Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Crispy on the outside, chewy and tender on the inside. You can use any combination of chips you like. I used 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, and 1 cup mini Reese Pieces.

Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup peanut butter (national brand, pref. crunchy)

1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips (or your favourite add-ins)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Blend in peanut butter, egg and vanilla until mixture is smooth. Gradually blend in the flour mixture until dough comes together and no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Stir in chocolate chips.

Place 1-inch balls on baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between them to allow for spread.

Bake for 11-14 minutes, until cookies are lightly browned and set around the edges. Cool cookies for 3-4 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!

One of our favourite things to make with Thanksgiving leftovers is Poutine.

French Fries, cheese curds, stuffing, turkey, and gravy. I bet it would be great topped with cranberry sauce too.

Secret to Homemade Bread (with recipe for Italian Bread)

I bake a lot of bread, and I try to get my kids in the kitchen whenever possible. I recently had my 7 year old make a loaf of Italian Bread and I thought it would be fun to pass along some of the basic bread baking tips that I taught her. At the end of this post is a recipe for an Italian Bread. Crunchy outside, perfect moist crumb inside, a satisfying reward for all of your effort.

Bread Baking Tips
1. Check the expiration date of your yeast. Expired yeast won't activate and your bread won't rise. Buy a fresh bottle if you are unsure of your dates.

2. Your water has to be the perfect temperature (105 - 115F). If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast. If it is too cold, the yeast won't activate. The easiest way to test the water is to feel it. I run the tap over my hand and adjust the temperature until the water feels the same temperature as my hand. If you've ever warmed up a baby bottle, you know the right temperature.

3. Knead, knead, knead! Kneading the dough develops the glutens in the flour. You should knead for about 10 minutes. I always use my stand mixer with a dough hook for this job, but you can always do it by hand too. Your dough should pull together into a nice smooth ball that holds its shape. You'll know it's been kneaded long enough when you poke your finger in and the indentation fills back in quickly. If your dough hasn't been kneaded enough, your bread will come out dense and flat.

4. Let your dough rise in a warm (70 - 80F) place. I usually set my dough to rise on the stove when I have something else baking in the oven. Other times I let my oven warm up to the lowest setting, turn it off immediately, and then set my dough bowl in the oven.

5. Cover the top of your bowl with either a piece of plastic wrap or a cloth towel. If your bowl isn't covered, the exposed dough will start to dry out.

6. After your dough has risen to double its size, gently punch it down. You can knead a couple of times, but be careful not to over knead it. This step will remove some of the gas and redistribute it evenly, producing a finer grain. Let it rest for about 10 minutes after you punch it down. This will allow the glutens to relax and make shaping the loaf easier.

7. Try again! If your first loaf of bread didn't come out how you expected, don't give up! Baking bread from scratch can be intimidating, but it's actually quite easy. Fresh ingredients and practice will have you baking the perfect loaf every time.

Basic Italian Bread
Yield: 1 large loaf

INGREDIENTS
2 cups water, lukewarm
1/3 cup yeast
5 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten

DIRECTIONS
Place the water and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer and allow the yeast to bloom for about 5 minutes. Using a dough hook attachment, add the flour and sugar to the water and mix on low speed until a dough starts to form. Drizzle the oil and salt into the dough and beat on medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes, or until a smooth, firm, elastic dough is formed.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and spray the dough with a thin coating of cooking spray. Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to proof in a warm, draft-free place for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. Remove the plastic wrap, punch down and flatten the rounded dough with the heel of your hand. Roll the dough up tightly, sealing the seam well after each roll. The dough should be elongated and oval-shaped, with tapered and rounded (not pointed) ends.

Preheat the oven lined with a pizza stone to 425 F. Alternately, an inverted baking sheet may be used in place of a pizza stone.

Place the dough on a baker's peel heavily dusted with semolina flour, or cornmeal, or alternately on an inverted baking sheet. Allow the dough to proof, loosely covered with a damp towel, for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size. Brush the dough with the egg white. Using a sharp knife, score 1/4-inch deep slashes across the top of the dough at a 45 degree angle.

Spray the dough generously with water from a water bottle and place in the oven on the baking stone. Immediately close the oven and bake for 3 minutes. Open the oven door and spray the dough again with the water bottle. Close the oven door and bake for an additional 3 minutes before spraying the dough for a third time (the spraying of the dough will ensure a crisp golden brown crust). Bake the dough for 45 minutes, or until a hollow thud is heard when the bread is whacked with the bowl of a wooden spoon. Allow the bread to cool slightly before serving.

Cinnamon Roll Biscuits

Flaky buttery biscuits rolled with cinnamon sugar and finished with a simple glaze. I love to make this for a fast dessert when I want Cinnamon Rolls NOW. This is also one my favourite alternative breakfasts.

Cinnamon Roll Biscuits

Yield: 12 biscuits

INGREDIENTS FOR CINNAMON ROLLS
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, divided
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

INGREDIENTS FOR GLAZE
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
5 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in 4 tablespoons of the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk just until moistened.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead gently 8 to 10 times. Roll into an 11-in. x 8-in. rectangle about 1/2 in. thick. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and brush over dough. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the butter.

Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with long edge. Cut into 12 equal slices. Place with cut side down in a greased 8-in. square baking pan. Bake at 450 F for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes.

Whisk together glaze ingredients; spread over warm biscuits. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Samoas Cookie Bars - Chocolate Caramel Coconut Shortbread Bars

A rich buttery cookie base topped with chewy caramel coconut and covered in silky chocolate. These bars go great with a big cup of coffee.

I will be honest... I am a Canadian girl who has never tried the famous Samoas Cookies by the American Girl Scouts. I've seen a lot of recipes based around them for awhile now, and I just had to try my own take on this flavour combination. The result was amazing!

I'm really big on doing everything from scratch, so I've included the caramel sauce as well. If you happen to have a bag of store bought caramels lying around, you can swap those in instead.

Samoas Cookie Bars

Yield: 24 bars

INGREDIENTS FOR COOKIE BASE
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

INGREDIENTS FOR CARAMEL COCONUT
3 cups shredded coconut
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons heavy cream

DIRECTIONS FOR COOKIE BASE
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepared pan and press into an even layer.

Bake for 20 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Lower oven temperature to 300F.

DIRECTIONS FOR CARAMEL COCONUT
Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast at 300F for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, water and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until syrup turns dark gold.

Working carefully, stir in cream and vanilla. Caramel will start to steam and harden when you add the cream – continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until caramel is smooth.

Quickly add in the toasted coconut and mix well. Immediately spread over cooled cookie base in a nice even layer. Let cool until set. When cooled, cut into bars.

DIRECTIONS FOR CHOCOLATE
Put chocolate in a microwave safe bowl; drop the butter onto the chocolate and pour in the heavy cream.

Melt the chocolate mixture in the microwave on high heat in 30 second intervals, stirring thoroughly each time. It should take roughly a minute and half for the chocolate to be completely melted.

Pick up each cookie bar and either spread the chocolate on the bottoms with a knife, or dip the bottoms into the chocolate. Place the bars right side up / chocolate side down on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper.

Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a sandwich bag with the corner snipped off, and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.

Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container. You can put the parchment paper on a cookie sheet and transfer the bars to the freezer for 10 minutes if you are in a hurry to eat them as we were!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are soft and fluffy like cake. I don't usually start baking with pumpkin until Autumn, but it is already starting to feel like Summer is coming to an end. If you look closely, you'll see that I was baking more bread today too. ;)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

YIELD: 2 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir into the wet ingredients. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir for about one minute.

Add vanilla and chocolate chips and stir until combined.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop cookies on by the spoonful. They do not spread very much, so you can pack them in pretty close. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes. Enjoy!

Fudge Brownies

These brownies are better than boxed mix. Try it and I am sure this will be your go-to recipe for brownies too!

Fudge Brownies

Yield: 30 servings

INGREDIENTS FOR BROWNIES 
1 1/4 cups butter, softened
4 cups sugar
8 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

INGREDIENTS FOR FROSTING
1/4 cup butter, softened
6 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS FOR BROWNIES
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in walnuts, if desired.

Spread into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 325°F for 40-45  minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.

Let cool completely.

DIRECTIONS FOR ICING
Beat all ingredients together with mixer. Add more icing sugar or milk if needed. Spread over cooled brownies.

Cut into squares and enjoy!

Taco Bread Bowls

The kids ate the last 3 loaves of bread I made so quickly that I couldn't wait to make it the focus of one of our meals. My kids don't like soups or stews, so I came up with something they would like.

Bread Bowls

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more to oil the bowl)
~6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time (may need 1/2 cup more or less flour), beating well after each addition with an electric mixer at medium speed.

When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.

Punch dough down, and divide into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 4 inch round loaf. Place loaves on baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F. In a small bowl, beat together egg and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush the loaves with half of this egg wash.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Brush with remaining egg mixture, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.

Taco Bread Bowl Filling

This is the easy part! Add whatever you like! I never use recipes and just eyeball all of my seasonings. I used:

- ground beef
- red kidney beans
- onion
- garlic
- green pepper
- small tin of tomato paste
- oregano
- celery salt
- pepper
- paprika
- chili powder
- ground cumin
- cheddar cheese

Toppings I used:
- chopped tomatoes
- Greek yogurt
- salsa

Cut the top of each loaf off in angle so you have a cone shaped piece removed. Scoop out centres of buns, leaving 3/4-inch-thick shells. Fill bread bowls with taco mixtures and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Place on a baking sheet and set under the broiler just until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Top with your favourite taco toppings. Serve warm and enjoy! These are sturdy enough to eat with your hands like an open faced sandwich. We also served the cone shaped bread tops with butter on the side, and my kids nibbled up all bread bits that were removed from the centres.

French Bread

It's hot outside, and I still have the oven going. I just love using fresh tomatoes on fresh bread in the summer.

Bruschetta on top and Cheesy Garlic Toast on the bottom: 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Double Muffins

I couldn't decide which kind of muffin to make, so I made 2 in 1. They turned out fantastic and were a hit with the kids. They are delicious warm, straight out of the oven. The two colours make a cute presentation.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Double Muffins
Yield: 30 muffins

INGREDIENTS FOR PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup brown sugar
6 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS FOR PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar.

In a medium bowl, beat together the melted butter, peanut butter, eggs and milk until smooth. Pour into flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CHIP MUFFINS
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup peanut butter chips
2 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

DIRECTIONS FOR CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CHIP MUFFINS
In a large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients – flour, sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt.

In a small bowl combine eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla. Mix well. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until everything is incorporated. Stir in peanut butter chips.

DIRECTIONS FOR PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE DOUBLE MUFFINS
Pre-heat your oven to 375F. Grease your muffin pans or use paper liners.

Put a scoop of each muffin batter into the prepared muffin pans.

Bake for 17-20 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the top of the muffin springs back when lightly pressed.

Enjoy!

Lemon Blueberry Bread

A taste of summer... Fresh plump blueberries baked in a lemony snacking cake and topped with a lemon glaze.

Lemon Blueberry Bread

Yield: 2 loaves (16 servings per loaf)

INGREDIENTS FOR BREAD
2/3 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons lemon juice
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 cups fresh blueberries (may substitute with
              frozen, but don't thaw)
4 tablespoons grated lemon peel

INGREDIENTS FOR GLAZE
4 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup icing sugar

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, lemon juice and eggs. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir into egg mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Fold in the blueberries, nuts and lemon peel.

Pour batter into 2 greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm bread. Cool completely.

Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Cake

This is such an amazing cake! It takes a lot of time and effort to make, but it is so worth it! It is probably the best chocolate cake I ever had.

Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Cake

Yield: 16 to 18 servings

INGREDIENTS FOR GANACHE
175 g bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup whipping cream (35%)

INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE CAKE
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
4 tsp cider vinegar

INGREDIENTS FOR HAZELNUT MERINGUE
3 egg whites
Pinch cream of tartar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup ground roasted skinned hazelnuts, (about 1/2 cup whole)
1/2 tsp vanilla

INGREDIENTS FOR MOUSSE
1 pkg gelatin
1 cup hazelnut chocolate spread
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups whipping cream (35%)

INGREDIENTS FOR CANDIED HAZELNUTS
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Pinch salt
1/2 cup roasted skinned hazelnuts

DIRECTIONS

Chocolate Cake: Grease 10-inch (3 L) springform pan; line bottom with parchment paper. Set aside. In bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Whisk in 1 cup water, oil and vanilla; stir in vinegar. Scrape into prepared pan.

Bake in 350 F (180 C) oven until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Run sharp knife around edge. Remove from pan; let cool completely on rack.

Make-ahead: Store in airtight container for up to 24 hours.

Cut cake in half horizontally to make 2 layers.

Hazelnut Meringue: Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Using 10-inch (3 L) springform pan as guide, trace circle onto paper. Turn paper over. In bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Beat in sugar, 2 tbsp at a time, until stiff glossy peaks form. Fold in hazelnuts and vanilla. Spoon onto circle, smoothing top.

Bake on bottom rack in 225 F (110 C) oven until dry and crisp, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Turn off oven; let cool in oven for 2 hours.

Make-ahead: Store in airtight container in cool dry place for up to 5 days.

Mousse: Meanwhile, in small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 2 tbsp water; set aside. In heatproof bowl over saucepan of hot (not boiling) water, melt hazelnut spread with 3 tbsp water until smooth; stir in butter.

In microwave, warm gelatin on high until dissolved, about 20 seconds; whisk into hazelnut spread mixture. Set aside and keep warm. (Mixture may separate while standing; whisk to combine.) Whip cream; whisk one-third into hazelnut spread mixture. Fold inremaining whipped cream.

Line bottom of 10-inch (3 L) greased springform pan with parchment paper. Place bottom cake layer in pan; pour 1 cup of the mousse over top. Place meringue layer in pan, trimming to fit if necessary; pour 1 cup of the mousse over top. Top with remaining cake layer; top with remaining mousse. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.

Make-ahead: Wrap in plastic wrap and overwrap in foil. Freeze for up to 2 weeks. Thaw overnight in refrigerator; continue with recipe.

Ganache: Meanwhile, place chocolate in bowl.In small saucepan, bring cream to boil; pour over chocolate and whisk until smooth. Let stand, whisking occasionally, until ganache is thickened slightly, about 20 minutes. Run sharp knife around cake; remove from pan and set on rack over parchment paper.

Pour ganache over top, smoothing top and sides with palette knife. Refrigerate until almost set and ganache is still shiny yet no longer jiggles, about 30 minutes.

Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Candied Hazelnuts: Meanwhile, in shallow saucepan, dissolve sugar and salt in 3 tbsp water over medium-high heat. Add hazelnuts; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is light golden, about 8 minutes. Spread nut mixture on parchment paper–lined baking sheet.

Let cool. Coarsely chop; sprinkle over top of cake. Enjoy!