DoughSeeDough

a balanced plate with room for dessert

Monthly Archives: January 2011


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Taco Dip

Me + taco dip = disaster. I need to be really careful when I make a batch of this. If I’m by myself, I will inhale the whole tray. Since I have no self control, I only make this for small gatherings. I most recently made it to watch the NFC and AFC playoffs. I’ve tweaked my recipe over the years and I’ve come up with what I think is a pretty awesome recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Taco Dip
serves 10

1 16 ounce can refried beans (I use the spiciest stuff I can find)
1 8 ounce package American Neufchâtel cheese or regular cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup low fat sour cream
1 packet spicy taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups medium salsa
1 package taco blend cheese
1 bunch of green onions, thinly sliced
3 romaine lettuce leaves, shredded

  1. Mix cream cheese and taco seasoning until well blended. Mix in sour cream until incorporated.
  2. Spread refried beans into bottom of a 9×13 pan. Top with an even layer of the cream cheese and sour cream mixture.
  3. Spread salsa on top of the mixture and top with an even layer of cheese. Sprinkle green onions and lettuce on top.
  4. Serve with tortilla chips  and enjoy! (And remember to share!!)


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Potato Chips

My mother in law was recently on a low-iodine diet, which meant that she had to avoid pretty much all grocery store salty snacks because you can never tell if the salt used is iodized or not. The solution? Homemade potato chips! I peeled the potatoes and sprinkled uniodized salt on them. These were super easy and delicious to make and they were able to temporarily satisfy her craving for salty, crunchy foods. I think the best part may be that you don’t need a deep fryer (or a large pot full of oil) – these babies are microwaved!

Potato Chips
serves 1

1 large russet potato, peeled
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt

  1. Thinly slice the potato into paper-thin slices.*
  2. Place slices into a large zip-top bag with oil. Toss to coat.
  3. Spray a large plate with vegetable oil and place oiled potato slices onto plate, being careful not to overlap slices.
  4. Microwave for 3 – 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. If they aren’t browned, they won’t be crispy. Be careful – these will look uncooked one moment and then burnt the next!
  5. Sprinkle lightly with salt and serve.

 

*I used a mandoline to slice mine. My food processor didn’t slice them thin enough (maybe there’s a blade I can buy?). The mandoline did the job though. It was really quick and easy to use.


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Potato Pancakes with Applesauce

There’s something really comforting about eating a warm, crispy potato pancake with some freshly made applesauce in the middle of a Wisconsin winter. I wasn’t going to make these at first since it would require me to shred a million potatoes, but then I remembered that I had a food processor. BAM! Done in 5 minutes. I really should use my beloved Cuisinart a little more.

I love love love this applesauce because it is not overly sweet – it’s a great combination of tart and sweetness. If you’re someone who loves a sweeter applesauce, add a little more sugar into it.

Potato Pancakes
adapted from allrecipes.com

4 egg whites
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 medium potatoes, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup vegetable oil

  1. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in potatoes and onion.
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In batches, drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into the skillet. Press to flatten. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
  3. Serve warm with butter and salt or homemade applesauce.

Homemade Applesauce
makes 4 cups

5 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  1. Combine apples, water, sugar and cinnamon in medium-sized saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 15 – 20  minutes, or until apples are soft.
  2. Mash with a potato masher and serve warm, or refrigerate until serving.


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Soft Pretzels

I find myself craving soft pretzels at times. Who can resist their soft, doughy saltiness?? I love these because you can put whatever you want on them – cinnamon sugar, garlic powder, Parmesan, or just plain salted. The best part is that they’re wayyy cheaper to make than to buy at the mall!

Making these is a ton of fun; I’ll have to keep making them so I can practice on my pretzel twisting…

Soft Pretzels
adapted from allrecipes.com
serves 12

4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water
4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water
2 tablespoons butter, melted

toppings of your choice* (for the photo above, I used cinnamon sugar)

  1. Dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl of warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes, or until creamy.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Make a well in the center. Pour melted butter and yeast mixture into well and stir to combine. Slowly incorporate remaining 2 cups flour to form dough. Knead dough until smooth, about 7 – 10 minutes.
  3. Lightly oil a large bowl. Place dough into bowl, turning to coat in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise until double in size, about 1 hour.
  4. Preheat oven to 415°F. In a large bowl, mix baking soda and hot water.
  5. When dough has doubled in size, divide into 12 even pieces. Roll pieces into ropes and twist into a pretzel shape.
  6. Dip pretzels into the baking soda water before placing on baking sheet.
  7. Brush pretzels with 2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with topping of your choice.
  8. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until lightly browned.

*For toppings, try the following:

  • kosher salt, served with melted cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon mixed with 1/4 cup sugar
  • garlic salt, served with melted cheese
  • Parmesan cheese, served with marinara sauce


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Chocolate Truffle Cookies

These cookies are very similar to the Gooey Chocolate Cookies I posted about a few weeks ago. They aren’t as simple to make since they require a few more ingredients, but I think that they taste so much better! Give these a try when you have a few extra minutes to make cookies.

Chocolate Truffle Cookies
from allrecipes.com

4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoon butter
3 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

  1. In the microwave or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt unsweetened chocolate, 1 cup of the chocolate chips, and the butter stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. In a large bowl, whip eggs and sugar until thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and the chocolate mixture until well mixed. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually stir into the chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining 1 cup chocolate chips. Cover dough and chill for at least an hour or overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll chilled dough into 1 inch balls. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets so they are 2 inches apart.
  3. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.


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Melt-In-Your-Mouth Shortbread

I have a go-to shortbread recipe, but I came across this one that claimed to “melt-in-your-mouth” and I decided to give it a try. You can never have too many shortbread recipes, right?? This was super easy to make and they  lived up to their claim – they did indeed melt-in-your-mouth. Don’t be deterred by the cornstarch in the recipe and give it a try!

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Shortbread
from allrecipes.com

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups all-purpose

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Whip butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Beat on low for one minute, then on high for 3 – 4 minutes. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls from a medium cookie scoop onto cookie sheet.
  3. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes in the oven. Make sure edges don’t brown too much. Cool slightly on cookie sheets before carefully removing to wire racks to cool completely.

I decided to drizzle my cookies with some chocolate. I melted 1 cup of chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons of butter and used a pastry bag to pipe the drizzle on top.


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Butter Snow Flakes

This cookie is really light and delicious and pretty easy to make as well. I don’t own a cookie press so I improvised with a pastry bag and my largest star tip. The snowflakes were a little hard to form since the dough was pretty thick and sticky, but I think they came out pretty well! I may have to invest in a cookie press and try these again, though!

Butter Snow Flakes
from allrecipes.com

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup butter
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange zest

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Sift together flour, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and yolk and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla and orange zest.  Gradually blend in dry ingredients.
  4. Fill a cookie press or pastry bag with dough, and form cookies onto lined baking sheet.
  5. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes in preheated oven, or until cookies are golden brown on the peaks and bottoms. Remove from cookie sheets at once to cool on wire racks.


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Cranberry Orange Cookies

Out of the 6 types of cookies I made for the Christmas cookie packages I distributed, this one was my favorite. They are a perfect balance of tart and sweet. It was really refreshing and pretty simple to make, too.

Cranberry Orange Cookies
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups dried cranberries

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer. Add in sugars and beat until smooth. Beat in egg until well blended. Mix in orange zest and orange juice.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir into orange mixture.
  4. Mix in cranberries until just incorporated.
  5. Scoop dough with a medium cookie scoop and place 2 inches apart onto lined baking sheet.
  6. Bake about 12 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool slightly on cookie sheet before removing to cooling rack to cool completely.


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Chunky Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie

This cookie was originally made by Erika Davis from Top Chef Just Desserts. They looked so good and Sylvia Weinstock, a renowned cake decorator, asked for the recipe! After that, I knew that these had to be good.

Chunky Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie
adapted from bravotv.com

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 pound butter
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts

  1. Preheat oven to 345°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Cream butter, sugars, and eggs together on high speed with an electric mixer. Mix in vanilla, salt and baking soda.
  3. Scrape the sides and add the baking powder and flour.
  4. Mix until just incorporated and add the walnuts and chocolate chips in.
  5. Scoop balls of cookie dough with a medium cookie scoop and place onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
  6. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned. Let cool slightly on baking sheet before transferring to a cookie rack.