Blueberry Blackberry Cobbler

I just realized I never posted my cobbler recipe that I promised Mr. Macabre I would. I can't remember where I got this recipe, but it's pretty tasty and easy to make. You can make it with blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or even a combination of berries like I did here with this version of the recipe.



Ingredients
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, thawed
3/4 cup sugar, divided
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons cold butter
3/4 cup buttermilk

Directions;
In a large bowl, combine the berries, 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch,
lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Transfer to a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, lemon peel, baking powder, salt,
baking soda and remaining sugar; cut in butter until mixture
resembles coarse crumbs.

Stir in buttermilk just until moistened.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto blueberry mixture.

Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Pair with vanilla ice cream.

Serve warm. Yield: 8 servings.

Enjoy

Blondes Have More Fun

Peanut Butter Fudge

4 cups Granulated sugar
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) Evaporated milk
1 cup (2 Sticks) Unsalted butter + a little extra
1/2 of an 18oz. or 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter(smooth or crunchy)
1 pint Marshmallow creme
1 tsp Vanilla

Butter sides of a heavy 3 quart or larger saucepan.

Combine sugar, evaporated milk, and 2 sticks of butter in the saucepan.

Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, to you reach soft ball stage (236 Fahrenheit) on a candy thermometer.

Remove from heat and quickly add the peanut butter, marshmallow creme, vanilla, and nuts if desired.

Beat by hand until peanut butter and marshmallow are melted and blended well.

Pour into a buttered 13x6x2 inch pan.

Cool in refrigerator until completely cooled and firm (2 to 4 hours)

Tips - You can score the fudge into the desried sizes while still warm in the pan.
You can lay buttered parchment paper across the bottom and up both long sides of the pan to help remove the whole piece of fudge in order to cut it on a cutting board.

Enjoy!

Old School Fudge

4 cups Granulated sugar
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) Evaporated milk
1 cup (2 Sticks) Unsalted butter + a little extra
12 oz. Bag of chocolate chips, semisweet
1 pint Marshmallow creme
1 tsp Vanilla
1 cup Walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)



Butter sides of a heavy 3 quart or larger saucepan.

Combine sugar, evaporated milk, and 2 sticks of butter in the saucepan.

Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, to you reach soft ball stage (236 Fahrenheit) on a candy thermometer.

Remove from heat and quickly add the chocolate chips, marshmallow creme, vanilla, and nuts if desired.

Beat by hand until chocolate and marshmallow are melted and blended well.

Pour into a buttered 13x6x2 inch pan.

Cool in refrigerator until completely cooled and firm (2 to 4 hours)

Tips - You can score the fudge into the desried sizes while still warm in the pan.
You can lay buttered parchment paper across the bottom and up both long sides of the pan to help remove the whole piece of fudge in order to cut it on a cutting board.

Enjoy!

Peanut Brittle .2

Made a few changes since last years recipe.

2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
1 cups raw (unsalted) peanuts
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. baking soda

Heat with medium to medium high heat, stirring sugar, syrup and water together in a heavy 3-quart saucepan until the sugar dissolves.

Once dissolved add salt.

Cook over medium heat to medium high heat to the soft ball stage (234 degrees).

Add peanuts at 250 degrees.

Cook to hard crack stage (290 degrees), stirring constantly.

Remove from heat as thermometer approaches 290 degrees.

Quickly, stir in butter and soda.

Beat to froth for a few seconds.

Pour quickly onto two well-buttered cookie sheet pans, spreading with spatula.

Allow brittle cool completely.

Break up when cold.

Tips and Tricks

Raw Spanish peanuts are the traditional choice of nut for brittle, but you could use just about any nut you like.

I like to add a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and a 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to my brittle and the same time as the peanuts. (It gives it a little kick!)

While spreading the brittle onto the cookie sheet use a fork to help stretch it into the corners, but you need to work quickly.

Enjoy

The Candyman Cometh Again

Sorry Tony Todd, I didn't mean you. Don't look so sad somebody will hire you sooner or later. What I meant to say, is that its that wonderful time of year when the Captain and his wife make abnormally large amounts of sugary candies to share with our friends and family. Stay tuned for recipes to follow.

"The fudge, I can assure you, will be exquisite. As for our candy, there is nothing to fear. Our names will be written on a thousand walls. Our recipes told and retold by our faithful believers. We shall cook together in front of their very eyes and give them something to be haunted by. Cook with me and be immortal."

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am reposting these from last year because everyone liked them, also I have altered the amounts on the spices because originally they were not spicy enough. Enjoy everyone, let me know if you make some.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola or corn oil
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips



Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper. Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed, mix the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended. Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it. Mix in the chips.

Using an ice cream scoop with a 1/4-cup capacity, scoop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2-inches apart. You could also simply use a 1/4-cup measuring cup if you don’t have a scoop. Use a thin metal spatula to smooth and flatten the rounds.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 16 minutes. Cool them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Caramel Popcorn Balls (Revisited)

They were yummy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am so making these this weekend!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola or corn oil
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips



Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper. Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed, mix the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended. Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it. Mix in the chips.

Using an ice cream scoop with a 1/4-cup capacity, scoop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2-inches apart. You could also simply use a 1/4-cup measuring cup if you don’t have a scoop. Use a thin metal spatula to smooth and flatten the rounds.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 16 minutes. Cool them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Sugar Skull Tutorial

Cool blog with a awesome tutorial for making Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) sugar skulls. I want to try this really bad! The link is in the title above the picture.

Yummo

Delicious microwave smores! Note to self; 30 seconds is way to long to nuke a marshmallow.