Category Archives: Recipe Of The Month

Baking, Cookies, Dessert, Recipe Of The Month

Double Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

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When just beginning in my bakery, I started with a small box of baking soda. On the back was a recipe for a combination I had never considered – Chocolate Cranberry Cookies. The bakery kept me busy, enough so that I had little time to experiment. Once I switched to writing recipe books, I have had more opportunities. Nearly nine years later, I finally made my version of this cookie – and it has proven to be a delightful combination!

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If you are reading this, you are also getting a sneak-peek!  These delicious Double Chocolate Cranberry Cookies are one of the recipes that will be featured in my upcoming Thanksgiving / Christmas / New Years cookie recipe book.  This project has been in the works for a few years now, and it is my plan to publish it around September this year.  Keep an eye on this website along with my social media locations for updates.  If you would like to know when this book publishes, I would be happy to add you to my notification list — email me!  Don’t worry, I won’t send you newsletters — those things drive me bonkers.

INGREDIENTS

    • 12 Tablespoons – 180 ml Unsalted Butter, softened
    • 3/4 cups – 120 ml White Sugar
    • 3/4 cups – 120 ml Brown Sugar
    • 2 Large Eggs
    • 5 Tablespoons – 75 ml Strong Coffee or Espresso
    • 2 teaspoons – 10 ml Pure Vanilla Extract
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons – 7.5 ml Baking Powder
    • 1/3 cup – 80 ml Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
    • 2 cups – 480 ml All-Purpose Flour
    • 1 cup – 240 ml Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
    • 1 cup – 240 ml Dried Cranberries

mix ingredients chill drop cookies

MIXING

  1. cookies stacked allow coolIn a mixing bowl, cream butter and then combine the two sugars. It may be necessary to stop mixing and scrape the bottom of the bowl so that butter and sugar are mixed uniformly.
  2. Beat in eggs, coffee, vanilla extract, baking powder, and cocoa powder.
  3. While mixing, add one cup of flour at a time. Avoid over-mixing the flour; if necessary, stop mixing between making measurements and adding flour.
  4. Add the chocolate chips as the last of the flour becomes completely blended. Mix in the dried cranberries by hand.

BAKING

  1. Heat oven to 375° F/190° C/Gas Mark 5.
  2. Using a spoon, scoop small amounts of dough – 1 1/2 tablespoons or about the size of a ping pong ball – onto a cookie sheet. Space these apart, about 6-9 at a time.
  3. Place cookie sheet in the oven for 9-13 minutes. The cookies should be done when the edges are slightly browned.

TIPS & THOUGHTS

Experiment with changing the extract – orange, almond, or rum should compliment the chocolate and cranberry flavours. Also, white chocolate chips might add a festive look if you want to use these as Christmas cookies.

PSST!!! You may notice that the ingredients above are similar to my Chocolate Ginger Cookie Squares in the Christmas cookie section. Yep – I just reused and modified my recipe and made it as a drop cookie. Which means, of course, that you can do either of these recipes as drop cookies or cookie squares!

A NEW Version of
Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies

Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies Update Cover artFor years I have wanted to get new cover-art for my debut book “Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies“.  I have also wanted to find a printer who could affordably give me interior pictures in colour.  I am excited to announce … IT’S HERE!!!

Available now through LuLu.com, I have re-released MYODGCookies — and it’s so new, I haven’t even received my proof copy yet!  If you go to their site you will find 2 listings — look closely — one is standard-bound paperback, the other is comb-bound.  Only the standard paperback will receive global distribution — which should start soon — so look for this new version through online book retailers and ask for it at your favourite local bookshop.

Let's Bake Cookie Squares and Biscotti!Do You Want To Try Before You Buy?…

Click the picture to get a copy of my FREE SAMPLE E-BOOK!

Also, check me out online at Facebook, Twitter, and now Instagram for further updates on my upcoming books.

 

Cooking, Recipe Of The Month

Caramel Apple Coffee Jam

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apple apples applesauce cutting boardYeah, coffee lovers … you read that right — COFFEE JAM!

This jam is tasty and fun!  It is easy to prepare and makes for a delicious spread, baked good filling, or ice cream topping.  If you know how to can, it may also serve as a surprising gift.

make applesauce peel core cut cubeNOTE – It is important that to read and fully understand how to prepare this recipe before starting to cook the jam.  Also, have all ingredients measured and within each reach, along with a timer, utensils, and containers ready.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups – 480 mL Applesauce
  • 2 cups – 240 mL Strong Brewed Coffee
  • About 1/2 teaspoon – 2.5 mL Butter
  • 4 Tablespoons – 60 mL Pectin (see note below)
  • 2 cups – 426 g Brown Sugar

DIRECTIONS

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    Put applesauce, coffee, butter, and pectin in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

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    Add brown sugar.  While stirring over medium heat, bring mixture to a boil that cannot be stirred down (this helps to get the sugar dissolved).  Start timer for one minute and continue boiling while stirring constantly.  Remove from heat; carefully and quickly, skim any foam off of the surface using a tablespoon into a bowl (later, discard or taste once cooled to sample).

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    Ladle the hot jam into storage containers then allow to cool.  Use soon, store in your refrigerator for several weeks.  This jam may be canned for long term storage if you know the process.  If you need to learn how to can properly, look to the Ball Book Of Canning And Preserving (a classic!), also the USDA website has free resources online.

Makes about 2 pints worth of jam.

warm cornbread muffins snack breakfast side dish homemade butter jelly

TIPS & THOUGHTS 

Safety First!  Accidents can happen in kitchens, and it is best to develop practices to avoid them in the first place.  I suggest using a long wooden spoon or another implement that does not conduct heat, and cannot fall in when laid on an angle in the pan.  Also – Word to the Wise – if you are canning, I advise against using tongs (below left) to get lid pieces out of hot water.  The water can run down the inside channel and get on to you – OUCH!  Instead, my suggestion is to use these other tongs (below right) or something similar.

silicon salad Tongs pinchers

Instead of storing this jam in your refrigerator, you could probably freeze it – however, I have not personally tried this.

Not All Pectin Is Created Equal — Read On …

In perfecting my recipe, I made batches using each pectin product pictured below.  When I used the Ball pectin, my jam came out more like a spread – even to say, it was a little runny.  I also had some of the Sure Jell on hand and I thought to make another batch, wondering how it might come out.  When looking at the back label of both products, I noticed something – let’s get mathy …

Ball brand canister Sure Jell Pectin box

Ball
Serving size 1/4 tsp (0.7g)
Sure Jell
Serving size 1/8 tsp (0.5g), multiplied by 2 = 1/4 tsp (1g)

Already we can tell that the Sure Jell weighs more by volume.  Presumably, one product is denser than the other – and I figured if one is denser, likely there is more pectin present … making the jam thicker.  This becomes even more obvious when one calculates out to the 4 Tablespoons of pectin this recipe calls for …

Ball – 4 Tbsp (33.6g)
Sure Jell – 4 Tbsp (48g)
48g – 33.6g = A 14.4 gram difference for the same volume of pectin.

What were the results of my batch of jam using the Sure Jell pectin?  Sure enough, it was thicker!  All said, there are various pectin products produced and available on the market – use different ingredients and you will get different results.

PAIRINGS

Let's Bake Cookie Squares and Biscotti!
Click the picture to get a copy of my FREE SAMPLE E-BOOK!

No matter what pectin I have used, this jam tends to be soft – something to use more as a spread … okay, what I’m trying to nicely say here is that if you put this in a peanut butter and jam sandwich, I’m pretty sure the jam is going to run out.  The choice is yours.  In any case, due to the unique flavour of this jam, I prefer to put it on a baked good where the jam is the prevailing taste.  One example I’m fond of — warm cornmeal muffins with a little bit of butter … they’re particularly good!

Updates & New Recipe Books — Coming Soon …

Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies
Wanna guess who’s my hand model?

My debut book “Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies” is getting new cover art and interior colour pictures.
Re-release Goal — mid-April 2023 … maybe sooner!

Also Coming …

  • Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Cookie Recipes – Fall 2023
  • 2020 & 2021 Recipe Of The Month Collection – Fall 2023
  • Scot-Irish Recipes – in time for St. Patrick’s Day 2024
  • 2022 & 2023 Recipe Of The Month Collection – Early 2024
  • The Patriotic Piper Vol. 01 re-release with colour food photos – fingers crossed … late June 2023

Check me out online at Facebook, Twitter, and now Instagram for further updates on my upcoming books.

Announcement, Baking, Book, Cooking, e-Book, e-Publishing, Product, Publication, Recipe Of The Month

Recipes Of The Month Become Keepsake Books

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You know that I’ve been posting a FREE Recipe Of The Month on my blog since 01Dec2019 — RIGHT?!?  This has been an absolute ball — thinking up something different to present, seeing people’s responses online, and knowing that folks are inspired to try new things in their kitchen.

But could there be … more?

YEP – these cookies are GREEN! Trust me, I know – I live in a state where 1/2 of everything is green. So far as I have found little of it tastes minty though.

During this time I have been thinking of ways to do more with these recipes.  I could start an e-mail newsletter, a Patreon account, and maybe even produce demonstration videos on YouTube.  While I think those are great ideas, these are not really manageable for me at this time.

Instead I have started turning my Recipe Of The Month content into books.  My aim is to publish the first two — the 2020 and the 2021 Collections — in early 2022.  Folks who want nicely published keepsake copies will be able to get these for their recipe-book shelf and e-reader.  My plan is to keep the prices of these low, and the sales will help to support what I do.

What recipes will be in these books?

These books will feature the twelve recipes from the year — and so far each book has ended up with a few bonus recipes!  In some cases these recipes will include previously unreleased photos and additional content.  Here’s what’s to come in the first two recipe books …

Giant Ginger Snaps
Bonus recipe — Big Soft Ginger Cookies!

The 2020 Collection — Krampus Coal Cookies, Broccoli Beef Stir-Fry, Avgolémono Soup, Irish Soda Bread, Mississippi Mud-Pie, Big Soft Ginger Cookies, Marshmallows, Mocha Brownies, Raspberry Chocolate Cookie Squares, Blueberry Buckle Coffeecake, Wacky Cake, Sautéed Apples, Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Soup, and Ginger Pancakes

The 2021 Collection — Burmese Chicken Soup, Hot Fudge Pudding Cake, Farls, Grasshopper Squares, Jambon, Cake Mix Cookies, Lemon Almond Pudding Cake, Peppermint Patties, Dirty Chai Coffee Cake, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Graham Cracker Pie Crust, my current November recipe for Peanut Butter Pumpkin Soup (pictured below), my December recipe which hasn’t been decided yet, and a bonus dessert recipe … which you’ll have to buy the book to find out what it is …. but I’ll tell you this, it doesn’t exist anywhere else!

Keep an eye on the WIBC blog

My aim is to release these first two Collections in Spring 2022 along with a Christmas cookie recipe book.  Keep an eye to my blog along with Twitter and Facebook for updates!

Have a recipe to submit for me to present as a Recipe Of The Month?  Drop me a line!

Want a recipe book NOW?

Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies
Wanna guess who’s my hand model?

My debut recipe book — “Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies” — is now a 3 year old!  If you can’t wait to start buying my Recipe Of The Month annual collection books, fire-up your browser and order a print copy today.  Darn Good Cookies is also available in electronic form from most e-book retailers.  In it you will learn to make over 50 proven recipes including cookies, biscotti, coffee, some breakfast items, and other comfort foods.

Recently, multi-award winning author, Kathleen Stone, wrote “Scoby’s comfort foods are themselves a thing to behold, but this book is so much more. There are wonderful stories and anecdotes as well as beautiful photographs, and all of that combined with the mouthwatering recipes makes this a book I’m excited to have in my collection.  … The book in its entirety embodies what the author is all about — comfort food, family, friends, music and a love for life in general.”

Want to try a few Darn Good Cookies before you buy?

Let's Bake Cookie Squares and Biscotti!Grab a copy of my FREE SAMPLE e-book “Let’s Bake Cookie Squares and Biscotti!” — available through most major e-book retailers!  In the text you will get 2 recipes from Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies, which will show you my writing and direction style.  You will also see a step-by-step photo section that guides you through a few steps that some folks might find a little more tricky.  Check it out!

Baking, Recipe Of The Month

Graham Cracker Pie Crust

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This pie crust is easy to make and gives a personal touch when serving your favourite homemade desserts.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 cups – 360 mL Graham Crackers, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons – 30 mL White Sugar
  • 1 tablespoons – 15 mL Brown Sugar
  • 7 tablespoons – 100 g Butter, softened

MIXING & BAKING

  1. Heat oven to 375° F/190° C/Gas Mark 5.
  2. Crush 9 to 10 graham crackers, enough to produce 1 1/2 cups of crumbs.
  3. Add both sugars and butter to cracker crumbs then mix thoroughly using a fork.  When done, it should look similar to loose brown sugar.
  4. Pour crumb mixture into a 9” pie dish.  Spread and then press evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the dish using your fingers or the back of a fork.
  5. Bake for 7-10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cool completely before filling.

TIPS & THOUGHTS

Making this crust takes 9-10 graham crackers – I find that 9 are usually spot on.  Also, as usual ‘fresh is best’, and a fresh box of graham crackers will help produce the tastiest results.

Crushing graham crackers is easy.  Place 4 or 5 in a large sealable bag, lay this on a hard surface, and work them over with a rolling pin.  The crumbs should look like coarse sand.  Open the bag and pour the contents into a measuring cup – repeat until you have enough.

I prefer to use softened butter.  Melted butter does not seem to make a difference, however the effect is easier to see during the mixing process.

Bake the crust for the shorter amount of time when the filling needs to be baked.  Use the longer time when making a dessert that does not need to be baked, as with a pudding pie.

You can also make this crust using ginger snaps and other cookies.  When using harder, commercial-made cookies, I use a blender to produce the crumbs.

PAIRINGS

Any pie filling you like!

Want more?  There’s more coming SOON!

Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies
Wanna guess who’s my hand model?

Many folks know about my debut recipe book “Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies”.  If you want some free samples from this book, grab a copy of “Let’s Bake Cookie Squares and Biscotti!” — available through most major e-book retailers!