Melting Moments

I usually only make these at Christmas time but Friday was the last day of my first work-term at Service Canada so I decided that I would make something as a thank you to all of the people that I will miss there and those that have helped me throughout my work-term.

Ingredients

3/4 cup of Butter cut into chunks

1/3 cup Packed Brown Sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup Flour

1 cup Pecans

 Pecans crushed into little pieces with 

Yummy dough

All ready for the oven

Yummy cookies out of the oven.

They are called melting moments because they literally melt in your mouth ...yum :) sadly there are no more of these in my house until December.

*Note* This recipe can be doubled as I doubled it this time when I made it and it turned out just as good when I make one batch at a time

Brioche Surprise

 I was bored so I poked around the internet and found a recipe for bread with a surprise in the middle .. a surprise that most everyone would like Chocolate :)

The only annoying thing was the waiting but remember "Good things come to those who wait" :)

These are all my ingredients and my mothers stand mixer, mine is pink and packed away.

And yes Gregory that flower in the back ground is the one you gave me before you left it hasn't died yet :)

Ingredients

1 pkg active dry yeast (7g)

⅓ cup warm milk

2 tbsp raw sugar

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

80 g unsalted butter, softened and cut into small cubes

2 eggs

a pinch salt

8 pieces of dark chocolate about 5-10g each

GLAZE

1 egg for glaze

1 teasp milk

Ball of Dough :)

My little loaves in the oven. (I forgot the glaze..oops)

Directions:

      In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm milk. Allow yeast to activate for a minute or two. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface then it is ready.

                     Meanwhile, in a bowl of a food processor or mixer (with dough hook attached) combine flour and salt.With the motor running slowly add the yeast mixture. Then add the butter one at a time waiting for each piece to be blended into the dough. 

                Then add the eggs one at a time and mix until the dough starts to come away from the sides of the bowl. Place the dough into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and set aside in a warm area to prove for 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

                When the dough has doubled in size, knead the dough for a few minutes and divide into eight portions. Take a piece of chocolate and wrap each one in the middle of a portion of dough. Place the portions into greased tins or paper moulds and cover and allow to prove for another hour. (I didnt use any mold, i just separated them and put them into a bowl for an hour).

   

                Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk the egg and milk together to make the glaze. Brush the tops of the brioche with some glaze and then bake for 10-15 minutes or until the tops are browned. 

 

               Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes then unmould

Just out of the oven

Yumm :)

First one cut open .. Surprise!!

Last Bite ... I will make these again

Hope you enjoyed :)

xo

Jess

Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookies

I found these on another blog on the internet and they looked so good I just had to make them ...... (yes Gregory I will make them again when you get home)

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg, room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 1 twelve-ounce bag semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup Skor toffee bits

Adding the Skor Bits 

Ready for the pan :)

In my cookie scoop

Ready for the oven

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
2. Combine butter, and both sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, and mix to combine. Add egg, and continue beating until well combined.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and toffee bits.
4. Scoop out 2 tablespoons of dough, and place on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, placing scoops 3 inches apart. Bake until just brown around the edges, 16 to 18 minutes, rotating the pans between the oven shelves halfway through baking. Remove from the oven, and let cool slightly before removing cookies from the sheets. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Just out of the oven. 

Yummmmyyy Cookies and Milk :)

Yummy Spinach Dip

Some Ingredients to look at :)

This is the best spinach dip I have ever had, and I was invited to a bridal shower for my lovely cousin Nadine so this is what I made to bring with me.

These are the ingredients:

  1 cup Miracle Whip

10 oz spinach (I use fresh spinach and cook it myself)

1 cup shredded cheese ( a little extra never hurts)

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic

½ sml onion very finely minced

How to make this wonderful dip yourself :)

Mix everything together and place into a pie plate or oven proof dish and sprinkle some cheese over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve with multigrain tostitos. 

Finished Product :) before cooking