I’m a sucker for anything involving a lot of cilantro.) I’ll make this again and will probably start experimenting with other squash recipes too

Dishing Up Delights: Pumpkin Swirl Brownies (Dessert, November...

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:31:39 -0500

Dishing Up Delights: Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

(Dessert, November 5th)

Diana and I made this together. We added chocolate chips and omitted the cayenne pepper. In the end we both agreed the pumpkin layer was what was worth repeating next time.

Cauliflower with almonds, raisins and capers | smitten...

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:01:36 -0400

Cauliflower with almonds, raisins and capers | smitten kitchen

(Dinner, October 25th 2009)

This is the least excited I’ve ever been by a smitten kitchen recipe. The raisin/almond/caper topping was tasty bit it just didn’t seem that integrated with the cauliflower.

Alton Brown’s Pineapple Cornmeal Upside Down...

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Alton Brown’s Pineapple Cornmeal Upside Down Cake

(Dessert, March 18th)

I knew I’d seen a yummy looking recipe in my Alton Brown cookbook and since this was the top result for “Alton brown pineapple cake” I was hoping it was the same. Nope it wasn’t. This turned out to be more like Pineapple upside down cornbread. I might try this again with the cornmeal-free recipe from the book. I think I’d also try using a little less butter as there seemed to be way more than the sugar could absorb. Okay, but not the melt in your mouth cake I was wanting…

Pavlova (Dessert, March 15th) Growing up my mom would make...

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 16:53:00 -0400

Pavlova

(Dessert, March 15th)

Growing up my mom would make pavlova from time to time and so when i saw this recipe i started craving it. I made tiny pavlovas and ate them like cookies. I added a little cream of tartar to the recipe and ommitted the corn starch and vinegar. The cooking time was way less than was was listed so maybe next time I will turn the temp down even more.

Breakfast Quinoa (Breakfast, March 15th) I made this from a...

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 01:25:00 -0400

Breakfast Quinoa

(Breakfast, March 15th)

I made this from a similar recipe which also called for a ripe banana. It was all right, kind of a sweet hearty quinoa recipe. This might be a way to train myself to like oatmeal…

Braided Bread around Meatloaf (Dinner, March 13th) This turned...

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:59:00 -0400

Braided Bread around Meatloaf

(Dinner, March 13th)

This turned out okay, I think my favorite part was the leftover meatloaf. That and finding recipies that use leftovers.

mom’s apple cake | smitten kitchen (Dessert, March 12th) This...

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 01:17:11 -0400

mom’s apple cake | smitten kitchen

(Dessert, March 12th)

This was pretty good. The crust was a tiny bit dry but the inside was so moist I can’t imagine cooking it any less. Overall I think I liked Alton Brown’s recipie better.

Italian Meatloaf with Fig-Balsamic Sauce (Dinner March...

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 01:10:42 -0400

Italian Meatloaf with Fig-Balsamic Sauce

(Dinner March 12th)

This turned out pretty well. If i did it again I’d use even more figs, and maybe add some into the meatloaf too. I’m used to going off recipie a bit, but this was a challenge since there wasn’t really a recipie, just a few instructions and a partial ingredient list. That said, I’m pleased with how this turned out.

Cabbage, Pear & Pistachio Chutney (Dinner March 10th) This...

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 23:35:23 -0400

Cabbage, Pear & Pistachio Chutney

(Dinner March 10th)

This was a great recipe because it came with the salad AND instructions for turning it into this chutney. The chutney was AMAZING. I can’t wait to make this again.

Roasted Pears With Gorgonzola (Dinner March 10th) These were...

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 23:34:13 -0400

Roasted Pears With Gorgonzola

(Dinner March 10th)

These were delicious! I think i would add the walnuts earlier next time. Pear and Gorgonzola is an amazing combination.

Cabbage, Pear & Pistachio Salad (Dinner March 9th) I...

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:31:00 -0400

Cabbage, Pear & Pistachio Salad

(Dinner March 9th)

I wasn’t sure about this one going in because I wasn’t sure if I liked cabbage but this turned out all right. I think I mostly liked the pears and raisins.

Butternut Squash Risotto (Dinner March 4th) This turned out...

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:14:00 -0500

Butternut Squash Risotto

(Dinner March 4th)

This turned out really well. I omitted the chives and served this with golden raisins and pinenuts instead. I’m definitely looking forward to the leftovers today.

Crab Fried Rice (Dinner March 3rd) This was pretty good. If i...

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:42:00 -0500

Crab Fried Rice

(Dinner March 3rd)

This was pretty good. If i made it again i would saute the onion and garlic, then add the rice then add everything else, rather than the order they have. That said I think I like crab less than I used to.