French Breakfast Puffs

I'm not a baker. I enjoy baking cookies and the occasional dessert. But by and large, I'm no baker. I had decided this year to learn how to bake bread. After a disastrous episode with pizza dough I think I've moved past that.

I was thumbing through a great cookbook a GaLPal had picked up for me for my birthday back in December. I hadn't actually cracked it since then, and all but forgot it was on the shelf. Yesterday it called to me.

The story behind the cookbook is a woman who was jet-setting her life through big cities, falls for a cowboy and finds herself on a farm. No sushi or Starbucks around. Still she manages to put together dinner for a working hard husband (she calls the Marlboro Man) and their kids. It's a great read if you like cookbooks. Full of fun, and easy, and I'm hoping delicious recipes. I flagged about 50. What else is really interesting about this book is she took all her food photographs. Those mixed in with some good ol' farm type photos and you have yourself an excellent book!Don't want to buy the cookbook? Never fear, she has a website.

One that really stood out were these French Breakfast Puffs. I love cinnamon toast and the fact that you kinda combine them into a donut like cake with it dredged in sugar and cinnamon...what's not to like?

French Breakfast Puffs

Recipe from Pioneer Woman

Photo courtesy of
Pioneer Woman

• 3 cups Flour
• 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
• 1 cup Sugar
• ⅔ cups Shortening (Crisco)
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1 cup Milk
• 1-½ cup Sugar
• 3 teaspoons Cinnamon
• 2 sticks Butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a different bowl, cream together 1 cup sugar and shortening. Then add eggs and mix again.

Add flour mixture and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.

Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

In a bowl, melt 2 sticks butter. In a separate bowl combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Dip baked muffins in butter, coating thoroughly, then coat with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Super Chewy Chocolate Cookies

I'm not usually a baker. But watching American Test Kitchen last week I decided I HAD to try the recipe they did on chewy chocolate cookies. I followed the recipe word for word, which you have to do in baking, and the cookies are quite possibly the best chocolate cookie I've tasted. Rich. Super rich, but they are good.

Super Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Makes 16 cookies

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces), plus 1/2 cup for coating
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)
• 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt plus 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 cup dark corn syrup (see note)
• 1 large egg white
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter , softened (70 degrees)
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces, see note)
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (see note)

1. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Place ½ cup granulated sugar in shallow baking dish or pie plate. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl. Whisk corn syrup, egg white, and vanilla together in small bowl.

2. In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, add corn syrup mixture, and beat until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping bowl once with rubber spatula. With mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture and chopped chocolate; mix until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl once. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no pockets of flour remain at bottom. Chill dough 30 minutes to firm slightly (do not chill longer than 30 minutes).

3. Divide dough into 16 equal portions; roll between hands into balls about 11/2 inches in diameter. Working in batches, drop 8 dough balls into baking dish with sugar and toss to coat. Set dough balls on prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart; repeat with second batch of 8. Bake, reversing position of the baking sheets halfway through baking (from top to bottom and front to back), until cookies are puffed and cracked and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), 10 to 11 minutes. Do not overbake.

4. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes, then use wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire rack; cool cookies to room temperature.

Chicken Fettuccine with Pesto Cream Sauce

Its been a while since I've posted any recipes. Sadly its been because I haven't been cooking. But alas, I'm finally getting back into some sort of routine now that a job has been found.

Tonight I wanted to use up some homemade pesto I had the fridge. I'm not sure how long pesto will last, but I figured it would be good to go ahead and use it up before I forget and then feel bad when it's gone bad.

I also had some chicken that needed to be used. And so I put them altogether. This recipe can be added to or deleted to depending on how many you're cooking for. I've adjusted it to serve 4 since I think most people cook for around that number.

Chicken Fettuccine with Pesto Cream Sauce

Serves: 4

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 pound fettuccine
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup Basil Pesto
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

How you cook the chicken is entirely up to you. I chose to cut it into bite size pieces. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet; cook the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.

Be sure to get your water on for cooking your pasta. I used fettuccine tonight, but I'm sure you could use any pasta you have on hand. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return to pot.

When the chicken is done, deglaze the pan with the wine. Allow that to simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the pesto, stir to combine. Add the cream. Stir and be sure your heat is on medium-high (a slow simmer so you don't burn the cream).

If you're sauce isn't too saucy, add pasta water to it. Toss pasta the sauce.