Posts Tagged ‘so sweet’

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE JARS

Tuesday, October 27th, 2015

Cookie jar | Where is June?

I wrote a guest blog post last week featuring a yummy dessert.  I thought I would share it here as well.  These little jars make great individual treats.  Give them as a gift and your friends will think you are the best!


 

I don’t know about you, but I fall victim to anything sweet.  I love desserts that look amazing, taste delicious, but are are simple and easy to make.  Chocolate Chip Cookie Jars, simply a chocolate chip cookie baked in a jar and served ooey and gooey, are perfect in any season.  However, they are particularly awesome this time of year.  There is nothing better than a little something sweet after a delicious fall meal.  Plan to serve them with a big Sunday dinner or make them mid-week for a special treat!

Here is a quick break down:

1. Start with your favorite chocolate chip recipe.  In a pinch, I use the Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix. {Trust me!  No one will know it is a mix.}

basic cookie dough | Where is June?

2.  Fill 4oz jelly jars approximately 1/2 full with prepared cookie dough.  You don’t need to grease the jars.  Just spoon in the dough.

cookie in a jar prep | Where is June?

3.  Place jars on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.   You want the just the edges to be golden brown.  Don’t over bake!  The centers will collapse a bit as the cookies cool.  Don’t worry!  This creates a perfect spot for that scoop of ice cream!

baked chocolate chip cookie jars | Where is June?

If you plan to bake and eat them right way, give the jars 20-30 minutes to cool down.  You don’t want to try to hold the jar when they are hot!  A scoop of salted caramel gelato puts these babies over the top, but vanilla works too.   These are also great to bake ahead of time.   Just remember to microwave them for a 10-15 seconds before eating.  It is just too sad not to eat them warm!

 

CROCK POT APPLE SAUCE

Thursday, October 2nd, 2014

Crock Pot Apple Sauce

My grandmother made the best apple sauce of all time.  My favorite was a version that she made with Red Hot candies.  Until I can find a recipe that replicates that delicious pink applesauce, I will be making this apple sauce.  Using Danielle Walker’s recipe, I used farmer’s market apples and cooked the apples in the crock pot all day on a Sunday.  It did take some time to peel, core, and slice the apples-but after that I just threw in the apples and a bit of water and let them cook for six hours.

In the evening, I mixed in the simple whole, ingredients {honey, vanilla, and cinnamon} and single-handedly ate the entire batch over the course of a week!  I am headed to the market again this Sunday to buy more farm, fresh apples.  Delicious!

Need another quick and easy fall treat?   These Quick Pear Crips are perfect on a crisp autumn evening!

 

AN ALL-BUTTER PIE CRUST

Monday, March 10th, 2014

All Butter Pie Crust

A couple of weeks ago I took a pie making class at High 5 Pie in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood with a good friend.  In two hours we learned the tricks and basic technique to make an all-butter pie crust.  Please hold onto your arteries, because the recipe calls for two {count them, TWO} sticks of butter.   Let’s just take a deep breath and realize that we don’t eat pie everyday and it is ok to indulge every once in a while.  This crust is flaky and delicious.  And if you are like me, the crust is the best part of the pie!

High 5 pie

The High 5 Pie All-Butter Pie Crust

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

8 0z unsalted butter

3/4 cup ICE COLD water

You will also need a few tools. A pitcher for ice cold water, a counter scraper for chopping butter, a rolling pin, and a pastry cutter if you are going to make a lattice top crust.

tools of the trade

Our instructor gave us great tips.  In a nutshell, keep everything as cold as possible. Chop the butter with a counter scraper into small cubes and freeze it ahead of time.  Add ICE cold water gradually until dough comes together and refrigerate before rolling.  Roll a perfect circle by rolling and making many small turns.  Refrigerate the rolled crust in the pan for at least 2 hours before baking.  Before adding your filling, coat the crust with an egg wash.  This prevents the crust from getting to soggy {Brilliant, right?}.  Place the pie pan on a cookie sheet before placing in the oven.  This helps to catch the butter that will spill over while baking.

pie technique

I loved this class because we also got tips on how to crimp the bottom crust and how to make a lattice top crust.  Skills that are much easier to learn when there is someone showing you how to do it and providing feedback as you try it out yourself!  I highly recommend this class if you live in the Seattle area.  We left with an entire pie ready to bake and dough ready to roll and make another at home.  Since my husband couldn’t help me eat it and my kids are not yet pie fans {not sure how that is possible}, I baked the pie and had one piece.  The rest I boxed up and took to the teachers at the boys’ elementary school.  Nothing better than apple pie with your morning coffee!

modo

Photos by Where is June?

 

 

 

SNOW DAY SURVIVAL KIT

Friday, January 24th, 2014

snow day survival

I love snow days!  Call it wishful thinking {because we are in desperate need of snow in our mountains}, but I am ready for another one.  We were lucky enough to get a day off due to snow just before our long winter break.  Unfortunately, it all melted before lunch time!  We are due another one.  A massive snow fall, with multiple days off from school, would make me VERY happy.  I thought it would be fun to put a Snow Day Survival Kit together just in case.  Being prepared always makes for a much more enjoyable day.

After playing in the snow for hours, they eventually come in.  Spending uninterrupted time together is a major perk to an unplanned day off.   New activities go a long way for entertainment value.  My kit includes: cookies-in-a-jar, hot cocoa and marshmallows, a deck of cards, a game to play together, and an old school movie.

snow day cookies

Snow Day.  Cookies required.  The key is making it easy to bake them.  Using a large Mason jar, I layered the dry ingredients for Best Ever: Chocolate Chip Cookies {directions and recipe after the jump}.  Dump the jar in a bowl, mix with butter, eggs & vanilla, and you have homemade cookies. Since I plan to give a few kits as gifts, I also created colorful direction cards and labels to go on the jar.

snow day kit

Other kit essentials:

HOT COCOA:  No snow day is complete without hot cocoa and marshmallows to warm up. Individual packets make it simple to make a quick cup.

DECK OF CARDS:  Play go-fish, high/low, or rummy.  How about a friendly game of poker using goldfish crackers to wager?

DRAW A SNOWMAN GAME{link after the jump}:  It is a great way to add a bit of art and drawing to your day.  Kids of all ages can play successfully.  Bonus-you will have works of art to hang up!

OLD SCHOOL MOVIE:  When you are exhausted and need to cuddle up- just pop in a classic movie you loved to watch as a kid.  I picked Goonies because, well, it is just awesome.

Well, now I am set and ready!  I know my boys would love a chance to miss school and sled all day instead.  We are all hoping a major winter storm hits Western Washington REALLY soon!

snow day

Click through for cookie recipe, the Draw A Snowman Game, and resources:

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CLASSIC COCOA & CANDY CANE SPOONS

Wednesday, December 18th, 2013

classic cocoa and candy cane spoons

This year I wanted to put together a simple, handmade gift.  A jar of classic cocoa and a bundle of candy cane spoons is festive and it works for anyone!

I cut the original Classic Cocoa recipe from Sunset Magazine in half and layered the ingredients in a pint sized {wide-mouthed} Mason jar.  With a little Chalkboard Flat-Black Spray Paint on the lids, I was able to add messages and hand- drawn hearts.   Cocoa is always better with a bit of peppermint.  Well, at least I think so!  I almost fell over when I found these darling candy cane spoons.  I bundled them together in a clear treat bag and tied with baker’s twine.  Last, I created an enclosure with directions on how to make the cocoa.  {Download the template here if you would like to print the enclosure.}

You could make this gift in less than an hour and buy all of the needed ingredients at the grocery store.  {In a time crunch, use candy cane sticks and skip the chalkboard paint.}

Be merry and bright.

classic cocoa gift

 

A LA MODO {A SLICE TO GO}

Thursday, December 5th, 2013

a la modo

I wanted to share the cutest darn Etsy shop around!  A LA MODO carries the sweetest to-go containers for a slice of pie.  I ordered these boxes right before Thanksgiving.  The kit came with the boxes, bakers twine, wooden forks, and parchment paper for packing.  I was able to send left over pie home with my guests.  How fun is that?  You could also pre-slice a pie and bring these cuties along with you.  They are like little presents you friends get to open {and then eat!}.

I also love that the shop owner lives right here in Seattle.  Supporting local, creative people is always a bonus.

All images via A LA MODO Esty shop.

 

CINNAMON SUGAR PANCAKE BITES

Thursday, August 15th, 2013

Where is June | Pancake Bites

Not sure how many of you have a cake pop maker stashed in your cupboard, but you may want to find it.  If you are like me, you hid it because, let’s be honest, no one can actually make a cake pop!  They are actually a recipe for tears and a baking disaster.  A brave baby sitter tried once again last night with Big W and it ended in failure (once again.)

I found the cake pop maker on my counter this morning and I was determined to find a use for it!  I mixed up some pancake batter and made pancake bites. {A tablespoon of pancake batter and few minutes cooking time.}  The finished bites would be perfect to dip in syrup.  I decided to roll mine in cinnamon sugar.  The top of the bites were moist when they came out, so it was the cinnamon sugar stuck perfectly!  My little baker gobbled them up and the nightmare from last night was all but forgotten.

Where is June | Pancake Bites

DSC_0022

Where is June?

 

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