This is a favorite recipe that I got from Than’s mom. These rolls are hearty but soft, and so delicious especially when eaten warm on the day they were baked. They also freeze pretty well, though, so you can stash some away for later.
Print Recipe
Cracked Wheat Rolls
Hearty, nutty dinner rolls with lots of good grains
Instructions
Pour 1 cup boiling water into a glass mixing cup. Stir in cracked wheat set aside to soften.
Mix 3/4 cup warm water, sugar, and yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk well and allow to sit about 5 minutes or until foamy.
Blend in salt, egg, and oil. Add softened cracked wheat along with any additional water in the cup.
Mix in 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of whole wheat flour. If you've been using a different attachment, switch to the dough hook at this point.
Add 1 more cup of all-purpose flour and 1 more cup of whole wheat flour or other ground grain (flax, rye, wheat germ). Knead in mixer until well combined.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise to the top of the bowl, about 1 hour.
After dough has risen, gently knead it back down with oiled hands. Allow dough to rise once more if you have time. (This second rise is optional).
With oiled hands, separate out portions of the risen dough and shape into rolls of desired size and shape. Place on greased cookie sheets.
Allow rolls to rise once more after shaping. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Bake rolls at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until they begin to brown. Don't overcook!
This recipe was originally from Yummy Addiction via Pinterest. I’ve made it a few times, and have been known to shift around flavors and mix-ins based on what I have available!
Print Recipe
Orange Poppy Seed Ricotta Cookies
This is an easy recipe to halve, if you have part of a container of ricotta cheese that needs to be used up. The texture of these cookies is very different from an ordinary cookie--a nice chewy change of pace.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, or a Silpat liner. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom, and poppy seeds. Stir with a whisk to blend. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine sugar and orange zest. Mix with your fingertips until the sugar is moistened and fragrant. Add butter to the mixture and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Beat in the orange juice, vanilla and ricotta cheese. Scrape the bottom of the bowl and beat for another minute to make sure everything is incorporated.
Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. The dough will be moist and a bit sticky because of the ricotta cheese.
Spoon/scoop about two tablespoons of dough for each cookie on a baking sheet. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from oven and and let rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
While the cookies cool, make the glaze. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, orange juice and zest. Whisk until smooth. Spread about a teaspoon of glaze on the top of each cookie. Let glaze harden before serving. Enjoy!
Baking Bites via Pinterest provided this yummy recipe. The cookies are great on their own, and even better when stuck together as a peanut butter sandwich!
Print Recipe
Toffee Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Makes about 40 cookies, or 20 sandwich cookies
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oatmeal, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth, followed by 1/2 cup peanut butter.
With the mixer on low speed or working by hand, gradually blend in the flour mixture, then stir in the toffee bits.
Drop scant 1-inch balls onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 9-11 minutes, until edges are golden.
Cool on baking sheet for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
When cookies are cooled, sandwich each pair with 2-3 tsp smooth peanut butter.
Recipe Notes
Original recipe (with more explanation and photos!) is from Baking Bites
May 2016 in Review, and Christmas Cookie #5
A favorite photo…
A few highlights…
- School year ends
- A family wedding with lots of festivities
- Visit to St. Louis, complete with a backyard Senegalese meal and lots of good family time
And a cookie recipe to go with it!
Print Recipe
Peppermint Swirls
These pretty mint swirls are fun to make with kids, since they can help with the rolling and swirling. They make a colorful addition to Christmas platters. The recipe originally came from Light and Tasty magazine.
Instructions
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
Divide dough into thirds. Stir red food coloring into one portion of dough; stir green food coloring into another portion. Leave remaining dough plain. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Divide each portion of dough into four equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 12-in. rope. Place a red, a green and a plain rope next to each other. Cut through all three ropes at 1-in. intervals, forming sets of three differently colored doughs. Repeat.
Roll each set of doughs into a ball; place balls 3 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten to 1/8-in. thickness with a glass dipped in additional sugar. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.