Blueberry Pie

Found out there is a blueberry bush in the backyard, so I decided to pick a bunch and make some pie :)

Ingredients:

Crust

• 3 cups ( plus extra ) flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 + 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1/2 cup water

Center

• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 6 cups blueberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg 

Instructions:

1. Make the insides before the crust, it needs to cool before being baked!
2. Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat, add flour and stir to combine
3. Add half the blueberries and all the sugar and cook for about 8 minutes
4. Once the sugar is dissolved and mixture has thickened, add the remaining blueberries and ingredients
5. Stir to combine, for two minutes then remove from heat
6. Let filling cool, preheat oven to 375 degrees F and begin crust
7. Mix the flour, salt, butter and water together until no longer sticky
8. Roll out thin pie crust (this made enough for two crusts for me!)
9. Place pie crust in pan then fill with blueberry filling
10. Place in oven and bake for 50-60 minutes (or until crust is browning)

By the way...tastes great with ice cream ;)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

Just mash two delicious things together...so...good...

Ingredients:
 Brownie Layer

• 1&1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup melted butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

  Cookie Layer

• 1&1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3&3/4 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Grease cupcake pans, set aside
3. Mix all of the brownie ingredients together, separate into cupcake pans about 1/3 full
4. Mix together cookie ingredients, place a cookie sized drop of dough on top of each brownie mixture in cupcake pans
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes

Caramel Filled Cookies

Sorry it's been like a month! This stressed-baking student was so busy getting back from her internship and starting school I hadn't had a moment to even think about baking! :(



I had a mixture of ingredients handy so I kind of made it up and it turned out well!

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/2 cups canola oil
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3 & 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• caramel cubes

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In large bowl mix together sugars, oil, vanilla and eggs until smooth
3. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined
4. Make a small ball out of some dough, flatten it
5. Place on cookie sheet, place a flattened caramel on it
6. Make another flattened dough ball and place it on top, sealing edges

Lemon Brownies

For you non-chocolate, zesty lovers out there

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup applesauce 
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Grease a 8x8 pan and set aside
3. Mix all ingredients together and put in pan
4. Cook for 20-25 minutes, until edges are golden brown

Hummus

It's so easy to make homemade I don't see why anyone would pay to buy some!

Ingredients:

• 2 cans chick peas/garbanzo beans; drained (but keep the liquid!)
• 1 lemon (the juice)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• cumin

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor
2. Blend until smooth, adding chick pea liquid to get desired consistency 
3. Refrigerate until ready to serve

Herb and Garlic Pizza Crust

Mine always ends up having a sweet taste to it, but it's delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 + 1/2 tsp yeast
• 1 + 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• basil and rosemary
• 5 cups flour***
• 1/3 cup olive oil

*** the number varies depending on your weather conditions (it's really humid where I am!)

Instructions:

1. In the bowl mix water and yeast and set aside for five minutes
2. Mix in garlic, hand full of herbs, salt, and four cups of flour
3. Drizzle in olive oil until well blended (doughy)
4. If it is still sticky add more flour until it is not
5. Place dough in a storage bag and put in the fridge for at least an hour
6. Use on pizza, cook at 400 degrees F for at least 15 minutes

Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Same delicious taste without all those random ingredients no one can pronounce!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup melted butter
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 cup + 4 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 + 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips 

Instructions:

1. In bowl mix together melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners sugar and 1 cup of peanut butter until well blended.
2. In a metal bowl over simmering water, melt chocolate chips with 4 tbsp peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth
3. Using a disposable cupcake pan (or line with foil) cover sides with melted chocolate
4. Place a ball of peanut butter mixture within each cupcake area
5. Cover the top with chocolate 
6. Place in fridge for at least an hour to firm up
   
   

Soft Pretzels

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tsp active dry yeast
• 5 - 6 cups flour
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 egg
• cooking spray

Instructions

1. Pour the water into a bowl and combine with sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves.
2. Sprinkle the yeast into the bowl and let sit for 10 minutes, it should foam
3. In a mixing bowl mix the water mixture with one cup of flour, mix until combined
4. Slowly add in salt and 4 more cups of flour. Mix until combined
5. Add more flour if it is sticky still
6. Knead for about a minute
7. Cover with kitchen towel and let sit for one hour
8. Heat oven to 450 degrees F
9. Pull into strips and make into pretzel shape
10. Brush egg glaze on pretzel and sprinkle with salt
11. Place on baking sheet
12. Bake until golden brown, roughly 15 minutes

Apple Pie Cookies

All the goodness of apple pie...in cookie form.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups + 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 + 1/2 cup butter softened 
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 apples
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Slice apples into very small chunks (I leave the skins on)
2. Mix sliced apple in a bowl with the sugar, cinnamon and 1 tbsp flour, set aside
3. Mix 3 cups of flour, the water, butter, and salt in a bowl until it forms a dough, should not be too sticky (add flour if it is)
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
5. Roll out half the dough to a thin sheet
6. Use a cookie cutter (or top of a cup) to cut out circles and place on the cookie sheet
7. Place a spoonful, or two, of the apple mixture on top of the circles
8. Roll out the other half of the dough to a thin sheet. Cut into strips and make a criss-cross pattern 
9. Cut the criss-crossed dough into circles and place on top of each prepped cookie
10. Press down the edges
11. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown 

Rosemary Focaccia Bread

I make this for my sandwiches for work every week...much more delicious than store bought stuff!:)

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 package active dry yeast (.25 ounce)
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 & 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 whole wheat flour
• olive oil

Instructions:

1. In small bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in the warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes
2. In a large bowl combine yeast mixture with flour. Stir until well combined. Stir in additional water if needed until all flour is absorbed.
3. Knead dough in a ball for 1 minute 
4. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and cover in oil
5. Cover bowl with damp cloth and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, roughly 30 minutes (depends on the humidity of the place you live)
6. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F
7. Deflate the dough and place on floured surface
8. Knead dough briefly
9. Roll the dough into a sheet to fill a lightly greased baking sheet
10. Brush dough with olive oil 
11. Place in oven and bake for ten to twenty minutes, depending on desired crispness