{Happy Father's Day Scones}

Chocolate Chip Scones
Adapted from Hershey's

A few days before Father's Day, I asked my dad what his favorite treats were. After a bit of questioning, I asked him an extremely baffling one (but it might be hard just for me, in my opinion): Do you prefer cupcakes or cookies? He opted for the latter, because he said that he did not enjoy sweet things (if you ask me, I probably would have declared that I couldn't choose just one of them!) He never wondered why I was asking him all of these questions, which gave me great relief, because I knew that he would not assume that I planned on making a special treat for him for his Father's Day present. I have made cookies before, and I wanted to try something different. After looking through different recipes on the Internet, I found a great one about chocolate chip scones from Hershey's.


Ingredients:
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 1/4 cups flour
2 cups cold whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons of melted butter
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips*

*Note: The Hershey's recipe requires dark chocolate chips. You can use dark chocolate chips if you like, but all I had were semisweet chocolate chips (although the scones tasted good with them too).


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the chocolate chips.
3. Pour in the whipping cream and keep on stirring until the mixture becomes moist.

4. Add flour on top of a board or a flat surface like a counter.

5. Put the mixture on the board or flat surface and knead until you make a soft dough. This will take about two minutes of kneading.

6. With this dough, you can make three equal sized balls that will become seven inch circles after you flatten them with your hands.

7. Cut the dough into eight pieces.

8. Place the pieces on cookie sheets (about two inches apart).

9. Melt some butter and brush it on top of the scones.

10. Add some sugar on top.

11. Bake this in an oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

These scones taste good with many different things, like milk, ice cream, and tea (but not all of them at the same time!).

What mattered to me the most was what my dad thought of the scones. I knew he really liked them, because he said that they were really good. He was going to eat them for breakfast the next day, and bring them with him to work also! I think that this was my best Father's Day gift for him so far.

{W is for Wacky Winsome Whimsical Wonderful Walnuts}

Wacky

Winsome

Whimsical


Wonderful


Walnuts!


A basic cookie recipe



+ chocolate chips + walnut chunks


=

Delicious Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

Growing up, there were many things I avoided at all costs, like spiders, flies, and walnuts. My parents adore nearly anything with walnuts in them, from crisp salads to warm and chewy cookies. I refused to swallow anything that contained walnuts, because I always thought that they would alter any type of food to become bitter and revolting. I was really obstinate, and I stayed like that for years, until the day my mom told me to try a cookie that she had made.

It was a really different cookie - I had never tasted anything with such a distinct flavor. I asked my mother what it consisted of, and she told me it had - surprise! - walnuts. I was appalled. I thought that walnuts made any treat worse, when in fact I really enjoyed the walnuts that were added to the cookies! My parents told me that I should consume more walnuts, since they are beneficial to your health too. They contain plenty of fiber, B vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids, and magnesium. They may also reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

These batch of cookies were marvelous; the chocolate chips melted in my mouth, and the walnuts added extra and sought-after flavor and crunch.

Here is the chocolate chip cookie recipe that I used.

Father's Day is coming up soon, and I am planning on baking something special for my dad!

{Attack of the Cheese!}

It's effortless, it's delectable, and it's...

really cheeeeeesy!

Yes, it's coming for you. It knows that you can't resist it (I know I couldn't).

Yum. Served cold with blueberries on top? Of course. You are probably wondering how many slices I ate. Don't ask. Too many to count.

The thing that I like the about this cheesecake is that you can really taste the cheese. Some people add gelatin and other ingredients to their cheesecake, and there is more of that flavor than of the actual cheese in the cheesecake.

This blueberry pie filling was excellent, but the cheesecake also tastes good without it.

Ingredients:
1 Graham Pie Crust (I used the Keebler Ready Crust)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 can (21 oz.) blueberry pie filling (optional)

1. Beat the cream cheese using an electric mixer until it becomes very soft. Add the lemon juice, sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat until they become incorporated. Add the egg, and beat it until it is combined thoroughly with the other ingredients.

2. Put the graham pie crust on a baking or cookie sheet, and pour the cream cheese mixture inside the crust. It is important to put the pie crust on a baking sheet because the aluminum that the pie crust is in will fold over on itself when you take it out of the oven.

Bake this at 350°F (180°C) for 20 - 25 minutes. Once you take it out of the oven, cool it for 1 hour over a wire rack.

3. Put the blueberry pie filling on top of the cheesecake. Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 2 hours.

CAST

Me
My Younger Brother
My Younger Sister

Scene 1

BROTHER
Is the cheesecake ready yet?

ME

Sorry. After I take it out of the oven, it has to cool for one hour. Then I have to refrigerate it for at least two more hours.

BROTHER
(disbelief washes over his face)
What? NOOOOOOOO!


(Brother exits kitchen, and Sister enters soon after. She peers in the oven.)


SISTER
Is it finished now? I waited so long.

ME
Ummm.... I just put it into the oven.

SISTER
(dramatically) How long do I have to wait? I'm hungry here!

ME
After I take it out of the oven, it has to cool for one hour. Then I -

Sister
Never mind! It's too long! I'll just eat it tomorrow!

(Sister leaves and sulks in her room)

End Scene

The good news is, they really enjoyed the cheesecake (which they had to eat the next day, since they fell asleep while waiting for it).

{Peanut Butter Experiment}

The chocolate chip cookie recipe is very simple, but you can add basically anything you want to your list of ingredients. Here are a few to get you started: Nuts (walnuts and pecans make my mouth water), candy (M & M's are good, but I know some people who have tried other types such as caramel or gummy bears!), and peanut butter (you can add peanut butter chips with your chocolate chips, but you can also just use chopped up Reese's pieces).

I have been baking chocolate chip cookies a lot lately, so I decided to add peanut butter chips to my cookies today to add more flavor to them.

(Sorry for the blurry picture)

Here are some of my ingredients.

The first recipe that I posted was about chocolate chip cookies, and I used that recipe for these cookies. I added 1 cup of the peanut butter chips, and you can lessen the quantity of chocolate chips if you desire. I decided not to do that, due to the fact that my family members usually like chunky cookies.

(If you have read my previous post on cookies, then you will know why I scattered the cookie batter on the tray!)

I will always be partial to chocolate chip cookies, but whenever I want to spice things up, I'll be sure to use peanut butter chips.

To view my original chocolate chip cookie recipe, click here.

{I Spy With My Little Eye, Something...Yellow!}

Can you guess what I will be baking today?

Here are a few hints: These treats have a thick crust, they consist of citrus fruits, and most of the people who I know would love to eat them at least four times a week.

No, um... it's not pizza (That's what my brother thought it was). Actually, I made...

Lemon Bars!

(Sorry, when I tried devouring this one I ended up destroying it a little...)


Whenever summertime draws near, I can just feel it. The temperature has gone up, the crickets are chirping, and then there is the occasional drizzle of rain. Riding bikes through the tranquil neighborhood, sipping refreshing lemonade poolside, an impromptu outing to the beach on a warm, sunny day - what's not to love about summer?


I felt very compassionate towards my little lemon bars - I know what it is like to be baked in an oven (the temperature here these past months have made me feel as if I was in a colossal sauna!) You may place the lemon bars in the fridge once they have cooled off. Let me tell you, biting into a cold lemon bar on a hot summer night is sheer bliss!

It's Lemon Bars Galore Here in My Kitchen!

I have had a sudden yearning to make lemon bars for a while now, and today I went to the supermarket to purchase the ingredients. Just looking at those cheerful yellow lemons filled me with glee!

Crust:
2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 cup butter

1 3/4 cup flour


Filling:
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup flour
4 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cup plain sugar



Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius)
.
Prepare a greased glass pan.

Crust:
1. Mix the flour and confectioner’s sugar together.
2. Add the butter and mix until it has a granular texture.
3. Press the combined ingredients down firmly on the pan.
4. Pop this into the oven for 20 minutes.


You can make the filling while your crust is still in the oven.

Filling:
1. Mix the flour, baking powder, and sugar together.
2. Add the eggs and lemon juice and mix them all together.



3. Pour the mixture over the crust.
4. Leave it in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Sprinkle some confectioner’s sugar on top once it is baked, and cut into the desired sizes.

*Note: You can put this into the refrigerator if you want so that it will be cool whenever you eat one.

Oh, the desire I had to be able to take one bite...watching them bake for 23 minutes was a bit agonizing. I had to wait in anticipation to find out how they tasted like.

I did not add confectioner's sugar on this one. Instead, I tried to use granulated sugar, but there wasn't a substantial distinction in taste.

So. Much. Sugar.

Mmmmmoist

I think that this is a delightful treat to create during the first few days of summer. Have a fantastic summer, and have fun making these lemon bars!