Lemon Cookies (Austin's favorite)

 

Easy Lemon Sugar Cookies from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Yield: 36 cookies (2-3 dozen depending on size)

Prep Time: 20minutes mins

Cook Time: 11minutes mins

Total Time: 31minutes mins

Ingredients

Lemon Sugar:

• ⅓ cup (71 g) granulated sugar
• 2-3 teaspoons fresh lemon zest (from one large lemon)

Cookies:

• 1 cup (227 g) butter, softened to room temperature (not too soft!)
• 1 ½ cups (318 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest (from one large lemon)
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ¾ cups + 2 tablespoons (409 g) all-purpose flour (see note)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions 

• For the lemon sugar, combine the sugar and zest in a bowl and rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingers until super fragrant and the zest and sugar are evenly and well combined. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and lemon zest until lightly and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Add the egg, lemon juice and vanilla and mix again for 1-2 minutes until the batter lightens in color. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. It will look a bit curdled; that's totally fine.
• Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix until combined. Don't over mix - just mix until no dry streaks remain.
• Scoop the cookie dough into rounded balls (about 2 tablespoons in size; I use my #40 cookie scoop).
• Stir or crumble the lemon sugar to break up any clumps. Roll cookie dough balls in lemon sugar and place on the prepared baking sheets a couple inches apart (about 12 cookies per baking sheet).
• Bake for 9-11 minutes until slightly crackly on top (don't over bake).
• Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

Flour: at my elevation (2,500) and with the added lemon juice to the recipe, the extra 2 tablespoons flour is really important. Depending on where you live (high elevation), you may need a few tablespoons more beyond that (3 cups flour total). I recommend baking one "tester" cookie first - if it flattens too much, stir in a bit more flour to the dough. 

Another Cookie Spreading Tip: if the cookies spread and flatten too much while baking, try adding more flour per the note above or increase the baking temperature to 375 degrees F or use convection bake (if you have that function on your oven – see my Instagram experiment here to come to this conclusion). Conversely, if your cookies are not spreading enough in the oven, try reducing the oven temperature to 325 degrees and/or measuring the flour with a lighter hand next time (or use a scale to weigh the ingredients).

©Mel's Kitchen Cafe — https://www.melskitchencafe.com/easy-lemon-sugar-cookies/

Seth's Favorite Chocolate Pudding Recipe

 

Chocolate Pudding Recipe

Homemade Chocolate Pudding is ready in minutes with a few simple ingredients. It’s silky, rich, and perfect with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh berries.

CourseDessert

CuisineAmerican

Prep Time5minutes minutes

Cook Time10minutes minutes

Chill Time3hours hours

Total Time3hours hours 15minutes minutes

Servings4 servings

Calories294kcal

AuthorJohn Kanell

Equipment

• Small saucepan
• Mixing Bowls
• Plastic wrap

Ingredients

• 2¼ cups whole milk (540ml)
• ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
• ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (33g)
• pinch of salt
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cubed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

• In a small saucepan, combine 2 cups (480ml) of milk, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk until well combined. Cook over medium heat until very steam and just starting to simmer, stirring frequently.
• Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cornstarch, and remaining ¼ cup (60ml) of milk.
• When the chocolate milk mixture is hot, slowly whisk about a cup into the egg yolk mixture. (This tempers the eggs to keep them from scrambling.) Whisk in the remaining hot milk. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
• Place the saucepan back over medium heat and cook stirring constantly until the mixture bubbles. Continue cooking until thickened enough that the whisk leaves a trace when stirring in the mixture, about 3 minutes. (The temperature should also be about 170°F on an instant-read thermometer.) Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla until melted and combined.
• Transfer the pudding to a bowl and press plastic wrap to the surface. Refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours, or up to 4 days. Give it a good stir before dishing into serving bowls. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Notes

• Don't overcook the pudding. Going above 180°F can cause the pudding to turn grainy as it cools. Sarah, my Executive Editor, cross-tested this and removed her pudding from the heat at 182°F. Once it cooled, it had a grainy texture from the eggs overcooking slightly. It tasted delicious, but the texture was less ideal and not as velvety smooth.
• As the pudding sets, it becomes a little dense. I like to stir the pudding before serving to help aerate it a bit and loosen the texture slightly.
• To make chocolate shavings for the topping, run a vegetable peeler down the side of a chocolate bar.

Nutrition

Calories: 294kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 59mg | Potassium: 329mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 520IU | Calcium: 191mg | Iron: 1mg   hank You! https://preppykitchen.com/chocolate-pudding/

Choco Mallo Brownies from Julie Ewell

1/2 lb. butter
1/2 c. cocoa
2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 small package mini marshmallows
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/4 t. salt
1 c. nuts (optional)

Cream butter, sugar, and cocoa.  Add eggs, one at a time.  Beat well after each one.  Mix in flour, salt, vanilla and nuts.  Spread in greased 9 x 13 pan.  Bake 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Remove from oven and spread entire amount of marshmallows on top and return to oven for 3 minutes.  Watch carefully.  Cool.  Frost with your favorite frosting.     

and I found another recipe similar to it.  Great idea!  Thanks, Julie

Choco-Mallow Brownies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
3 TB. of cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 cups miniature marshmallows
Chocolate Frosting

1. Cream butter in a mixing bowl; gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed of electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
2. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients, stir into creamed mixture. Stir in vanilla and pecans. Spoon into a greased and floured 9" square pan. Bake at 350 for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with marshmallows. Cover with foil; let stand until marshmallows melt.
3. Spread Chocolate Frosting on top of warm brownies. Cool and cut into 1 1/2" squares. Yield: 3 dozen

Chocolate Frosting:
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
3 TB. cocoa
4 or 5 TB. half and half
Combine butter, sugar and cocoa in a mixing bowl. Gradually add half and half, beating at medium speed of an electric mixer until frosting reaches spreading consistency. Yield: enough for 9" pan of brownies.

Mel's Caramel Sauce

 

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup. Stir to combine carefully so it doesn't splash up the sides of the pan.
• Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. During this step, use a pastry brush dipped in water to brush any sugar crystals off the side of the pan, if needed.
• Increase the heat to just above medium and boil for 7 to 8 minutes until the mixture turns a dark golden amber color. The color of the mixture matters more than the exact time. It can go from golden to burned quickly, so keep a close eye on it. A candy thermometer will register anywhere from 350 to 370 degrees F.
• Immediately remove the pan from the heat. Add the cream, butter, vanilla and salt (do so carefully as the mixture will bubble and steam).
• Stir slowly until the ingredients are well combined and the sauce is smooth. If you feel any hard sugar crystals on the bottom or sides of the pan, don't aggressively scrape them up – just leave them be and stir around them.
• Pour the sauce into a jar or other container. Let cool until room temperature. Refrigerate for up to several weeks and reheat on low heat to warm for serving, if desired.

Notes

Double Batch: This sauce can easily be doubled. Use a larger pan and keep an eye on the timing; it will take a few minutes longer for the sugar/water mixture to get to the golden brown stage. 

How to Store Caramel Sauce: After the sauce has been made, immediately pour it into a container (so it doesn’t continue to cook in the hot pan). Let it cool completely before refrigerating. This helps prevent separation or grainy texture. Rewarm lightly in the microwave for a few seconds at a time before using.