sugar – T.W.O.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Published on February 13, 2014February 13, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Peanut Butter Cookies

As you probably have learned, T.W.O. loves peanut butter. We can have peanut butter in the morning, afternoon and night! We thought we would share one of our favorite peanut butter recipes that have been exchanged between our family members for many years. The cookies are soft flavorful and nutty! Oh, and we can’t forget about the dough….it’s pretty amazing!

Ingredients
– 1 cup crunchy peanut butter*
– 1 cube butter, softened
– ½ cup shortening
– 1 cup granulated sugar
– 1 cup brown sugar
– 2 eggs
– 2 ½ cups flour
– 1 teaspoon baking powder
– 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda

* T.W.O. likes to bake with Skippy, Jiffy or natural peanut butter (oil pre-mixed)

Cream together peanut butter, butter and shortening with a mixer. Add in the granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix well. Slowly beat in the eggs. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl, so the ingredients blends well. Add in the flour, baking powder and soda. Once all the ingredients are combined, you should get sticky, thick dough. Chill the dough for an hour or until the dough gets cold.

Preheat oven to 350.°

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. Take a spoonful of dough and roll into a ball. Repeat until all the dough is used. With a floured potato masher, press down on the “balls”. Don’t smash too much, you don’t want the cookies to burn. If you don’t have a potato masher, you can flatten the cookie with your hand and use a fork to create a criss-cross design.

Place the cookies in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Don’t overcook! Remove from the oven and let it cool on the cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

Plate the cookies, grab a glass of milk and enjoy!!!

Happy Baking!

Pear & Almond Galette

Published on November 27, 2013November 26, 2013 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Galette’s are a quick and easy alternative to making a pie or tart. It doesn’t require a special pan or master technic. Check out how to make this pear & almond galette.

Ingredients

*Flaky Crust:

-2 cups flour
-¾ cup shortening (T.W.O. uses butter flavor)
– 2-3 Tablespoons sugar
– 5-6 Tablespoons cold water
-1 egg white
*Please note this recipe usually makes two pie crusts, so adjust accordingly based on the size you want your galette

Filling:

– 7 ounces almond paste
– 5 Comice Pears, peeled & sliced
– ¼ cup granulated sugar
– 2 Tablespoons cinnamon
– 2 Tablespoons nutmeg
– 2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 425ᴼF. In a bowl mix the flour, shortening, sugar and cold water. T.W.O. uses a pastry blender to mix the dough together until you form it into a ball. Set aside.

In a bowl, carefully mix the sliced pears, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cornstarch. Be careful not to break the pears while mixing.

To roll out the dough, make sure your surface is floured so that the dough doesn’t stick to your countertop or mat. Using your rolling pin, roll the dough out evenly in a circular shape. With the assistance of a spatula, move the rolled out dough into the oiled or “PAM’ed” baking pan or cookie sheet. Next, add the almond paste to the center of the dough. You want to make sure the clumps of paste are distributed evenly, leaving a 1 inch border around the edge of the circle. Next add the pear mixture on top of the almond paste.

Using a knife, cut ½ thick strips along the edge of the dough. Next, take each strip and fold over to make a crust. Each strip should be crisscross. Brush the crust with the egg white and sprinkle sugar on top.

Bake the galette for about 35 minutes or until the fruit mixture is bubbling. Check the crust at 15 minutes and if the pie crust is getting brown, cover with foil. Remove the galette and let it sit for 15 minutes before serving. If you don’t plan to eat the galette right away, T.W.O. suggests warming it up prior to eating. Add a scoop of ice cream and you have yourself a gourmet dessert!!!

Happy Baking!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Published on October 21, 2013October 21, 2013 by T.W.O.1 Comment

T.W.O. has made a ton of chocolate chip cookies in their lifetime and we discovered that throughout the years, new recipes are constantly evolving. Most recently, T.W.O. adapted this recipe that has a secret ingredient. Find out the trick to making the best chocolate chip cookie!

Ingredients:

– 2 1/4 cups unbleached flour
– 1 teaspoon baking soda
– 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
– 1.5 sticks unsalted butter, soften
– ¾ cups light brown sugar
– ½ cup sugar
– 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
– 3 teaspoons vanilla
– 2 cups chocolate chips

In a bowl, mix butter, sugar, brown sugar, egg and yolk together. (T.W.O. uses a KitchenAid mixer!) Once mixed well, add the flour, baking soda and the secret ingredient CORNSTARCH! After 3 minutes, slowly add in the chocolate chips. Place the dough in the refrigerator overnight or for a minimum 3 hours.

Don’t forget to taste the dough!

When you are ready to bake the cookies, take the dough out of the refrigerator. Pre-heat 350ᴼF. Let the dough sit out on the counter for about 15 minutes while the oven is pre-heating. Roll the dough into balls and place them on an oil-sprayed cookie sheet. Next, place the cookies in the oven for 10-11 minutes depending on your oven.