Witches Finger Cookies

Creepy Hallowe'en cookies!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup Butter, softened
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Almond extract
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups Flour
• 1 tsp Salt
• 3/4 cup whole Almonds, blanched
• 2 squares of melting chocolate, or chocolate bark

Method:

Combine the sugar, egg, butter, almond extract, and vanilla in a bowl. Mix in the flour, and salt. Cover and refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes, or until it’s firm.

When you’re ready to shape the cookies, only take out a small portion of the dough at a time. Shape the cookies into fingers by rolling and working with your hands. Score the top of the cookie with a knife or spatula to make it look like the wrinkles in your knuckle. Press an imprint into the tip of the cookie with your finger to make a spot for the almond finger nail. Press an almond into the tip of each finger to look like a fingernail.

Placed on a cooking sheet lightly coated with no-stick cooking spray and bake at 325` for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cookies are a very light golden brown. Let the cookies cool on a drying rack.

Use melting chocolate to go around the outside of the almond nail, giving a ghoulish appearance. Just melt the chocolate, put it in an icing piping bag, and cut a very small hole in the tip. Then pipe around the nail.

If you use red melting chocolate the look will be even more dramatic, you can also make small drops of chocolate blood, or chocolate cuts on the cookies if you really want to gross out your guests.

The witches finger cookies will make great party treats, but you can also bundle them up in a decorative container and use them for your Halloween party favors. Yields: 5 dozen

Marble Cake

Can't decide if you want chocolate or white? Then let's make a marble cake!










Ingredients:
1 oz square of unsweetened chocolate
(or use 3 tablespoons cocoa and 1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine.)
2 1/4 cups cake flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter (soft)
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 large egg whites

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small sauce pan. Melt the chocolate. In the bowl of an electric mixer, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.










Add the the shortening, butter, 2/3 cup of the milk and vanilla. Beat on medium for 2 minutes.
Add the remaining milk and egg whites and beat for 2 more minutes. Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured tube, Bundt, or 9 x 13 inch pan. Add the melted chocolate to the remaining batter and pour over the top of the white batter. Cut through with a knife to achieve a marbled effect. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes for tube or Bundt pan or for 30-35 minutes if you are using a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Cool cake for 10 minutes after removing from the oven.










Cool completely and turn out onto plate.
Frost and eat. (Good idea to heed the flour dusting in the pan hint and let the cake cool before attempting to plate it)

Chocolate Buttermilk Glaze and Frosting

This is a chocolate lover's ultimate glaze/frosting! Bittersweet and a little tangy, just the way it should be. A bit time consuming but worth it!










Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla

Method:
Combine sugar and cocoa in a heavy bottomed medium saucepan. Use a wire whisk to stir in just enough buttermilk to form a smooth paste. Stir in the remaining buttermilk. Cook over medium heat until the mixture simmers and begins to boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, scraping the sides and bottom of the pan. Boil gently for 3 minutes (2 minutes if you half the recipe - but why would you want to do that?) stirring constantly to prevent burning. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour through a fine strainer. Allow to cool. Cover, placing plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill for several hours or overnight. Frosting will thicken as it cools. (May be refridgerated for up to a week).
Note: Boiling time is important here.

Gluten Free Pineapple Cake

Here is a very tasty dessert that is celiac friendly! It is made with rice flour so is more of a pudding than a cake, but is very good. Try it with whipped cream.









Ingredients:
2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour (rice flour used here)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3 teaspoons baking soda
20 oz. can crushed pineapple - juice and all.

Directions:
Stir ingredients together in a bowl.









Pour into a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes until done.









Let cool. Now enjoy!

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

I bought a new cook book recently, the "Bravo Best of Bridge", and am so excited at the prospect of trying most of the recipes enclosed! One of the recipes that first caught my eye is this Biscotti recipe and it is a keeper.


I was really interested that the creator was chef Sonny Sung from Edmonton! Oh yes, "biscotti" means "twice-cooked". You will need to double the batch because these will disappear. If you don't already have the cookbook, here is the Best of Bridge version of the recipe:









Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cups butter, melted and cooled
grated zest of 2 oranges
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 tbsp white or cider vinegar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pistachios, chopped (unsalted if possible)

Method:
Preheat oven to 300 F. Grease a 13 x 9 inch metal baking pan and line with parchment paper. In a bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside. In another large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until light and foamy (triple volume). Beat in butter. Stir in orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture. Stir in cranberries and pistachios. Pour into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until golden and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, leaving oven on and let cool in pan on a rack for about 15 minutes.









Turn out onto a cutting board or parchment covered counter/table. Trim off the edges and cut dough into 24 pieces. Place cut side down on the baking sheets lined with parchment paper.









Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once, until golden brown. Turn off the oven but leave the biscotti in the oven for at least 1 hour or until very dry and crisp. (24 biscotti).

Back to Nature Oatmeal Cookies

If you're looking for a healthy 'back-to-nature' cookie -- look no further. This drop oatmeal cookie is easy to prepare, cooks in minutes (30 minutes from preparation to your mouth), is super healthy and tastes great!! You can't go wrong with this one -- a fan favourite of youngsters to geezers :)

Ingredients Required:

• 8 tablespoons heart-smart margarine
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (helps to balance the acid in the honey)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (sift to eliminate lumps)
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups of porridge oats (the one with oat bran, wheat bran, flax seed)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/8 cup of milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• dash of nutmeg
• 1/2 cup unsalted pistachios
• 1/2 cup raisins
  
• 1/2 cup craisins

This yields approximately three dozen cookies -- with a few left over for the baker :)

Steps to Prepare:

• Preheat oven to 375 F.
• Use an electric mixer to cream your margarine, eggs, honey, milk, vanilla.
• In a large bowl hand mix all your dry ingredients (except of the nuts and fruit).
• Slowly add the liquid to the dry ingredients while stirring.
• Once all the liquid has been stirred into the dry ingredient you can fold in your pistachios, raisins and craisins.
• Use a small ice cream scoop (just larger than one tablespoon) to drop the cookie dough onto an ungreased baking sheet. Space the cookies approximate three inches apart from each other.
• Place in oven and cook for 12 to 15 minutes. Some ovens can have hot spots so you may wish to switch and rotate (180 degrees) your cookie sheets at the 8 minute mark.
• Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let sit for 2 minutes prior to removing the cookies to a cooling rack.
• Let cookies cool (30 minutes) before sealing in a container.

Enjoy!!

Homemade crisps & chili

Bison Chili:

Cook 1 diced onion and 1 pound of sliced mushrooms in a bit of oil. Remove from pan and cook 1 pound ground beef or bison until browned. Put onion, mushrooms and meat in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add 3 cans beans ( kidney, brown, mixed - whatever). Rinse them first. Add 2 cans diced tomatoes and 2-3 tablespoons of chili powder. Add 1 tsp cumin and 1 tablespoon sugar or honey. Simmer over medium heat for 20-30 minutes.

Homemade Crisps:

These little triangles go nicely with soup or chili or just as a snack.















The recipe doesn't call for olive oil but when I made mine, I lightly brushed olive oil over the dough before adding the herbs and cheese...and I like the result. Very easy and fairly quick to make.

Here is the recipe:

2 cups all purpose flour (try to find a version without the fungi "amylase" added)
1 cup grated cheese ( Monterey Jack was recommended, but mozzarella works nicely as well)
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp. chili powder or favorite herbs and grated parmesan
1/4 tsp. ground cumin

Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl.

Add oil and water. Mix until dough forms a ball. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes.

Combine chili powder and cumin in a small cup. (or your favorite herb mixture) Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 portions. Roll 1 portion paper thin into10 inch circle. Lightly brush olive oil over dough and sprinkle herbs and parmesan cheese over dough. Cut into 8 wedges. Arrange on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in 375 degree F oven for about 12 minutes until crisp and slightly browned. Repeat with remaining dough. Makes 32 tasty wedges.